Quote:
Originally Posted by bravo22b
I think the single biggest thing that I'm having trouble getting used to is the incredible explosion in the amount of STUFF that is now available. The amount of companies making "tactical" equipment and the like must have increased by a factor of twenty, at least. My common sense tells me that a large percentage of it must be fairly worthless, but I'm still trying to wrap my brain around everything from the new MOLLE gear to all the accessories for the new and various weapons systems
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B22:
Roger that. You shouldn't be confused though which is what folks are trying to say here.
A firearm consists of two elemental parts. One is a steel tube normally termed a barrel and the other is a trigger. From Match Lock through today's match grade 2 stage triggers, the shooter must continue to do the same thing in order for his rock, lead round ball, jacketed bullet, or lathe turned solid, to actually strike someone somewhere where it will kill or incapacitate them.
Said shooter must point that steel tube precisely, see it is pointed precisely, and then shoot the shot without moving the steel tube. This ain't rocket science and the less crap to interfere with elemental (cognitive) skills development, the better. IMHO only.
Now, what inhibits someone from such precise pointing, seeing, and pulling? Thoughts that have nothing to do with precise pointing, seeing, or pulling! Like cluttered reticle patterns filled with lines, dots, tick marks etc; the need to use a PDA to figure out that a center hold at 200 using a 300 zero is just fine; an anemometer when someone is in combat; little five round neat black nylon bullet holder thingees that attach to the stock (that the shooter will forget is there when under pressure), et. al.
Give them their basic rifle with the stuff the Army issued to them. Take my word for it -- 90% of 'B-4' snipers have no clue what a minute of angle is or means in terms of their optics so the less stuff they have to deal with the better!
That said, the 2 1/2% who are the best of the best will know and will use their knowledge to attain the type of success that liars spread across the internet. Yes, 2 1/2 percent are the best of the best. However, another 90% will do their job OK. That is how it goes. There are a couple of guys at Benning right now who IMHO are the best of the best (3/2 SBCT) so maybe they can do their jobs and increase the percentages. Also, there are two fellows I know personally who are not in DoD who will dominate any and all situations they encounter. They know who they are. They aren't SF nor do they have an SF background despite my attempts to get them to go SF.
The guys who are the very best in the world no one will ever discuss as they are great men and women who view their jobs as something they were best suited to do for the country first. None of them would ever even mention their names -- the hype on the internet is not their game.
And it is just that damn simple.
Professionals are out there daily doing their jobs without an iota of a need to be famous. It has been my pleasure and honor to have known these 2 1/2 percent who are the best of the best.
SR-1955