THE RANGES

Capt Tim Fletcher

"Okay, next weekend is the range weekend ... we're all gonna qualify, right!" Those are perhaps the most common words of training in the Canadian Forces outside of the drill square. But they're also the most necessary. Soldiers shoot. End of story.

If you're going to shoot, you need to shoot accurately, and that was the story for the RHLI the weekend of 25-27 April 2003. There's a quiet pride in centering your rounds in the middle of a Figure 11 from 300 metres, consistently, professionally. Acquire the sight picture, squeeze back purposefully but gently on the trigger ... – then walk to the butts and count 10 on target.

Sgt Scott Greig debriefs a soldier on his shooting, while Sgt Peter Fairchild
makes some minor adjustments to his weapon.

If you're really ambitious, you'll set up a bivvy on the ranges, get that first round downrange Saturday morning as early as possible, stay at till last light – then, by the light of flares or even glowsticks, getting in that all-too-rare nightshoot, maybe with tracer. If you're really ambitious, you'll have night-vision goggles.

Nothing takes the place of live rounds, and nothing beats 10 of 10 on centre of mass!

B Coy, RHLI group photo from the weekend.