Marine_ A Guided Tour Of A Marine Expeditionary Unit Part 4

My rifle and myself know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit.... the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit....

My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weakness, its strength, its parts, its accessories, I will learn its weakness, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights, and its barrel. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will.... We will....

Before G.o.d I swear this creed. My rifle and myself are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.

So be it, until victory is America's and there is no enemy, but Peace.

-My Rifle: The Creed of a United States Marine, by Major General William H. Rupertus, USMC by Major General William H. Rupertus, USMC

The ethos of the Marine Corps is not found in the technology of its weapons, but in the character and morale of the individual Marine with a rifle in the presence of an enemy. Back in the 1970s, when the Marines were still short on the new anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), there was a Marine officer training a cla.s.s on anti-armor tactics. When the instructor was asked what weapon was best against heavy enemy armored vehicles, he showed a slide of the Marine Corps emblem, saying, "Gentlemen, this is your best weapon." Just being Marines was their best weapon. Themselves.

While better equipped than a quarter century ago, today's Marine Corps is still taking young men and women and making each one into a lethal fighter. Marines are also taught that they are likely to find themselves thinking and acting on their own in situations requiring great responsibility-operating alone, making decisions, and taking actions that represent American policy. A recent recruiting poster showed a Marine sniper and his rifle in full camouflage, with the words "Smart Weapon."

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The Corps ideal. A Marine on exercise at Camp Lejeune, holding a position with his M 16A2 combat rifle. The USMC still values the individual Marine with their personal weapons as their basic building block.

JOHN D. GRESHAM.

Tribal Elders: The USMC Weapons Training Battalion We're going to spend some time telling you about the weapons that Marines carry into battle. We'll visit an outfit dedicated to the idea that, even in a world full of laser-guided bombs and missiles, there is still a need for one well-aimed shot from a weapon held by human hands. The place is the Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Virginia, and the unit is the Marine Corps Weapons Training Battalion. On the Quantico reservation, inland from Interstate 95, stands a small cl.u.s.ter of buildings, mostly of World War II vintage. This is the home of the Weapons Training Battalion, the U.S. Marine Corps' premier shooting unit. Established in 1952 after the nightmare of the Korean War proved how much the Marine Corps needed to hone its shooting skills, the battalion operates sixteen different shooting ranges, cla.s.sroom facilities, an ammunition loading and packing plant, and a complete gunsmithing and machine shop. Here the Corps trains the best shooters in the U.S. military, while maintaining a capability to build and maintain customized firearms. If you are a gun enthusiast like me, this is Firearms Heaven.

Colonel Mick Nance commands the Weapons Battalion. He will tell you that he has one of the best jobs in the Corps. Backing him up is Sergeant Major F.W. Fenwick, command NCO for the battalion. The unit is the Corps' repository of corporate knowledge on the subject of shooting all kinds of portable weapons and using explosives as breaching tools. Preserving and improving the shooting skills of the Corps is no small job, and Colonel Nance's Marines work hard. Some of their missions include the following. They: * Write and maintain all the training courses for marksmans.h.i.+p and small-arms training in the USMC.* Run the Marine Marksmans.h.i.+p Training Program and supervise the Common Skills Qualification Data Base across the Corps.* Train every Marine officer candidate from the officer's school (on the other side of the Quantico base) in marksmans.h.i.+p. Both men and women come to the Weapons Training Battalion in mixed companies to master weapons skills.* Train and qualify Marine personnel in several Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes related to marksmans.h.i.+p and small arms.* Partic.i.p.ate in operational testing and evaluation of all new small arms, ammunition, and breaching and demolition systems fielded by the Corps.* a.s.sist in training and arming Marine Corps rifle and pistol compet.i.tion shooting teams.* Run an ammunition load and pack facility. Every year, this facility loads over 100,000 rounds of ammunition for the Marine shooting teams.* Develop specialized weapons, demolition, and breaching tools for unique Marine applications.* Manufacture, modify, issue, and maintain a variety of Marine Corps firearms, including the M1911 .45-caliber MEU (SOC) pistol.* Conduct the "High Risk Personnel" anti-terrorism course for diplomats and other personnel a.s.signed to overseas posts.* Maintain weapons and ammunition storage for the FBI, CIA, DEA, and other agencies that utilize the Quantico range complex.

The Weapons Training Battalion has an impressive cadre of trained and experienced personnel. Like the elders of a tribe, the men and women of the battalion have a broad and deep base of practical knowledge, whether acquired in the cla.s.sroom, at the workbench, or on the battlefield.

Consider the training of rifle marksmans.h.i.+p for new officers at Quantico. The course looks like this: Marine instructors on the "High Risk" training course at Quantico, VA. This course is designed to teach diplomats and other high-risk personnel defensive field techniques.

JOHN D. GRESHAM.

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Phase I-- Familiarization: Officer candidates are introduced to the M 16A2 combat rifle, with particular emphasis on cleaning, maintenance, and aligning the sights (called "zeroing" the sights). The cla.s.sroom basics of shooting are taught, as well as some practice in shooting house simulators, which use modified weapons firing compressed gas. Familiarization: Officer candidates are introduced to the M 16A2 combat rifle, with particular emphasis on cleaning, maintenance, and aligning the sights (called "zeroing" the sights). The cla.s.sroom basics of shooting are taught, as well as some practice in shooting house simulators, which use modified weapons firing compressed gas. Phase II-- Phase II-- Known Range Firing: This is actual range training and qualification at known ranges in a variety of postures, with fixed (stationary) targets. During this phase, the proper grips on the weapon, use of the sights, and compensation for crosswind, elevation, and weather are taught and certified. Known Range Firing: This is actual range training and qualification at known ranges in a variety of postures, with fixed (stationary) targets. During this phase, the proper grips on the weapon, use of the sights, and compensation for crosswind, elevation, and weather are taught and certified. Phase III-- Phase III-- Unknown Range Firing ("Ironman") Training: This is the really hard part of the training, with firing against moving targets at unknown ranges. The officer candidate must rapidly a.s.sess the range and crossing rate of a pop-up target. Each candidate is given two magazines, with a total of thirty-five rounds, and twenty-nine targets to hit. A score of twenty-five out of thirty-five is considered good; sixteen is poor. Unknown Range Firing ("Ironman") Training: This is the really hard part of the training, with firing against moving targets at unknown ranges. The officer candidate must rapidly a.s.sess the range and crossing rate of a pop-up target. Each candidate is given two magazines, with a total of thirty-five rounds, and twenty-nine targets to hit. A score of twenty-five out of thirty-five is considered good; sixteen is poor.

By teaching basic concepts, mixing in a dash of simulated skills training (Phase I), building upon these with actual dynamic training (Phase II), and then testing in a real-world context (Phase III), the Marines produce a rifle combatant who can take and hold a position, and make an enemy think twice about trying to take it back.

The Marines of the battalion pa.s.s along the hard-earned knowledge that goes with their trade to the new generations on the way up in the Corps. Some of the courses (designated by MOS numbers) that they run include: [image]

A Marine with an instructor on the Quantico rifle range. This new range uses computer-controlled targets to teach combat shooting skills.

JOHN D. GRESHAM.

* MOS 8531--Rifle Range Coach/Instructor: MOS 8531--Rifle Range Coach/Instructor: This course qualifies an enlisted Marine to safely run a firearms range and to teach the current doctrine and skills to recruits or officer candidates. This course qualifies an enlisted Marine to safely run a firearms range and to teach the current doctrine and skills to recruits or officer candidates.* MOS 8532-Small Arms Weapons Instructor: MOS 8532-Small Arms Weapons Instructor: An advanced version of the 8531 course, it emphasizes additional skills and concepts over a wider range of weapons and environments, particularly follow-up and proficiency training. Each MEU (SOC) would likely have one or more of these instructors. An advanced version of the 8531 course, it emphasizes additional skills and concepts over a wider range of weapons and environments, particularly follow-up and proficiency training. Each MEU (SOC) would likely have one or more of these instructors.* MOS 9925--Range Officer: MOS 9925--Range Officer: a.s.signed to supervise and manage the official training and shooting ranges of the Corps. Only thirty-two Marines can hold this designation at one time. a.s.signed to supervise and manage the official training and shooting ranges of the Corps. Only thirty-two Marines can hold this designation at one time.* MOS 0306-Infantry Weapons Officer: MOS 0306-Infantry Weapons Officer: The officer version of the 8532 course. A MEU (SOC) or regiment would likely have one such officer a.s.signed. The officer version of the 8532 course. A MEU (SOC) or regiment would likely have one such officer a.s.signed.* MOS 8541-Scout/Sniper: 8541-Scout/Sniper: This is the famous eight-week course that turns a Marine into the most deadly shooter in the U.S. a.r.s.enal, an 8541 Scout/Sniper. With a 40% dropout rate, it is one of the toughest courses in the U.S. military. Once a Marine completes this course, he is qualified to be a.s.signed to a Scout/Sniper platoon in a MEU (SOC) or other unit. This is the famous eight-week course that turns a Marine into the most deadly shooter in the U.S. a.r.s.enal, an 8541 Scout/Sniper. With a 40% dropout rate, it is one of the toughest courses in the U.S. military. Once a Marine completes this course, he is qualified to be a.s.signed to a Scout/Sniper platoon in a MEU (SOC) or other unit.* MOS 8542--Advanced Scout/Sniper: MOS 8542--Advanced Scout/Sniper: This five week follow-up to the 8541 course teaches more advanced leaders.h.i.+p, tracking, navigation, shooting, and weapons skills. This five week follow-up to the 8541 course teaches more advanced leaders.h.i.+p, tracking, navigation, shooting, and weapons skills.* MOS 2112-Gunsmith: MOS 2112-Gunsmith: This is, perhaps, the most traditional course in the Weapons Training Battalion curriculum. It is designed to make a Marine into a completely qualified machinist and gunsmith. You would likely find a 2112 in every MEU (SOC), regiment, or major training base in the Corps. More than a course, it is a virtual apprentices.h.i.+p. The first six months are spent teaching trainees to build their own tools and jigs. After that, they learn everything from welding broken parts to turning blanks into rifle barrels. This is, perhaps, the most traditional course in the Weapons Training Battalion curriculum. It is designed to make a Marine into a completely qualified machinist and gunsmith. You would likely find a 2112 in every MEU (SOC), regiment, or major training base in the Corps. More than a course, it is a virtual apprentices.h.i.+p. The first six months are spent teaching trainees to build their own tools and jigs. After that, they learn everything from welding broken parts to turning blanks into rifle barrels.

Marines are not limited to taking and qualifying on just one of the MOS courses listed above. During an enlisted Marine's career he may qualify for many MOS codes, not unlike the way a Boy Scout collects merit badges on the way to Eagle Scout rank. The Corps values weapons skills, and encourages Marines to master them, ensuring that individual marksmans.h.i.+p will continue to be a living part of the Marine ethos.

The Weapons Training Battalion is both an armory and a schoolhouse. Yet the battalion is not just sitting on its laurels. Innovations during the past year included moving targets on the qualification courses at Quantico, firing from inside nuclear/chemical/biological (NCB) suits, and a new night combat syllabus. Colonel Nance and his Marines are looking forward to the 21st century. In the next ten years, they expect to specify, test, field, and train a new combat rifle, a new combat shotgun, ammunition, and other systems.

Firearms A Roman centurion evaluated his legionaires by their proficiency with sword and javelin. Genghis Khan judged his Mongol warriors by their skill at archery from horseback. Air Force pilots judge one another according to the quality of their "hands" on the stick. Among Navy aviators flying skills are judged by how well a pilot can "trap" during carrier landings. Every Marine is a rifleman, and the measure of a rifleman is marksmans.h.i.+p--the ability to cause a weapon to project a metal pellet across a volume of s.p.a.ce so that it strikes a target with precision. I happen to like this way of sizing people up, because it is a skill that no one is born with. Shooting skills have to be learned. Unlike baseball or other sports which use the same innate reflexes as throwing rocks or swinging branches, there is no natural equivalent to shooting a firearm. Doing it well requires speed and precision--as well as stress and risk--greater than nature could ever evolve. Shooting skills are also gender-independent. The upper body strength required to shoot well is minimal. Despite the cultural traditions and legal barriers that restrict them from combat, women can learn to shoot just as well as men. Some of the top-scoring Russian snipers of World War II were women, and women compete equally with men in a number of Olympic shooting events.

Within the Marine Corps, the ability to put metal onto a target is taught as a common skill. Every officer and enlisted Marine who graduates from the OCS or the Basic School learns to fire and qualify on a variety of firearms. Without an acceptable level of marksmans.h.i.+p, they cannot graduate, or for that matter, stay in the Corps. This emphasis on shooting benefits the Corps in many ways, both obvious and hidden. Most evident is the reluctance of our enemies to face Marines in combat. Before the first shots of the 1991 Gulf War were even fired, many Iraqi soldiers expected to be annihilated by the Marines facing them, so they surrendered when the ground war began. More practically, Marines who can accurately deliver aimed fire will use less ammunition, reducing the load on hard-pressed combat logistical systems.

What follows is a look at Marine small arms today and tomorrow. We'll explore the heavier stuff later, but first we will learn about the weapons that define "Marine."

M16A2 Combat Rifle The M 16A2 rifle is the standard weapon in Marine combat units. Basic marksmans.h.i.+p skills are established and evaluated with this rifle; and every Marine in the Corps, from the newest Private to the Commandant, can fire the M16A2 with precision. The M16 had its origin in German a.s.sault rifles, like the MP44, developed during World War II. The MP44 combined the precision of a semi-automatic bolt-action rifle with the firepower of a fully automatic submachine gun or machine pistol. The a.s.sault rifle allowed troops to lay down a heavy volume of fire with good accuracy and still have the mobility of light infantry.

Following the war, many armies developed their own a.s.sault rifles (today called combat rifles), but with mixed results. The Russian AK-47, designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov, set the pattern for the modern combat rifle. Designed for cheap ma.s.s production, the AK-47 could fire semi-automatic (single-shot) or full-automatic (pull the trigger and get a stream of bullets). Because it was simple and rugged and easy to obtain, it became the symbol of Third World "popular liberation" movements during the Cold War. Western armies lagged behind Russia in combat rifle design during the 1950s, but began to catch up in the 1960s. Belgium's Fabrique Nationale (FN) and Germany's Heckler & Koch (H&K) produced 7.62mm combat rifles on the AK-47 model, but the United States still lagged. Because the U.S. Army had sunk a huge amount of money into a new semi-automatic rifle, the 7.62mm M 14, the Army rejected an experimental FN-type weapon, the T-48. The M 14 could be readily a.s.sembled by the same plants that built the Garand M-1 during World War II while the T-48 would have required ma.s.sive industrial retooling.

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A 26th MEU (SOC) Marine test-fires an M16A2 combat rifle in the hangar bay of the USS Wasp (LHD-1). He is wearing the new AN/PVS-7B night-vision-goggle system, and the PAC-4C night-spotting system is attached to the top of the rifle's barrel.

U.S. MARINE CORPS.

In the late 1960s, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) standardized upon a smaller lightweight cartridge for future small arms, allowing more rounds to be carried by an infantrymen. Though this high-velocity 5.56mm/.223-inch round provided lethal hitting power (engineers use the gruesome term "wound ballistics"), there was strong resistance in the U.S. military to switching over to a new weapon firing it. What convinced the U.S. military to accept the new caliber was the Armalite AR-15, an automatic rifle designed by the brilliant Eugene Stoner in the late 1950s. Lighter and easier to fire accurately than the M 14, the AR-15 was a revolutionary weapon. It caused such a stir that Colt Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut, arranged a license to produce it as the CAR-15. Military and government agencies including the Air Force Security Police, Secret Service, and FBI bought CAR-15s commercially. The CAR-15's popularity put pressure on the Army and Marines to adopt it as well. By 1966, Colt produced an Army version, the M 16, which was quickly issued to Army and Marine Corps units. It was a mistake.

The first troops to receive the new weapons were already embroiled in the jungle war of Southeast Asia. But the M16 had a troubled start there, being both loved and despised by the troops. On the plus side, the M 16 was 1.2 Ib/.55 kg lighter than the M 14, and soldiers could carry more ammunition. Troops also liked having "personal machine guns," and developed the habit of using full-automatic suppressive fire in the close confines of the Vietnamese jungles. This was gratifying-when it worked. But then there was the down side: Almost as soon as the troops switched to the new weapon, they found that the M 16 was p.r.o.ne to jamming and fouling, particularly in the muddy lowlands of South Vietnam. This was not just a minor annoyance. In combat, a jammed weapon will get you killed. Rumors spread among the troops that this was a common occurrence. It was the start of one of the worst ordnance scandals in U.S. military history.

Congressional investigators later found that the reliability problems resulted both from the way the Army redesigned the CAR-15 into the M 16, and from the way the troops had been trained to maintain it. Against Stoner's advice and Colt's specifications, the Army had subst.i.tuted a lower-than-recommended grade of propellant in the 5.56mm cartridge used by the M16. This led to fouling and internal corrosion of the weapon. There were also reliability problems with the cartridge primers (the tiny explosive charge struck by the firing pin). The Army had accepted lower-quality standards in machining weapons parts, and it showed. Finally, due to shortages of cleaning kits and lubricants, at least some troops in the field were told, incorrectly, that the M 16 was a "self cleaning" weapon. In fact, the M 16 is a precision machine, requiring regular inspection and cleaning. As a result of Army mismanagement and inept fielding, the reputation of the M 16 was seriously tainted. For a time, Marines in Southeast Asia were reissued their old M 14s, until the Army could fix the M 16.

Meanwhile, a clean-burning powder was subst.i.tuted for the inferior propellant, and more reliable primers were produced. In addition, the Army had Colt modify the basic M16 to the M16A1 configuration with a chrome-plated chamber (to avoid fouling) and a stiffer buffer spring to decrease and stabilize the automatic firing rate. The extractor mechanism was also modified, to keep fired cartridges from jamming. And a program of intense training taught troops deployed in the field to properly clean, lubricate, and maintain their M16s. In consequence, the reliability of the M16 improved dramatically, along with the att.i.tude of the soldiers and Marines using it. Eventually, the M16A1 became the standard combat rifle for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps and many allied countries during the late 1960s and 1970s. After its early problems were resolved, the M16A1 developed a solid reputation for performance and reliability. It may not have had the glamor of combat rifles like the H&K-91 or the Israeli Galil, but the M 16A1 did the job during the lean years after Vietnam.

In the late 1970s the Army began a major update on the M 16. Topping the wish list were a better forward grip, more accurate sights, and an automatic burst limiter to conserve ammunition. Introduced in 1983, the M 16A2 is in use by the U.S. armed forces today. The features added to the A2 were: * A heavier and stiffer barrel, for improved accuracy and reduced wear. In addition, the rifling on the barrel has been optimized for new NATO standard M855/SS 109-type 5.56mm (.223-in.) ammunition used by the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). It can also fire earlier M193 5.56mm/.223-in. ammunition without modification to the weapon.* A three-round burst limiter, which restricts "automatic" firing to only three shots per trigger pull.* A muzzle compensator designed to reduce barrel rise and displacement during automatic firing.* A plastic handgrip with a round contour which is tougher and easier to grip.* A plastic b.u.t.tstock that is lighter and tougher than that on the Al model.* An improved rear sight deck, with adjustments for range and windage.* A modified upper receiver a.s.sembly which can be easily adapted to deflect ejected cartridges away from the face of left-handed shooters.* Fittings for the new combat bayonet.

For $624.00 per unit, the M 16A2 is quite a bargain for the American taxpayer, as results from Desert Storm proved.

The first time you pick up an M 16A2, you are struck with the feeling that you are holding a serious piece of machinery. Weighing 8.8 lb/4 kg, the M16A2 feels good in your hands--well balanced and deadly. It is 39.6 in./100.7 cm long, and consists of four major a.s.semblies: * Lower receiver and b.u.t.tstock.* 5.56mm/.223-in. bolt carrier.* Upper receiver and sight.* Barrel and forward grip.

The four a.s.semblies break down quickly for cleaning and maintenance. This is easy to learn, even in the dark with your eyes closed. Keeping the M16A2 clean is vitally important, because the components fit very tightly, and any grit or dirt can easily jam or foul the weapon. The Marine Corps is lavish in supplying cleaning kits, pads, and CLP lubricant/cleaner. You can always tell a seasoned combat Marine, because he will be the one in the group who cleans and lubricates his weapon, even before he eats or sleeps.

The 5.56mm/.223-in. ammunition feeds from a reusable spring-loaded magazine which is loaded from the bottom of the lower receiver/b.u.t.tstock a.s.sembly. Today, thirty-round units are the standard, but twenty-round magazines are also used. The usual load for a Marine might vary from ten to sixteen of these, though the combat vest only has room for six ready thirty-round magazines. To reload empty magazines you take a supply of 5.56mm/.223-in. ammunition (called "ball rounds"), and methodically insert them one after another into the magazine, being careful not to scratch the cartridges or bend the springs. Snap the magazine into the bottom of the M16A2, and you are ready to go.

Firing the M 16A2 is very simple. When you're ready to fire, you pull back the T-shaped c.o.c.king handle to load the first round into the chamber. Once this is done, you move the firing selector from the Safety position to either the Semi or Auto positions. At this point, you have a live weapon with a round in the chamber. Take aim on the target and pull the trigger. In the Semi setting, you fire one round for every pull of the trigger. If you are using the Auto setting, the M 16A2 will fire a three-round burst every time you squeeze the trigger. The burst limiter was developed after Army researchers found that accuracy fell off rapidly when more than three shots were fired. Also, the tendency for troops to hold down the trigger in "rock and roll" bursts was wasteful of ammunition. Once a magazine is empty, you push the release b.u.t.ton to eject the expended magazine, snap another into its place, and are ready to fire again.

Firing is one thing, but hitting the target is another. The Marine Corps has always prided itself on a tradition of marksmans.h.i.+p, and that tradition continues today with the M16A2. Two new features of the weapon improve its accuracy. The first is a ribbed tubular foregrip (replacing the "Mattel Toy" grips of earlier models). The second is a new sight deck and sight, which makes it easier to put rounds onto a target. You simply turn a dial to the required range setting, align the forward bead with the rear sights, and fire. If you have properly compensated for wind or temperature variations (which they teach you), the rounds should be hitting the targets with regularity. The Corps requires that Marines be able to hit targets with accuracy (50% or more of the rounds fired for hits) at 200, 300, and 500 yards/ 182.9, 274.3, and 457.25 meters, from a variety of firing position and postures. By comparison, the U.S. Army qualifies basic recruits at 100 yards only. Take it from me. Hitting targets at 100 yards/91.4 meters is easy. Although Marine recruits are taught to fire automatic, three-round bursts, single-shot firing is emphasized. Economy of ammunition is a key factor. When you fire in the burst mode, the muzzle tends to climb up, due to recoil, so only your first and second rounds will usually be on target. One way to avoid this is to steady the weapon against a tree or rock.

The M16A2 is probably the most accurate combat rifle in general service today. In fact, the Army compet.i.tion shooting team recently moved from the M 14 to a modified M 16. One variant being procured today is the M-4 short-barreled carbine, with a folding stock. This weapon, identical to the M 16A2 in performance, but smaller and lighter, is issued to vehicle and helicopter crews and support and service units, where s.p.a.ce and weight are at a premium. The shorter barrel creates louder noise and a slightly different balance. The Marines are procuring over ten thousand of these handy little weapons from Colt. New kinds of ammunition being considered include a tungsten-cored armor piercing 5.56mm/.223-in. round from Sweden. In 1996, the M 16 entered its third decade as the primary combat rifle of the U.S. armed forces. Continuous improvements and variants will keep this cla.s.sic weapon lethal into the 21st century.

Another major development is night sights, to make the M16 more capable in darkness or bad weather. The Marines already have the AN/PVS-4 light-intensification sight for the M16, but they are rapidly developing and fielding newer systems. For instance, a new night fighting/spotting system, the PAC-4C, utilizes a special shoulder sling and red laser dot. But what Marines (especially reconnaissance and scouting units) really want is a thermal-imaging sight. The Marines have already adapted the thermal-imaging sight from the man-portable Stinger surface-to-air missile (SAM), though it is a bulky, expensive device which drains batteries rapidly. Both the Marine Corps and the Army are evaluating the NiteSight, a miniature thermal sight from Texas Instruments (TI). Small and lightweight, it draws much less power than earlier thermal sights. The key is a TI-designed imaging system. Unlike most thermal sights, it does not have to be chilled far below zero. Because it functions at 70deg F/21 C, size and cost are greatly reduced. TI has plans to adapt NiteSight for motor vehicles and commercial aircraft.

MP-5N Submachine Gun Okay, I'll admit it. When we visited the Weapons Battalion, my mouth really started to water when I saw it at the firing range, with as many loaded 9mm magazines as I wanted to blow off. It is the Heckler & Koch (H&K) Machine Pistol-5 Navy (MP-5N), the world's finest submachine gun. If you enjoy shooting, then the MP-5 is your dream weapon. Considering that a submachine gun is designed to spray an area with bullets, it's lightweight, deadly, and surprisingly accurate. The MP-5N derives from the German machine pistols feared and respected by opponents during the Second World War. These early machine pistols, called "burp guns" by Allied soldiers, were lightweight, simple, and deadly, particularly in street fighting or inside buildings. Since the end of World War II, many nations and companies have tried to produce their own machine pistols, with varying success. The U.S. M-9 "Grease Gun" was wildly inaccurate and only marginally reliable. The little Israeli Uzi is a worldwide best-seller, favored by VIP bodyguards, because it can easily be concealed under a jacket. But H&K has produced the world's finest submachine gun: the MP-5N.

The Marine Corps bought the MP-5N for what it calls close-quarters battle (CQB). This includes actions by units in MEU (SOC)s, Force Recon, and Base Security, as well as the various USMC Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams that they maintain. The need is simple: to get in close, then rapidly and accurately put a 9mm round through a target before the other guy can return the favor. The MP- 5N has been adopted by law enforcement and special operations units around the world. Elite military hostage rescue units (like the SEALs, Delta Force, GSG-9, SAS) and police SWAT teams (FBI Hostage Rescue, German Police, New Scotland Yard Special Branch, etc.) make the MP-5 their their close-combat weapon. The MP-5N is just that good. Let's fire one and see why. close-combat weapon. The MP-5N is just that good. Let's fire one and see why.

When you pick up an MP-5N, you can feel German quality and engineering (you get the same kind of feeling when you drive a Mercedes Benz sedan). As you would expect from some of the best firearms engineers in the world, everything about the MP-5N has a function, yet there is a comfort and elegance to the whole thing. The basic weapon is 19.3 in./49 cm long with the stock folded (26 in./66 cm with it extended), and weighs about 7.4 lb/3.4 kg with a thirty-round magazine loaded. In addition, there are fittings for a flashlight (for use in night fighting) and a flash/noise suppressor (this adds about a foot to the overall length of the weapon).

A Quantico instructor holds an MP-5N submachine gun. This weapon is used by the Marines for close-quarters combat.

JOHN D. GRESHAM.

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The MP-5N uses the same NATO Standard 9mm ammunition as the M9 Beretta handgun and many other automatic pistols. This ammunition has excellent stopping power at short ranges (less than two hundred yards/meters), and is readily available anywhere in the world. You load MP-5N in much the same way as the M 16A2. You insert a thirty-round magazine into the lower receiver until you feel (and hear) a satisfying "click." You then pull back the c.o.c.king handle, switch the firing selector from Safety to Single Shot or Automatic, aim, and fire away. With typical German efficiency, H&K stamps symbols on the side of the weapon for each mode, which makes it almost "idiot proof"!

Single-shot firing is even easier than with the M16A2, and there is almost no barrel displacement when you fire. Out to about two hundred yards/meters, you just put the sights on the target, and then you hit it. Automatic fire is even better. The barrel rise, so common on automatic weapons, is almost non-existent on the MP-5N, and keeping the weapon on the target is easy. In fact, other than a heavy machine gun, nothing I've ever fired compares to the experience of automatic shooting on the MP-5N. While I was reloading the weapon with a fresh magazine (just press the release b.u.t.ton and push in a new one), Colonel Nance came up behind me and said, "Go ahead, I'd do it too!" This said, I let loose with a thirty-round burst, emptying the magazine in less than 2.3 seconds. Astonis.h.i.+ngly, about half of the rounds actually hit the target, about one hundred yards/meters downrange. While I was shooting, I could hear the sound of the bolt and slide cycling, but almost nothing from the actual firing of the 9mm rounds. It was a bizarre sensation until I realized that this was a result of the superb flash/noise suppressor screwed onto the muzzle of the MP-5N. It was amazing to pump out almost eight hundred rounds per minute and scarcely hear it!

There are no current plans to replace the MP-5N. It is an almost perfect weapon for the CQB role, and will likely stay that way for years to come. If you want to know perfection in firearms, find a way to get some "trigger time" on an MP-5N. You will not be disappointed.

M40A1 Sniper Rifle For decades, the Marine Corps has been famous for its sniper program. Sniping--to kill or disable enemy leaders--is an integral part of infantry combat. Since the first Marines climbed into the rigging of sailing s.h.i.+ps to sweep the decks of enemy frigates with musket fire, the Corps has valued accurate shooting. But Marine historians tell us that systematic emphasis on marksmans.h.i.+p only began in the early 1900s under the influence of Commandant Heywood and under the direction of Captain William Harllee.

The core of this capability today is the M40A1 sniper rifle. First fielded in the 1970s, this bolt-action heavy-barreled rifle fires a 7.62mm Match Grade round out to 1,000 yards/914 meters, with enough accuracy to hit a man-sized target in the head. The M40A1 is built from stock parts by the armorers of the Weapons Training Battalion at Quantico. Based on the Remington Model 700 rifle, it is "accurized" to an almost unbelievable degree by adding: * A commercial compet.i.tion-grade heavy barrel.* McMillan fibergla.s.s stock and b.u.t.tpad. Each stock is blasted in a gla.s.s bead machine at Quantico to improve accuracy.* A modified floorplate and trigger guard, as well as a lightened trigger.* A 10-power Unertl sniperscope.* A five-round magazine.

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A Marine sniper shows off an M40A1 sniper rifle. This weapon is used for long-range shooting by specially trained Marine personnel.

JOHN D. GRESHAM.

With these features, the M40A1 can fire with an accuracy of less than one minute of arc. That's less than 1/60 of a degree. At 1,000 yards/914 meters, this means an error of less than 10 in./25.4 cm! With a little work, Colonel Nance's gun-smiths and armorers at Quantico usually get the error down to a third of that. Much of the technology that makes the M40A1 so accurate derives from the efforts of the USMC compet.i.tion rifle team, which uses similar rifles and heavily modified M 14s in contests with the shooting teams of the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Secret Service, DEA, and FBI.

Sniping is an art of extremes, and just shooting well will not get you through the Scout/Sniper course. Land navigation, spotting, and concealment are just as important, but unfortunately beyond the scope of this book. I did get to fire the M40A1 to gain an appreciation of this arcane shooting science. As a rule, sniping is done from the p.r.o.ne position, with pairs of snipers working together. One sniper is "on the scope" as a shooter, with the other using an M49 spotter scope to pick out targets and monitor the tactical situation. About every half hour, the two trade off, to avoid fatigue on the shooter.

The first trick to hitting a target with the M40A1 at long distance is holding the weapon properly. To do this, you jam the rifle b.u.t.t (with its special b.u.t.tpad) hard into your right armpit. You then wrap the sling tightly around your other arm, using your left hand to cradle the rifle along the forward part of the stock. When the sling is about to cut off the circulation to your left hand and the b.u.t.tstock is hurting your armpit, you've got the M40A1 about rigid enough to start sighting. You then look through the 10-power Unertl sniperscope, and begin to work the crosshairs. At 600 yards/548.6 meters, a target with an 18-in./45.7-cm kill zone is just a dark dot which appears to dance around the scope. You quickly realize that this is caused by your own breathing and heartbeat; experienced snipers learn to regulate these when shooting. Once you have the dot of the target reasonably lined up, you gently pull the trigger, and then the world explodes in your face. The kick of the M40A1 is like a shotgun, and the sound is like a bullwhip cracking in your head. In less than a second, the round flies out to the target, and then the adjustment process begins. You look at the gra.s.s and dust clouds to evaluate the wind and heat s.h.i.+mmer to help adjust the scope to compensate for crosswinds and heat updrafts that "loft" the round. This done, you pull back the bolt, eject the spent casing, and push the bolt forward to drive the new round home. The fascinating thing, though, was that with only a few rounds of practice and some skilled help from one of Colonel Nance's sniper instructors, I was putting rounds regularly through the target some 600 yards distant ! This is over a quarter mile/half kilometer away, and the effect of hitting an object that far away with a hand-held weapon has to be felt to be believed.

Now before you get too impressed with my performance, consider that Marine Scout/Snipers are required to do the same thing at almost twice the distance, with only one shot (that is all a sniper will usually get!) and no chance to make adjustments. All this on a mission that may last days, in any weather, against an enemy trying to kill you like a pesky varmint. It is a bizarre way to make a living, and the men who do it are strange birds. But to an enemy, the M40A1 in the hands of a skilled Marine Scout/Sniper is a h.e.l.lish weapon, more feared than even a bomber loaded with napalm! It is scary to know that you you might be hunted by another man; and this makes it tough to do might be hunted by another man; and this makes it tough to do your your job. The overwhelming psychological impact of the sniper helps to explain why the Corps invests so much in maintaining this capability. job. The overwhelming psychological impact of the sniper helps to explain why the Corps invests so much in maintaining this capability.

Barrett M82A1A .50-Caliber Special-Purpose Sniper Rifle When you see it the first time, it just looks evil, like a preying mantis ready to strike an aphid. It could be the star of its own action/adventure movie with Stallone and Schwarzenegger as supporting players. It is the Barrett M82A1 A .50-caliber special-purpose sniper rifle, the most unusual weapon in the Marine small-arms inventory. The M82A1A is designed to augment the M40A1 sniper rifle when longer ranges and greater hitting power are required. The Barrett fires the same ammunition as the M-2 Browning .50-caliber machine gun. If you have ever fired the M-2, you know that it kicks like a mule, and requires a very firm mount or a heavy tripod dug into the ground. The whole M-2 machine-gun/tripod combination weighs several hundred pounds, hardly convenient as a sniper weapon. Nevertheless, Marine snipers like the legendary Staff Sergeant Carlos Hathc.o.c.k (ninety-three con-firmed kills in Vietnam) mounted special sniper scopes on standard M-2s and scored hits at ranges over a mile/ 1.6 km.

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The amazing Barrett M82A 1 A sniper rifle. This weapon fires the same round as the M2 .50-caliber machine gun, and is used for extreme range shooting by the Marines.

JOHN D. GRESHAM.

The M82A1A traces its roots to the rebel war in Afghanistan in the 1980s. The United States, mostly through the CIA, aided the Mujhadeen rebels fighting Soviet forces in Afghanistan. A well-publicized part of this aid included Stinger shoulder-launched SAMs to knock down attack helicopters and strike aircraft. The Mujhadeen also asked for a man-portable long-range armor-penetrating sniper weapon. (Sniping is a traditional art of the Afghan mountain tribesmen.) The answer was a weapon designed by Ronnie Barrett from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Barrett, a builder of homemade weapons for many years, designed a system of springs to buffer the recoil of a .50-caliber machine gun. By spreading the recoil energy over a longer duration, the springs reduce the peak load on the weapon and the gunner. Barrett built a weapon that could be broken down and carried as several man-sized loads. The CIA bought a number of these heavy sniper rifles for the Afghan Mujhadeen, who used them to terrorize Soviet troops. The Barrett performed so well in Afghanistan that the Marine Corps evaluated and eventually adopted it as the M82A1A sniper rifle. Today, the M82A1A (produced by Barrett Firearms Manufacturing) is deployed by Marine Force Reconnaissance units in three-man fire teams. Each team member carries one part of the weapon (upper receiver, lower receiver, or scope and ammunition). The team alternates the jobs of shooter and spotters.

The semi-automatic M82A1A is 57 in./128.25 cm long, and weighs 32.5 1b/14.8 kg unloaded. It fires a .50-caliber bullet (Raufoss Grade A, DoDIC A606) against targets defined as "equipment-sized" (like a jeep or tent), at ranges of up to 1,800 meters/ 1,968.5 yards. A sniper team with a Barrett can reach out and hit useful targets at ranges of over a mile/ 1.6 km. During Operation Desert Storm, M82A1A teams were knocking out things like artillery-spotting radars and communications equipment, raising h.e.l.l with Iraqi command and control. The M82A1A is basically a .50-caliber machine gun spring-mounted inside an aluminum housing. This gun-inside-a-box design allows a sniper to safely and comfortably fire the weapon with accuracy. A folding bipod and a special b.u.t.tpad help to absorb the recoil. In fact, the peak recoil load is actually lower than the M40 because of the buffering system, the bipod, and a high-efficiency muzzle brake (which gives the Barrett its insect-like appearance). Mounted on top of the M82A1A is a 10-power Unertl sniperscope matched to the Raufoss .50-caliber ammunition. The M82A1A is chambered to accept any NATO-standard .50-caliber/ 12.7mm ammunition, though currently, only the Raufoss round is issued. The Barrett has a ten-round box magazine, which feeds through the lower receiver housing. Like the M40, it only fires single shots, after which the team rapidly breaks down the weapon, slides the various parts into specially designed backpacks, and exits the engagement area.

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The Beretta M9/92F 9mm pistol. This is the standard-issue personal side arm of the Marines.

JOHN D. GRESHAM GRESHAM.

Firing the Barrett is almost as easy as the MP-5N. You load a magazine into the bottom of the weapon, pull back the c.o.c.king handle, sight the weapon (adjusting for windage and other factors), and pull the trigger. The weapon fires with a distinctive "crack," and then pushes back gently into your shoulder. It is surprisingly comfortable. Like the M40A1, the key to accurate firing is steadiness and patience. The Barrett M82A1A is a unique, specialized weapon. It enables Marine snipers to disrupt enemy units and make life miserable for them in their own rear areas. This degrades enemy morale and paralyzes their leaders.h.i.+p. Unlike the dramatic gun camera video of laser-guided bombs. .h.i.tting targets, you won't see this weapon on CNN, but the effect can be just as devastating.

Beretta M9/Model 92F Combat Pistol No single piece of combat equipment is more personal to a combat soldier than a handgun. Not all personnel require one, but to those who do, the Marine Corps issues a combat side arm, the Beretta M9/Model 92F Combat Pistol. Selected to replace the cla.s.sic M1911A1 Colt .45-caliber pistol which served for more than half a century, the Beretta has been a lightning rod for critics. These include advocates of the .45 and Congressional supporters of competing handgun manufacturers that lost out to the M9/92F. Nevertheless, the M9/92F is a fine handgun with excellent design features. Let's take a closer look.

For nearly five hundred years, the Beretta family has been making firearms for soldiers and sportsmen (one customer was Napoleon's Grande Armee). Today, Beretta manufactures shotguns and automatic pistols that are among the best available. In 1985, the Italian firm was selected to supply the U.S. military with a common, non-developmental ("off-the-shelf") handgun compatible with NATO Standard 9mm ammunition. With a multi-year production contract for over 500,000 pistols, the losers in the compet.i.tion came out with fangs bared, taking shots at any perceived problem.