Thread: Unforgiven ,,,,,,,

Great post John, thanks for sharing. Getting old is full of unpleasant surprises.

Bob

John your actually doing it right, always teach them the basics, optics fail now your shooting iron sights. Them breaking those young men out on optics is just another tool. You still have to be able to shoot the weapon right. I wouldn't worry he will be miles ahead of the boys who didn't do this first. I was army in 71 so we learned only on iron sights,, later when optics came along and I used them, all it did was give me a better sight picture for my old eyes. It was still me at the trigger, good luck to you and your son. Tc

by the way,mid you've been there, you also know most of the military forces we fight, don't have the money for all the gadgets we have. I've picked up and used an Ak-47 a time or two, so knowing basic shooting can come in handy in these days too. Tc

Originally Posted by Hirlau

I made this rest the week before the first day; I didn't want to pay for a plastic one & over $100.00 for steel. Don't laugh at the duck tape, because it was last minute. It hides some nice layers of colored foam,,, but the glue did not bond the foam well & I had to finish with the duck tape. The rest is solid though & adjusts nice.

I attached tractor tube rubber with 3M 5200 to keep it from sliding.

Now that is a great idea !

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

John your actually doing it right, always teach them the basics, optics fail now your shooting iron sights. Them breaking those young men out on optics is just another tool. You still have to be able to shoot the weapon right. I wouldn't worry he will be miles ahead of the boys who didn't do this first. I was army in 71 so we learned only on iron sights,, later when optics came along and I used them, all it did was give me a better sight picture for my old eyes. It was still me at the trigger, good luck to you and your son. Tc

by the way,mid you've been there, you also know most of the military forces we fight, don't have the money for all the gadgets we have. I've picked up and used an Ak-47 a time or two, so knowing basic shooting can come in handy in these days too. Tc

Thanks Tc,,,, I actually have had an AK for the last 18 years,,, a Bulgarian SLR-101, milled. He has some basic training on it already, but could use more.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

This is what I'm hoping for Jimmy,,,, I just wanted him to have a little edge on the kid next to him, so they will be screaming at someone else but him.

See there, that's the opposite of what I'd expect for any of my sons that decide to go into the military. I absolutely would want them to get yelled at—pushed around—anything at all that entails adversity if for any reason than that'd create a hurdle for them to get over. Basic training today is too easy—I do not want it to be even more easier for them.

I did my time on the trail. I've never hit my boys, but I sure have incorporated the corrective training methods I used as a Drill Sgt. into fixing their gaffes growing up.

Now, that's not saying they don't know how to shoot, they do—one of them competes on again, off again in match target rifle competitions, and the other likes to hunt big horn sheep.

I think what's important is that they're familiar with firearms more than it is they ought to have used ACOG's and red dot optics.

Originally Posted by BloodOrange

See there, that's the opposite of what I'd expect for any of my sons that decide to go into the military. I absolutely would want them to get yelled at—pushed around—anything at all that entails adversity if for any reason than that'd create a hurdle for them to get over. Basic training today is too easy—I do not want it to be even more easier for them.

I did my time on the trail. I've never hit my boys, but I sure have incorporated the corrective training methods I used as a Drill Sgt. into fixing their gaffes growing up.

Now, that's not saying they don't know how to shoot, they do—one of them competes on again, off again in match target rifle competitions, and the other likes to hunt big horn sheep.

I think what's important is that they're familiar with firearms more than it is they ought to have used ACOG's and red dot optics.

I understand this thought process & it has merit. I think that when the decision is made to take this path, you will want your son's to have an edge too. The boot camp training process is soundly designed to produce the product intended, you know that.

As a youngster growing up in rural West Virginia ( I am showing my age here) it was common to hunt before school and afterwards. I would carry my .22 to school and the teacher would stow it ,along with several others in a locker to be retrieved after school. I later joined our high school rifle team which competed state wide with other school teams. Upon joining the military I was amazed how few recruits were familiar with weapons and even more chagrined at the utter lack of respect shown for them. I commend your effort John, it will serve well both father and son in the future. When he is ready send him to school here. https://www.facebook.com/WVURifle/

Thank you for the link Wirm.
We used to have "Show & Tell" at our high school in the mountains of North Carolina. We had to do it after school in the parking lot. They did not want them inside the school as it was a "distraction" from studies. The day we returned from Christmas was the best.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

Alan the competetor told me that the chances that my son gets trained on fixed sights is slim to none, as most of the services, if not all, train in boot camp now with optics, such as systems like ACOG from Trijicon.

John, he won't likely use the ACOG. He'll use a non-magnifying reflexive sight which minimizes parallax. I'm a prior Infantry helicopter pilot. My dad also taught me rifle marksmanship fundamentals before I entered the Army. I believe your efforts will pay off tremendously regardless of whether he goes into the military or becomes a pilot. The fundamentals will make him a far better marksman regardless of the optic used. It's like learning the fundamentals of hand planing before using a machine plane...or learning to shave with a straight razor before using a DE or Mack 3.

I sure hope so,,, thanks for the optics info. ,,,, tonight I will have to GOOGLE, " non-magnifying reflexive sight which minimizes parallax"