60mm Direct Fire
Well here's a tip you won't find in the manuals!
Everybody knows that mortars are muzzle-loaded, drop-fire, high-angle, indirect-fire weapons. So most "shooters" don't pay them much attention.
The M224 60mm mortar though, has a trigger-fire option!
Even so, most mortarmen are never taught how to effectively shoot direct-fire with the mortar.
Now I'm not talking about direct-lay of the mortar, which every mortarman is taught. Nor am I talking about direct-fire from the handheld mode by propping the assault baseplate against a sandbag on a wall or a tree, which most mortarmen have figured out.
I'm talking about providing accurate direct-fire with the mortar for shooting through upper-story windows or even for attacking vehicles on the move or helicopters in flight.
Here's how to do it...
Using the M-64 sight assembly, set the deflection to 3200. Then index 0800 mils using the course elevation scale and the fine elevation knob.
Then unlock the telescope cam lever and tilt the telescope all the way back so that it is running parallel to the mortar tube, then relock it in place.
Now when you look through the telescope, you should be looking in a straight line parallel to the bore of the tube, about 8 inches to the left of the centerline. This is the same procedure so far as you would use to measure mask and overhead clearance.
So set the mortar to trigger fire, and load an illumination round on charge 1. Look through the telescope, and manipulate elevation and deflection of the tube to aim in on the top of a pine tree or some other target at mask at least 100 yards away. When you're on-target, have the A-Gunner squeeze the trigger, and then watch the round to see how close to the target it flies. Then make minor adjustments (if needed) to your sight to match where the round hit the target, and you can consider yourself zeroed!
For longer shots up beyond a 10th floor window, increase the charge. Experiment a bit and you can hit quite accurately.
For moving targets like vehicles or helicopters, collapse the bipod legs and hold them with your left hand as you get your sight picture. Apply a little lead as necessary and fire.
SAFETY NOTE: Be vary careful if using HE rounds at upper elevations. You can imagine what would happen if you fired an HE round at 1600 mils elevation and missed!
So there...how's that for a change from the same old boring pistol and rifle stuff!
Shooting tips every month!