U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit

Soldiers Magazine, Feb, 2008 by Paula J. Randall

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THE U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit is the only organization of its kind in the Army today. Formed in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the unit produces America's best competitive shooters and the Army's finest custom gunsmiths, AMU officials said.

The AMU trains Soldier-athletes to win competitions, promote the Army, and enhance combat readiness through research and development of weapons and ammunition. It comprises a support staff, a Custom Firearms Shop and six competitive shooting sections: Service Rifle, Service Pistol, Action Shooting, International Rifle, International Pistol and Shotgun.

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Service Rifle

The Service Rifle Team conducts the National Small Arms Firing School for the Department of Defense, and competes in interservice and national championship events.

Shooters compete with the modified M-16A2 rifle and 300 Winchester magnums with telescopic sights, and shoot at targets up to 1,000 yards away.

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Service Pistol

The Service Pistol Team competes in the multi-national Conseil International du Sport Militaire tournament, interservice and national championships, and conducts the Small Arms Firing School at the national championships for the Department of Defense.

The team competes with the .22-caliber, center-fire and .45-caliber pistols, as well as the modified M-9 9mm weapon.

Action Shooting

The Action Shooting Team competes in state, area, national and world-championship events. Action shooters use stock or production pistols and unlimited or open pistols. The latter are custom built with additions such as scopes and compensators. Competitions consist of eight to 30 stages, with each stage varying in course design. The competitors are required to negotiate each stage as quickly and accurately as possible.

International Rifle

The International Rifle Team competes in interservice, national, international, world-level and Olympic competitions, and conducts the international portion of the Small-Arms Marksmanship Clinics during the national matches at Camp Perry, Va.

Male shooters compete in air rifle, free rifle, smallbore free rifle and standard rifle events, using various-caliber weapons at various-range targets and from varying positions. Female shooters compete in air rifle, standard rifle, three-position and prone events.

International Pistol

The International Pistol Team competes in interservice, national, international, world-level and Olympic events, and conducts CISM, Interservice and National Team Selection Matches.

Male shooters compete in free-pistol matches firing .22-caliber pistols at 50 meters; standard-pistol matches in which they shoot slow fire, timed fire and rapid fire with time limits; rapid-fire pistol matches using .22-caliber pistols at 25 meters; and air-pistol matches firing .177-caliber pistols at 10 meters.

Female shooters compete in air and sport pistol events, in which they shoot rapid fire and precision using .22-caliber pistols at 25 meters.

Shotgun

The world's top skeet, trap and double trap shooters make up the USAMU Shotgun Team, which competes in interservice, national, international and Olympic events. Using 12-gauge shotguns, shooters track, aim and shoot at clay targets moving at up to 65 mph.

Custom Firearms Shop

The Custom Firearms Shop produces top-quality, match-grade rifles, pistols and shotguns, and much of the AMU's ammunition. Shop personnel undertake weapons research and development, including testing the M-21 and M-24 sniper systems and special-reaction team rifles, andtesting and maintaining the Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifle.

Recently, the shop accurized the M-16A2 rifle and the M-9 pistol. The Army gunsmiths, machinists and ammunition technicians transformed the reliable combat weapons into match-winning equipment. The most recent achievement by the shop is the accurization of the Mk-12, which was used in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

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Soldiers and Civilians of the AMU Ammunitions Loading Section produce world-class match ammunition for the unit's shooters. They are responsible for the thousands of rounds produced each day, all of which are measured and adjusted to within one-tenth of a grain. The technicians produce ammunition for rifles and pistols and test each cartridge case, propellant, primer and bullet.

USAMU Accomplishments

Since 1956 members of the AMU have won hundreds of individual and team national titles, including more than 40 world championships and 21 Olympic medals. The unit also usually provides one-half to three-quarters of the members of the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team.

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"The Marksmanship Unit has gained worldwide recognition and respect for its shooting accomplishments," said Robert Aylward, the unit's deputy commander. "These accomplishments are why the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit is called the 'Home of Champions.'"

Paula J. Randall is the public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, Accessions Support Brigade.