How to Become a Marine Corps Primary Marksmanship Instructor

Marine Corps Primary Marksmanship Instructors or PMI's for short are the most elite of firearm instructors throughout the world. PMI's are trained at various Marine Corps Installations such as Marine Corps Recruiting Depot (MCRD) San Diego, CA and MCRD Parris Island, SC. These elite instructors undergo a grueling three week instructor course in which they must master all training classes to include but not limited to:

1. Fundamentals of Marksmanship

2. Introduction to Shooting Positions

3. Effects of Weather

4. Zeroing

5. Data Book

6. Pistol Marksmanship

7. Combat Shooting

8. Combat Optics

9. Combat Mindset

As I already mentioned these are just a few of the classes that a Marine must master in order to become a PMI. However, Marines must go to PMI School with a strong understanding of firearms, shooting, and safety in order to successfully pass the course. When I was an the Chief Instructor of the Instructor Training Unit at MCRD Parris Island, SC, my instructors and I conducted PMI School and Combat Marksmanship Coaches Course (CMC). CMC taught basic marksmanship, firearms introduction, safety, etc... allowing coaches to conduct safe live fire ranges with Marines and Recruits. However, PMI School was the advanced course with a 50% attrition rate. Usually, there would be only four PMI students per class with only two of them successfully passing. It was one of the hardest schools that I ever had to attend. Marines wanting to go to PMI School must first become a range coach and spend a good amount of time on the range. My experience has been, students who attend PMI School are more apt to fail out then students with approximately 6-12 months down range. Experience is a critical element to becoming an instructor because each student you teach is different from the last. I have instructed over a 1000 Marine recruits and I can tell you first hand each one of them was different and had their own unique needs. Students who finish the course are given a secondary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) as a Primary Marksmanship Instructor which goes on their permanent record.