Complete the Master Gunner Course at Fort Moore, Georgia. Twenty-two weeks of advanced gunnery, weapons systems theory, and training management that produce the Army's foremost weapons system experts.
The Gunnery Theory phase builds the scientific foundation that separates a Master Gunner from every other NCO in the formation. Students learn interior, exterior, and terminal ballistics — the physics of what happens from trigger pull to target impact.
Fire control system theory is the cornerstone. Students must understand how the computer calculates a firing solution — not just what buttons to push. When the system fails, the Master Gunner is the one who knows why.
Ammunition knowledge covers every round in the inventory — HEAT, APFSDS, MPAT, canister, coax, and .50 cal. Students learn the engineering behind each round and when to employ it for maximum lethality.
Systems Training takes the theory and applies it to specific weapons platforms — Abrams, Bradley, or Stryker. Students learn every subsystem at a depth that exceeds even organizational-level maintenance.
Turret mechanics, fire control integration, thermal imaging, and weapons maintenance are taught hands-on. Students must diagnose system faults, identify root causes, and prescribe corrective actions — the Master Gunner is the unit's weapons system expert.
Boresight procedures, which align the weapon to the fire control system, are practiced until they become second nature. A crew that cannot boresight cannot hit anything, and the Master Gunner is responsible for ensuring every crew in the unit can do it correctly.
Applied Gunnery is where everything comes together. Students plan and execute gunnery training from Table I through Table XII, designing the training strategy that takes a crew from basic skills to combined arms live-fire qualification.
Training management is the Master Gunner's primary mission. Students develop comprehensive unit gunnery programs, build training schedules, allocate ammunition, coordinate range time, and brief the commander on readiness and strategy.
The capstone requires students to design a complete unit gunnery program and brief it to a board of senior Master Gunners and officers. Graduates leave Fort Moore ready to serve as the commander's principal advisor on lethality.
Fort Moore is the only location for the Master Gunner Course. The Armor School at the Maneuver Center of Excellence has trained Master Gunners since the course's inception. All three platforms — Abrams, Bradley, and Stryker — are taught here.
The Master Gunner Course runs multiple classes per fiscal year at the Armor School, Fort Moore, GA. Source: MCoE / U.S. Army Armor School.
| Class | Report Date | Graduation | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| MG 01-26 | 13 Jan 2026 | 12 Jun 2026 | Fort Moore, GA |
| MG 02-26 | 06 Apr 2026 | 04 Sep 2026 | Fort Moore, GA |
| MG 03-26 | 13 Jul 2026 | 11 Dec 2026 | Fort Moore, GA |
Academic failures, gunnery deficiencies, and inability to brief — the Master Gunner Course eliminates anyone who cannot master both the science and the art.
Every failure at Master Gunner has a type. We built a fix for each one.
Interior, exterior, and terminal ballistics are the foundation. If you can't explain how a sabot round defeats armor, you won't survive Phase 1.
Mil relation, lead angle computation, superelevation — the math is real and the calculators are gone. Brush up before you arrive.
The capstone is a commander's brief. If you can't stand in front of senior leaders and articulate a gunnery strategy, you will not graduate.
You need to troubleshoot beyond crew-level. If you've never traced a fault through a turret electrical system, start learning now.
Building a unit gunnery program from scratch is the job. If you've never written a training schedule or ammunition forecast, you're behind.
Tables I through XII aren't just for crews. The Master Gunner plans, resources, and executes every table. Know them inside and out.
Key Takeaway: The Master Gunner Course is an academic marathon, not a sprint. Ballistics, fire control theory, and platform systems demand deep technical study. Arrive with strong math fundamentals, platform maintenance experience, and the ability to brief clearly under pressure.
Lethality Is My Business
The Master Gunner is the commander's foremost weapons system expert — the NCO who ensures every crew in the formation can find, engage, and destroy the enemy under any conditions. From ballistics theory to live-fire qualification, the Master Gunner owns the unit's gunnery program.
Twenty-two weeks at Fort Moore produce an NCO who can diagnose system faults, train crews to standard, design a gunnery program from scratch, and advise the commander on every aspect of combined arms lethality. There is no higher technical certification for a combat arms NCO.
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