My son is a HS senior, and is in the delayed entry program for the Marines
I want to build, or buy, a rifle for him to get some practice in before next summer.
He has shot rimfire at a local club in the past, and shows some aptitude.

What will a current Marine recruit qualify with?
I found info on the qualification course, but not sure if they will use M4s or M16A4.
I’m assuming both use the TA31.

A friend of mine stressed to him how much qualifying expert will help him, and I want to give him a running start.

Thanks for any help!

Sign him up for an Appleseed. I’ve seen several guys come to their clinics from Ft Campbell to work on their marksmanship. He should have plenty of time to score Rifleman at 25yd and 100-400 yd.

Rimfire is fine for 25yd he will need the AR for full distance clinics.

He has had some instruction as a 10-11 yr old
The instructor has trained a couple kids who have shot at a high level competitively, and I'm not arrogant or dumb enough to try to change what I'm assuming are correct fundamentals.

We have shot from a bench and prone with hunting rifles for years, so that ship has sailed.

Maybe just familiarity with the platform then?

quote:

Originally posted by ElKabong:


Maybe just familiarity with the platform then?

My information is 20 years old now so I know a lot has changed but I’d say this is probably your best bet. He will spend a lot of time handling the rifle, long even before he shoots it.

If I was preparing my kid for USMC boot camp I’d teach him the chain of command, the general orders, how to shine a pair of boots and the specifications of the M16A4 (weight, range, etc...) long before I’d try to teach him to shoot. Honestly the marksmanship requirements to graduate are not that difficult to achieve.

I don’t know what the most current version of the Guidebook for Marines is but it will give him a lot of info that he will need to know to pass boot camp. He will get one when he gets there but having one to study before will come in handy.

https://www.amazon.com/Guidebo...iation/dp/0940328399

quote:

Originally posted by Pale Horse:

Honestly the marksmanship requirements to graduate are not that difficult to achieve.

We had a guy in my platoon who was almost legally blind.
Big old coke bottle lens glasses.
He was destined for intel - so he would never see combat - they just needed to push him through boot camp.
He qual'd (barely).


Edit: this was back in 2000 - we used the M16-A2 (iron sights)

Of all the things I knew before joining the service (Navy), marksmanship isn't an area I'd invest more time in.

General safe gun handling, trigger control, not being afraid of shooting are about all I'd consider valuable. Because they are going to teach you the way they want you to do it regardless.

The same thing happened in flying sometimes - the kids with the private pilot cert would have a hard time "doing it the Navy way" in military flight training and struggle, with the green horn who just did what he was told and took to it, did great.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:


General safe gun handling, trigger control, not being afraid of shooting are about all I'd consider valuable. Because they are going to teach you the way they want you to do it regardless.

definitely agree

please -- pleassse -- spend time doing plenty of rigorous PT ahead of time

that is more important than anything IMO when preparing for a basic training event

because physical fatigue bleeds over into everything else and compromises performance in other areas

------------------------------------

I bought my first and only AR a few years ago, a Colt 6920 M4. When I went to the range the first time I couldn't believe how accurate it was just with the iron sites.
I don't see how anyone that can see wouldn't qualify.
To further his career i would focus instead on the other tests he will be given.

Army here.

The Best prep would be PT, look up the MARINE PT test and the physical requirements for basic online and/or ask his recruiter. Remember to run and ruck. That reduces the chance of injury and keep you off the radar. Also have him practice being quiet and kick any caffeine/nicotine habits prior to basic.

Also ask the recruiter what washes most people out of basic. It's probably injuries.

Good on you for wanting to get him a rifle. an M4 clone with an ACOG on top would make a great AIT graduation gift, but if he is enlisted you might be better off storing the rifle at your house and letting him shoot it when he is on leave. If USMC is like Army, they make enlisted men store their personally owned weapons in the arms room. Unless they live off post or in family housing.

quote:

Originally posted by CD228:
Army here.

The Best prep would be PT, look up the MARINE PT test and the physical requirements for basic online and/or ask his recruiter. Remember to run and ruck. That reduces the chance of injury and keep you off the radar. Also have him practice being quiet and kick any caffeine/nicotine habits prior to basic.

Also ask the recruiter what washes most people out of basic. It's probably injuries.

Good on you for wanting to get him a rifle. an M4 clone with an ACOG on top would make a great AIT graduation gift, but if he is enlisted you might be better off storing the rifle at your house and letting him shoot it when he is on leave. If USMC is like Army, they make enlisted men store their personally owned weapons in the arms room. Unless they live off post or in family housing.

Great advice, especially about PT. Lots of push ups, pull ups, core work, running (up to 3-5 mi), and ruck marches (can be just hiking with a 45lb backpack)

Being in good shape makes it way less stressful.

He currently leads PT in MJROTC at school
Recruiter said he’d be fine

They have PT on the weekend for poolies (sp?), but they’ve told him he’s exempted this fall
since he had a soccer game every Saturday anyway

He ran cross country until this year as well, I think he may need an extra 10 lbs of muscle if anything, he’s on the lanky side

quote:

Originally posted by ElKabong:
He currently leads PT in MJROTC at school
Recruiter said he’d be fine

They have PT on the weekend for poolies (sp?), but they’ve told him he’s exempted this fall
since he had a soccer game every Saturday anyway

He ran cross country until this year as well, I think he may need an extra 10 lbs of muscle if anything, he’s on the lanky side

I'm glad to hear that. Did he look at the Academy or a ROTC scholarship?

quote:

Originally posted by CD228:
Army here.

T
Good on you for wanting to get him a rifle. an M4 clone with an ACOG on top would make a great AIT graduation gift, but if he is enlisted you might be better off storing the rifle at your house and letting him shoot it when he is on leave. If USMC is like Army, they make enlisted men store their personally owned weapons in the arms room. Unless they live off post or in family housing.

Nah, dad should buy the weapon as described and shoot the snot out of it while the son is away.

When the son comes home, dad asks him to show how to clean the weapon.

Congrats! My son is also a Senior this year, delayed entry, set to report on June 10. And as said above, PT PT PT. While it was stressed, it didn't become real to him until when he went to his friends graduation from basic (he was a year ahead), and saw how different he looked from when he went in. (Both on the higher side of the acceptable weight spectrum.) It was a great motivator, lol.

quote:

Originally posted by CD228:

quote:

Originally posted by ElKabong:
He currently leads PT in MJROTC at school
Recruiter said he’d be fine

They have PT on the weekend for poolies (sp?), but they’ve told him he’s exempted this fall
since he had a soccer game every Saturday anyway

He ran cross country until this year as well, I think he may need an extra 10 lbs of muscle if anything, he’s on the lanky side

I'm glad to hear that. Did he look at the Academy or a ROTC scholarship?

He is applying for ROTC, but has already signed and been to MEPS
Some here say that was a mistake, but he was going enlisted if not accepted anyway.
Grades aren’t great, but ASVAB was high, and he has shown good leadership in junior rotc

Just asked a buddy who is down at the Island (second tour). Current qual at boot is the A4 with RCO, no iron sights.

That makes me kinda sad.

My oldest son, former Marine (member here on the Forum) started shooting when he was about 4-5, took Hunter Safety later on, did some hunting and did very well in boot and MCT. He told me when he came back from Iraq that his mom and I taught him well "Make every shot count". We are not a spray and pray family. Biggest piece of advice to give your son or daughter going in to the service (USMC or Navy) take every school offered no matter how useless they may think it is, he/she will learn something for the future. Chris

as a former military firearms instructor....

let him learn what eh USMC has to teach him....at PI.

They have it down to a science.

What he needs to learn is to :

memorize his general orders-I mean Really memorize...

PT himself, run daily several miles

PT his core, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups etc

learn to shut his mouth...even if he is a subject matter specialist on (insert item here)...shushhhh, let the DI tell you how he wants it...

remember, this is training-they aint gonna eat you, but they can make it difficult for you.....

they spend a few days "snapping in" before they even get a live round

he'll be fine

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
as a former military firearms instructor....

let him learn what eh USMC has to teach him....at PI.

They have it down to a science.

What he needs to learn is to :

memorize his general orders-I mean Really memorize...

PT himself, run daily several miles

PT his core, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups etc

learn to shut his mouth...even if he is a subject matter specialist on (insert item here)...shushhhh, let the DI tell you how he wants it...

remember, this is training-they aint gonna eat you, but they can make it difficult for you.....

they spend a few days "snapping in" before they even get a live round

he'll be fine

10-4
Think we will leave the firearms alone

His situps push-ups and running are very good according to the recruiter
Told him to get pull-ups from 20 to 30

He’s going to add 40 lbs or so to the backpack for runs
Between soccer and PT at school his baseline is pretty good I think

He’s 5’9 or so and 140lbs
Recruiter said he’d come out like 170 all muscle lol

Push-ups, pull-ups, and lots of running. Leave the rest to the instructors.

That's true for the various services' boot camps, and LE academies.

With so many people out there claiming to be "instructors," but not really being good, and even good instructors that might teach techniques contradictory to what the USMC wants, there is too great a chance your son will learn "bad" habits.

Could he possibly do better with great training ahead of time? Yeah, but odds are you won't find that with the market flooded by hacks, and even with someone that's good (or great) with basic marksmanship, they still might teach in a way that's contradictory to the way the boot camp instructors want things done, and then he will have a hard time "unlearning" those "bad" habits.

Just make sure he's in top physical shape. Those that are fit deal with the stress of training better than those who are not.