16th Award Expert

By: Robby J. Hookham

As a retired Marine who served from 1981 thru 2001, the only ‘service rifle’ I ever knew was the M-16. I started out with the A1 in boot camp, shot high Sharpshooter (1 point out of Expert), but at the 500 yard line I was 10 for 10!
About the time I reenlisted we received the A2, I decided that if I was going to be a part of this ‘gun club’, I needed to get my act together and qual Expert. Thereafter, I qualified Expert 16 consecutive times. In my 20 years I only missed the 500 yard bulls eye twice!
While on Okinawa in 1999, I was able to score 9 out of 10 hits in the black with 6 in the ‘X’ ring with a 3 – 5 mph left to right breeze …at 800 yards! Don’t tell me that the M-16 is not capable of accuracy.

But I was able to shoot (recreationally) the ’03 Springfield, man, what a FUN rifle to shoot!!