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What it was and what it has become (but not really).

Ah yes, the good ole’ DMR, the Designated Marksman, the SPR, sniper. We as a community have managed to mangle and bastardize the concept to the point of irrelevancy. Let’s jump in the wayback machine to the early 2000s and take a look at the original concept or requirement for the Army’s DM program.

From FM 3-22.9 Army Marksmanship Manual (2003):

THE SQUAD DESIGNATED MARKSMAN: Snipers engage targets at 600 meters and beyond. The squad designated marksman (SDM) will be able to engage targets in the “no man’s land” gap that exists between that of the average combat soldier and the sniper. Possessing the ability to estimate range, detect targets, and place effective, well-aimed fire on those intermediate range targets, the SDM will play a vital role on the modern battlefield.

MISSION OF THE SQUAD DESIGNATED MARKSMAN The primary mission of the SDM is to deploy as a member of the rifle squad. The SDM is a vital member of his individual squad and not a squad sniper. He fires and maneuvers with his squad and performs all the duties of the standard rifleman. The SDM has neither the equipment nor training to operate individually or in a small team to engage targets at extended ranges with precision fires. The secondary mission of the SDM is to engage key targets from 300 to 500 meters with effective, well-aimed fires using the standard weapon system and standard ammunition. He may or may not be equipped with an optic. The SDM must, therefore, possess a thorough understanding and mastery of the fundamentals of rifle marksmanship as well as ballistics, elevation and windage hold-off, sight manipulation, and range estimation.

The best sources of information for our readiness / prepper/ minuteman community are these doctrinal publications (past and present) so we reach to them for a starting point. But these manuals and taxpayer funded hardware and tactics are just that - a starting point. There is a contextual gap between military requirements and ours. The entire TPC Project is predicated on filling this gap between the doctrine and tactics of an organized force and us regular dudes. My good bud at Alpha Charlie Concepts is the inspiration for this week’s subject, he put out a great DM/DMR context video that hit the nail on the head (Ill link it below so you can go watch it).

Our own worst enemy.

So why do we as a community (not you specifically of course) insist on grabbing a piece of doctrine or equipment and running with it like my dog with a stolen ribeye? I saw a statement on one of the gun forums that gets right to the heart of it. Check it out:

“I'd like to make my next build a replica of one but which one?”

This made my eyes roll in a way that would make the Blue Angels envious. If this is from a hobby standpoint sure, no issue. To each man his own. But for building a material solution to meet a legitimate requirement this approach is inadequate at best. The community will “sight hunt” through piles of content and see an item (in this case a DMR) and decide they now have a requirement for one. We have hammered requirements generation and training / material solutions ad nauseum in our content. My opinion is most of the gear or tactics shortfalls and mis-guided applications in the readiness community are caused by failure to assess and build legitimate requirements…or building a solution to a non-problem altogether.

Does your group need a DMR or a DM?

Back in the day one of my S-3s (Battalion Operations Officer) was an 82nd guy that was in the Panama invasion. I would regularly talk to him about that experience and what worked or didn’t work. One of the things that stuck with me was his take on magnified optics. This was long before RDS or LPVO, there weren’t even removable carry handles, so it was iron sights all day (and night) long. He was a PL so he had a little latitude, and he was also a “gun guy”. He told me the advantage of having a magnified optic was immeasurable, the ability to see into dark corners and windows more than justified adding the fixed 4x carry handle optic he had. He had a capability that his dudes with irons did not. Did that make him a cave man era DM by virtue of expert knowledge and equipment? Or was he just a smart guy with a rifle who understood the advantages tge glass gave him?

When we talk DMR the discussion inevitably (and justifiably) becomes one of an optic with magnification. Fast forward to the golden age of optics we are in, and it can become overwhelming. The DMR arguments are coupled with other factors of course, but for simplicity's sake optics is what the majority of discussions or arguments center on. In reality the discussion should be one of context (environment coupled with requirements) and shooter expertise. And we even get that one wrong - magnified optics aren’t about being able to shoot better, they are about being able to see better. Discussion for another day though. Terrain and local factors should drive any DM requirements, that 600 yard shot the Army FM discusses may be irrelevant for an Eastern woodlands fella. Take your rangefinder out for a walk or a drive and check some of the distances. You might be surprised at how short those typical ranges are. Maybe not.

Who cares?

Does an LPVO and a 2MOA gun equal a Citizen DMR? If you are the team RTO and can make a 500 yard shot with your 1-6 LPVO does that make you the squad DM and your carbine a DMR? Who cares. I think we as a community need to get away from this whole DMR nomenclature entirely. I (and anyone else who has even witnessed an Army unit qualification) know why it was done, big Army (regular line units and support troops) marksmanship as a whole absolutely sucks. It isn’t the Soldier’s fault, it is a matter of ammo (cost) and training time. My educated opinion is the DM program is a way for the Army to justify expending resources on good shooters to make them great through additional training and maybe some additional equipment. It never was about building a capability, it was (is) about training riflemen to the standard that each 11B and 19D should already meet but don’t have the resources for. But is this DM concept applicable to a volunteer unsupported organization? The requirement stands solid, those low percentage engagements at range are a legitimate requirement if society falls apart. We need the DM capability as defined by the FM, but throwing a title on a rifle or a dude does nothing for us. The community needs more Shifty Powers in our organizations and fewer 14lb “DMR”s carried by men who don’t understand external ballistics. There will be guys who shoot better than others, but you don’t need to hang a label on them. You will know who has their holdovers locked in and is capable of making those lower percentage shots. It may very well be your RTO with an EoTech and 5x magnifier or your MSW gunner with an ACOG. Let ‘em shoot it. They have the piece of the “DM” capability the team needs, just without the anointed title.

Summary. The takeaway for this week is one of context (requirements). Assessing your local area and your team members will give you the answer you need. And it will probably be different from most other solutions you see on the socials. Your set of requirements based on your conditions (METT-TC, OAKOC, ASCOPE, etc) must drive your training and material solutions. What it does not require is cloning some rifle you saw in a photo from one of my Army brothers that really “goes hard”. Those are not your requirements…or mine.

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