Marksman versus Sharpshooter: is Wikipedia correct?

[Liberal]

I’ve always heard that the shooting grades in the US armed forces are marksman, sharpshooter, and expert — in that order, from lowest to highest. And there are easy to find sources that seem to agree with that. But Wikipedia says:

“Another term for a marksman is a sharpshooter.” (It also says that marksman is the highest grade in the British military.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpshooter

Wikipedia, of course, is an open source reference. Anyone can contribute anything, and although it is all monitored, I"m wondering if some bad information got through. Are marksman and sharpshooter equivalent grades?

[Shagnasty]

You are correct but wikipedia is correct in a general way too. Marksman, sharpshooter, and expert are the marksmanship badges that can be earned in the U.S. Army. However, if you are speaking of synonyms in common usage, then marksman and sharpshooter could be considered to be rough synonyms. I agree that the Wikipedia article is misleading and that terminolgy should not have been included.

[Scruloose]

FWIW, the CG uses Marksman - Sharpshooter - Expert, as you’ve stated. A Marksman earns a ribbon, the Sharpshooter gets to put a silver “S” on that ribbon, and the Expert gets a silver “E”, as well as an actual medal. This is true for both the pistol and the rifle. And as we usually follow Navy policies/customs, that’s probably what order they use as well.

[Polycarp]

Try it this way: they are lower-case synonyms, in that “marksman” means to the public the same thing as “sharpshooter” means. But capitalized, as designations of shooting skill with reference to the Army, they are distinct skill levels.

marksman = sharpshooter (same skill, generically)

but

Marksman != Sharpshooter (designations of grade of accuracy, U.S. Army)

[UncleBill]

In the Marines, the Expert gets the crossed rifle (or pistol) badge, the Sharpshooter gets a cross, and the Marksman gets the Pizza Box.

Scroll down to 1958.

[Chefguy]

@Scruloose

And as we usually follow Navy policies/customs, that’s probably what order they use as well.

Yes, they do, and with the same insignia.

[Liberal]

@UncleBill

In the Marines, the Expert gets the crossed rifle (or pistol) badge, the Sharpshooter gets a cross, and the Marksman gets the Pizza Box.

Scroll down to 1958.

There should have been a better way to do the bullseye theme!

[Liberal]

@Polycarp

Try it this way: they are lower-case synonyms, in that “marksman” means to the public the same thing as “sharpshooter” means. But capitalized, as designations of shooting skill with reference to the Army, they are distinct skill levels.

marksman = sharpshooter (same skill, generically)

but

Marksman != Sharpshooter (designations of grade of accuracy, U.S. Army)

I see what you mean, but the Wikipedia article is pretty clearly all about the military. It even begins, “A marksman (also designated marksman) is a profession which is mostly to be found in military context. He/she is trained to shoot precisely with a certain type of rifle. Some military doctrines use marksmen attached to an infantry squad. In that capacity the marksman takes accurate longer range shots at valuable targets as needed, thus extending the reach of the squad.”

The next sentence is, “Another term for a marksman is a sharpshooter.”

[Polycarp]

@Liberal

I see what you mean, but the Wikipedia article is pretty clearly all about the military. It even begins, “A marksman (also designated marksman) is a profession which is mostly to be found in military context. He/she is trained to shoot precisely with a certain type of rifle. Some military doctrines use marksmen attached to an infantry squad. In that capacity the marksman takes accurate longer range shots at valuable targets as needed, thus extending the reach of the squad.”

The next sentence is, “Another term for a marksman is a sharpshooter.”

Sounds like they have visited Joe’s Diner*, then.

*I.e., they’re out to lunch.