Page 93 - The Bugle Issue 12 Autumn 2016

The RIFLES Regimental Shooting Team
The Regimental Shooting Team formed after the 4 through. Individual wins from LCpl Stanton, Lt
THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT AN INFANTRY UNIT HAS WON THE 3 (UK) DIV OSC
RIFLES Operational Shooting Competition (OSC) in Feb 16, with a 16 man team then being ring-fenced to train full-time in order to perform at a high level at the formation OSCs in the summer. The training was split into four areas: Grouping and Zeroing, Positional Shooting, Application of Fire and Match-speci c Training. The rst two areas were designed to ensure that all rers were able to shoot to a high standard, with any positional errors quickly ironed out. The team then spent time concentrating on different points of aim on different ranges in order to achieve the highest possible scores at the competitions. Following this, the focus switched to ring all the possible shoots that would be red at the compe- titions, aiming to learn the details and gradually improve everyone’s scores. As well as the training run by the Team Captain and CSjt Tilstone, an external coach was hired to assist. Peter Underhill, a retired RIFLES Major who previously captained the British Army Combat Shooting Team and now works with the British Olympic Shooting Squad, ran a series of masterclass days for the team and coached them in Positional Shooting and Match-speci c Shooting.
The rst competition facing the team was the 1 Armd Inf Bde OSC, held at Bulford Ranges over 16-20 May 16, with 15 teams competing from across the brigade. The shooting programme replicated the matches which would be red at the Army OSC at Bisley later in the summer making it good practice for the 4 RIFLES teams. With a slow start to the perfo- mance seeing 1 RRF initially topping the table, the 4 RIFLES teams came into their own on the second day with impressive individual performances from LCpl Stanton on the Urban CQM and Pistol CQM and Lt D’Souza on the Short Range Rural Contact. An equally strong performance on all of the team shoots saw the three shooting teams from 4 RIFLES nish up in rst, second and fourth places. Individ- ually eight of the top ten rers were from 4 RIFLES with LCpl Stanton gaining the top spot, Rfn Eggett coming second, and Rfn Sutor coming third.
The week after the Brigade OSC, the 3 (UK) DIV OSC was held again on Bulford ranges. Having come in second place last year, the team was determined to do better this time, and following the months of training the quality of the individuals’ shooting and their familiarity with the matches began to show
D’Souza and Rfn Eggett along with the strong perfor- mances of both 4 RIFLES teams in the team events, saw a nal placing of rst and second. This was the rst time that an infantry unit has won the 3 (UK) Div OSC and was testament to a strong team effort.
The Defence OSC at Bisley in late June is the culmination of the shooting season, featuring the best units from across the Army competing alongside teams from the Royal Navy, the RAF and overseas. Following a demanding competition, the nal results saw the RIFLES Regimental Team nish in fth place out of 56 teams, a great improvement from last year’s eleventh and a mark of the real progress that the Team has achieved this year. In addition, the team won the March and Shoot, the Section Building Assessment and the Urban Contact Shoot. LCpl Stanton continued his excellent season with the top individual shot in the Urban Contact Shoot, and Rfn Eggett nished as Top Novice rer overall, a signi cant accolade which marks him out as a key member of the Regimental Team in future years. Further proof of the Team’s success was the ve members who made the Army 100: LCpl Stanton, Rfn Eggett, Rfn Sutor, Rfn Addington and LCpl Bristow.
Lt Frankie D’Souza, Shooting Team Captain
Sniper Competitions
Two of the battalion’s snipers, LCpls Chambers
and Stanton travelled to Australia in early May to
compete for the British Army Combat Shooting
Team in the Australian Army Skill at Arms Meeting.
LCpls Stanton and Chambers competed as a pair
in the Sniper competition in a eld of 24 international pairs, coming in third place overall, a signi cant achievement in such illustrious company.
The Tri-Service Sniper Competition then took place on Salisbury Plain in early June, with a eld of 28 pairs from across Defence plus six international pairs visiting from Canada, Holland, USA, France, Denmark and Germany. The RIFLES Shooting Team was represented by two sniper pairs, LCpl Stanton and LCpl Chambers and also Cpl Phillips and LCpl Holgate. As well as nishing as the overall top pair in the competition, LCpls Stanton and Chambers won the Long Range Rural shoot and as individuals came top Number 1 (LCpl Stanton) and runner-up Number 2 (LCpl Chambers).
CSjt Tilstone, Sniper Platoon Commander
THE RIFLES
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