I was watching a video about marksmanship in the Marine Corps and noticed that the DI told his recruits to only use the smaller peep sight. Is that taught to all Marine recruits? Won't they be shooting high when they are closer than 200 meters?

I also was watching a special on Discovery about SEAL selection and one of the SEALs commented that he missed alot of targets at the range because he didn't realize he had the bigger night time sight up and not the smaller daytime sight. I was also told something similar from a guy in the Army basicly that the big sight is for low light and the small one is for daytime.
I thought the sights where for different ranges not lighting. So what's the deal?

The USMC zeros at several ranges or used to including 100, 200, 300, etc.  The small aperture is the most accurate, so they use that for all ranges.

[i]Bigger night time sight up and not the smaller daytime sight[/i}???  Not sure where that came from.  Easier to use the larger aperture at night and folks tend to shoot high at night.

-- Chuck

The large aperature is for low light and close in. The small peep doesn't you to see much of the man size body cose in.
Jack

The small aperture gives you a much more precise sight picture and alignment.  The larger aperture will allow you to pick up targets more quickly but you can miss alot easier due to the fact that your sight picture will be huge.

In close combat you have to shoot faster, and the large aperature cirles the target and hits, bulseys should not be confused with moving and attacking enemy troops. With the small aperature, you usualy can't shoot as fast and or see your target well or have time to do either, then that miss is real serious. The aperatures were developed for the needs at both long and short work, by the USMS under heavy fighting for several years in NAM.
Good shootin, Jack

one more thing the A1 sights has two small aperatures for different distances and the A2 has the elevation adjustment dial with a big and small aperature.   I think that is where some of the confusion is coming from

yea we taught the soldiers to use the small apeture also.
    FREE

Won't you be hitting high if you use the small aperture at say 100 meters, since it's compensating for elevation for 300 meters?

That would depend on your zero, but even if you're zeroed for 300, you wouldn't hit more than 2 - 3 inches higher at 100 yards, so that's no biggie when you're talkin' "Minute of Torso".