Posted on 06/14/2023 7:59:01 AM PDT by Red Badger
“Why not?”
Because it is Japan.
I guess I needed to put the /s in a larger typeface, and perhaps in red or something. Sorry.
I meant font, not typeface. Oops. I always get the two mixed up.
We were taught shooting with 22’s on a fully enclosed target rifle range at my high school. If you were in MCJROTC you were taught gun safety, sight picture, and how to correctly shoot a rifle in prone, sitting, kneeling and offhand positions. Oddly we never fired from a supported position. Just an Old school 1st Sgt I guess. ( This was in the 70’s, and the 1st Sgt had been a PI Drill Sgt and and was a Korean war Chosin vet also about 260 Alabama lbs and 6’4” without his smoky the bear hat on). I saw him regularly put a boot down on the back of prone shooters who were not keeping their rifles pointed downrange while rising up or turning around to ask a question while on the firing line. By them time we had mastered prone shooting everyone knew what the consequences of not keeping your rifle pointed downrange, or not having your bolt open, rifle unloaded, barrel down when exiting the firing line. You also had to police your brass and account for all fired and unused rounds. I know for a fact he would “ miscount” and slide a few extra rounds into the issue boxes so that someone would have leftover rounds to turn in in each class. Just keeping us honest and following procedures. They should due this with all students. We had a few non MCJROTC students try out for the rifle team, but no one could outside MCJROTC could shoot as well as we did. Our Girls Team won more trophies than the boys team from a pool of shooters that was 15% the size of the boys team. No wonder the Russians used Female snipers. Our best shooter shot several 497/500 in competitions. I didn’t make the team for competition but I’m a much more responsible gun owner, hunter, and shooter because of the 1st Sgt. It’s all about sight picture. This is my rifle it’s not a gun, it’s made for shooting and not for fun. Verify target,obtain proper sight picture, steady, fire, verify round impact. repeat as necessary. Do not threaten anyone with your firearm, your asking to get shot. Only aim a weapon at something you intend to pull the trigger on.
Thanks to the USMC for the instructions and lessons of MCJROTC. Not just on the rifle range. The teamwork and leadership skills have served me well my entire life.
Occasionally one of the US services will have accidental shooting at the range because hot brass from the guy the next shooting point over will go down some other guy’s blouse collar. Which makes him twitch reflexively, jerking the trigger and waving the muzzle around like he’s directing an orchestra.
A guy who used to work in DoD’s M-16 program told me these incidents had become substantially more frequent since the fielding of the M16A2 because brass ricocheting off the brass deflector tends to take a higher trajectory than off the non-deflector A1, and the higher trajectory makes it more common for the flying brass to make it to the next shooting point over.
I’ve heard of it happening at civilian ranges, too, but in those cases it’s usually some guy shooting himself at a range where there are screens between pistol firing points that flying brass can bounce off. He shoots, the brass ricochets off the screen and goes down his own collar.
https://myfox8.com/news/video-man-accidentally-shoots-himself-in-face-at-gun-range/
When reflexes take over, muzzle discipline goes out the window.
Alec Balwin’s dad was a champion team high school shooting coach and had even been shot in an accident on the range in the Marine Corps.
“Asked if his father had worked in heavy industry or near a steel mill due to “very high lead content” in his blood, Baldwin said: “I told the doctor my father coached riflery in a high school for 28 years, and he ventured that an unventilated shooting range may have been a cause.
“For over a quarter century, lead dust was inhaled not just by my dad, but by his team members and my brothers and me as well.”
He said other schools ventilated their ranges “long before”.
I had a hot .45 ACP empty go down the neck of my shirt on the range. I neither moved nor even squeaked. Cleared the pistol, dropped the magazine, set it safely on the tray, then shook the shell out of my shirt.
I still have a little semi-circular scar. But I didn't let down the family!
Are you referring to civilian range operators?
Because I’ve never seen that in the military.
My old roomie said they had to be careful to search the troops after a trip to the range because they frequently tried to sneak off with ammunition.
The M14 had a remarkably high rate of fire. You couldn't anything after the first round, but the magazine emptied just the same.
That’s an embarrassment of riches right there!
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