In the United States (U.S.), a marksmanship badge is a U.S. military badge or a civilian badge which is awarded to personnel upon successful completion of a weapons qualification course (known as marksmanship qualification badges) or high achievement in an official marksmanship competition (known as marksmanship competition badges). The U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps are the only military services that award marksmanship qualification badges. However, marksmanship medals and/or marksmanship ribbons are awarded by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Air Force for weapons qualifications. For non-military personnel, different U.S. law enforcement organizations and the National Rifle Association (NRA) award marksmanship qualification badges to those involved in law enforcement. Additionally, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) and the NRA award marksmanship qualification badges to U.S. civilians. Most of these organizations and the U.S. National Guard award marksmanship competition badges to the people they support who succeed in official competitions.U.S. Army Pamphlet 670–1: Uniform and Insignia, Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia, Department of the Army Publications and Forms, dated 25 May 2017, last accessed 14 April 2018U.S. Marine Corps Order P1020.34G: Marine Corps Uniform Regulations, Chapters 1-5, Permanent Marine Corps Uniform Board, dated 30 March 2003, last updated 16 May 2008, last accessed 15 February 2015, Navy Personnel Command, updated 9 May 2014, last accessed 22 March 2015U.S. Coast Guard Uniform Regulations COMDTINST M1020.6J , Commandant United States Coast Guard, dated 2 August 2018, last accessed 10 September 2018Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, Air Force Personnel Center, posted 5 August 2010, last accessed 14 April 2018Qualification Awards For JROTC Rifle Marksmanship , Civilian Marksmanship Program, dated 3 February 2009, last accessed 4 January 2015LAPD Shooting Medals, LAPD Olympic Community Police Station Facebook page, dated 24 January 2014, last accessed 8 November 2020Medals & New York City Police Department Recognition, beyondthelineofduty.com, last accessed 30 December 2017Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program; National Rifle Association, Education and Training, Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program, Qualification Awards, last accessed 7 April 2013U.S. Air Force Instruction 34-271 Air Force Shooting Program and Excellence-In-Competition, Secretary of the Air Force, dated 30 August 2018, last accessed 3 September 2018Civilian Marksmanship Program, Distinguished Shooter Badges, CMP's The Distinguished Program homepage, last accessed 4 January 2015Going Distinguished, Shooting Sports USA Magazine (extract), by Dan Holmes, dated May 2010, last accessed 18 November 2012Junior Distinguished Badge, Civilian Marksmanship Program, last accessed 4 January 2015Tabs and Badges a Measure of Marksmanship, Missouri National Guard, by Ann Keyes, dated 22 December 2010, last accessed 14 April 2018
The U.S. Army awards their marksmanship qualification badges for a variety of weapons while the U.S. Marine Corps only awards theirs for the service rifle and service pistol. For civilians, the CMP awards the Army Marksmanship Qualification Badges for rifle, small bore rifle, pistol, and small bore pistol as well as its own air rifle badges. Of those U.S. law enforcement organizations that award marksmanship qualification badges, most award them for their service pistols while others will also award them for rifle and/or shotgun. The NRA awards marksmanship qualification badges for air rifles, rifles, pistols, and shotguns; however the NRA focuses on different rifles and pistols than the CMP. For marksmanship competition badges, the U.S. military award rifle and pistol competition badges; however, the U.S. National Guard also awards marksmanship competition badges for machine gun and sniper rifle. The CMP awards marksmanship competition badges for air rifle, rifle, pistol, and .22 rimfire pistol while the NRA awards them for air rifle, small bore rifle, revolver, and semi-automatic pistol.Civilian Marksmanship Program Competition Rules, 19th Edition-2015, Civilian Marksmanship Program, dated 5 February 2015, last accessed 19 April 2015
The U.S. military and CMP marksmanship qualification badges are awarded in three grades (highest to lowest): expert, sharpshooter, and marksman while their marksmanship competition badges are awarded in three to four grades (highest to lowest): distinguished, silver, and bronze for the U.S. Army, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. civilians; distinguished, gold, silver, and bronze for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps; and distinguished, silver with wreath, bronze with wreath, and bronze for the U.S. Air Force. The NRA marksmanship qualification badges are awarded in five to six grades (highest to lowest): distinguished expert, expert, sharpshooter, marksman first-class (Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program only), marksman, and pro-marksman. U.S. law enforcement marksmanship qualification badges tend to follow NRA guidelines for marksmanship qualification badges or have their own criteria and badge structure. The NRA and the U.S. National Guard marksmanship competition badges are only awarded at one grade with the exception of the NRA's Law Enforcement Distinguished Program, which awards a Law Enforcement Excellence-in-Competition Badge for those officers who earn their first points towards one of the law enforcement distinguished badges.NRA Distinguished Revolver/Pistol Program, NRA > Law Enforcement > Law Enforcement Firearm Competitions, last accessed 1 July 2014
Marksmanship qualification badges Starting in the late 19th century, the U.S. Army began awarding marksmanship qualification badges to its soldiers who met specific weapon qualification standards. In the early 20th century, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy began awarding marksmanship qualification badges as well. The Marine Corps began by awarding Army Marksmanship Qualification Badges but eventually developed its own badge design, based on the original Army designs from the early 1900s. The Navy developed its own marksmanship qualification badge but retired it after only ten years in lieu of awarding marksmanship ribbons and medals. U.S. Army Insignia, last accessed 29 December 2014U.S. Marine Corps Marksmanship Badges from 1912 to the Present, History and Museums Division, Headquarters Marine Corps, by Michael D. Visconage, dated 1982, last accessed 19 January 2013Navy Expert Rifle Medal, MilitaryVetsPX.com, last accessed 2 February 2013
For U.S. civilians, the Office of the Director of Civilian Marksmanship—now known as the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and Firearm Safety (CPRPFS)—and the NRA began promoting civilian marksmanship in 1903. The CPRPFS's CMP awards Army Marksmanship Qualification Badges to civilians who meet U.S. Army weapon qualification standards as well as its own badges to youth for air rifle marksmanship. The NRA began awarding its own marksmanship qualification badges to civilians in 1918 and today has two primary marksmanship proficiency programs, the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program and the Explorer Service Handgun Qualification Program. Additionally, the NRA supports numerous other firearm proficiency programs throughout the United States, such as those found within various U.S. law enforcement organizations.Welcome to the CMP, Civilian Marksmanship Program, last accessed 7 April 2013History of the National Rifle Association Marksmanship Qualification Program, Written by Denise Conni for NRA InSights, Firearm User Network, dated 1 September 2011, last accessed 7 April 2013Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program, NRA Programs, Education and Training, Firearm Training; last accessed 20 January 2014Explorer Service Handgun Qualification Program, NRA Youth Programs, last accessed 3 March 2014Law Enforcement Marksmanship Qualification Pins, NRA Program Materials Center, last accessed 25 May 2014
U.S. Army
The U.S. Army awards Army Marksmanship Qualification Badges to its soldiers, U.S. Army uniformed civilian guards, and foreign military personnel, while the CMP awards these same badges to U.S. civilians who qualify at three different qualification levels (highest to lowest): expert, sharpshooter, and marksman. Suspended from the badge are Army Weapon Qualification Clasps that indicate the type of weapon the individual has qualified to use. The following list of Army Weapon Qualification Clasps are currently authorized under U.S. Army Pamphlet 670-1:U.S. Army Regulation 600-8-22, Military Awards , Official Department of the Army Publications and Forms, dated 25 June 2015, last accessed 3 June 2017Weapons Qualification, U.S. Army Badges, The Institute of Heraldry, last accessed 1 June 2021 + Current Weapon Qualification Clasps (listed with exact inscription) RIFLE PISTOL AA ARTILLERY AUTO RIFLE MACHINEGUN FIELD ARTILLERY TANK WEAPONS FLAMETHROWER SUBMACHINE GUN ROCKET LAUNCHER GRENADE CARBINE RECOILLESS RIFLE MORTAR BAYONET SMALL BORE RIFLE SMALL BORE PISTOL MISSILE AEROWEAPONS The level at which one qualifies is dependent on the weapon, firing range, and the course of fire. For example, to earn an Army Marksmanship Qualification Badge for Pistol at the Combat Pistol Qualification Course, one must have a combined hit count of 26 out of 30 for expert, 21 out of 30 for sharpshooter, and 16 out of 30 for marksman on firing tables one through five. Regardless of the soldier's overall score, everyone must have a minimum hit count of three out of five while wearing a gas mask for the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear firing table and two out of four while shooting at night for the night firing table. Each of these firing tables test the shooter on different aspects of combat pistol shooting (shooting from a concealed position, speed loading, shooting on the move, etc.) while engaging human silhouettes at varying distances within an allotted time.TC 3-23.35, Pistol; Headquarters, Department of the Army; dated 30 May 2017; last accessed 30 September 2018
Army Marksmanship Qualification Badges are not permanent awards. When a soldier re-qualifies with their weapon at a different level, the soldier replaces their qualification badge with a new badge that reflects their current level. Only three Army Marksmanship Qualification Badges are authorized for wear on U.S. Army service uniforms and each may have no more than three Army Weapon Qualification Clasps. Although these badges are awarded to both officers and enlisted soldiers alike, as a matter of U.S. Army tradition, only non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers are expected to wear these badges on their service uniforms in most units, although policy is set by the commander of each unit.Army Officers and marksmanship badges..., U.S. Militaria Forum, started by DutchInfid3l on 21 April 2010, last accessed 16 August 2014
Former Army qualification badges