Fieldcraft Field ability?

[Guest]

When was the last time you ranged a shootable target with a map an compass? Did a 10+K day or 5+K night hike, an hit all your tasked points, w/o cheating?
Do you still recall your ruff vs smooth day pace count? How about your night? What do you use to keep track of your pace count?
When was the last time you were bagged an tagged, given a Compass, aiming stakes, a deflection heading an distance, to locate instructions on how to save yourself?


Or are you of the class that thinks battery's are lite, an the system that uses them will never die?

 

[fnberzerker]

Re: Field ability?

I never have! It sounds like an experience though. I wish I could think of a place to do it and incorporate shots.

 

[Guest]

Re: Field ability?

In Idaho, a good place would be about half way due east, of Elk City, an the Montana line. I tramped that area long, long ago.

 

[kraigWY]

Re: Field ability?

I do it all the time, even taught it in sniper schools.

1:24000, 1:25000 maps work best. Convert them to the grid system and its real easy.

 

[Guest]

Re: Field ability?

Did the Wind River range many, many years, ago. To say it was outstanding in beauty, does it a dis-service. At night that place really came alive with mother nature. Remember the moon so big an bright, it look like you could just reach up an grab it. Most winter nights with the moon out, man made light just trashed up a good thing.

 

[kraigWY]

Re: Field ability?

Let me add a bit to this topic.

I'm still certified and teach LE Sniping/Counter Sniping.

Besides maps, cities have "to scale" plot maps showing buildings, parks, parking lots,.........all sorts of places. As I said they are "to scale".

I recommend LE Sniper/Counter Snipers carry such a map in their car with their gear. You have a bandit set up in building A, you set up in building B, using the scale, you can get a pretty dern accurate range to the target.

Works night and day, whether you know the size of the target or not. Mil Dots are nice, but you have to know the size of your target. Laser Range finders are nice, but batteries cratter or freeze (Murphy's Law).

Maps and Compass/protractors don't fail.

 

[Guest]

Re: Field ability?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kraigWY</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Works night and day, whether you know the size of the target or not. Mil Dots are nice, but you have to know the size of your target. Laser Range finders are nice, but batteries cratter or freeze (Murphy's Law). </div></div>

Word!
May not be tacticool, but works prefect just the same. Not every step forward is a correct move.
Given today's mapping ability's I prefer a map over carrying anything battery fed. I picked up maps of A/O's I still haunt/hunt an with all the new adders that can be had, it's hard to be off by very much, if at all.
Weight not needed, leaves room for more H2O an bang.

 

[fnberzerker]

Re: Field ability?

I have to agree with keeping it simple. Murphy has had his way with me more than once... I hate that guy!! can't go wrong with a good map. I personally like to use all the neat gismos around home and at the range, write up notes with what info the gismos give me, and then I have nice little cheat sheets when Im out and about

 

[citation04]

Re: Field ability?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Gunfighter14e2</div><div class="ubbcode-body">When was the last time you ranged a shootable target with a map an compass?

About two months ago I started teaching a buddy what I knewbut it was ugly

Did a 10+K day or

never

5+K night hike, an hit all your tasked points, w/o cheating?

two years ago x3 first one had an instructor, second one I cheated, third one I was ok

Do you still recall your ruff vs smooth day pace count?
64 flat when flat and rested

How about your night?
hahah

What do you use to keep track of your pace count?
ranger beads except made of a little shock cord and powder coated washers, I need to buy or make the real ones becauseof the metal. I I generally loop it around my wrist or belt loop

When was the last time you were bagged an tagged,

Dont know what that is, I assume its a land nav excercise so never
given a Compass, aiming stakes, a deflection heading an distance, to locate instructions on how to save yourself?
I could probably realistically do this in the field if rested, calm not carrying a heavy load , and with no one coming after me

Or are you of the class that thinks battery's are lite, an the system that uses them will never die? </div></div>

Right now I just learned basic land nav just to learn, I think orienteering type stuff would be interesting sometime soon but for now in the back of my mind, I'd really like have this skill down in the even I ever find myself at OCS

 

[TheLlam]

Re: Field ability?

Gunfighter, for those of us that don't have a last time, how would we go about learning how to have a first time one day?

 

[Strykervet]

Re: Field ability?

Land nav. was what I thought to be the most important infantry skill. For a sniper, stalking gets added in the mix. I loved doing it, loved using the compass. The military GPS never worked for me when I needed it, only when we were farting around. Remember that.

If you want a "first time" you can contact your local recruiter. You can only get it in the package deal though, make sure to ask for "11B" when you go.

Last time I really did it up well was when I got my EIB --in '03? So that is embarrassing. I remember my first of five points was 10k away. Then the last one was 6k the other direction; luckily the other three were in between and only 3k in either of the other two cardinal directions. This was my night course, and it was piss pouring and freezing cold. I had three hours and finished with literally seconds left. I was hauling ass the entire time, I can't imagine being able to get all five and being half assed. But other folks got easier routes.

Of course the GPS didn't work, but because they gave us the junk we had to get all five points instead of four.

You can still drop my ass off in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a map and I'll get out --I don't really need the compass (but it certainly makes it easier).

A few years ago my army buddy and I went hiking on Rainier. I was watching where we were headed, and at the top he wanted to go in the wrong direction. It would have carried us onto the Wonderland trail in God knows how much snow in the middle of winter and I was sweating balls after making the trek to the top (a minor peak, not the summit). That was a close call, that trail is nearly 100 miles!

 

[Powder_Burns]

Re: Field ability?

FM 3-25.26 is a start I suppose.

 

[aur0ra145]

Re: Field ability?

I tie knots in a string to keep up with my pace count. Or rocks in your pocket, but I really dislike carrying rocks around.

Funny this topic came up, I learned to fly with a map, compass, pencil and pilotage. My instructors encouraged use of GPS, but I stuck with the compass and chart. It's saved my butt a couple of times; because, technology seems to fail more often than not.

Transitioning from flying to land nav was a breeze.