Designated Marksman

This is a three-day intermediate course built for law enforcement and military personnel assigned as a Designated Marksman or preparing for that role. It focuses on the gap between patrol rifle use and SWAT sniper employment, with instruction centered on scoped carbine setup, DM applications, and the core skills needed to make accountable hits on appropriately sized targets out to at least 300 yards.

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Students work through equipment and optic selection, rifle setup, basic ballistics, zeroing, point-blank range concepts, and range estimation. Instruction also develops marksmanship from unconventional supported and unsupported positions, then adds simulator work, moving targets, and decision-making problems so the shooter can apply the rifle in more realistic conditions.

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Key training areas include:

• Use and deployment of designated marksman weapon systems
• Scope terminology, optic selection, and rifle setup for the DM role
• Basic ballistics, zeroing scoped rifles, and maximum point blank zero concepts
• Fundamentals of marksmanship from unconventional supported and unsupported positions
• Basic range estimation, simulator work, moving targets, and decision-making exercises

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This course fits officers and military personnel who already understand basic carbine operation and need to build into the designated marksman role. Rifle 103 or an equivalent course is required, and students need a carbine and ammunition combination capable of about 1.5 MOA precision, along with a magnified optic and support gear for moderate movement on the range.