I shot out of the box, now what?

The first round is usually the easy part.

The part new mortar owners don’t think about is what happens immediately afterward, when things stop going according to plan, and eventually, something always does. Even the most experienced gunners have moments when it goes off the rails. 

Not usually catastrophic. Just small problems. You put the wrong elevation or deflection on the sight, the gun shifts, communication breaks down, the weather changes, or nobody is completely sure where the last round actually landed. It happens to the best of us.

That’s normal. The important part is recognizing problems early and correcting them before they stack together. Here are some of the most common issues new mortar crews run into after the first rounds leave the tube. So, let's talk about some of the problems that we've had.

“I Lost The Impact.”

This is probably the most common problem in mortar shooting.

You fire. Everybody watches the impact area.

Then nobody is completely sure where the round landed. This is worse with inert or practice shells that don't have a visual impact signature, it's just "thump" and where did it go?

Correction:

Don't touch anything and check your firing data. Even bad data can give you a clue where the shell went.

Slow the firing rate down.

Do not keep firing, hoping the next round will “make sense.”

Track the round from muzzle to impact if possible.

Assign one person specifically to spotting.

Use terrain references before firing.

Shoot into a clear impact area. High grass and brush will eat shells.

If nobody knows where the round landed. Stop firing until somebody does.

Losing one shell is bad, don't turn it into an expensive event.

“The Gun Moved.”

Mortars move.

Especially lighter systems. Recoil settles bipods, baseplates shift, soil compresses, and small movement becomes large errors surprisingly fast.

Sometimes the movement is obvious. Like when the gun jumps.

Sometimes it’s only a few mils each round until impacts slowly walk off target.

Correction:

Re-lay the gun regularly.

Check the bubbles.

Check deflection.

Check elevation.

Verify the bipod and baseplate haven’t shifted.

Inspect the ground under the baseplate.

Dig in before setting the baseplate.

If impacts suddenly start drifting unexpectedly, assume gun movement first before assuming bad ammunition or bad data.

Experienced crews constantly monitor the gun, not just the target.

“We Started Rushing.”

This is where little mistakes begin stacking together. Commands get shortened. People stop checking or repeating information. Somebody assumes instead of verifying. The crew starts moving faster because confidence goes up. That’s usually when mistakes start appearing.

Correction:

Slow down immediately. Good mortar operations should feel controlled and deliberate.

If the gun line starts feeling chaotic, something is already drifting off course. Return to full commands.

Repeat data clearly.

Verify every adjustment.

Reset the pace of the operation before continuing. The solution to confusion is almost never speed.

“The Weather Changed.”

New crews underestimate how much weather affects operations. Wind changes. Light changes. Temperature changes. Visibility changes. 

Even if the ballistic effect is small at shorter ranges, changing conditions affect spotting, communication, and overall situational awareness.

Correction:

Evaluate the weather before you go. Decide if conditions support shooting.

Continuously reassess conditions. At certain times of the year, the weather can change rapidly.

Keep your shells and charges off the ground and covered. Powder, especially in the amount needed to propel a mortar shell, is temperature sensitive. That sensitivity can make your shots erratic. 

Reconfirm visibility to the impact area. Just like any range, you need to confirm your target and the impacts.

Watch for changing winds. Cross winds can affect the round, pushing it off the gun target line. Head or tail winds can cause short or long rounds. 

Monitor mirage and lighting conditions near sunset. Likewise, overcast can make spotting difficult in flat light conditions. 

Conditions that were safe and manageable an hour ago may not be safe now.

“Nobody Knows Where Anything Is.”

This sounds minor until it happens during live fire. 

A tool disappears in tall grass.

A shell gets set down somewhere.

Nobody remembers where the sight case went.

The fuze wrench vanishes.

Now the entire operation slows down while people wander around looking for equipment.

Correction:

Keep equipment organized from the start. Every item should have a consistent location around the gun.

Have a toolbox or bag. If it comes out of the box, it goes back in the box.

Every crew member should know where critical equipment belongs.

Do not throw gear down randomly between firing iterations.

Check your equipment before you leave the house. There is nothing more embarrassing than driving two hours to the range only to realize that you left a critical tool at home. Likewise, check that you have everything before leaving the range. 

Good crews look organized because organized crews recover faster when things go wrong.

“We Lost Situational Awareness.”

This is the dangerous one. You're putting a heavy hunk of steel into the air and relying on physics to bring it down where you want it.

The crew becomes focused on firing and slowly stops thinking about the overall operation. Nobody is watching the impact area.

Nobody is monitoring the surroundings.

People stop asking questions because everything has been going smoothly. That’s when complacency shows up.

Correction:

Pause operations periodically.

Take a breath.

Look at the entire range.

Confirm the impact area is still clear.

Confirm the gun is still properly laid.

Confirm everyone understands the plan.

Sometimes the safest thing a crew can do is stop firing for five minutes and reset mentally.

Final Thoughts

Mortar operations are not about perfection. Problems happen. It's how we recognize and respond to them that makes the difference.

Equipment shifts.

People miss impacts.

Conditions change.

The difference between a good crew and a dangerous crew is how early problems are recognized and how calmly they are corrected.

The instinct when something goes wrong is usually to hurry up and “fix it.” Most of the time the correct answer is simpler. 

Slow down.

Verify everything.

Return to the process.

Then continue.