Aiming high on the dcct

Imagine a simulated firing range... where you can fire from lying, sitting, kneeling or standing, at targets hundreds of meters down a range using the Cadet Rifle and get instant feedback to improve you aim, accuracy and technique. That is precisely what a group of Cadets from LNR ACF got the chance to do on the County Training Wing’s second Range Weekend of 2023.

The British Army’s Dismounted Close Combat Trainer Simulators (DCCT) range simulates target shooting with the Cadet GP rifle and allows the qualified Cadet Force Adult Volunteer coaches and range officers to fine tune the cadets technique by providing constructive feedback and analysis from the system looking at barrel movement, trigger pressure, cantor angles and butt pressures; something which isn’t always obvious when on a live firing range. This invaluable feedback helps the cadets to visualise how to improve their target shooting skills and relate to the importance of applying the Marksmanship Principles.

The weekend consisted of different levels of Army Cadet Syllabus (ACS) Shooting and Skill At Arms training, including the use of both Collimator and ‘SUSAT’ Sights. The Cadets practiced firing from different positions (Laying, Kneeling, Sitting and Standing) to improve position and hold of the rifles to improve their grouping (consistently hitting the target in the same area; grouping their shots together). Many cadet were able to pass their ACS 2 Star and partially pass their 3 star proficiency in Target Shooting as part of this weekend.

SMI Paul Williams (County Shooting Officer) said “We saw some great shots over the weekend, and worthy of a position on our developing county shooting team going forward. A big shout out to all the Instructors who were the Range Safety Staff, RCOs, SAAIs and Drivers, as without them the weekend could not have gone ahead!”

The cadets are really looking forwards to their next opportunity to shoot which will be firing live rounds on the 300meter barrack range at Beckingham (details for these weekends will be available from their Detachment Commanders).

Marksmanship and Target Shooting are one of the core progressive subjects that cadets undertake as part of their Army Cadet Syllabus. It’s not only a challenging and exciting activity, it also provides the opportunity for cadets to represent their county, region and country in the olympic sport of Target Shooting at world renowned competitions such as Bisley.