Even more fun with the SMLE, with the bruised shoulder to prove it.
(I was slightly astonished to learn that the ATC got to shoot the L1A1 when we were still on 1940s kit!)
Is that the old 303 that felt like a kick from a horse? I’m too young to have had the pleasure of shooting that!
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I always preferred the CCF(RAF) badges.
Plain rifle - 2nd class shot
Rifle & star - 1st class shot
Rifle & crown - CCF marksman
Crossed rifles - RAF Marksman
Blue for small bore, red for full bore.
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That was the point I was going for. It doesn’t show competency on each weapon system. It just shows they can follow marksmanship principles on one, therefore should be able to do it on all
I’m going to ask the question…
Is the biggest kick off here that we have reverted to how it used to be?
Or the non-gendered nature of the name change?
That’s the one. For some reason my unit still had SMLEs and 303 chambered Brens. Possibly because the unit we were cap badged to didn’t use the SLR.
Which management? Who requested it?
So 12 badges?
Yes, maths was done.
Do you mean the SMLE MK3 or the No.4? The MK3 was replaced in 1941 and only used after that in the Far East.
Could you use the magazine on the .303s?
Those were the days when cadets routinely got to fire full bore (7.62x51 and .303) and small bore (.22). Air rifles were for the scouts. Vast majority of today’s cadets will never experience full bore shooting.
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Staff always called them SMLEs. I guess they were no.4. But some were very old (late 1930s).
We had ‘44 Pattern webbing which was far east issue so who knows where the QM got stuff.
We used the mags but only allowed to charge with one clip.
I’m not sure I fully agree.
We had a .22 range which we used from time to time but I’d not say we used a lot.
The 303s only came out on camps and weekend FTX. We didn’t have the regular range days my Wing organises, let alone Gucci kit like the L98!
Oh and topic - we didn’t have shooting badges except for, I think, some form of competition marksman.
They are probably looking how any new badges contain a secret phallic symbol, they could make the sights look like something with the right stitching resolution!
If they were late 1930s they could have been late mk3s or very early No4s. (I’m not sure they were in full production then.)
I suppose technically both were SMLEs, but usually people only mean that to refer to the pre No.4 rifles.
They must have caused quite a few sore shoulders for the cadets.
The scary stat that I saw in relation to this was that currently according to Bader there are only ~5200 cadets with a shooting badge nationally.
Appreciating I’m partly to blame for this as since Covid I’ve delivered less IWT and Ranges due to a change of home & cadet circumstances.
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Those were the days, book out a couple of thousand rounds of .303 and 7.62, obtain SLRs (L1A1s) from the TA AND Mk 4s from the range armoury and spend the day turning lead into brass. We also had cadets using LMGs and GPMGs on the local outdoor range as well.
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I used to train all our cadets to fire the No.8. we still had drill No.4s on our unit years ago and we could teach them the theory on the 4, then test them at another unit on their 8s.
Now we have no 4s, they have no 8s and no one can shoot. I’ve had cadets age out with full service having never shot.
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Well, I’ve added my bit!
One easy option - delete the requirements for AR to have an RSD for each shoot. Have a “standing” RSD (reviewed annually?) so that if you need to change a trg programme at short notice, you can run a range.
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It did.
Time expired field dressing taped under jumper worked, but didn’t really help with the 1st or 4th marksmanship principles.
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