The Sage of Main Street
Gold Member
Why DMZ Meant "Dead Marine Zone"I'm not trolling. You're afraid of exposing your lack of bona-fides.
Just being in the Army for 3 short years doesn't automatically tell anyone who knows the Army well, that you know your way around a weapon.
Neither does owning one since you were 10, which is illegal from what I understand.
You can't legally own a gun till you've reached 15-16yrs and have attended a hunter safety course.
These days your father can't buy you a gun. These days it is illegal because it's a straw purchase.
Course my older brother gave me a 30-30 Winchester when I was 15, but not till I had gone thru the safety course he was licensed to give by the State Of Montana. He was a Sheriff's Deputy and a US Marshal at one time.
My guess is unless you went thru SOT school....or Sniper training....or went thru any of the Special Ops weapons training courses....you don't know all that much. Just range-firing a weapon doesn't make you an expert on it. You'd have to spend several weeks learning how to fire tactically and use a tirehouse to do MOUNT or Urban Warfare to be an expert. I've been thru all of that....but I can't say I'm a sniper.....because I never went thru the course.
It's more that just shooting. It's stalking and concealment, and knowing Kentucky windage and knowing how to adjust your sights properly according to whether it's your first shot or your second shot. Whether you're using match grade ammo or otherwise. Also you have to be able to properly fill out your sniper data chart every time you shoot.
In 1966. we Marines were rushed through training so the Generals could get enough troops to man their Tactical Area of Responsibility (I Corps: smack dab against North Vietnam). Many casualties resulted from our not being adequately trained.