In common usage, "sharpshooter" and "marksman" are synonyms.[2][3] Within the specialized fields of shooting sports and military usage, however, sharpshooter and marksman each refer to different levels of skill. Specifically, in the US Army, "marksman" is a rating below "sharpshooter" and "expert".[1] Four levels of skill are generally recognized today in American military and civilian shooting circles: unqualified, marksman, sharpshooter, and expert. Marksmanship badges for the three qualified levels are commonly awarded to both civilian and military shooters who attain proficiency in shooting higher than "unqualified".
The main difference between military marksmen and snipers is that marksmen are usually considered an organic part of a fireteam of soldiers and are never expected to operate independently away from the main force, whereas snipers are special ops troops who usually work alone or in very small teams with independent mission objectives. Snipers are also often tasked with responsibilities other than delivering long-range fire – specifically, conducting reconnaissance, battle damage assessment and spotting for coordinates/corrections for artillery fire or air strikes. Within the military, marksmen are sometimes attached to an infantryfireteam or squad (where they are known as designated marksmen) where they support the squad by providing accurate long-range shots at valuable targets as needed, thus extending the effective tactical reach of the fireteam or squad.
Marksmen competing in Australia
Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, in the first use of the term 'marksman' was given to the royal archers, or bowmen, of a palace guard, which was an elite group of troops chosen to guard a royal palace or the royalty. This was around the 10th century, although records of some 9th century English Kings show the listings of groups of marksmen specifically chosen for their militaries.[citation needed]
Marksmen in different countries
Australia
In the Australian Army, marksmanship is currently recognized by the award of one of three skill-at-arms badges. The 'Skill at Arms Badge' consists of a representation of crossed .303 Short Magazine Lee–Enfield (SMLE) rifles and is awarded for achieving a prescribed standard of shooting skill. This must be repeated within twelve months for the badge to be awarded in perpetuity to the recipient. The 'Sniper's Badge' is similar in design but incorporates the letter 'S' into the design and is awarded to soldiers who qualify on the Army Sniper's Course. The 'Army Top 20 Badge' consists of crossed .303 SMLE rifles upon a laurel wreath and is awarded to the final 20 competitors in the annual Champion Shot for the Army. The winner of this competition is also awarded the Champion Shots Medal. Only one badge may be worn.[4][5]
United Kingdom
In the British Armed Forces, "marksman" is traditionally the highest shooting rating and holders may wear a crossed rifles badge on the lower sleeve.[verification needed]
A British soldier aims on a shooting range in Iraq, 29 July 2006.
From Army Operational Shooting Policy for the Annual Personal Weapons Test (APWT) Combat Infantryman (CI):Marksman (Combat Infantryman). To qualify for Marksman all practices are to be completed and the firer must achieve a score of 55 (85%) or more of the total Highest Possible Score (65) for the entire shoot. Soldiers achieving a non-marksman passing score are not permitted to re-shoot practices in order to qualify for Marksman. Infantry soldiers who qualify as Marksmen during the Combat Infantryman's Course (CIC) are entitled to retain the award on joining their units. Soldiers who qualify as Marksmen are entitled to wear the Marksman badge for one year before they must requalify. (Page 3 - 70, Amdt 1/Feb/07)
In the United States Army[6] and Marine Corps, the marksmanship of the soldiers is ranked based on their skill: marksman-sharpshooter-expert.[citation needed] Holders of each level wear qualification badges below their ribbons with bars for the weapons they qualify in. In the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard, full-sized medals are only issued at the expert level. Both services award separate medals for pistol and rifle proficiency. The United States Air Force gives just a ribbon for qualifying at the expert level, although a bronze star can be earned if the wearer qualifies on both of these types of small arms.[7]
U.S. Army soldiers fire a FGM-148 Javelin, 16 August 2006.
Within the United States military, a marksman in the U.S. Army is referred to as "Squad Designated Marksman" (SDM), and a marksman in the Marines is called a "Designated Marksman" (DM).[citation needed] The United States Army particularly emphasizes the fireteam concept: according to US Army Field Manual 3-21.8[8] (Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad, formerly FM 7-8) a typical United States Army fireteam consists of four soldiers. In the context of a Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT)'s Infantry Rifle Companies,[9][10] one man from each fireteam in a rifle squad is either the Squad Anti-armor Specialist (RMAT), armed with the FGM-148 Javelin, or the Squad Designated Marksman (DM), who carries the M4 carbine and M14 rifle. In both cases this specialized function replaces the basic rifleman position in the fireteam.
As with other Commonwealth armies, the Marksman in the Canadian Army is a shooting achievement recognized by a badge bearing the monarch's crown and crossed .303 Lee–Enfield No. 4, Mk I rifles. On operations within the Canadian Infantry Battalion, rifle company designated marksman can be assigned. This is not to be confused with Canadian sniper designation; these attain a high level of marksmanship and fieldcraft through grueling selected courses. Candidates must achieve recce[definition needed] qualification and marksman designation before being considered for the basic sniper course.
India
The Indian Army uses a locally manufactured licensed variant of the SVD Dragunov in the Designated Marksman role as part of each infantry platoon. The Dragunov is used in conjunction with the INSAS family of weapons to give flexibility and striking power at short to mid range firefights, to Indian Army infantry units engaged with opposing forces.
The Army Marksmanship Unit trains members for sports shooting as well as military shooting.[11]
Civilian marksman
United States
Sharpshooter from The Confederate States
The United States has a long tradition of marksmanship going back to its beginnings including the role of common men in its Revolutionary War. There are several organizations which promote civilian marksmanship including the Civilian Marksmanship Program which began just after the turn of the 20th century as a government chartered program and the Division of Civilian Marksmanship. One of the newest and currently the fastest growing marksmanship programs in North America is Project Appleseed which was started by the Revolutionary War Veterans Association in 2006. Shooters who score 210 out of 250 or better on the "Quick and Dirty" Appleseed AQT[12] earn the Rifleman designation and are issued a Rifleman patch.[13] Similar to the U.S. military marksmanship ratings of Unqualified, Marksman, Sharpshooter, and Expert (see Marksmanship Badge (United States)), the Appleseed ratings have the same levels, with the exception that instead of "Expert", the equivalent performance level is called "Rifleman".[13]
The National Rifle Association of America was founded in 1871 to improve the marksmanship of American riflemen. Despite it being known contemporarily as a political advocacy organization for gun rights, the NRA continues to host marksmanship competitions and gun sports in the United States.[14] A different organization, USA Shooting, organizes American shooting sports at the Olympic level.
Longest recorded competition rifle shot
The longest recorded shot in a shooting contest was 3.781 kilometres (2.35 miles), on March 27, 2021 in Barnard, Kansas by an American competitive shooter. The bullet flew for 9.4 seconds and hit the upper-left corner of a six-foot square (36 square feet) steel target. The rifle used was a GA Precision Custom, with a Nightforce ATACR 7-35×56 scope, on a bipod. Ammunition was Hornady .338-caliber 300-grain A-Tip.[15]
^"At 2.35 Miles, This Is The Longest Rifle Shot Ever Recorded In Competition". outdoorlife.com. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
January 20, 2023
marksman, other, uses, disambiguation, marksman, person, skilled, precision, shooting, using, projectile, weapons, modern, days, most, commonly, accurized, scoped, long, such, designated, marksman, rifle, sniper, rifle, shoot, high, value, targets, longer, tha. For other uses see Marksman disambiguation A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting 1 using projectile weapons in modern days most commonly an accurized scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle or a sniper rifle to shoot at high value targets at longer than usual ranges An American marksman looks for enemy activity along the hilltops near Dur Baba District Afghanistan 2006 A soldier with a G28 of the German Army The proficiency in precision shooting is known as a shooter s marksmanship which can be used to describe both gunnery and archery Contents 1 Description 2 Middle Ages 3 Marksmen in different countries 3 1 Australia 3 2 United Kingdom 3 3 United States 3 4 Canada 3 5 India 4 Civilian marksman 4 1 United States 5 Longest recorded competition rifle shot 6 See also 7 ReferencesDescription EditIn common usage sharpshooter and marksman are synonyms 2 3 Within the specialized fields of shooting sports and military usage however sharpshooter and marksman each refer to different levels of skill Specifically in the US Army marksman is a rating below sharpshooter and expert 1 Four levels of skill are generally recognized today in American military and civilian shooting circles unqualified marksman sharpshooter and expert Marksmanship badges for the three qualified levels are commonly awarded to both civilian and military shooters who attain proficiency in shooting higher than unqualified The main difference between military marksmen and snipers is that marksmen are usually considered an organic part of a fireteam of soldiers and are never expected to operate independently away from the main force whereas snipers are special ops troops who usually work alone or in very small teams with independent mission objectives Snipers are also often tasked with responsibilities other than delivering long range fire specifically conducting reconnaissance battle damage assessment and spotting for coordinates corrections for artillery fire or air strikes Within the military marksmen are sometimes attached to an infantry fireteam or squad where they are known as designated marksmen where they support the squad by providing accurate long range shots at valuable targets as needed thus extending the effective tactical reach of the fireteam or squad Marksmen competing in AustraliaMiddle Ages EditIn the Middle Ages in the first use of the term marksman was given to the royal archers or bowmen of a palace guard which was an elite group of troops chosen to guard a royal palace or the royalty This was around the 10th century although records of some 9th century English Kings show the listings of groups of marksmen specifically chosen for their militaries citation needed Marksmen in different countries EditAustralia Edit In the Australian Army marksmanship is currently recognized by the award of one of three skill at arms badges The Skill at Arms Badge consists of a representation of crossed 303 Short Magazine Lee Enfield SMLE rifles and is awarded for achieving a prescribed standard of shooting skill This must be repeated within twelve months for the badge to be awarded in perpetuity to the recipient The Sniper s Badge is similar in design but incorporates the letter S into the design and is awarded to soldiers who qualify on the Army Sniper s Course The Army Top 20 Badge consists of crossed 303 SMLE rifles upon a laurel wreath and is awarded to the final 20 competitors in the annual Champion Shot for the Army The winner of this competition is also awarded the Champion Shots Medal Only one badge may be worn 4 5 United Kingdom Edit In the British Armed Forces marksman is traditionally the highest shooting rating and holders may wear a crossed rifles badge on the lower sleeve verification needed A British soldier aims on a shooting range in Iraq 29 July 2006 From Army Operational Shooting Policy for the Annual Personal Weapons Test APWT Combat Infantryman CI Marksman Combat Infantryman To qualify for Marksman all practices are to be completed and the firer must achieve a score of 55 85 or more of the total Highest Possible Score 65 for the entire shoot Soldiers achieving a non marksman passing score are not permitted to re shoot practices in order to qualify for Marksman Infantry soldiers who qualify as Marksmen during the Combat Infantryman s Course CIC are entitled to retain the award on joining their units Soldiers who qualify as Marksmen are entitled to wear the Marksman badge for one year before they must requalify Page 3 70 Amdt 1 Feb 07 United States Edit This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed November 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message In the United States Army 6 and Marine Corps the marksmanship of the soldiers is ranked based on their skill marksman sharpshooter expert citation needed Holders of each level wear qualification badges below their ribbons with bars for the weapons they qualify in In the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard full sized medals are only issued at the expert level Both services award separate medals for pistol and rifle proficiency The United States Air Force gives just a ribbon for qualifying at the expert level although a bronze star can be earned if the wearer qualifies on both of these types of small arms 7 U S Army soldiers fire a FGM 148 Javelin 16 August 2006 Within the United States military a marksman in the U S Army is referred to as Squad Designated Marksman SDM and a marksman in the Marines is called a Designated Marksman DM citation needed The United States Army particularly emphasizes the fireteam concept according to US Army Field Manual 3 21 8 8 Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad formerly FM 7 8 a typical United States Army fireteam consists of four soldiers In the context of a Stryker Brigade Combat Team SBCT s Infantry Rifle Companies 9 10 one man from each fireteam in a rifle squad is either the Squad Anti armor Specialist RMAT armed with the FGM 148 Javelin or the Squad Designated Marksman DM who carries the M4 carbine and M14 rifle In both cases this specialized function replaces the basic rifleman position in the fireteam Canada Edit This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed November 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message As with other Commonwealth armies the Marksman in the Canadian Army is a shooting achievement recognized by a badge bearing the monarch s crown and crossed 303 Lee Enfield No 4 Mk I rifles On operations within the Canadian Infantry Battalion rifle company designated marksman can be assigned This is not to be confused with Canadian sniper designation these attain a high level of marksmanship and fieldcraft through grueling selected courses Candidates must achieve recce definition needed qualification and marksman designation before being considered for the basic sniper course India Edit The Indian Army uses a locally manufactured licensed variant of the SVD Dragunov in the Designated Marksman role as part of each infantry platoon The Dragunov is used in conjunction with the INSAS family of weapons to give flexibility and striking power at short to mid range firefights to Indian Army infantry units engaged with opposing forces The Army Marksmanship Unit trains members for sports shooting as well as military shooting 11 Civilian marksman EditUnited States Edit Sharpshooter from The Confederate States The United States has a long tradition of marksmanship going back to its beginnings including the role of common men in its Revolutionary War There are several organizations which promote civilian marksmanship including the Civilian Marksmanship Program which began just after the turn of the 20th century as a government chartered program and the Division of Civilian Marksmanship One of the newest and currently the fastest growing marksmanship programs in North America is Project Appleseed which was started by the Revolutionary War Veterans Association in 2006 Shooters who score 210 out of 250 or better on the Quick and Dirty Appleseed AQT 12 earn the Rifleman designation and are issued a Rifleman patch 13 Similar to the U S military marksmanship ratings of Unqualified Marksman Sharpshooter and Expert see Marksmanship Badge United States the Appleseed ratings have the same levels with the exception that instead of Expert the equivalent performance level is called Rifleman 13 The National Rifle Association of America was founded in 1871 to improve the marksmanship of American riflemen Despite it being known contemporarily as a political advocacy organization for gun rights the NRA continues to host marksmanship competitions and gun sports in the United States 14 A different organization USA Shooting organizes American shooting sports at the Olympic level Longest recorded competition rifle shot EditThe longest recorded shot in a shooting contest was 3 781 kilometres 2 35 miles on March 27 2021 in Barnard Kansas by an American competitive shooter The bullet flew for 9 4 seconds and hit the upper left corner of a six foot square 36 square feet steel target The rifle used was a GA Precision Custom with a Nightforce ATACR 7 35 56 scope on a bipod Ammunition was Hornady 338 caliber 300 grain A Tip 15 See also EditExhibition shooting Reconnaissance United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper SkirmisherRelated military operationsJager military Operation Foxley plan to kill Adolf Hitler using a sniper Sniper Alley South Armagh Sniper 1990 1997 Snipers of the Soviet Union Special forces Related military weaponsAnti materiel rifle Anti tank rifle Designated marksman rifle Dragunov Sniper Rifle M21 the scoped and accurized version of the M14 Sniper rifle SR 25 designed by Knight s Armament Company U S Marine Corps Designated Marksman Rifle U S Marine Corps Squad Advanced Marksman Rifle United States Army Squad Designated Marksman Rifle Mk 12 Special Purpose RifleReferences Edit a b Marksman Dictionary com Unabridged v 1 1 Random House Inc Dictionary com Retrieved June 8 2008 MERRIAM WEBSTER DICTIONARY Marksman Retrieved November 22 2016 Roget s 21st Century Thesaurus Marksman Retrieved November 22 2016 Special amp Qualification Badges of the ADF 2002 Page 2 Digger History Retrieved 2011 01 23 Chapter 26 Military Skills Badges Army Standing Orders for Dress Australian Army 1996 https adminpubs tradoc army mil pamphlets TP600 4 pdf HQ AFPC DPPPRA 2001 The Air Force Awards and Decorations Program PDF p 31 Archived from the original PDF on 2013 02 16 Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad FM 7 8 Pike John FM3 21 11 Chapter 1 Globalsecurity org Retrieved 2013 08 17 A Goodman Sharpshooters The Truth about A C Snipers A Goodman Archived from the original on 2015 02 03 Retrieved 2015 06 19 The Army Marksmanship Unit Earning your Appleseed Rifleman Patch My Knowledge Guy 2018 05 11 Retrieved 2019 02 26 a b Ayoob Massad May June 2010 The Appleseed Project Backwoods Home Magazine No 123 Program NRA Marksmanship Qualification NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program mqp nra org Retrieved 2019 02 26 At 2 35 Miles This Is The Longest Rifle Shot Ever Recorded In Competition outdoorlife com 29 March 2021 Retrieved 15 November 2021 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Marksman amp oldid 1134663622, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
