Preparing kid for military. Should I sell the AK and buy and AR?

[kBob]

Well like I said, what do I know. I just based my opinions on my own experience without draging in any of what I heard or what it seems like from outside.

My experience is of course limited to teaching highschool cadets while in high school in a rural area where everyone already knew how to shoot, helping company mates at the Citadel when our freshman class company took best marksmanship freshman class cup (forgots its name) for the 16 companies, helping others pass that otherwise would not have in basic and Infantry AIT, Serving about a month as an AI "White Hat" doing mostly small arms at Ft. Polk La (Tiger Land) for infantry trainees, working as small arms instructor for my Infantry Company in Europe, and the company "Project Partnership" small arms instructor teaching Brits Canadians Germans and French to use the M-16A1 and M-60 GPMG, WOrking as a Cadet assistant Training officer in a southern university full of folks that hunted and plinked, and as the officer responsable for the marksmanship skills of a 220 +/- 10 battery that had both men and women in it. Of course as an NRA Rifle Instructor I occassionally run into folks in our rural area that have a little bit of shooting experience.

I REALLY like the idea of going to an Appleseed event. Tech sights on a 10/22 if you have one or a Marlin 60 even will really get her onto aperature sights as opposed to the open tangent type sights on most non Isreali or Finnish AKs and if you already have the .22 will cost about $70 and maybe fifteen minutes to install following the directions. A set of slingswivels that will handle the GI web sling of old will be nice for Appleseed as they base their instruction on ancient USMC and more ancient USA obsolete shooting techniques that would only allow most folks taking a two day class to qualify expert in the service these days.

True that on the idea of simply borrowing an AR and letting her strip it ten or fifteen times on several different days would be a help. Be aware of the differences with Sporting rifles and select fire ARs though and the need to do a few things differently. Also avoid Colts that have their sporting style front pivot rather than a takedown pin.

If it were my daughter I would also, whether the military still does it or not, teach her the old Daisy Quick Skill or US Army Quick Kill techneques for close range unsighted effective target engagement. This works in the dark and changing light at close range when you really need to get there "furstest with the mostest"

You might also want to atleast familurize her with a red dot sight, even an el cheapo Wal-Mart chepo in a .22 just so she knows how they work and what to expect.

I guess my statements are the way they are because I am more interested in your young lady being able to use an AR based weapon when she REALLY NEEDS TO than just allowing her to do well in basic and get a good shooting record and keep a grumpy military marks manship instructor happy by using whatever he or she demands today of their trainees.

These last decades ladies in all sorts of "support" and "Non-Combat" positions have found them selves in spots where they really needed to be able to use an AR15 or Baretta M9 better than just qualifying. One of my surviving High school buddies was an assitant to the CG USAF a bit this last decade and was partially responsible for getting additional marksmanship training for USAF folks about to be deployed or once they were deployed partially for this very reason.

I now leave you to the younger and wiser folks......

-kBob

 

[snakeman]

The military will train her with what she will be using. However, if you train her with the enemy's gun, she will be more versatile.

 

[BSA1]

With two kids having gone through Army Basic Training in the last few years I can share some observations;

The Army issues both M-16's and M-4's to recruits during basic training. My daughter says the lucky ones get the M-4.

Qualification is done wearing combat gear including the helmet. Both of my kids were trained shooters before entering the Army and both of them commented how difficult it is trying to shoot with a helmet on.

I'm sure you consider yourself a instructor par to none but the Army has it's own way of training. A frequent comment seen on this forum is how much easier it is to teach women to shoot because they are willing to listen unlike men who already know it all. Why try to make the Instructors job harder by them having to retrain your daughter?

After your daughter is issued her weapon she is required to keep it within arms reach at all times.

The Army likes for recruits to walk...a lot...everywhere during basic carrying the rifle.

The best thing you can do to prepare your daughter for Army basic training is for her to walk/march/jog/run a lot carrying a rifle. Your Ak with a sling will be fine for this as it will get her use to carrying it. And since she is required to keep it within arm's reach at all times it will teach her to carry it to the table when eating and to the bathroom.

As for confidence the Army will teach her plenty of that. That real issue is whether Mom and Dad will be able the more mature self confident daughter that will come home after her basic and AIT training.

 

[Zombiphobia]

It wouldn't hurt to get him or her used to the Ar/M16 platform, but I'd never even held an M16 when I enlisted, but I did have lots of time to familiarize with an AK and I did just fine. My lowest marksmanship score to date is 36 out of 40 and there were plenty of guys who'd never held a gun at all do just fine.

So it's really up to him. If he understand the basic principles of marksmanship, he'll do fine, besides all of that stuff is taught in BCT, from stance, to grip, to breathing and trigger pull, sight picture etc.. and sight picture on the M16 was alien to me at first, but doesn't take long to learn.

 

[breakingcontact]

Unless she's a very confident, strong spirited sort, the military isn't a good place for many women.

And on top of that...depending upon her desires upon leaving the military, I'd encourage her to take up some technical MOS that has a strong marketability on the civilian/DoD side of things.

As far as weapons training...having some familiarity with the AR15 will help but it's certainly not vital.

 

[Stress_Test]

The best thing you can do to prepare your daughter for Army basic training is for her to walk/march/jog/run a lot carrying a rifle. Your Ak with a sling will be fine for this as it will get her use to carrying it. And since she is required to keep it within arm's reach at all times it will teach her to carry it to the table when eating and to the bathroom.

Heh, a couple weeks ago, just for grins, I carried my Colt AR while I took about a half hour walk on my treadmill. No sling, so I just carried in my hands and shifted position a lot. Didn't bother me during and immediately after, but the next day my lower back was KILLING me. I don't envy soldiers at all!

Of course:

(1) my rifle was the 20" heavy barrel version
(2) your kid's probably a lot younger than me!