Summary of the ARI-Benning Research Program on M16A1 Rifle Marksmanship

摘要

This report summarizes the major products of research on rifle marksmanship conducted by the Army Research Institute at Fort Benning, mostly between March 1978 and June 1980. It includes research designed to identify the problems existing in basic marksmanship training and training equipment (e.g., poor instruction, insufficient practice and inadequate knowledge of shooting results). Several experiments are reported that examined promising solutions to these problems. These solutions include simplified fundamentals, an improved zeroing target, better diagnostic check points, down-range feedback and other procedures to improve knowledge of results, improved transition to firing and steps to improve instructional quality. Based upon the research findings, a new basic rifle marksmanship progam was developed and tested. It was found to improve record fire (final exam) performance by 29 percent. This new program has been put into effect in the Infantry Training Brigade at Fort Benning and is soon to be adopted Army-wide. The report also summarizes the main problems remaining to be resolved if fully adequate basic marksmanship training is to be realized. It concludes with information about the continuing research directed toward development of improved advanced individual and unit level training in marksmanship. (Author)