DA Form 7304-R is the Army’s scorecard for recording a soldier’s performance during M249 Squad Automatic Weapon qualification. To fill it out, download the current edition from the Army Publishing Directorate, complete the administrative block, record hits and misses across the three firing tables as the soldier fires, total the points, assign a marksmanship rating from the governing training circular, and get both the range OIC and the grader to sign before anyone leaves the firing line.
Get a Current Copy of the Form
Download the PDF from the Army Publishing Directorate at armypubs.army.mil rather than photocopying an old scorecard. Earlier editions can carry outdated instructions or formatting that slows scoring. The edition currently in circulation is dated FEB 94, but confirm you have the latest version by checking the APD site directly. Most units print a stack of blank cards before a scheduled range day so every lane has one ready before the first shooter steps up.
Complete the Administrative Block
The top of the scorecard collects five pieces of identifying information. A card with mismatched data can’t be posted to the soldier’s official record, so get these right the first time.
- Name: last name, first name, middle initial, and rank, exactly as they appear in the soldier’s personnel file.
- SSN: the automatic rifleman’s Social Security Number. Some units have shifted to the last four digits or the DoD ID number as a privacy measure, so follow your unit’s standing guidance.
- Unit: the soldier’s unit designation.
- Date: the date of the firing event.
- Lane: the lane number assigned to the firing point. This ties the card to a specific position on the range and helps resolve disputes if scorers need to cross-reference target mechanisms.
Record Scores Across the Three Firing Tables
The body of the scorecard is divided into three firing tables, and the grader records results in real time as the soldier fires. Pencil is the standard tool because it allows corrections before the final tally. Legibility is not optional. If a hit-or-miss entry is ambiguous, the data entry clerk either tracks down the grader or defaults to the less favorable reading.
Table I: 10-Meter With NBC
Table I covers close-range engagements at 10 meters conducted while the soldier wears a protective mask. The grader records the number of rounds impacting within the designated scoring spaces for Tasks 5 through 7. Each round that lands inside the scoring area earns one point, with a maximum of seven points per space.1ArmyReal.com. DA Form 7304-R M249 Qualification Scorecard
Table II: Day Transition With NBC
Table II covers daytime transition firing, also under NBC conditions. The grader marks an “X” for each hit and a “0” for each miss across Tasks 2 through 8, with 20 points per target hit. Read the printed instructions on the form carefully: they state that Table II is “not for qualification” and should be used “for practice and instruction.” Depending on how your unit applies the current training circular, Table II results may factor into skill development tracking rather than the final qualification rating. Confirm with your range OIC how Table II scores will be treated before firing begins.1ArmyReal.com. DA Form 7304-R M249 Qualification Scorecard
Table III: Qualification
Table III is the primary qualification gate. The grader records an “X” for a hit and a “0” for a miss for Tasks 2 through 6. This table tests target engagement at varying distances and firing positions, and it carries the most weight in determining the final rating.1ArmyReal.com. DA Form 7304-R M249 Qualification Scorecard
Total the Score and Assign a Rating
Once firing is complete, add the points from each table and enter the combined total in the “Total Score” block. The scoring math differs by table: Table I awards individual round-impact points, Table II multiplies hits by 20, and Table III records straight hits. Enter the marksmanship rating in the “Rating” block based on where the total falls within the classification thresholds set by the governing training circular.
TC 3-22.249 is the training circular specific to the M249 light machine gun and provides the detailed standards for each proficiency tier.2United States Army Reserve. Army Reserve Marksman The broader small-arms framework in TC 3-20.40 organizes training into six tables, with Table VI as the live-fire qualification gate.3Army Publishing Directorate. TC 3-20.40 The scorecard’s numbering predates that framework, so don’t confuse the two systems. The scorecard’s Table III and TC 3-20.40’s Table VI both refer to the qualification event, just labeled differently.
A score below the minimum threshold results in an “Unqualified” status, and the soldier must retrain and re-fire.
Get Both Required Signatures
Two signatures authenticate the completed scorecard, and neither one is the soldier’s. The form requires the Officer in Charge of the range and the grader who observed the firing to sign in their designated blocks.1ArmyReal.com. DA Form 7304-R M249 Qualification Scorecard The OIC’s signature confirms the range was run in accordance with applicable safety and training standards. The grader’s signature verifies that the hit-and-miss data reflects direct observation. A card missing either signature is incomplete and will not be accepted for entry into the training system.
If there’s a discrepancy between what the soldier believes they hit and what the grader recorded, the time to resolve it is on the range, before signatures go on the form. Once both signatures are in place, the card is a finalized administrative document.
What Happens to the Card After the Range
Completed cards go from the range to the unit’s training NCO or S-1 personnel section. The data is entered into the Army’s digital training management system to update the soldier’s electronic record. The Army has been transitioning from the legacy Digital Training Management System (DTMS) to the Army Training Information System (ATIS), which is the authoritative enterprise training management solution.4Army.mil. Army Launches New Training Management System If your unit has migrated to ATIS, qualification data goes there; units still on DTMS continue using it until their transition is complete.
The original hard-copy scorecard is filed in the unit’s local training records after digital entry. Keep the physical copy. It serves as a backup during audits or when questions come up about a qualification that was entered incorrectly.
How the Rating Affects Promotion Points
Weapon qualification ratings feed directly into the promotion point system for soldiers competing for E-5 and E-6. A higher qualification score means more promotion points. As of January 2026, IPPS-A will only award promotion points for a weapon qualification if that weapon is designated as the soldier’s “Primary Weapon” within ATIS.5Facebook. Integrated Personnel and Pay System – Army (IPPS-A) Qualifying on the M249 only generates promotion points if the M249 is listed as your primary weapon in the system. If you’re assigned the M249 as a secondary weapon and qualify on it, the rating still goes on your record but won’t count toward your promotion point total.
Check your primary weapon designation in ATIS before you head to the range. Fixing it after the fact runs through your unit’s S-1, and there’s no guarantee the correction will be applied before a promotion board convenes.
Common Mistakes That Get Scorecards Kicked Back
Most problems with DA Form 7304-R happen before anybody starts shooting. Using an outdated edition of the form, misspelling the soldier’s name so it doesn’t match personnel records, or leaving the lane number blank all create headaches during data entry. A card that can’t be matched to a soldier’s record is useless.
On the scoring side, illegible entries are the biggest issue. Graders working in rain, dust, or poor lighting sometimes produce cards the training NCO can’t read. Pencil helps, but pressing hard enough to leave a clear mark matters more than most people think.
Don’t leave the range without confirming both the OIC and grader have signed. An unsigned card will come back, and reassembling the right people to sign days later is the kind of delay every training NCO wants to avoid.