Just a reminder, for any here who would like to have some Service Rifle training, there's still time to sign up for this year's SAFS. This training takes place July 29 through Aug 01 at Camp Perry. It's open to all U.S. citizens.
USAMU Small Arms Firing School
- Thread starter Sterling Shooter
- Start date
Re: USAMU Small Arms Firing School
Just a hint. The SAFS isn't just for new shooters, everyone can benifit regardless of experience.
Everyone, new and old shooters alike are cheating themselves if they attend Perry or the CMP Eastern/Western Games without signing up for the SAFS.
Just a hint. The SAFS isn't just for new shooters, everyone can benifit regardless of experience.
Everyone, new and old shooters alike are cheating themselves if they attend Perry or the CMP Eastern/Western Games without signing up for the SAFS.
Re: USAMU Small Arms Firing School
Yep... it's been many years since I've done it but, we used to do it every year we went to Camp Perry. I suppose it's still the day before the High Power matches start?
Back when I did it, our club became great friends with some of the AMU guys that were coaching the line at the firing school and, a couple of the guys even traveled to Louisiana and gave our club a week long clinic.
Believe it or not, I met Carlos Hathcock the first year I went to Camp Perry. I did not know who he was at the time and only years later knew who he was.
It was in 1978 and, it was the first year I went. I was a 14yr old kid wearing a tattered canvas shooting jacket that I put a belt around to cinch it up tight to shoot offhand and, I got up on the line and was shooting on the first relay. I had an AMU coach and we got two offhand sighters and, I was the first one to shoot the rifle.
Sgt. Torres told me... "give me a good shot". I fired and he said, "call it". I told him my call was "good". Target came back up and it was barely on the frame. It was outside the scoring rings at 2 o'clock. He looked at me like I was crazy. He said, "you called THAT good?" I said, yep.
He started cranking on the front and rear sight.... He said, "give me a good shot".... I fired and I called it good.
Target came back up and, it was a 9 at... 2 o'clock again. He didn't look so crazy at me this time and finished putting the dope on the rifle.
I then shot 4x and 5 10s and, on my last shot to clean my target, I fired and cussed, he said, call it... I said it's a 9 at 9 o'clock.... and the target came back up and it was.
He saw that I was just a snot nosed kid from Louisiana and, he slapped me on the back HARD and said, come on kid I want you to meet some folks. He took me to the AMU van behind the line and introduced me to several folks and said something like, "this little shit just shot a 99 with 4x offhand and called his 9"... I got to look through the team scopes the AMU guys were looking through etc. and, Carlos was leaning up agains the VAN with some of the other guys drinking a cup of coffee and, he had that drawl and, I remember to this day the drawl and the funny stories they told but, I have no idea what he said to me but, Sgt. Torres told him I'd shot a 99 offhand with 4x and Carlos smiled at me and had kind words... Hell, I was only 14 at the time.
Its funny... what I remember more that year was there was a guy named "big john" that I saw clean his 300yd rapid fire string and, his first two were 10s just outside the x ring... ( I was in the pits ), he corrected and shot the last 8xs and, it blew my mind thinking... that rifle is lucky to shoot that well.. how can he hold that hard. Apparently, he was a sniper in vietnam too. I didn't meet him but, someone pointed him out to me. You could put your palm over all 10 holes in the target. I still remember that all these years later. I wish I knew who Carlos was then.... I'd surely remember what I'd said to him and him me. I just remember the event for a completely different reason and didn't know who he was at the time. I just remember that he was funny and laid back as hell. Mostly, I remember that he joked a lot and told stories.
We became good friends with that Sgt. Clayton and Sgt. Torres... we remained friends for years with those guys. After the clinic, Sgt. Torres gave me one of the LARGE AMU shooting team patches that I still have to this day. He told me I'd earned it. LOL it's like 8" tall by maybe 5" wide and it has "shooting team" at the bottom.
We shared our gumbo and jambalya with them at Perry and, they drank and took home a lot of Community coffee.
Sorry, I know that was a bit off topic but, it brought back some old memories.
The small arms firing school is and has been a great institution. They used to and, I'm sure they still do, give a nice morning class and afternoon of doing a qualifier where you can qualify.
I don't know the course of fire anymore but, I remember kneeling being one of the relays. Do they still do that?
Yep... it's been many years since I've done it but, we used to do it every year we went to Camp Perry. I suppose it's still the day before the High Power matches start?
Back when I did it, our club became great friends with some of the AMU guys that were coaching the line at the firing school and, a couple of the guys even traveled to Louisiana and gave our club a week long clinic.
Believe it or not, I met Carlos Hathcock the first year I went to Camp Perry. I did not know who he was at the time and only years later knew who he was.
It was in 1978 and, it was the first year I went. I was a 14yr old kid wearing a tattered canvas shooting jacket that I put a belt around to cinch it up tight to shoot offhand and, I got up on the line and was shooting on the first relay. I had an AMU coach and we got two offhand sighters and, I was the first one to shoot the rifle.
Sgt. Torres told me... "give me a good shot". I fired and he said, "call it". I told him my call was "good". Target came back up and it was barely on the frame. It was outside the scoring rings at 2 o'clock. He looked at me like I was crazy. He said, "you called THAT good?" I said, yep.
He started cranking on the front and rear sight.... He said, "give me a good shot".... I fired and I called it good.
Target came back up and, it was a 9 at... 2 o'clock again. He didn't look so crazy at me this time and finished putting the dope on the rifle.
I then shot 4x and 5 10s and, on my last shot to clean my target, I fired and cussed, he said, call it... I said it's a 9 at 9 o'clock.... and the target came back up and it was.
He saw that I was just a snot nosed kid from Louisiana and, he slapped me on the back HARD and said, come on kid I want you to meet some folks. He took me to the AMU van behind the line and introduced me to several folks and said something like, "this little shit just shot a 99 with 4x offhand and called his 9"... I got to look through the team scopes the AMU guys were looking through etc. and, Carlos was leaning up agains the VAN with some of the other guys drinking a cup of coffee and, he had that drawl and, I remember to this day the drawl and the funny stories they told but, I have no idea what he said to me but, Sgt. Torres told him I'd shot a 99 offhand with 4x and Carlos smiled at me and had kind words... Hell, I was only 14 at the time.
Its funny... what I remember more that year was there was a guy named "big john" that I saw clean his 300yd rapid fire string and, his first two were 10s just outside the x ring... ( I was in the pits ), he corrected and shot the last 8xs and, it blew my mind thinking... that rifle is lucky to shoot that well.. how can he hold that hard. Apparently, he was a sniper in vietnam too. I didn't meet him but, someone pointed him out to me. You could put your palm over all 10 holes in the target. I still remember that all these years later. I wish I knew who Carlos was then.... I'd surely remember what I'd said to him and him me. I just remember the event for a completely different reason and didn't know who he was at the time. I just remember that he was funny and laid back as hell. Mostly, I remember that he joked a lot and told stories.
We became good friends with that Sgt. Clayton and Sgt. Torres... we remained friends for years with those guys. After the clinic, Sgt. Torres gave me one of the LARGE AMU shooting team patches that I still have to this day. He told me I'd earned it. LOL it's like 8" tall by maybe 5" wide and it has "shooting team" at the bottom.
We shared our gumbo and jambalya with them at Perry and, they drank and took home a lot of Community coffee.
Sorry, I know that was a bit off topic but, it brought back some old memories.
The small arms firing school is and has been a great institution. They used to and, I'm sure they still do, give a nice morning class and afternoon of doing a qualifier where you can qualify.
I don't know the course of fire anymore but, I remember kneeling being one of the relays. Do they still do that?
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