World War 2 saw the American rifle squad wield a very diverse set of weapons. Never before and never since have American forces sued so many different firearms. Squads and platoons had the M1 Garand, The Thompson, the M3 SMG, the M1 Carbine, the M1911, the M1919 machine gun, the BAR, and likely more I forget about. With so many firearms in service with the armed forces, they had numerous quals soldiers wielding the weapons had to pass.
I’ve been on the search for old firearms quals and have stumbled across three World War 2-era quals that shine a light on the training your average grunt would go through. Let’s take a look at the classic quals for the M1911, the M3, and M1 Carbine.
The M1911 Qual
By World War 2, the M1911 already had decades of service under its belt. It served in the First World War and was still modern for the era of WW2. The M1911 Qual is quite expansive, with six separate tables and a requirement for 80 rounds of ammunition. This qual is found in the 1940 edition of FM 23-35. Keep in mind this is the standard and not the horse riding qual.
I’ve modified the language slightly to make it easier to understand in a modern context.
Table 1 – Slow Fire – Bull’s Eye Target
Stage 1 – 15 yards – Fire five rounds Into a Bull’s Eye target. No Time Limit
Stage 2 – 25 Yards – Fire five rounds Into a Bull’s Eye target. No Time Limit
Table 2 – Rapid Fire – Bull’s Eye Target
Stage 1 – 15 yards – Fire five rounds Into a Bull’s Eye target in 11 seconds.
Stage 2 – – 25 Yards – Fire five rounds Into a Bull’s Eye target in 15 seconds.
Table 3 – Quick Fire – E Target
Stage 1 – 15 yards – Fire five rounds Into an E Type Target in 10 seconds (Repeat 1X)
Stage 2 – 25 Yards – Fire five rounds Into E Type Target in 10 seconds (Repeat 1X)
Table 4 – Slow Fire – Bull’s Eye Target
Stage 1 – 25 Yards – Fire five rounds Into a Bull’s Eye target. No Time Limit (Repeat 1X)
Table 5 – Rapid Fire – Bull’s Eye Target
Stage 1 – 15 yards – Fire five rounds Into a Bull’s Eye Target in 11 seconds (Repeat 1X)
Stage 2 – 25 Yards – Fire five rounds Into Bull’s Eye Target in 15 seconds (Repeat 1X)
Table 6 – Quick Fire – Target E
Stage -1 – 25 Yards – Fire Five shots into an E Target in 15 seconds. (Repeat 2X)
The M3 SMG Qual
Interestingly enough, the M3 SMG Qual is shorter than the M1911 qualification. Seeing as how it’s a primary arm, that’s an odd choice, but the war was raging during the adoption of the M3, so maybe they were just getting troops armed as quickly as possible. Again I’ve broken this down to be a little more readable than FM 23-41.
Table 1 – 25 Meters – E Target
Phase 1 – Fire found rounds from the standing aimed position an E Target. No time limit.
Phase 2 – Assume the underarm assault position and fire a six-round burst into the E Target. No time limit.
Table 2 – 50 Meters – E Target
Phase 1 – Shooter can choose between a standing, sitting, or kneeling position and fire four rounds single shot into the E Target. No time limit.
Phase 2 – Shooter can choose between a standing, sitting, or kneeling position and fire a three-round burst into the E Target. No time limit.
Phase 3 – Shooter can choose between a standing, sitting, or kneeling position and fire a three-round burst into the E Target. No time limit.
Table 3 – 90 Meters – E Target
Phase 1 – Shooter can choose between a standing, sitting, or kneeling position and fire four rounds single shot into the E Target. No time limit.
Phase 2 – Shooter can choose between a standing, sitting, or kneeling position and fire a three-round burst into the E Target. No time limit.
Phase 3 – Shooter can choose between a standing, sitting, or kneeling position and fire a three-round burst into the E Target. No time limit.
M1 Carbine Qual
Finally, we are breaking away from the .45 ACP cartridge and getting into a real rifle qualification. .45 ACP is tough at 90 meters, but how does .30 Carbine work out to 300 yards? Here’s the skinny.
Table 1 – 100 Yards – Two A Centers on 6×6 Frame
Ensure you have two mags loaded with four rounds each. Begin in the standing and fire four rounds into the top A Center. Transition to the sitting and reload. Fire four rounds into the Bottom A center. The time limit is 35 seconds.
Table 2 – 100 Yards – Two A Centers on 6×6 Frame
Ensure you have two mags loaded with four rounds each. Begin in the standing and fire four rounds into the top A Center. Transition to the kneeling and reload. Fire four rounds into the Bottom A center. The time limit is 35 seconds.
Table 3 – 200 Yards – Two B Centers on 6×6 Frame
Ensure you have two mags loaded with four rounds each. Begin in the standing and fire four rounds into the top B Center. Transition to the sitting and reload. Fire four rounds into the bottom B center. The time limit is 35 seconds.
Table 4 – 200 Yards – Two B Centers on 6×6 Frame
Ensure you have two mags loaded with four rounds each. Begin in the standing and fire four rounds into the top B Center. Transition to the kneeling and reload. Fire four rounds into the bottom B center. The time limit is 35 seconds.
Table 5 – 300 Yards – 1 B Center on 6×6 Frame
Ensure you have two mags loaded with four rounds each. Begin in the standing and transition into the prone. Fire round rounds into the B center target. Reload and fire four more rounds. The time limit is 35 seconds.
Booming Along
The quals all seem fairly basic and certainly a product of their time. They do seem to be combat oriented, but only to a small degree. Keep in mind this wasn’t the only training soldiers received. This training just confirmed the soldiers had an idea of what they were doing with their issued weapons. It’s certainly an interesting look back at the WW2 era. I’m going to keep digging for a Thompson, shotgun, and even BAR qual, and maybe we’ll see a sequel to this article soon.
