Knowing how and when to shoot is another important skill that can often be overlooked. It is not enough that you have the ability to hit a target, you must be able to shoot at a target while moving. The dynamism of this skill is hard to master because you employ not only your personal skill, but also that of the team. Coordination is always an important factor, since shooting wild will endanger not only yourself, but also your team. Chris Tolino of 2nd Force Recon Co., illustrates how one should be locked and loaded when a firefight is imminent.
Chapter 4: Shooting
Shooting is a fundamental skill that won’t be covered in detail in this manual. Shooting is a vital part of any Op. After all, you have to shoot the tangos to take them down don’t you? Shooting in a CQB situation is actually quite different from that of any other Op. The reason is because in CQB the action is fast. Shooting in CQB is based upon initial volume of fire and instinct. Reaction time is very important in CQB.
There are a number of fundamentals that help and apply to CQB though. The first is that you never look away from your gun. Keep your weapon in front of you at all times. The only exception belongs to the Point Man who may need to use his sidearm(if available). Don’t look anywhere that your weapon is not pointed. Believe it or not, it’s much easier to depress the trigger than to look, have to swing your weapon to your target, and then depress the trigger. If you head moves, your weapon goes with it. This is even more true with a sidearm.
The next fundamental skill is a readiness stance. Keep your weapon in front of you a slightly on a low angle when moving in a “clear” area. The reason is because if you’re not in a clear area, you actually present less of a target. Movement like that is also important because you are more relaxed. When in CQB, tenseness is a bad thing. Tenseness causes premature firing of the weapon and a lot of missed targets because of poor aiming. You do not however want to move in this manner when you know that you’re near tangos. If you’re moving through a danger area, keep the weapon in a firing position with a relaxed grip. If you’re too tense, you may have a tendency to jerk the weapon when firing which could throw your aim off. By the way, missing is a bad thing!
The third and equally important aspect to combat shooting in CQB is reloading. Yes, there is a SOP for reloading. The most efficient reloading technique is used by the U.S. Airborne Rangers. The first thing to do if you need to reload is to check for cover. If there is cover move to it. Once behind cover, drop to a knee and if necessary, draw your sidearm to within easy reach in case of an emergency. Replace magazines quickly and engage in the firefight again.
The last and most important aspect of CQB shooting is fields of fire. Each team member needs to have a pre-assigned field of fire. A team member’s field of fire is the area that the team member is going to concentrate on when moving unless moving through an open area at which you engage targets of opportunity. The point man has the front of the team covered with the help of the OIC. The OIC covers the near flanks of the point man. The next man in the line which is usually a corpsman covers the left and right of the team. The Assaulters cover targets of opportunity. The rear security team member(last man in formation), covers the rear of the team. This is an important position because the most common guerilla tactic is to engage a larger force from behind. Another important thing to remember is if you fire in your field of fire, let your team know who is firing by calling out “contact!” If you “drop” the tango, let the team know by saying, not yelling, “tango Down.”
The above needs rehearsal and should be trained again and again. My team focuses on target shooting under controlled circumstances working on a “reflex or Instinct shot.” Basically, we set up a target, mimic clearing an area, and engage the target of reflexes. That involves bringing the weapon up for the ready position and firing until the target is hit.
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