Rifleman

A Rifleman is the most basic type of Infantryman. Riflemen make up the bulk of any infantry unit, and do the bulk of the actual dirty work fighting the enemy. They are primarily effective against enemy infantry, at both close and medium range, but may be carrying additional equipment to tackle other targets.

By default, Riflemen are equipped with an Assault Rifle (or equivalent weapon in low-tech scenarios), ammunition for this weapon, and some other basic equipment for general survival. Additionally, some of Riflemen will be carrying specialty equipment, particularly Light Anti-Tank Launchers. This equipment, when present, will often alter the functionality and behavior of the particular Rifleman carrying it.

Each Fireteam typically contains 3 Riflemen (each with slightly different load-out and responsibilities). Therefore, a Squad typically contains a total of 6 Riflemen, and a Platoon contains a total of 18.

Riflemen hold the lowest rank on the command hierarchy, and have little actual responsibility other than to follow orders and ensure the general well-being of other members of their Fireteam, and particularly the members of their Color Team. They are typically the last to inherit command when other players get killed. This, coupled with the very basic nature of their combat behavior and little-to-no prerequisite expertise, makes the Rifleman role suitable for new and/or inexperienced players (although even the most experienced veterans can be seen playing this role, quite frequently).

Basic Equipment
All Riflemen, regardless of sub-role classifications, will be carrying the same kind of baseline equipment, which consists primarily of an Assault Rifle, ammo for said rifle, and other basic survival equipment. On occasion, Riflemen may be carrying Frag Grenades for added combat effectiveness.

Note that many of the Riflemen will begin the mission carrying additional specialized equipment, as explained in the next chapter.

Primary Weapon
The Rifleman role is named after the soldier's primary weapon, the Assault Rifle. The Assault Rifle is an automatic weapon with a medium-sized magazine that is quite capable against enemy infantry in both medium and close range. It is generally the most suitable weapon for close-range combat among any carried by the Infantry.

Assault Rifles fire a medium small-arms caliber bullet, typically 5.56mm rounds for American/Western forces, or 5.45mm for the Russians and other forces. Other similar calibers are not uncommon, especially with the futuristic Assault Rifles introduced in ArmA 3, as well as pre-Vietnam-war scenarios. In all cases, this round is relatively deadly, though it may have trouble penetrating solid cover and body armor, especially at longer ranges. A typical Assault Rifle magazine contains 30 rounds, though 20-round magazines are common in Vietnam-era scenarios.

Most Assault Rifles are deadly accurate at close range, but not terribly accurate at medium or long range. They make up for this with a good firing rate and a reasonable magazine size. Thus, at medium ranges, players will often fire bursts to suppress the enemy, or take time to aim and fire several shots to try and hit the enemy. Nonetheless, killing at medium range with this weapon is relatively rare, with a statistical average of around 1 whole magazine per kill.

Many Assault Rifles can be switched into fully-automatic mode to fire long sustained bursts. This is particularly useful at close range (for filling the space in front of the shooter with bullets), or when laying down suppression fire at long range. However, because each magazine is fairly small, careful shooting in semi-automatic mode is generally preferred.

The Assault Rifle is a relatively light weapon, weighing around 3-4 kilograms at most. This makes Riflemen relatively light on their feet, meaning that they don't often run out of Stamina when moving normally over flat terrain. This is especially true as the Rifleman expends his extra ammunition, becoming even lighter. This reduced weight allows Riflemen to carry additional heavy equipment, which they often do (see below).

Alternative Primary Weapons

 * In low-tech scenarios, such as pre-Vietnam-war scenarios and when playing ill-equipped forces, Riflemen may be issued with a variety of primary weapons that function slightly differently than the typical Assault Rifle, but fulfill the same general role. This is relatively rare in ShackTac videos, but occurs often enough to merit a mention.


 * The first category is Semi-Automatic Rifles, particularly the Soviet-made SKS. These weapons are strictly semi-automatic; they cannot fire bursts of any kind, and often have a much smaller magazine size than Assault Rifles. Because of these factors, Rifles are often carefully aimed for every shot, and rarely used for suppression - especially if the enemy is carrying Assault Rifles and other powerful weaponry.


 * Bolt-Action Rifles, like the Kar-98k or Lee-Enfield, are an even more extreme version of this. These weapons, typically found in very low-tech scenarios, must be manually rechambered after every shot. This makes the rate of fire abysmally low, meaning that players need to place even more emphasis on aiming carefully before firing. These weapons are generally terrible at close-range combat. On the other hand, this type of firing mechanism gives them a slight advantage in accuracy at medium ranges, making them a lot more deadly when properly aimed.


 * Battle Rifles such as the FN FAL or G3 make up another interesting category of basic infantry weapons. They have a long barrel and are chambered to fire a slightly larger bullet (typically a 7.62x51mm round). Though Battle Rifles are capable of fully-automatic fire, the recoil of the heavier bullet makes automatic fire significantly more difficult and less effective. This, coupled with a smaller magazine size, makes Battle Rifles much harder to use in close combat than Assault Rifles, but more accurate and more deadly at medium and long range. Battle Rifles are often found with specific armed forces, such as Cold-war era European forces, non-major national armies (African, Middle-Eastern, U.N. Peacekeepers, etc.), and some Independent forces.

Assault Rifle Ammunition
A Rifleman will typically be outfitted with a large number of magazines for his Assault Rifle at mission-start, typically a dozen or so, totaling somewhere around 300-500 bullets. There are exceptions where less ammunition is given. This gives the Rifleman a decent amount of firepower to utilize, while keeping the weight of the Rifleman within acceptable parameters.

With the standard issue ammunition seen in most ShackTac videos, each magazine contains 30 rounds of either 5.56mm ammunition (for the M-16 and its variants) or 5.45mm ammunition (for the AK-74 and its variants).

Assault Rifle ammunition comes in two flavors: Standard and Tracer. Tracer ammunition is distributed for night-time operations, so that players can see where their bullets are going, and where other friendlies are firing. Of course, such bullets can give away the shooter's position when fired, so players may sometimes prefer not to use them if standard ammunition is available. 5.56mm tracer rounds leave a red trail of light as they fly, while 5.45mm bullets leave a greenish-yellow trail. This can help in identifying whether a shooter is friendly or enemy, but is not always 100% reliable.

Assault Rifle ammunition tends to run out fairly rapidly, especially if a unit has been involved in several medium/long-range engagements in which they've had to lay down a lot of suppressing fire. As a result, Rifle ammo is one of the first items to be looted from the dead body of a friendly, and the primary item to be packed into resupply crates by the logistics teams.

Grenades and other Throwables
In cases where the Shackers are playing a well-equipped force (or at least, not a poorly-equipped one), Riflemen will generally carry at least one hand-thrown Fragmentation Grenade. These have a small explosive radius, and will generally be thrown at enemies hiding behind cover, around a corner, or in Defilade. The distance of a thrown grenade is relatively limited, so these grenades will only be used against close contact - particularly when breaching a building.

Additionally, during night-time operations, Riflemen may sometimes be carrying hand-thrown Chemlights or Flares, which can illuminate a small area. These can come in handy when the unit has run out of launchable Flares (or never had any to begin with). Their limited light radius and limited throwing distance, however, limits their effectiveness to close-range encounters. Thrown Chemlights are also commonly used to mark Pickup Zones for helicopters during night-time.

First Aid Kit / Bandages
Each Rifleman carries at least one First Aid Kit, which is meant for quick treatment of superficial wounds, or mitigation of the effects of more serious wounds. A First Aid Kit is usually not a replacement for actual medical treatment by a Medic - it is simply a way to restore some functionality after being hit.

In ArmA 2, this would instead be a few packs of Bandages, meant to stop bleeding. This is crucial to prevent passing out from blood loss, dying from bleeding out, or helping a fallen friend avoid these effects. Again, it is no replacement for actual medical treatment, but can help in a pinch.

Flashlight / Laser
In low-visibility conditions, Riflemen may be outfitted with Flashlights - mounted on their primary weapon. Riflemen use this at their discretion when assaulting or moving through areas where close combat is expected, such as forests, enemy fortified positions, or urban terrain. The Fireteam Leader may instruct them not to use their flashlights in such cases (to avoid giving away their position), or to use them in non-close-combat situations (for example, to ensure that the group remains visible to nearby friendlies).

Laser pointers are another common attachment to rifles, especially when playing high-tech American forces. The lasers themselves are only visible when using Nightvision Goggles, making them invisible to most enemies. Lasers can be used to mark targets for other friendlies, point out a Pickup Zone for incoming helicopters, and other similar applications.

Map / Radio
Unless the scenario deliberately involves low-tech equipment (e.g. Vietnam and pre-Vietnam scenarios), each Rifleman carries both a map and a 343 radio.

Specialty Equipment
In addition to the basic equipment provided to every Rifleman (see previous chapter), many Riflemen will also be carrying additional specialty equipment of various kinds. If a Rifleman is indeed carrying such equipment, it often has an impact on their role and responsibilities to some degree, as explained in this chapter and further below.

Light Anti-Tank Launcher
In the vast majority of missions, at least one Rifleman within each Fireteam will begin the mission carrying a Light Anti-Tank Launcher - either an AT-4 or RPG-7. These simple rocket launchers give the Fireteam the ability to attack and destroy most if not all enemy Vehicles and Armor, when encountered.

The Light Anti-Tank Launcher is easily capable of defeating enemy Trucks, Technicals, Armored Cars, and other similar light vehicles. One or two hits are also likely to at least disable an Armored Personnel Carrier. Against heavier armor, such as Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Tanks, the Light AT launcher often needs a lucky hit to achieve destruction, but has a fairly good chance of disabling the vehicle or its turret, especially when hitting a critical spot.

The AT-4, being the most common AT launcher utilized by friendly players in ShackTac, is a single-use weapon that must be discarded after firing. The RPG-7 can be reloaded if additional rockets are available, which means that the launcher will rarely be discarded. In Cooperative missions, it is not at all uncommon for players to scrounge up launchers from enemy corpses (in fact, they'll often be ordered to do so, when a unit begins running out of rockets). An Anti-Tank launcher is often one of the first pieces of equipment looted from a dead body, whether friendly or enemy.

The Rifleman carrying this kind of launcher is called an Anti-Tank Rifleman, usually shortened to AT. In addition to their normal duties fighting enemy infantry, these Riflemen are expected to be constantly prepared to engage any enemy vehicle that threatens the unit. Once the AT Rifleman has expended his supply of rockets, he reverts back to basic Rifleman status.

Extra Automatic Rifle Ammunition
A Fireteam's Automatic Riflemen (AR) are severely weighted down by their primary weapon and ammunition. To mitigate this, the AR doesn't carry all of his ammunition. Instead, some of it is given to one of the Riflemen to carry. This Rifleman is then known as the "Assistant Automatic Rifleman", or "AAR". The AAR will want to periodically ask the Automatic Rifleman whether he needs ammo, and supply it to him as necessary.

An AAR typically carries two belts/boxes of 200 rounds each. This can differ depending on the exact type of Automatic Rifle issued to the Fireteam. The AAR may or may not carry fewer magazines for his own Assault Rifle, to ensure that he does not become weighted down by all of this ammo.

Demolition Charges
Certain missions have an objective to destroy one or more enemy assets, most often weapon caches or special vehicles. This requires the use of a powerful explosive charge.

Such charges will usually be carried by the Riflemen in the unit. They'll be distributed between the Riflemen so that the team doesn't lose all of its charges simultaneously if the person carrying them goes down in an unreachable or unknown location, making the mission unwinnable.

When it comes time to deploy the charge, the Fireteam Leader or Squad Leader will call the relevant Rifleman to move up to the objective and plant the charges.

Role
Riflemen are possibly the most versatile of all infantrymen, having to perform many different tasks on the battlefield. Aside from the most general (engaging enemy contacts with direct fire), Riflemen are often instructed to assault enemy fortified positions, and are often the first to go into such situations.

Additionally, if a Rifleman is carrying specialty equipment (see above), their role is expanded somewhat to make use of those assets. This is particularly true for the AT Rifleman, whose job is to protect the fireteam against heavy vehicular threats that cannot be engaged with small-arms.

In terms of authority, however, the Rifleman has by far the smallest role. Riflemen are often the last to inherit command, and are not expected to give orders at all. They do, however, need to obey orders from their Fireteam Leader (or sometimes, from the Squad Leader), and maintain awareness of the Squad Leader's intent at all times.

Medium-Range Combat
As the Fireteam moves, and whenever it stops moving, a Rifleman's primary task is to keep his eyes open for enemy threats. Each of the three Riflemen tried to cover a different sector, thus providing a wide scanning angle around the Fireteam. When threats are spotted, Riflemen are often the first ones to report it (by Voice or 343), and will likely be the first ones to open fire if the threat is immediate.

If the threat is not immediate, Riflemen must make sure they have permission to open fire before pulling the trigger. This not only avoids Friendly Fire, it also gives others chance to acquire the same target, and then open fire all at once. Several riflemen firing together can be very effective against most targets.

Assault Rifles are best when engaging enemy infantry, at medium and short ranges. At medium range, semi-automatic fire is accurate enough to pin down enemies, and occasionally to wound them. As the enemy gets closer, the Assault Rifle needs to be fired in longer and longer bursts to remain effective.

Riflemen generally hold their fire on long-range targets; It's often better to let the target come closer. Long-range fire can still be used, to some extent, to suppress enemies - particularly with several Assault Rifles firing at the same target. Skilled shooters can even manage kills at surprising ranges.

Rifles are fairly useful when engaging light enemy vehicles, but their lack of penetration power means that any armor will start to cause a problem. Rifle bullets can go through windshields and vision slots on an armored vehicle, killing the occupant, but this requires careful and accurate shooting.

As the enemy gets closer, Riflemen can also deploy their Hand Grenades, often thrown against clusters of infantry and against infantry behind strong cover. Grenades can also disable or even destroy most types of enemy vehicles, up to and including some APCs, providing an effective way of dealing with those threats once they get very close.

Assaulting
When it comes to clearing enemy positions, Riflemen are generally best suited for the job. They'll be the first to go into buildings, Compounds, Bunkers, and Earthworks. They try to get as close as possible to the objective before charging in, and then quickly maneuver from room to room (or cover to cover) to eliminate any enemies inside.

An assault may start with Frag Grenades thrown into/behind the enemy position, to disorient and hopefully kill some enemies. The Riflemen follow this up by rushing in as quickly as is reasonably possible. Care must always be taken around corners, through doorways, and especially when going up stairs - but the importance of fluid motion throughout the breach cannot be understated.

In preparation for an assault, Riflemen set their weapons to Automatic mode (if available), as this will be the most effective mode in close-quarters combat. They also ensure that they have a fresh magazine loaded before any assault, for the same reason.

Anti-Tank Duties
An AT Rifleman, carrying an AT-4 or RPG-7, has the additional task of engaging enemy vehicular assets whenever they appear. Anything that cannot be defeated with small-arms should be engaged with an Anti-Tank rocket before it can hurt the Fireteam or other friendlies.

Thus, AT Riflemen need to maintain awareness and react quickly whenever a vehicle contact is reported. They will often pull out their launcher immediately, and actively seek out the vehicle to destroy it. A vehicle can be a very serious and immediate threat, so the AT Rifleman will be chided if he or she plays it too safe - but in some situations it is better to lay and ambush and wait for the vehicle to come closer, rather than trying to engage it when it is further away.

AT Riflemen carrying a reusable launcher (an RPG-7) also need to try to acquire additional rockets from downed enemies or supply crates whenever possible. They will also need to regularly report how many rockets they have remaining, so that their FTL can accurately track the team's anti-tank capabilities and report them up the chain of command.

Assistant Automatic Rifleman Duty
An AAR typically behaves like a normal Rifleman, but in addition he needs to maintain awareness of the current ammunition levels of the Automatic Rifleman to whom he is attached. He will periodically ask the AR whether he needs more ammo, and provide this ammo as necessary. To this end, the AAR will often listen to the AR's firing sequence (and "Reloading!" calls) to help him estimate when the AR is running low of ammo.

The AAR also needs to maintain constant awareness of the Automatic Rifleman's well-being and current location. Should the AR be killed, it is up to the AAR to locate the body and retrieve the Automatic Rifle and any remaining ammunition - becoming the new AR himself. This is not mandatory, and the AAR may prefer to keep his Assault Rifle instead of picking up the new weapon, but such situations are discretionary and do not occur very often.

Authority Role
The Rifleman is the lowest person on the chain of command, and has barely any authority whatsoever. If they are more experienced than the other members of the fireteam, they may still give instructions to others in specific situations where this is called for, such as when operating in a Fireteam away from the rest of the Fireteam. However, this duty usually belongs to the Automatic Rifleman in the color team.

Riflemen may occasionally inherit command of their Fireteam or even the entire Squad, should the respective leaders by killed. This is especially true of the Rifleman is an experienced player. However in most cases, this is a last-resort after both the FTL and both Automatic Riflemen in the Fireteam have been killed.

Map Markers
A Rifleman's position is not tracked on the main map. However he has a special icon that tracks his position on the STHUD. This icon will be visible to himself and every other member of his Fireteam. An alternative icon is used whenever a Rifleman is carrying an Anti-Tank Launcher.

Communications
As a member of a Fireteam, the Rifleman will normally rely on voice communications with his team-mates and with the Fireteam Leader (FTL). The Rifleman also carries a 343 radio for short-range communication when necessary, but will mostly use it to report large-scale contacts that everyone in the Squad should be made aware of.

Voice
The primary method of communication for a Rifleman is with Voice. As a member of a Fireteam, the Rifleman will likely remain within voice range of his team-mates at all times, and should be able to communicate well enough without the use of a radio.

Most of the Rifleman's communications will be with the rest of his Color Team. He will call out contacts, point out problems or opportunities that the others should be aware of, and sometimes ask people if they are OK.

Radio
The Rifleman carries a 343 radio, which is set to his Squad's Channel. Like most Fireteam members, he is not expected to transmit on this radio very often. He does however need to listen on the 343 to maintain awareness of the Squad Leader's intent and the position of different friendly units, whenever these are reported on the radio.

If the Rifleman spots a significant enemy threat that he thinks the entire Squad should react to, he may want to report this on the 343 to make everyone in the Squad aware of the threat immediately. In all other situations, however, the Rifleman is expected to report contacts by voice to his Fireteam Leader and other Fireteam members. If they are outside of voice range, the Rifleman is justified in using the radio for any pertinent communications.

Callsigns and Terminology
The term "Rifleman" refers to any Fireteam member who is carrying an Assault Rifle or equivalent weapon and has no command authority. This term is not often heard or used in ShackTac videos, since it is rarely needed - Individual riflemen will usually be referred to by name rather than by the term "Rifleman". On occasion, when a leader wants to instruct some or all Riflemen under his command to do a specific task, separately from the Automatic Riflemen, he will use the term "Riflemen" to refer to them collectively.

Note that there is no short term or acronym for "Rifleman".

The term "AT Rifleman" (or AT) refers to any Rifleman carrying a (hopefully loaded) Anti-Tank Launcher. Note that the short term "AT" can also refer to the weapon itself; Shackers quickly learn to derive the intended reference from context. "AT Riflemen" will often be called up to tackle enemy vehicles, in which case the term "AT" refers to all nearby AT Riflemen as a group - e.g. "AT, move up and engage that vehicle!"