Sorin Rifle Team

The Sorin Rifle team is a group of ROTC cadets who work to improve their marksmanship and familiarize themselves with different weapon platforms. The team meets approximately once a month to improve accuracy and familiarity with firearm functions. Prior to going to the range, the club meets weekly to receive instruction on basic rifle marksmenship. The leaders of the club work through the four fundamentals of firing: body position, sight picture, breathing, and trigger squeeze. We first use pellet rifles without the recoil in order to perfect the fundamentals. The prone position, kneeling position, and, to a lesser extent, the standing position are taught and rehearsed. After a few weeks of training, we move to the firing range and practice those same positions there. It is difficult to practice the prone position at the indoor range, so we go before or after hours and attach extensions to the targets so they hang low enough to create a safe angle that the bullet travels.

Many cadets come into the program having never handled a weapon. With repeated practice, big improvements are made in a short amount of time. The Sorin Rifle Team is still growing and competitions may be possible in the future. It is a load of fun and, by the time that the cadets of the Sorin Rifle team commission as officers, they are steps ahead of their peers in terms of basic marksmanship.