Marksmanship Unit Teaches Advanced Skills in Baghdad

DoD-AFPS ^ | Feb. 4, 2004 | Spc. Andrew Meissner

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 4, 2004 - At a firing range on the grounds of Baghdad International Airport, the sharp crack of gunfire echoes out through the palm trees.

Soldiers of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit from Fort Benning, Ga., are sharpening fellow soldiers' shooting skills.

The way they see it, instructors from the unit are in Iraq to teach and demonstrate the potential every soldier has as a rifleman.

"What we're doing here is strictly offense," explained Staff Sgt. Aaron Hampton, service pistol instructor and shooter. "(We teach) how to move, shoot effectively and keep moving."

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THE UNITED STATES ARMY

MARKSMANSHIP UNIT

 

 

 

Bang!

[blackie]

Bullseye ~ Bump!

[gbunch]

Excellent post! Another member of the USAMU team, Max Michel Jr., hails from my very own shooting range. He is (or was, his enlistment may have recently ended) on the USAMU action shooting team, using open (unlimited) pistol. I heard him shoot during practice years ago - it sounded like automatic weapons fire! He holds the range record for the steel plate match - dropping 5 steel plates at a range of 25' starting with hands in a surrender position. His time: 1.80 seconds! Pretty amazing...

I have the honor of taking over as webmaster of Max's website (maxmichel.com.) As of this post, the transfer hasn't taken place yet, so if you take a look now, you're still seeing the old site. The temporary URL for the new site is http://www.gbundersea.com/max. (It's under construction, so not all of the features are working yet.)

The skill of Max and others like him is truly incredible. It's great to see those skills being utilized well, by training other troops. According to Max's bio, he instructed Special Forces, Navy Seals, Rangers, Military Police, and others.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Bang

[fourdeuce82d]

Way cool! Checked out some of the stuff on the website, and apparently they compete in Skeet and air rifle competition.

Kind of odd- I'd think they'd want to focus more on IDPA/Three Gun type matches...not much need for .177 snipers!

[El Gato]

Does it not strike anyone else as .. well.. odd that they are teaching marksmanship to troops already deployed in the theater? What were these troops doing that was more important back before they were deployed, or even pre hostilities? Attending "sensitivity training?"

[Joe 6-pack]

"You never know when a threat is going to pop up two meters from you and you're going to have to engage."

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[Lurker]

Bump for later.

L

[in the Arena]

Outstanding!, Shooter, check post #4

[Squantos]

Am I on yer ping list RC ?...........you find all the good stuff I hate to miss out on.

Stay Safe !

[Shooter 2.5]

That is so cool. I mentioned a couple of times already that my time from a concealed for a single A zone target at 18 feet is 1.8. I can't imagine how he does five targets. That's awesome.

[in the Arena]

I thought I had saw a post of yours like that...that is some amazing speed...

[gbunch]

Here's a couple of video clips (mpegs) which are buried on his site. They show Max in action. Clip 1 Clip 2

A couple of years ago, some guys at the range were talking about one plate match which, as usual, came down to Max and his father, Max Sr., who is also a fine competitive shooter. In that last round, Max Jr. was so confident (and fast) that he intentionally dropped the plates in the order 1-5-2-4-3 and still won!

[windchime]

Bump!

[Shooter 2.5]

Jeeeez.

I always wonder what kind of muscle you need to keep the muzzle from flipping. I know they have compensators but the aim point must rise a little.

I have Rob Latham's "Shooter Ready" video tape. He holds more records than anyone in the world. You can buy it from Dillon Precision.

[gbunch]

I was talking to Max's dad today, Max Sr. He said that the official time in the plate matches doesn't stop until the last plate falls all the way down. He told me they've calculated the fall time at 0.20-0.25 seconds. This means, worst case, that when Max Jr. shot the 1.80, he drew his weapon (starting from a surrender position with his hands above his head) and fired 5 aimed shots in 1.60 seconds. Incredible!

Also, I found out that Max is indeed still on the USAMU team. He has been in the Army 5+ years, and also is about to graduate college with his bachelor's in criminal justice.

[Shooter 2.5]

It sounds just impossible. I know they have the tricked out holsters and the guns are muzzle heavy with compensators with light bullets but still....

A dedicated person can perform the impossible. I keep hearing about Miculek and what he can do with a revolver is stunning. He chose a revolver because he didn't want to wait for the slide action.

[gbunch]

Shooter,

See this post on Max's website: http://www.maxmichel.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=92

I just ran across it. Amazing...