The US Marine Corps has decided to train as it fights. Â At weapon qualifications, Marines will be allowed to use the weapons and approved optics they carry into battle.
“The intent is to ensure Marines train with the weapon system with which they will fight, †wrote Lt. Gen. Richard Mills in an administrative message.
Not being a Marine, I didn’t realize this, but it seems that firearms qualification scores are part of how promotions are calculated. Â Therefore, in an effort to ensure “fairness” in the promotional process, it appears the Marines have not allowed their personnel to qualify with what they carry.
For example, the free-floated barrel on the Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR) could provide an accuracy advantage to the shooter as compared to a Marine shooting a standard M16 or M4, and therefore could have been removed from qualifications to promote the concept of fairness.
The Marine Corps announced in August they are looking for a sniper rifle chambered in .300 Win Mag. One of the rifles the Corps may be looking at is the Heym USA’s SR21 sniper rifle.