Spray and pray
Encyclopedia
Spray and pray is a derisive term for firing an automatic firearm
towards an enemy in long bursts, without making an effort to line up each shot or burst of shots. This is especially prevalent amongst those without benefit of proper training. It differs from suppressive fire
as the shooting is sloppily directed. This term does not apply to appropriately focused fully automatic fire or true suppressive fire, which is standard practice for a properly-trained combatant.
In the Rhodesian Bush War
and elsewhere, spray and pray was used to describe the firing of a relatively inaccurate weapon.
Jack Lewis
a former U.S. Marine veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam War and editor of Gun World magazine met the then Commandant of the Marine Corps
Paul X. Kelley
. Lewis told the Commandant that the effect of the introduction of the M16 rifle
was that "The United States used to be known as a Nation of Riflemen; now we've become a Nation of Sprayers".
Drawbacks of uncontrolled automatic gunfire are the low likelihood of actually hitting an enemy target, the large amounts of ammunition
needed, and the increased risk of it becoming friendly fire
. It was due to the tendency of soldiers to spray and pray during the Vietnam War
that the US replaced the automatic-fire setting that was on the original M16
with three-round burst fire for the M16A2 and M16A4/M4 carbine.
assault rifle
s such as the M16 Rifle
and other small arms
with a burst mode instead of, or in addition to, a fully automatic mode, to encourage soldier
s to use effective fire techniques.
Automatic firearm
An automatic firearm is a firearm that loads another round mechanically after the first round has been fired.The term can be used to refer to semi-automatic firearms, which fire one shot per single pull of the trigger , or fully automatic firearms, which will continue to load and fire ammunition...
towards an enemy in long bursts, without making an effort to line up each shot or burst of shots. This is especially prevalent amongst those without benefit of proper training. It differs from suppressive fire
Suppressive fire
In military science, suppressive fire is a fire that degrades the performance of a target below the level needed to fulfill its mission. Suppression is usually only effective for the duration of the fire. Suppressive fire is not always a direct form of fire towards targets; it can be an effective...
as the shooting is sloppily directed. This term does not apply to appropriately focused fully automatic fire or true suppressive fire, which is standard practice for a properly-trained combatant.
In the Rhodesian Bush War
Rhodesian Bush War
The Rhodesian Bush War – also known as the Second Chimurenga or the Zimbabwe War of Liberation – was a civil war which took place between July 1964 and December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia...
and elsewhere, spray and pray was used to describe the firing of a relatively inaccurate weapon.
Jack Lewis
Jack Lewis (screenwriter)
Lt. Colonel Jack Lewis or C. Jack Lewis USMC retired , was a former Marine, screenwriter, author of 12 books and an estimated 6,000 magazine articles and short stories, He was the co-founder and editor of Gun World magazine and continued contributing articles to that publication until the time of...
a former U.S. Marine veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam War and editor of Gun World magazine met the then Commandant of the Marine Corps
Commandant of the Marine Corps
The Commandant of the Marine Corps is normally the highest ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...
Paul X. Kelley
Paul X. Kelley
General Paul Xavier Kelley was the twenty-eighth Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, from July 1, 1983 to June 30, 1987....
. Lewis told the Commandant that the effect of the introduction of the M16 rifle
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
was that "The United States used to be known as a Nation of Riflemen; now we've become a Nation of Sprayers".
Drawbacks of uncontrolled automatic gunfire are the low likelihood of actually hitting an enemy target, the large amounts of ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
needed, and the increased risk of it becoming friendly fire
Friendly fire
Friendly fire is inadvertent firing towards one's own or otherwise friendly forces while attempting to engage enemy forces, particularly where this results in injury or death. A death resulting from a negligent discharge is not considered friendly fire...
. It was due to the tendency of soldiers to spray and pray during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
that the US replaced the automatic-fire setting that was on the original M16
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
with three-round burst fire for the M16A2 and M16A4/M4 carbine.
Alternatives
An alternative method for achieving effective fire is to use either single shots or controlled, aimed bursts after locating the opposing force. Many armed forces employ selective fireSelective fire
A selective fire firearm has at least one semi–automatic and one automatic mode, which is activated by means of a selector which varies depending on the weapon's design. Some selective fire weapons utilize burst fire mechanisms to limit the maximum or total number of shots fired automatically in...
assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
s such as the M16 Rifle
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
and other small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
with a burst mode instead of, or in addition to, a fully automatic mode, to encourage soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s to use effective fire techniques.
Usage variants
- 'Spraying and praying' may also refer to someone who is behind cover and shoots their firearm around the cover without looking at their target, usually out of fear of being exposed. They are 'spraying' ammunition, and 'praying' that it will hit their target. This technique is also known as "blind firing".
- The term is used to describe the typical use of automatic weapons in movies and TV shows, in which actors expend copious amounts of ammunition shooting in the general direction of their targets, without ever actually hitting anyone.
- The term has been applied in video games featuring automatic weapons, usually first-person shooterFirst-person shooterFirst-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
s, in which players fire blindly hoping to hit a target. The term is synonymous with spammingSpam (computer game)Spamming, in the context of video games, refers to the rapid, repeated use of the same item or action. For example, "grenade spamming" is the act of a player throwing a large amount of grenades in succession into an area...
. It is a well-known phenomenon within the games Counter-StrikeCounter-StrikeCounter-Strike is a tactical first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Corporation which originated from a Half-Life modification by Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess "Cliffe" Cliffe...
and its sequelCounter-Strike: SourceCounter-Strike: Source is an FPS video game developed by Valve Corporation. It is a complete remake of Counter-Strike using the Source game engine. As in the original, Counter-Strike: Source pits a team of counter-terrorists against a team of terrorists in a series of rounds...
, and F.E.A.R.
- This term has also been used by U.S. Defense Department strategist Thomas Nichols to describe the launching of early-model submarine launched ballistic missiles, as it was impossible to target them properly due to difficulties in precisely determining the position of the launching submarine.
- The term was also used in aviation, where the enemy aircraft was too far to engage specific points accurately, such as the engines or cockpit, and was meant more to distract or lure the enemy from friendly aircraft than to damage the enemy aircraft.
- This term is related to the Principle of Evil Marksmanship (also known as the Stormtrooper Effect), which states enemy marksmen in action films are often very bad shots and almost never harm the main characters. Unlike spray and pray, this has highly trained troops aiming, but nonetheless consistently missing, their intended target.
Non-military use
- This term may also be used to describe an approach to communication, where mass emails, broadcasts or leaflets are dispersed in hopes that everyone in the intended audience has received the message.
- The Disney Corporation speaks of some organisations using a "Spray and Pray" approach towards training, spraying the training on and praying it sticks
- The term is also sometimes used in the photography community to describe a scenario where one shoots many photos of subject, and prays that one of them is a keeper.
External links
- My Experiences While Providing BG Training in Mexico (bodyguard training consultant describes a spray and pray assassination in Mexico)
- http://jakeisfantastic.com/SprayAndPray.html Comedian Jake Sharon's Spray and Pray t-shirts.