All of us who have actually fired a gun IN REAL LIFE.. ..And you other guys can come too.

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

I think I can explain why your trainers were getting on you over the way you were cocking your weapon.

Overarm cocking the way you describe it creates a larger silhouette in other words a larger target. If you were being trained for combat or were being taught by someone who trains, trained or was trained for combat was trained for combat shooting, the mentality is that keeping a person alive is more important than temporary comfort.

I'm ex-military and I have noticed how my familiarity with the various weapons influences how I use them.

I definitely don't spray and pray with weapons with high RoF anymore.

I'd understand that but they told me to cock overam.

I was more comfortable cocking underarm.

 

[TerribleAssassin]

Shooting guns in real life annoyed me... the way we were 'supposed' to fire the gun meant it kept jamming.

(We were meant to cock it overarm, I could cock it underarm no problem, but if I tried overarm it would jam half the time)

It hasn't really changed how I feel about firing them in games... they've always been two completely separate concepts to me.

What gun was this?



OT: Well, I fired an L98A2 on a night execise, and it's taught me to use my ammo more effeciently rather than shoot anything that looks human..

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

What gun was this?



OT: Well, I fired an L98A2 on a night execise, and it's taught me to use my ammo more effeciently rather than shoot anything that looks human..

L85 Cadet rifle.

Spoiler: L85

 

[TerribleAssassin]

What gun was this?



OT: Well, I fired an L98A2 on a night execise, and it's taught me to use my ammo more effeciently rather than shoot anything that looks human..

L85 Cadet rifle.

Spoiler: L85

Yeah, I can understand your cocking method.

If you did it on your 1 star handling test did you get a fail?

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

Yeah, I can understand your cocking method.

If you did it on your 1 star handling test did you get a fail?

I assume you did something slightly different to me as I didn't have different types of handling tests.

You took one then had to pass it once a year to continue shooting.

And as far as I can tell, cocking underarm was a minor infraction and didn't constitute an instant fail.

 

[TerribleAssassin]

Yeah, I can understand your cocking method.

If you did it on your 1 star handling test did you get a fail?

I assume you did something slightly different to me as I didn't have different types of handling tests.

You took one then had to pass it once a year to continue shooting.

And as far as I can tell, cocking underarm was a minor infraction and didn't constitute an instant fail.

That seems reasonable, though at detachment we were told that cocking was only to be done with the left hand (presuming you cocked with the right hand, leaving the left hand on the hand guard) and that if you didn't use the left hand, it could be the difference between a pass and a fail.

How did you cock underarm?

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

That seems reasonable, though at detachment we were told that cocking was only to be done with the left hand (presuming you cocked with the right hand, leaving the left hand on the hand guard) and that if you didn't use the left hand, it could be the difference between a pass and a fail.

How did you cock underarm?

That rifle is right arm cocking only.

Left handed people had to learn to use their right hand.

Underarm is the same as overarm just in reverse kinda...

instead of gripping it with your elbow up in the air and your palm facing down.

You grab the handle with your palm facing up and your elbow close to the ground.

 

[Megacherv]

Wait, overarm? Hang on...

*tries to imagine cocking overarm*

Wait, I can't see what you mean by that.

EDIT: I have held an Accuracy International Rifle before (British standard sniper rifle, was bloody heavy), but obviously didn't fire it.

Imagine you're gripping the lever, palm facing down, elbow above the height of your hand, so you have to pull with the triceps.

Under arm is gripping the lever, palm facing up, elbow below the height of your hand, meaning you pull with your biceps.

Wait, what kind of cocking mechanism is this? I assume it isn't a lever-action, so I'm guessing it's a bolt-action?

EDIT: Nevermind, seen what gun it is, I kinda understand (although I don't understand why it would jam)

 

[latenightapplepie]

(Dont get me wrong, Im as far from gun crazy you can get. And I agree on strict regulations regarding who should be allowed to own a firearm.).

Just a quibble: being as far from "gun crazy" as possible would probably be being virulently anti-gun. There are some places in the world, I think, where just going out shooting every now and then puts you quite close to "gun crazy" status. I'm pretty sure the vast majority of Australians will never fire a gun in their lives. I don't think I've never even seen one in the flesh. Okay, so maybe I've seen some revolvers in police holsters, but that's about it.

FOR ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE NEVER FIRED A GUN BUT ENJOY DOING SO IN VIDEOGAMES:
Your views on this? Is there anyone here who instantly react to guns with "WOOOOOOOAH AWESOME"?

I only think guns in videogames are cool. A great many of them are a real blast to fire and kill enemies with.

However, guns in real life I find fairly terrifying. One of the only good things I can remember of the top of my head that the Howard government did was the anti-gun laws that were enacted after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.

 

[the_bearpelt]

I actually have not fired a gun myself yet, but I plan on learning how to shoot and learning more about guns in general. I'm one of those people who had to have the Desert Eagle be explained to me, but I have a lot of respect for guns.

 

[PrimoThePro]

I like to hunt, yeah, but I prefer using my hunting knife to a gun. It feels so impersonal. Hard to explain, but I like to get up close to the animal I'm about to end.

 

[Cheesus333]

I've never so much as touched a real firearm (that I can remember) and wouldn't want to do so unless it was absolutely necessary. Or if someone had set up some targets and offered it to me, cause - hell, why not?

They're good in games, though. No-one gets hurt, and they look cool. That seems to be the be-all and end-all of it as far as I'm concerned.

 

[The Long Road]

in real life i only fired from three diferent rifles(forgot the names)and once i got to fire wielding dual glocks(holy shit it was awesome)

I call shenanigans on this one...

Whoever let you dual-wield Glocks is a retard of astounding magnitude. I can't think of a single person I know letting a newbie take two semi-automatic handguns and saying "Let 'er rip!". It's a great waste of ammunition and an even better way to cause an accident.

Also, nobody forgets everything about three different rifles. Something would have stuck. Name. Caliber. Action. Color. Shininess.

OT: My experience with long-distance shooting made me very happy when one of my friends showed me sniping in BF:BC2. I hadn't had any prior experience with the Battlefield series, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the round fall over great distances. I am now disappointed every time a new game doesn't have it.

 

[s0m3th1ng]

in real life i only fired from three diferent rifles(forgot the names)and once i got to fire wielding dual glocks(holy shit it was awesome)

I call shenanigans on this one...

Whoever let you dual-wield Glocks is a retard of astounding magnitude. I can't think of a single person I know letting a newbie take two semi-automatic handguns and saying "Let 'er rip!". It's a great waste of ammunition and an even better way to cause an accident.

Also, nobody forgets everything about three different rifles. Something would have stuck. Name. Caliber. Action. Color. Shininess.

OT: My experience with long-distance shooting made me very happy when one of my friends showed me sniping in BF:BC2. I hadn't had any prior experience with the Battlefield series, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the round fall over great distances. I am now disappointed every time a new game doesn't have it.

I was disappointed it wasn't nearly enough bullet drop.

 

[Doinstuffman38]

I've fired a .22 rimfire, and a 12-gauge, both at a Boy Scout camp. Both very nice weapons. I was better with the .22, the shotgun had a kick I wasn't used to.

 

[SilkySkyKitten]

I've fired about 4 different .22lr rifle variants (bolt-action, lever-action, semi-auto, and pump action, the exact types I do not know), various pistols (two Walther P22s in .22lr, a Walther P99 in .40 S&W, a Baretta M9 and a Kahr CW9 in 9mm, and an M1911 clone in .45), 3 different revolvers (a Colt Python in .357, a Colt Anaconda in .44 Magnum, and a Magnum Research BFR in .500 S&W), a 7mm rifle (the exact type escapes me at the moment), and a 12 gauge shotgun (the exact type of this one also escapes me at the moment). I've also held but haven't fired a police-issue .40 S&W Glock (model number I do not know), two .40 S&W Smith & Wesson Model 4006s (one that could operate in both Single Action and Double Action, and another that was Double Action Only), and a .38 special revolver (of which I cannot identify).

In a game, I don't regard firearms with that much "respect" unless the game is something uber-realistic like ARMA or Operation Flashpoint. Not to say that I spray-and-pray constantly and don't try to be accurate, but I don't really take my time with a firearm most of the time in the virtual realm.

In reality however, I do take my time with and respect any firearm I come into contact with, even if it isn't loaded and the safety is on and whatnot. Hell, I'd go as far as saying I'm partially afraid of any unloaded firearm I come into contact with, and scared shitless of any loaded firearm I come into contact with (which is probably a good thing, as if you're too comfortable with a loaded weapon you're more likely to make a terrible mistake).

 

[The Long Road]

in real life i only fired from three diferent rifles(forgot the names)and once i got to fire wielding dual glocks(holy shit it was awesome)

I call shenanigans on this one...

Whoever let you dual-wield Glocks is a retard of astounding magnitude. I can't think of a single person I know letting a newbie take two semi-automatic handguns and saying "Let 'er rip!". It's a great waste of ammunition and an even better way to cause an accident.

Also, nobody forgets everything about three different rifles. Something would have stuck. Name. Caliber. Action. Color. Shininess.

OT: My experience with long-distance shooting made me very happy when one of my friends showed me sniping in BF:BC2. I hadn't had any prior experience with the Battlefield series, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the round fall over great distances. I am now disappointed every time a new game doesn't have it.

I was disappointed it wasn't nearly enough bullet drop.

Well... It's better than nothing... Remember who we're dealing with. The unwashed masses would play it and say "lol this r not snipin itz artillllllery loolz".

 

[Shoqiyqa]

I don't believe there is any reason for anyone outside of military or law enforcement that has a legitimate reason to own a gun. I don't understand why hunting can't be done with a bow.

I take it you've never tried.

I put out bird-feeders and fill them with food. This attracts the endangered native songbirds I'm trying to help, native voles and mice, non-native grey squirrels and brown rats and the ******* pigeons. If I put out traps for the rats, I'll trap blackbirds and sparrows and finches too. If I put down poison I'll poison everything. The squirrels wreck the "squirrel-resistant" feeders to get at the food in them. There is no way to get rid of these things and only these things except shooting them, so I shoot them. Yes, it takes about an hour to stand there and wait for a rat to poke its head back out, but when it does the local population of rats goes down by one, and the shot only cost a penny and I'm not having to retrieve and reuse or discard a contaminated arrow.

Anyway, why would bows be better? Because longbows have shorter range than shotguns? Because a bow is always more accurate than any scoped rifle? Because there's a minimum strength to use one effectively so it takes a butch tomboy or a man to use one and girlies can't?

Our air gun laws are daft too, by the way. Up in the Dales, there is a field. It's triangular. On two sides are minor roads. On the third side is a stream, beyond which is a steep, high bank of soft earth. In the corner opposite the stream is a clump of trees. Downstream is a village. In the middle of this field is a rabbit. The farmer wants rid of the rabbits.

I could shoot from behind one wall towards the earth bank, but that would be illegal.
I could shoot from behind the other wall towards the village, but that would be illegal.
I could climb over that wall behind the trees, then load my gun and shoot towards the village, and that would be legal unless I startled someone, in which case it would be illegal.
I could crawl up or down the stream channel and shoot towards a stone wall with a minor public road behind it and a busy main road a hundred metres beyond that ... and that's perfectly legal, fine and dandy, because I'm not shooting from a public place.

If you want to know why I shoot pigeons, you haven't been paying attention.

 

[Lovelocke]

Fired several guns in my life, in-game and in person: I vastly prefer shooting in games... way cheaper, less dangerous, more freedom. This is why games are typically superior for escapism...

 

[Sindre1]

Meh, its not that great.

But I am quite good.
Or was a few months ago.