MilitaryForums.co.uk

Hi all,

Just a general question.

Years ago I seem to remember seeing crossed rifles on the left arms of uniforms.

I understand that they were for marksman.

Are they still in use?

If so, are they across all services?

Up until the early 60s when BD was worn by the army, marksmen could wear the crossed rifles on there left sleave. The LMG and MMG were also worn, if I remember rightly they had a laurel wreath around the letters.
When they brought out the No2 dress they disappeared although I have seen crossed rifles on a smock.

I thought crossed rifles was a marksmans badge.
Could be wrong........

Gore.

I asked Royal Engineers Sgt what does two crossed rifles mean. He said that ' he specialises in arms' or something along those lines

Last I knew it was the Marksmans Badge.

It's Marksmans in the Corps. Can't comment exactly on any other branch of the armed forces but I'm pretty certain that's the same across the board.

When I was at Glencorse my section corporal was a sniper for POW regt, he wore the crossed rifles on his no. 2's. I think you are awarded them if you pass the sniper course.

The snipers trade badge usually has a letter "S" in between the crossed rifles

Cliodna Right again,Crossed rifles with the "S" between the rifles is a sniper Specialist qualification badge,crossed rifles worn on the bottom of the right sleeve in the Corps denotes Marksman.
Trust me I was never a bedding storeman?.Aye JR

Yep, crossed rifles mean marksman, a title that means you achieved a high score in your APWT that year. An `S` in the middle means sniper. The badge was worn on the lower left sleeve.
If the sniper badge was worn on the upper arm above the Cpl or Sgt stripes it denoted `Instructor`.
Well it was back in the late 80`s, when I was in anyway.
I`m not sure that the marksman badge is still used. I remember when we changed from theSLR to the SA80, loads of people got the marksman; so much so that it made a bit of a mockery of it. The rumour was that they were either going to make the APWT harder or get rid of the marksman badge.

I couldn't hit an elephant's arse at ten paces with iron sights on the SA80 - I liked to think of my efforts as 'suppressive fire' I did get 60 out of 45 (exact figures my be wrong but that's the jist of it) on my first APWT courtesy of Tetley in trap 6. You'd think he was a yank - not from Barnsley.

Sully, I could hit an elephants arse from 12 miles away,mind you I would have to be in the 6inch Turret (loading) not aiming??.Aye jr

Thanks all,

I also had heard what Longshot heard about when we went from SLR to SA80 that everyone was get getting their 'Marksman' Badge.

So, if still in use, what are the 'rules' now?

Back in the 50's the crossed rifles badge was that of a marksman. to get it you had shoot at various ranges up to 600 yards [if I remember rightly] with iron sights. You only had one go each year to get this badge. My first year I missed as I was overseas, the following year we shot for it in a lashing rain and force 9 gale. No one got near it. Shooting at four and six hundred yards in those conditions was near impossible, it was hard to see the target let alone allow for the wind.