In defense of the Navy (note some sarcasm here), most uninformed people would believe that the big end of a scope would always be the forward end and the little end would be at the eye. Given that the Navy is trying to attract just about anyone, the marketing people might have thought that the scope should look “normal” to most people, i.e. the clueless. If they put it on the correct way, many of these clueless people that are targets for the Navy promo would think that the scope was on backwards.
Did the rifle just miracle itself into the Captain’s hands with scope on backwards, or did he draw it from the weapons locker, where it was in the keeping of the master at arms, and one or more gunner’s mates, whose job in the Navy is to maintain in a functioning condition the very limited selection of small arms issued to Navy ships?
Perhaps the explanation is not incompetence at a core job function. Perhaps it was a joke that got out of hand. Perhaps a gunner’s mate solemnly handed the rifle to “Old Man” while inwardly laughing his/her/xher a@@ off because the scope was on backwards.
Perhaps.
and having both end caps closed will indicate that the Navy is as clueless as they are.
However, it may also be a deliberate joke on the commander. He played along and shot the rifle anyway. They never intended that picture to end up in a publicity article.