Quote of the day

[Pitspitr]

Some of you will remember my striker from a couple of the Grand Musters he attended with me. Anyway he's currently in NG Basic Training at Fort Jackson SC. We received a letter from him yesterday in which he quotes one of his drill seargents. When asked if their M-16A2's kicked, the DI replied, "If you are afraid of the recoil go around to the other end of the rifle and you'll find out which end to be afraid of." I'm sure you vetrans have heard that same thing before, but I hadn't. I thought it was well put 

When my striker was about 15 or 16 I bought him a Remington 700. My dad asked what it was chambered in and I told him .30-06. He said, "Wow, that will have a lot of recoil for a kid, won't it?" I told him I doubted it would bother Jacob much as he was used to shooting my .45/70's. After he'd shot it for a while I told him what Grandpa had said. Jacob replied that he didn't think it kicked at all after shooting my trapdoors. I told him that's what I thought too.  He's never had to shoot a deer more than once with it.

After reading his letter I wondered what the kids in his platoon would think of our trapdoors if they were afraid of M-16's

[Delmonico]

I don't know if I've ever told any of you this, but one time several years ago i was at work and talking to an old cowboy from the sandhills.  One of my young co-workers came up with a question which I answered with some of they typical "well you should have known that, they don't teach you nothing in school anymore." 

After the kid left the old cowboy congratulated me for doing that, he told me when we were young and dumb all the old pharts gave us a hard time, but they made men out of us.  He said if we don't do that for these kids they'll all turn out to be whimps.  I think there are a lot of them I've missed.

BTW I had a kid at work one time whining about something, told him to suck it up or I would go peel the "Cowboy Up" off his pick-up.

[Texas Lawdog]

Del, It sounds like he don't know the real definition of "Cowboy Up".

[St. George]

Kids are afraid of our M16s simply because they're primarily city kids, and have been raised to think all weapons are evil, so their exposure to them has been minimal, at best.

If not exposed through ROTC or Scouts - most will never have fired a weapon until their enlistment - no matter how many video games they've played, or how often they've paintballed.

Because the M16 was billed as a 'wonder weapon' back in its heyday - with the reputation of blowing a bad guy's arm off, if the round just hit the hand - training has included a multi-stage demonstration - at least for the Infantry:

The weapon is held with the butt resting on the forehead and fired.

Then, upon the nose and fired.

Then, against the chin and fired.

Then, against the sternum and fired.

Then, against the stomach and fired.

And the final proof - against the groin and fired.

The demonstrator safes the piece and walks away with no ill effect.

A most effective training session - eliminating any and all fears...

Back when the Trapdoor was in service - the 'marksmanship instruction' sometimes consisted of the liberal use of a picket pin.

Times changed.

Scouts Out!

[Pitspitr]

Kids are afraid of our M16s simply because they're primarily city kids, and have been raised to think all weapons are evil, so their exposure to them has been minimal, at best.

Absolutely! Jacob has the dual advantage of being a farm kid and having a dad who put a firearm in his hand as soon as he was old enough to be taught responsibility, safety and respect.

He's been reporting that things are going better than he was afraid they would. He reports that while he won't call basic easy physically it's easier for him than most due to his collegiate athletics background. I'm sure it will get more challenging as they go but I think he's past the point of worrying about washing out.

Back when the Trapdoor was in service - the 'marksmanship instruction' sometimes consisted of the liberal use of a picket pin.

As always St. G. you hit the nail on the head. One of these days we're actually going to be in the same place at the same time. I still look forward to meeting you in person.

[Pitspitr]

After the kid left the old cowboy congratulated me for doing that, he told me when we were young and dumb all the old pharts gave us a hard time, but they made men out of us.  He said if we don't do that for these kids they'll all turn out to be whimps.  I think there are a lot of them I've missed.

Amazingly, Jacob actually thanked me for that in one of his letters and said he "can't believe how many of these wimps don't know nothing."

Oops, I just re-read my last couple of posts and realized I'm starting to sound like "one of those dads" bragging on my kid. Sorry 

[Delmonico]

Amazingly, Jacob actually thanked me for that in one of his letters and said he "can't believe how many of these wimps don't know nothing."

Oops, I just re-read my last couple of posts and realized I'm starting to sound like "one of those dads" bragging on my kid. Sorry 

So why is that a problem?  BTW when you get a chance thank him for me.

[Delmonico]

Del, It sounds like he don't know the real definition of "Cowboy Up".

He does now, the DI at basic and a tour in Iraq changed the kid a lot.  He's back and working for us again, or rather the new Brit is back.

[Pitspitr]

BTW when you get a chance thank him for me.

Probably won't be before the Wednesday after the Department Muster. We leave Monday July 16 will get there late the 17th or early the 18th. Graduation is the 19th.

[Charles Isaac]

I am proud of your son and thank him for his service, but I must make a correction Sir. There are no "DI's" at Fort Jackson, or any services basic training except for Marine Boot Camp. DI's are at San Diego and Parris Island. This is a DI-




                                    


And any Marine DI worth his salt will fire an M1 Garand or M14 with the steel buttplate on his chin as this was an authorized technique, performed by an expert rifleman, to show troops that the rifle will not hurt them. Do that off the fantail and it really freaks out the Gunners Mates! M16 kick-Oh, come on now!

[Delmonico]

This is a DI-




                               

R Lee Issac?

[Drydock]

Over in the gulf, we'd draw weapons, I'd always request the M-14.  No one else wanted the "Heavy hard kickin' MF" (Ahem!)

"Why ya want that thing, First?"

"Someboddys gotta make the holes so's you can squirt those 22s thru em."     (even then working on my old fartyisms)

[Pitspitr]

but I must make a correction Sir. There are no "DI's" at Fort Jackson, or any services basic training except for Marine Boot Camp. DI's are at San Diego and Parris Island. This is a DI-
 

Thank you for the correction and please pardon my ignorance. I suppose it partly come from the fact that Jacob's best friend is currently at San Diego.

And any Marine DI worth his salt will fire an M1 Garand or M14 with the steel buttplate on his chin as this was an authorized technique, performed by an expert rifleman, to show troops that the rifle will not hurt them.

Now I want to see that with a Krag.

M16 kick-Oh, come on now!

That's what I thought. I always thought a .223 kicks just slightly more than a BB gun. I realize that an M-16 is a 5.56 but I have only had access to .223s and they're suppose to be virtually the same.

[pony express]

There's really hardly any kick to them, I always remember when I was shooting them, the sound of the buffer spring in the stock right under your cheek.

[Charles Isaac]

Pony Express, if you lube the inside of the buffer tube, it will get rid of that annoying "sproinging" sound going on in the stock.

I always wondered how anyone that knew better could truly feel well armed using a gun chambered for a round that most people wouldn't even want to hunt deer with. There's something missing in the equation there.

[Silver Creek Slim]

So why is that a problem?  BTW when you get a chance thank him for me.

Here, here!

Slim

[Pitspitr]

I always wondered how anyone that knew better could truly feel well armed using a gun chambered for a round that most people wouldn't even want to hunt deer with.

Yeah, but it sure makes a great coyote round when topped with a Hornaday SX. 

[litl rooster]

The weapon is held with the butt resting on the forehead and fired.

Then, upon the nose and fired.

Then, against the chin and fired.

Then, against the sternum and fired.

Then, against the stomach and fired.

And the final proof - against the groin and fired.

The demonstrator safes the piece and walks away with no ill effect.

A most effective training session - eliminating any and all fears...



Seen this same demo 40 some years ago. Damn I'm not the only thing getting older and still looking good.

[Trailrider]

There's really hardly any kick to them, I always remember when I was shooting them, the sound of the buffer spring in the stock right under your cheek.

I've only fired a 5.56 once or twice, both times as a civilian. (Bought a Ruger Ranch Rifle, but haven't had a chance to shoot it!) When I was in the USAF back in '65-'69, our site security guards only had M-2 Carbines. This was up Montana way. The Air Force NEVER taught me anything about shooting. (I had to qualify twice with those Navy-reject M10's with .38 Spcl Ball ammo. Or actually I never did qualify with one of those... The one they gave me was shaving jacket material so bad, I thought I was going to kill someone on either side of me, or have the thing blow up in my hand.  Cleared the weapon and went downtown and bought a S&W M19 x 4", and qualified high expert both years. Of course I had been shooting my Dad's 1911A1 and my Ruger Flat Top Blackhawk in .44 Magnum.  )
My first big bore rifle was a surplus M-1 Rifle. Before that, I shot the M64 the kid across the street's Dad let us shoot. Steel buttplate, .30-30 and wearing just a T-shirt. At 13 years old, talk about KICK!  When I bought the Garand five years later, that .30-06 felt like nothin' compared to that .30-30, even with 180 and 220 gr. bullets in the Aught-six.
When my Dad went on 2 weeks active duty near where I lived, he fixed it so I could shoot with whatever reserve outfit was using the post range.  Mostly it was Army with M-1 Carbines. Occasionally it was Marines...with M-1 Rifles!  Those old gunnies, most of whom were WWII and Korea vets taught me to shoot (Dad wasn't anti-gun, just not into it.)  However, their way of holding the rifle was "superseded by a gunsmith who taught me to shoot a bolt-action rifle rapid fire. Pull in hard with the left hand on the forearm.  Don't hold the rifle with the trigger hand elbow above the shoulder! Drop you elbow down like shooting a shotgun, and relax theat hand for working the bolt...this is offhand, mind you. Could empty the five rounds from a Winchester M70 in 5-6 seconds, and keep all rounds in the black on a "B" target at 200 yds. Course, I'm out of practice now, but the principle works the same with a CAS rifle!
To be fair, the steel, deer or elk aren't shootin back, either! 

Godspeed to those still in harm's way in the defense of Freedom everywhere! God Bless America!

Another old phart,

[pony express]

Pony Express, if you lube the inside of the buffer tube, it will get rid of that annoying "sproinging" sound going on in the stock.

At the time I was in basic training, we lubed what the Drill Sergeant SAID to lube, and NOTHING else! Basically, that meant pulling out the bolt, and slather it with LSA(Lubricant, small arms, for those civilians out there). Their theory was, you couldn't use too much. But then they were all Vietnam vets at the time, what worked in the jungle, I don't think worked so well in the sandbox.