From a reader -
"You have told us you don't think military people should teach gun classes. But in my experience, they are really well trained."
First off - read the article. The phrase you are looking for is that military credentials do not a firearms instructor make.
But, more to what we will presume is the intended point.
This comment on a recent ad illustrates the point perfectly. you will also see the picture in question for full transparency. The comment:
"Well, the first person to be trained should be the shooter in the photo. Get the charging handle out of their mouth and get some eye relief from the rear sight. Get the heels down flat. Move the left hand a little further away from the ejection port and turn the hat around to help eliminate glare and hot brass from the shooters around them. But that's just me and I'm grumpy today."
Classic response from someone who was probably INFANTry and thinks he knows all. Let's break it down -
Well, the first person to be trained should be the shooter in the photo. Get the charging handle out of their mouth and get some eye relief from the rear sight.
- The shooter (this author) is using a nose to charging handle approach to cheek weld (sometimes also referred to as stock weld). The military not only teaches this, they also have an acronym for it. NTCH. This is not only military standard, it is also what is taught in most major tactical schools when they teach iron sights, taught by Appleseed, and used by NRA High Power and service rifle competitors. Not sure where this yahoo is getting his information. Probably from the 31 he got on the ASVAB.
Get the heels down flat.
- Flat heels is taught by the military (at least he got that part right). The shooter pictured is not physically capable of doing so. The alternative, being used in the photo, is to have what jiu-jitsu calls "live feet." In this position, the feet can dig in to help steady the position and make elevation adjustments to the shooter's NPOA.
Move the left hand a little further away from the ejection port and turn the hat around to help eliminate glare and hot brass from the shooters around them. But that's just me and I'm grumpy today.
- Why move the left hand forward? To what purpose? It is not occluding the ejection port. Not ironically, many major tactical schools teach this hold for prone unsupported to assist with precision. Tactical Response, Valor Ridge, and Sage Dynamics among others.
The hat being turned forwards is the only bit of advice that might hold water... except... this photo was from a demo and the class instructor (pictured) was using the backward hat so that the students could see the NTCH position.
The reaction to the suggestion to take the class takes the cake. No expert says they have "trained enough," even if they have enough training for several lifetimes. Anyone foolish enough to make that statement immediately outs themselves as not being an expert. The online request for the credentials of the instructors is also a dead giveaway.
Well done. A first-rate, point by point Fisk, well deserved by the recipient.
ReplyDeleteYeah, you won't get that guy to a class. (of any kind, why train when you already know everything)
ReplyDeleteSerious question about the picture though. Why hold your support hand over the handguard rather than under it? I assume it must work better for you or you wouldn't do it. Does that work better than support hand under the front handguard?
Tom from East Tenn
You are correct. That person would never be a paying customer.
DeleteAs for the hand positioning - try it out sometime. It is very effective at steadying the wobble of the rifle from a prone unsupported position where the magazine is being used to steady the rifle. The pressure you are looking for is "just firm" with a hint of rearward pressure.
I'll give it a try. Sometimes I shoot a rifle that doesn't have a sling, or I could see this maybe if wearing a loose tactical sling.
ReplyDelete