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The Infantry Trophy Team Match

The Infantry Trophy Team Match is a six man team match that is fired from 600, 500, 300, and 200 yards. The team starts out with 384 rounds total. The team coach develops a load plan, and distributes the ammo among the firers.  The teams have a 50 second time limit to fire as many rounds as they can starting at the 600 yard line. The target is an E type silhouette, hits are four points at the 600, three points at 500, two points at the 300, and one point at the 200.You just watched the National Championship Infantry Trophy Team shoot the 600 yard line. You must wonder how we can shoot so fast, and still get hits on target.  Today, I am going to show you how the army team shoots Infantry Trophy. The most important element of Infantry Trophy is your position. It must be steady, and built solid enough to hold up for 40 rapid fire shots.  The first thing you will notice is that our h demonstrator, Sergeant Micholick, is not using a shooting mat. Mats are not authorized during Infantry Trophy. The firer is lying behind the rifle, as much as possible, to absorb recoil, allowing for faster follow up shots. It may be necessary to grab the rifle tightly with the forward hand and also increase grip pressure with the firing hand to control the rifle. A quick magazine change is a good way to save time. Watch as Sgt. Micholick fires the last round of the magazine, reloads, and quickly fires again. Because of the fixed round count, his magazines are also labeled to avoid confusion when going to the next yard line.      Smooth fast trigger control is the name of the game for Infantry Trophy. You don’t have time to lie on the rifle, and slowly squeeze the trigger to the rear. The technique that the AMU uses is called Trophy trigger. Here is how it works. The firer pulls the trigger to the rear, then releases it only far enough to feel the metallic click of the sear re-engaging. Once that click is felt, the rifle is ready to be fired again. All of this is accomplished during recoil, so that once the rifle is back on target, the next shot can be fired. Your trigger control may start out slower, then become quicker during the string as your position, and sight picture become steadier.    Unlike a normal rapid fire string, the rifle will never really stop moving while you’re firing. Because of the speed of the firing, the rifle may never really stop moving throughout the string. The key to tight shot groups is maintaining focus on the front sight post and firing the next shot as it’s in the center.    Let’s put it all together now, and get our demonstrators back on the line, and see if they can get some hits on paper. There you have it, tight shot groups from 600 yards. You, too, can achieve this with a steady position, smooth fast trigger control, and total focus on your front sight post. Until next time, good shooting, and stay Army strong. CLICK HERE FOR PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION