I was in the military, so I know how to shoot

So true. Worked at Remington for years and through our Armorers program it was amazing the amount of gun ignorance expressed by LE and Military. Most LE were lucky to take an 870 apart and put it back together and qualified once a year through sheer luck. However, I did hire lots of LE and ex mil that were very knowledgeable. However, most of them were gun guys before they ever went in.
 
Elenaidan said:
I have never met a marine that could not shoot........... but to be fair, I have only met a small group of them. On the other hand, I have met a good number of LE that needed some extra range time.
Click to expand...
Then you haven't met Connor. Connor was a dumbass. I met him at a carbine class. Then again at a FoF class. At the carbine class he wore his pistol holster at 5 o'clock. Flagged everyone to the right of him on the first transition. Several people threatening violence got him to adjust his belt.
I'll give him credit for being able to shoot the AR with irons quite well, but he was a dangerous SOB to be around because he was careless and thoughtless.
It really made my day when my wife shot him in the throat with an airsoft pellet at FoF. He continued advancing on her so she mag dumped at his crotch to get his attention.
 
Timfoilhat said:
Then you haven't met Connor. Connor was a dumbass. I met him at a carbine class. Then again at a FoF class. At the carbine class he wore his pistol holster at 5 o'clock. Flagged everyone to the right of him on the first transition. Several people threatening violence got him to adjust his belt.
I'll give him credit for being able to shoot the AR with irons quite well, but he was a dangerous SOB to be around because he was careless and thoughtless.
It really made my day when my wife shot him in the throat with an airsoft pellet at FoF. He continued advancing on her so she mag dumped at his crotch to get his attention.
Click to expand...
My wife doesn't like the observer's view of that anecdote. She insists she was shooting at his face when she hit his throat, and the groin thing was supposed to be pelvic girdle shots to stop his advance but with all the motion going on she just happened to crotch shoot him 5 times. Uh huh. Okay.
 
Timfoilhat said:
Then you haven't met Connor. Connor was a dumbass. I met him at a carbine class. Then again at a FoF class. At the carbine class he wore his pistol holster at 5 o'clock. Flagged everyone to the right of him on the first transition. Several people threatening violence got him to adjust his belt.
I'll give him credit for being able to shoot the AR with irons quite well, but he was a dangerous SOB to be around because he was careless and thoughtless.
It really made my day when my wife shot him in the throat with an airsoft pellet at FoF. He continued advancing on her so she mag dumped at his crotch to get his attention.
Click to expand...

5 o'clock like that?

IMG_20220617_062328.jpg
 
Timfoilhat said:
Yep
Click to expand...

The world is full of stupid rules, and I think the military probably has the stupid rule market cornered. They have their reasons for training people to do things a certain way, and it often does not translate over to the civilian side, especially range practices.

I can see how someone who is in the military would get his or her butt on their shoulders over what they perceived to be a stupid rule at a civilian range. That said, a rule is a rule is a rule, so you either follow it, and participate, or don't follow it and pay the price.

I have some issues with some IDPA rules, but I choose to shoot the matches so I follow those rules.

Regarding people in the military not knowing how to shoot, unless you are infantry or in a unit that shoots a lot, just because you learned it in boot camp doesn't mean it carries over to the fleet (or wherever). When Marines are in boot camp they level the playing field because That's all the experience they have. But the Marines to go to infantry will shoot a lot more than the Marines who go to FSSG (logistics, supply, whatever they call that now), who only shoot once a year for qualification. Those guys absolutely need refresher courses and how to break down and put together and them for and sometimes they are "unq's" (unqualified) on the range. Shooting is a perishable skill.

I have a lot of respect for a veteran of any branch who will say "I was in 'X' branch, but I don't remember how to shoot" or "I was not a good shot" than someone who was in the military and thinks they know it all and is a walking safety violation or can't walk the walk after having talked to the talk.
 
Not surprising with any large organization. I am in sales and we have managers and VP’s that can‘t hold a decent conversation with people or think their way out of a paper bag.
 
I was a decent shot before I joined the (ch)Air Force. If I was depending on what they taught me I wouldn't let me have a gun...

I wound up at the range shooting M9 once. 7/15/25 meters. At 7 meters we were pasting up holes from our first round of fire; I was all on the target but about a 6" group overall ( trouble managing the double to single action transition) when the guy next to me remarked about how well I shot. Looked at his target; looked like a 25 yard buckshot pattern. He was aircrew and had failed annual Qual the week before.....

I shot with one eye on him the rest of the day.
 
Conversely, I do know many in the military and former military that shoot great.
And also plenty of cops who shoot great. Some on this very forum.
 
Last edited:
Participation in a specific field or endeavor may lend credibility, but only when such participation in that field is applicable. As I joked above, I work for a bank. I know Jack diddly poopy squat about finance. But if you ask me about sampling methodology, SharePoint, excel, or how best to avoid a manager seeking a volunteer, I’m your guy.
 
"how best to avoid a manager seeking a volunteer, I’m your guy."

LOL
I was pretty skilled at walking around the office with urgency while carrying a file folder. Was a sure way through the maze of cube without being intercepted on the way out the door.
Working from home has made some of my old skillset obsolete. Now Ive adapted to cook dinner, do laundry and nod my head while muted on Zoom.
 
Timfoilhat said:
My wife doesn't like the observer's view of that anecdote. She insists she was shooting at his face when she hit his throat, and the groin thing was supposed to be pelvic girdle shots to stop his advance but with all the motion going on she just happened to crotch shoot him 5 times. Uh huh. Okay.
Click to expand...

Actually...good body armor shots. Perfect, in fact!
 
Timfoilhat said:
"how best to avoid a manager seeking a volunteer, I’m your guy."

LOL
I was pretty skilled at walking around the office with urgency while carrying a file folder. Was a sure way through the maze of cube without being intercepted on the way out the door.
Working from home has made some of my old skillset obsolete. Now Ive adapted to cook dinner, do laundry and nod my head while muted on Zoom.
Click to expand...

No shit story: when I was a brand new O1 (ensign), I had a metric crap-ton of collateral duties, made worse because I was on THE bottom of the totem pole. E1s? Nope. Everyone knows they can't do a thing, so they're given one job and given a day to do it. So I got a clipboard and a bunch of papers and would walk around mumbling, with a furrow in my brow. I got left alone 90% of the time.
 
I've met plenty of military guys who could shoot, and plenty more that couldn't.

But I've never met a single marine that didn't turn gay after a few drinks. Not one.
 
Chuckman said:
I have a lot of respect for a veteran of any branch who will say "I was in 'X' branch, but I don't remember how to shoot" or "I was not a good shot" than someone who was in the military and thinks they know it all and is a walking safety violation or can't walk the walk after having talked to the talk.
Click to expand...

Yep. I concur.

Just telling someone I retired from the military automatically leads to a lot of assumptions in many people's minds.

BUT...I spent my 20 years serving aboard submarines as a Reactor Operator and Engineering Watch Supervisor/Engineering Duty Petty Officer. My weapons qualifications were to meet Reactor Force requirements, essentially just range time to prove I knew which way the round end of a bullet was loaded into a magazine and could put enough holes in a target down range with a .45/9mm, 7.62/5.56mm, or 12 Gauge.

So I had exactly squat for any kind of actual field training/experience.

Any "real" shooting experience was because I grew up learning how to shoot pistol/rifle/shotgun, not because the military taught me jack.


The military is pulled from people in all walks of life. They are further channeled to meet the needs of the military upon enlistment, theoretically in accordance with their aptitudes. Which means that not only do their experiences and training radically vary based on assignments in the military, their opinions do as well.

Which is why we have all those cucks from the services who say stupid things like "I served in the (service), and I can say there's absolutely no reason for AR-15's in the hands of civilians".
 
RetiredUSNChief said:
<snip>
Which is why we have all those cucks from the services who say stupid things like "I served in the (service), and I can say there's absolutely no reason for AR-15's in the hands of civilians".
Click to expand...
I did not serve, but I realize not all veterans were or are "gun guys", or even patriots/conservatives, not by a long shot. It's obviously worse for years there was a draft.

I tried to go in the army when I was young and screwing up my life, it would have helped me out a lot. I was rejected due to a high frequency hearing loss I'm sure came from a couple of instances with firearms back when nobody wore ear pro. They said it was the frequency of gun shots and would get worse and they didn't want to pay me a pension for the rest of my life. :mad:

Still to this day I never notice it, even listening to music. The only thing I can tell is I can't hear a watch tick in the affected ear.
 
Last edited:
My son is in the Air Force, I sent him this picture, kinda messing with him. His response:

There's hunters in this world and there's gathers in this world and there's a uncomfortable amount of gatherers in the military

He knew how to shoot before he left home
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom