Range days.

These last few days, we've spent some serious time on the range. Completing our pistol qualifications on Saturday, we've moved very quickly on to the M-4 rifle qualifications. For those unfamiliar with the weapon, its a smaller, more compact version of the venerable M-16, which has been in service with the US military since about 1964. The M-4 shares about 80% of the parts with the M-16, with the exception of a small collapsable butt stock and a shorter barrel, designed to lighten the weight and allow for close quarters, urban combat. The first step was to complete grouping and zeroing with live ammunition, a procedure where the sights are adjusted on each rifle, customized for the eye-sight plane and body characteristics of the individual shooter. The next step was to spend some time in the dark scenario based video trainers, simulating a checkpoint on a busy road in an Iraqi village where decisions had to be made to shoot at all, and if so, when and whom to shoot in an escalation of force scenario. This morning, we spent from sunrise until about noon on the LOMAH (Location of Miss and Hit) range, an outdoor facility with pop-up targets at 75m, 125m, and 300m ranges-about the maximum effective range with the M4 and non-telescopic iron sights. This range is pictured above. The LOMAH system works using a type of high frequency sonar that will give instant feedback via a computer LCD screen at the shooter's position on where specifically the round impacted the target; or if a miss-how far and in which direction. This was also the first time we've shot our rifles in full body armor and it certainly makes a difference; being able to hold the rifle steady and get in proper shooting position is restricted by the heavy armor and limited range of motion. As you can see from the picture, the 300m targets are nearly impossible to see laying down in the prone position, and a hit on a dark target silhouette in the shadows of a sand berm might as well be pure luck. Our full rifle qualification course will be completed in the next day or two.

Location:Camp McCrady, Fort Jackson, SC