Skill Comparison

A reader read this post and asks,

"Since you are a firearms instructor, and have likely seen a lot of people on the line, where would you rank the typical infantryman?"

Outstanding question!

First, let's set up the scale. If firearms skill was like martial arts, and used a belt system:

White Belt

Yellow Belt

Orange Belt

Green Belt

Blue Belt

Purple Belt

Brown Belt 

Black Belt

Master Belt

Grandmaster Belt

Second, let's establish criteria. Otherwise, it is just an arbitrary opinion with no real applicability other than to start an argument. 

Primary priority - pistol efficacy. This because civilians need pistols much more often than rifles. Marksmanship, gun handling, presentation, and tactics are the four sub-criteria. Pistol efficacy is weighted at 75%. 

Secondary priority - rifle efficacy. Same reason as above. Marksmanship, gun handling, presentation, and tactics are the four sub-criteria here. Rifle efficacy is weighted at 25%. 

Third, let's make some of the infantrymen I've met mad - just because we can, and because they need the wake-up call. 

- Marines have a slight edge over Army in marksmanship. 

- Army Soldiers have a slight edge over Marines in tactics. 

- Both of those are the difference between Yellow and Orange belts. 

- No branch has a good pistol training record with standard infantry. 

- I have been flagged by more former infantry than all others combined. BEWARE!

- Related combat MOS troops I've met (13F, 19D, 0317, MP of both, 68W, etc.) have generally been better than standard infantry... and more open to new tactics, mindsets, and ideas. 

And the fourth and final caveat comes from a friend whom has been to several training classes with me and others, and shares this opinion:

"I believe they teach these guys (standard infantry) the bare-bones basics needed to survive, pump them full of rah-rah motivation, then send them out and typically overwhelm the enemy by sheer numbers and not skills."

There is a certain element of truth to this. 

So, what is my opinion of typical infantry:

I've not met one that would be Black Belt level. 

Most are Yellow or Orange Belt level. 

Most think they are Black Belt level... until about halfway through confirmation of zeroes. 

Pistol classes are real eye-openers to most. 

And your typical competition shooter is a purple or brown belt. And that's very humbling to most military. Of course, in competitions, many fresh out of the military sign up, thinking they are going to teach the competitors a thing or two... only to see their name at the bottom of the performance sheet at the end of the day. 

To be fair, if we re-weighted in favor of rifle, then the typical infantryman would bump up a belt or two. Maybe an orange or green belt on a warm day.