Author Archives: John M. Buol Jr.

MAJ Gosnell top Semi-Pro at 2017 Midwest Championship

by John M. Buol Jr.

USAR CMP Team Member MAJ Luke Gosnell had a strong showing and placed 1st as a Semi-Pro in the 2017 3-Gun Nation Mid-West Regional Championship on April 9th in the popular practical (scope) division. He is now nationally ranked #4 in the 3-Gun Nation semi-pro regional series.

Events like these test combat marksmanship and readiness that cannot be achieved from shooting paper targets from a linear or square range. Participation in these events allows Soldiers network, exchange skillsets and then take the knowledge gained back to their home units and disseminate the skills down as a force multiplier.

New - Midwest Regional

Scholastic Action Shooting with Texas A&M at the Texas 3-Gun Championship

by John M. Buol Jr.

Major Luke Gosnell and his wife Ashleigh pictured below with members of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets Marksmanship Unit (CCMU) at the 2017 Texas State 3-Gun Championship held on 31 March-2 April.

Pic 1

The CCMU trains and competes in action shooting sports with other college teams and at 3-Gun matches around the country, but it also works to grow participation in the shooting sports at all ages and among both men and women.

Challenging both mentally and physically, 3-Gun, or Multi-Gun is often considered the ultimate shooting sport. In a 3-Gun match a competitor must navigate through multiple stages of fire, engaging targets, and being scored on both speed and accuracy. Stages require competitors to switch between their various weapons – a rifle, shotgun, and handgun. Stages often require speed reloads, shooting on the move, weak-hand shooting, use of unfamiliar “pickup-guns” that may be placed throughout a stage, engaging moving targets, shooting in low-light situations, and carrying out any variety of tasks that may be included in the scenario. Additional noise, light, and elemental factors may be included to add to the high-stress situation and further enhance the challenge.

Pic 2
MAJ Luke Gosnell pictured above moving to a technical shooting position in a vehicle.

Texas A&M CCMU cadets compete in a variety of 3-Gun competitions annually to include the following.

Military College Combat Shooting Championship:
Hosted by the US Army Marksmanship Unit, Ft. Benning, GA. This match is attended by the combat weapons teams from all four United States Service Academies and the six United States Senior Military Academies, including Texas A&M.

West of the Pecos Run & Gun in the Sun:
This 7-mile foot race up and down the rugged hills of south Texas requires competitors to carry all necessary firearms, optics, ammunition, hydration, and other needed items with them the entire distance. Rifle shots up to 500 yards and from contorted positions force shooters to control rapid heartbeats and heavy breathing, all the while cooking under the late summer Texas sun.

Pic 3

The Texas A&M CCMU are the recent winners of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) 2017 National Collegiate Championship held on 11 March, 2017

Soldiers and civilians wishing to pursue a military commission and/or degree are encouraged to find out more online at http://cocmu.com/ or on social media at https://www.facebook.com/CorpsMarksmanship/

Place at the end of Texas

2017 Mississippi State 2-Gun Championship

by John M. Buol Jr.

2017 Mississippi State 2-Gun Championship

Congratulations to Combat Team member Major Luke Gosnell for his performance at the 2017 Mississippi State 2-Gun Championship.

MS2

Examples of USAR sportsmanship and methods of training is winning its place among the leading marksmen of the nation.

Soldiers interested in joining the U.S. Army Reserve Competitive Marksmanship Program (USAR CMP) are encouraged to find out more online at https://armyreservemarksman.info or on social media at https://www.facebook.com/USARCMP.

Mississippi

Musketry & Combat Practice Firing

by John M. Buol Jr.

Note how often that competition was suggested as a good approach to training.

US Army Training Film TF-24
Musketry & Combat Practice Firing
1935 US Army Training Film

The application and control of collective fire of rifle units (Rifle Squads & Rifle Sections) is called “Musketry.”

This film covers rifle firing skills.
– Reel 1 provides an introduction to methods of estimating range to target.
– Reel 2 shows how unit members communicated knowledge of the target in the field.
– Reel 3 instructs squad leaders on the construction and use of ranges for landscape target firing.
– Reel 4 details technical characteristics of rifle fire and its effects.
– Reel 5 demonstrates the application of rifle firing techniques in field exercises.
– Reel 6 features a schematic drawing of the effect of combat fire.