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Marksmanship

sevenhelmet

Low calorie attack from the Heartland
pilot
One of the benefits of being new to an organization is that you are not beholden to the status quo, and you are more willing to ask "Why do we do it this way?" Anyway, happy thanksgiving to you too - I'm deep frying a turkey today! My in-laws will definitely be asking me "Why do you do it this way? :D
Just make sure it’s not frozen!!! If there’s anything I learned from holiday safety stand downs, it was that. Thanks, Navy. ;)

Happy Thanksgiving, especially to the folks who are not home for the holidays this year.
 

number9

Well-Known Member
Contributor
Just make sure it’s not frozen!!! If there’s anything I learned from holiday safety stand downs, it was that. Thanks, Navy. ;)

Happy Thanksgiving, especially to the folks who are not home for the holidays this year.
I've done it once before, but it was 10 years ago. I'm doing outside, and with a fresh (not frozen) turkey.

I'm also not doing at my own house ;)
 

SynixMan

Mobilizer Extraordinaire
pilot
Contributor
One of the benefits of being new to an organization is that you are not beholden to the status quo, and you are more willing to ask "Why do we do it this way?" Anyway, happy thanksgiving to you too - I'm deep frying a turkey today! My in-laws will definitely be asking me "Why do you do it this way? :D

Challenging the status quo and being out of touch with reality are two different things. You joined the least tactical nerd force of the least tactical branch (small arms wise). Having helped setup range dasy for a squadron actually going on deployment with a realistic chance of being over bad guy country and needing weapons quals, it's a huge evolution. As others have said, if a unit is already working the range and you can jump in without extra asspain to them, great. But unless you're going further downrange than a CONUS watch floor, you should expect the reaction you've gotten here from folks who claw every day to get the resources they need for their people. Go be billy badass on your own time.
 
Well, I was in kind of the same boat as the OP. My ship had an MWR qual and mu boss wouldn’t let me go, for similar reasons mentioned here. I raised the issue and was allowed to take leave and have a fun day where i felt like I was actually in the military rather than a drone at Springfield Nuclear Powerplant. Despite the friction with my boss, the Navy got more work out of me for the morale boost that one good day got me.

My next tour was as an OIC of a RIB det with an SBT. It helped showing up to the job with the quals, and when I qualified “for real” it was nice that that I knew the fundamentals and how to clean a carbine and pistol.

I’m not sure why there’s all the dog-piling on the OP. Let the commands or MWR dudes tell him he’s wasting tax payer money and has no business trying this pretend he’s a door kicker if that’s the case.
 

RobLyman

- hawk Pilot
pilot
None
We had annual quals in the Army National Guard. For pilots, it meant M9/M17 and M4. It takes up an entire weekend to get the battalion qualed. On a one-weekend-a-month basis, individual weapons qual was a REAL pain in the ass. Then another weekend for crew served weapons. This was EVERY year, regardless of deployment schedule. Flying overland in Somalia in the Navy, I was handed a 45 and asked if I had ever shot one. I said, "Yes. Once as a fam fire." The PR's response was "Here sir. Don't shoot yourself." It was a different time and a different situation. Perhaps a compromise would be good. Qualify once per tour unless needed more for operational requirements?
 

Notanaviator

Well-Known Member
Contributor
I've done it once before, but it was 10 years ago. I'm doing outside, and with a fresh (not frozen) turkey.

I'm also not doing at my own house ;)

Happy Thanksgiving all- one turkey route I’ve enjoyed the last few years was looking at white meat and dark meat as different dishes entirely. Lop off the legs and wings, brine and roast the breasts, confit the legs and wings overnight in heavily garlic/rosemaried olive oil. Both awesome, solves the problem of both being underwhelming cooked together.
 

JTS11

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Happy Thanksgiving all- one turkey route I’ve enjoyed the last few years was looking at white meat and dark meat as different dishes entirely. Lop off the legs and wings, brine and roast the breasts, confit the legs and wings overnight in heavily garlic/rosemaried olive oil. Both awesome, solves the problem of both being underwhelming cooked together.
You can't do that with a frozen Butterball. Maybe with a $90 turkey though.
 
AU_Aviation, check the most current OPNAV, but I think you can qualify on the AF qual and it will transfer to the Navy. I'm not sure how much Coast Guard there is in Missouri, but they also shoot a bunch and the same applies. I think the only thing is for the Navy you have to have iron sights for it to "count".
 

exNavyOffRec

Well-Known Member
Well, I was in kind of the same boat as the OP. My ship had an MWR qual and mu boss wouldn’t let me go, for similar reasons mentioned here. I raised the issue and was allowed to take leave and have a fun day where i felt like I was actually in the military rather than a drone at Springfield Nuclear Powerplant. Despite the friction with my boss, the Navy got more work out of me for the morale boost that one good day got me.

My next tour was as an OIC of a RIB det with an SBT. It helped showing up to the job with the quals, and when I qualified “for real” it was nice that that I knew the fundamentals and how to clean a carbine and pistol.

I’m not sure why there’s all the dog-piling on the OP. Let the commands or MWR dudes tell him he’s wasting tax payer money and has no business trying this pretend he’s a door kicker if that’s the case.
My personal thought is if we are in the military we should know how to shoot common weapons. I of course know it won't happen as it isn't cost effective and most jobs in the USN don't have a need.

It happens I was able to qualify pistol as a surface nuke just by chance. A CPO I knew had an FFL and he was friends with several range masters at Bangor, they had ammo to use so I was offered the chance and took it. I would always get asked how I was able to qualify since pretty much no one else in the department had it.

My uncle was an MM then CWO who retired in 1980 and after I joined and talked about doing a reduction gear inspection he asked if I was the armed guard, I was confused and then he said when he was in anytime the reduction gears were open there was always an armed guard.
 
Yeah, I remember hearing stories from the old timers like that, so much so that I was always dying to actually see the reduction gears in person.

Not sure if the OP has lost interest in this thread or not, but signing on with the Navy marksmanship team (usnmt.org) is also an option. I think they generally want you to volunteer at a few matches before shooting. Even if a CMP match doesn’t get you a qual, it’ll get in with the SAMI mafia, and getting small arms quals in the Navy often seemed to involve those kind of mafia relationships.
 

AU_Aviation

Active Member
I'd like to thank everyone for their feedback and opinions on this matter regardless of what your stance is on it. I see arguments to both sides of this, which is the reason I placed the questions on here so that I could gather more intel and possibly learn more about available resources.
 
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