Video: Larry Vickers discusses the new Marine Corps rifle sling he designed
January 20th, 2012 | Gear Marksmanship | Posted by Dan Lamothe
The Marine Corps made a significant change in the fall, deciding to adopt a new common weapon sling for service rifles.
That sling, as Marine Corps Times reported here, is the Vickers Combat Applications two-point sling, made by Blue Force Gear, of Pooler, Ga. It’s designed by Larry Vickers, a retired special operator well regarded for his innovation in the marksmanship world.
Rob Curtis, Military Times’ Gear Scout blogger, ran into Vickers at SHOT Show this week. They discussed several items on video, including the new Marine Corps sling. Check it out here:
Your chance to read the Marine Corps’ marksmanship program analysis
October 13th, 2010 | Marksmanship Training | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Lance Cpl. Nathan A. Douthit, a combat marksmanship coach at Twentynine Palms, Calif., coaches Staff Sgt. Eric B. Deleon during known distance course of fire training Feb. 10. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Benjamin Crilly/Marine Corps)
By now, you may have seen Marine Corps Times’ coverage of a controversial report filed last year by the service’s Operations Analysis Division assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the Marine Corps Marksmanship Program.
As my story points out, Weapons Training Battalion, out of Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., took exception to some of the findings by OAD, which falls under Marine Corps Combat Development Command, also out of Quantico. Four major recommendations were made: Develop a new organization to oversee all marksmanship training, embark on a substantial range upgrade plan, remove rifle scores from the promotion process and overhaul annual training to take place either every six months or quarterly.
The story already lays out additional details, so it would be redundant to do so again here. However, in an effort to show transparency in my reporting, I’d like to point out that we’ve posted the 38-page report here after a several readers requested a copy. I obtained it through the Freedom of Information Act this summer, but Marine Corps Times held fire on publishing a related story to give the service ample opportunity to respond to my questions.
I welcome any feedback current Marines have about the marksmanship, my story and the report itself. I can be reached at dlamothe (at) @marinecorpstimes.com.