A US Marine marksman.

A marksman, in a military context, is trained to shoot precisely with a certain type of rifle. Some military doctrines use marksmen attached to an infantry squad. In that capacity the marksman takes accurate longer range shots at valuable targets as needed, thus extending the reach of the squad. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A rifle is a firearm with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the barrel walls. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ...

Another term for a marksman is a sharpshooter. In both the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps the progressive sequence of skills is marksman-sharpshooter-expert. Holders of each level wear qualification badges below their ribbons with bars for the weapons they qualified in. In the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard full-sized medals are only issued at the expert level. Both services award separate medals for pistol and rifle proficiency. The United States Air Force gives just a ribbon, although a bronze star can be earned if the wearer qualifies on both of these types of small arms.^[1] The United States Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. ... A Weapons Qualification Badge is a military badge of the United States Army and United States Marine Corps which is presented to service members upon successful completion of a weapons qualification course. ... The United States Navy, also known as the USN or the U.S. Navy, is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... USCG HH-65 Dolphin The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States armed forces and is involved in maritime law enforcement, mariner assistance, search and rescue, and national defense. ... A Medal can mean three things: a wearable medal awarded by a government for services to a country (such as Armed force service); strictly speaking this only refers to a medal of coin-like appearance, but informally the word also refers to an Order (decoration); a table medal awarded by... A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ... A rifle is a firearm with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the barrel walls. ... The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. ...

"Sniper" vs. "Marksman"

A marksman should not be confused with a sniper. Marksmen rarely operate individually. Snipers most often are deployed for specific objectives in teams consisting of snipers and observers. The marksman, however, operates as a regular member within a unit where his skills are called upon whenever the need for accurate firearms skills arise in the normal course of operations for the unit. While snipers are intensively trained to master field craft and camouflage, these skills are not required for marksmen. There are differences in role and training that affect doctrines and equipment. Snipers rely almost exclusively on more accurate but slower-firing bolt-action rifles while a marksman can effectively use a faster-firing, but less accurate semi-automatic rifle. A sniper's intensive training, forward placement and surveillance duties make the role more strategic than a squad-level marksman. Thus, marksmen are often attached at the squad level while snipers are often attached at higher levels such as battalion (cf.: designated marksman). Arkansas Army National Guard soldiers practice sniper marksmanship at their firing range near Baghdad, Iraq on February 15, 2005. ... Half opened bolt on a Winchester Model 70. ... A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled, without the need to manually operate a bolt, lever or other firing or loading mechanism. ... The Designated Marksman (DM) is a military role in a U.S. infantry squad. ...

British Marksmen

In the British Armed Forces, marksman is traditionally the highest shooting rating. Holders of the rating wear a crossed rifles badge on the lower sleeve. The armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majestys Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown[1], encompasses a navy, army, and air force. ...

Historically

One of the first true appearances of units of sharpshooters was during the American Revolution. American rifle companies, armed with the Pennsylvania/Kentucky Long Rifle, served as skirmishers for the Continental Army. Because of the accuracy of these riflemen, many British officers removed their insignia to prevent the Americans from targeting them. The most famous unit of riflemen was Morgan's Riflemen. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Napoleonic Era

Another use of units of marksmen was during the Napoleonic era in the British Army. While most troops at that time used inaccurate smoothbore muskets, the British "Green Jackets" (named for their distinctive green uniforms) used the famous Baker rifle. Through the combination of a leather wad and tight grooves on the inside of the barrel (rifling), this weapon was far more accurate, though slower to load. The Rifles were the elite of the British Army, and served at the forefront of any engagement, most often in skirmish formation, scouting out and delaying the enemy. Combatants Allies: Austrian Empire[1] Kingdom of Portugal Kingdom of Prussia[1] Russian Empire[2] Kingdom of Spain[3] Kingdom of Sweden United Kingdom[4] Ottoman Empire[5] French Empire Kingdom of Holland Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Naples Duchy of Warsaw Kingdom of Bavaria[6] Kingdom of Saxony[7... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Muskets and bayonets aboard the frigate Grand Turk. ... Cap badge of the Royal Green Jackets The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry). ... The Baker rifle was the rifle used by the Rifle regiments of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. ... Rifling of a Canon de 75 modèle 1897 A 35 caliber Remington, with a microgrove rifled barrel with a right hand twist. ...

U.S. Civil War

US sharpshooter, 1863.

During the American Civil War (1861–1865), sharpshooters saw limited action, as tacticians sought to avoid the heavy casualties inflicted through normal tactics, which involved close ranks of men at close ranges. The sharpshooters used by both sides in the Civil War were less used as snipers, and more as skirmishers and scouts. These elite troops were well equipped and trained, and placed at the front of any column to first engage the enemy. The most notable sharpshooter units of the Civil War were the 1st and 2nd United States Sharpshooters (USSS), who were formed from all states under the command of Hiram Berdan, who was reputed to be the best amateur marksman in the nation at that time. Confederate sharpshooters were often less well equipped, using British Whitworth rifles, rather than breech loading Berdan Sharps rifles. There was also an all-Native American company of sharpshooters in the Union Army. These men, primarily Ojibwe and Potawotami from northern Michigan, comprised the members of the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters, Company K. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 241 × 598 pixelsFull resolution (254 × 630 pixel, file size: 150 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)US sharpshooter, 1863 by Velimir Vuksic. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 241 × 598 pixelsFull resolution (254 × 630 pixel, file size: 150 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)US sharpshooter, 1863 by Velimir Vuksic. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Hiram Berdan Hiram Berdan (1823-1893) is an American engineer and military man, creator of United States Sharpshooters and inventor of Berdan rifle, Berdan Sharps rifle and numerous other weapons. ... Sir Joseph Whitworth Sir Joseph Whitworth, Baronet (December 21, 1803 – January 22, 1887) was an English engineer and entrepreneur. ... Berdan Sharps rifle Country Union Type Rifle Inventor Hiram Berdan Date of design 1859 Service duration 1859-1862 Cartridge caliber . ...

Today

The term "marksman" is often used interchangeably with sniper (as often in history) within paramilitary counter-terrorism teams such as SWAT, since only a select few use long-range rifles, while the majority are armed with CQB submachine guns. Arkansas Army National Guard soldiers practice sniper marksmanship at their firing range near Baghdad, Iraq on February 15, 2005. ... A paramilitary organization is a group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion. ... Counter-terrorism refers to the practices, tactics, and strategies that governments, militaries, and other groups adopt in order to fight terrorism. ... This article is about Special Weapons and Tactics. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with MOUT. (Discuss) CQB, sometimes CQC, is an acronym for Close Quarters Battle or Close Quarters Combat, and refers to fighting methods within buildings, streets, narrow alleys and other places where visibility and maneuverability are limited. ...

Notes

1. ^ AFI 36-2803