Are Military Folks Allowed to Shoot Recreationally?

[BerettaNut92]

If I can't find a real job and am just plain tired of California, want to serve, learn a few more skills, build character, want a change of pace, bla bla bla, and decide to go AF Reserve, and (inevitably) get shipped somewhere...can I check out an M-16 and/or M9 and put a few downrange? Or am I only allowed to shoot when I qualify or have to kill something?

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Join as an armorer and you can play with them all you want.

The average Joe Blow cannot check out a M16 and head off to the range for practice on his own.

 

[Citadel99]

I wonder when the last time an AF reservist fired a M16 in anger was...

Mark

 

[mons meg]

Remember, reserve MOS choices can be limited by what type of unit is local to you (or how far you are willing to drive every month), and what needs they might have.

Jay

 

[Autolite]

There's always the military shooting competitions. Participants get to shoot (practice) more often than most.

 

[Ikari]

So far as I know, you can't just check out a weapon and go play on a free afternoon. Armorers, I must agree, would have the best opportunity to play with toys.

However, depending on your unit, they might schedule morale trips to a local range to play/qualify (MSO San Francisco did this).

 

[trvlr905]

I have to agree with Ikari. Sometimes, units have to expend their yealrly allotment of training ammunition in a hurry. That's how I got my turn with Ma' Deuce and the Big Bushmaster.

 

[444]

No.
Speaking only from my own experience, to even suggest such a thing would bring most military officers to their knees.
Along the same line, most military shooting is not "fun". Sure, all shooting is fun, but it isn't anything like you taking your own guns out and shooting them. It is more like a formal match. You load when they tell you to load, you fire only when they tell you to fire, and you shoot at exactly what they tell you to shoot at. Before any live fire is done there is a safety briefing, every aspect of the whole thing is carefully orchestrated.......................
In talking to friends I would say that the Air Force does very little small arms firing. Again, from what I have been told, at most they qualify with their weapon once a year. Many Air Force vets I talked to only used an M16 with a .22lr conversion kit at a reduced range.
However, as mentioned, there are competitive shooting opportunities in the military. I have no idea what it takes to participate, but if you want to join the reserves to shoot, you need to be looking in to this aspect of it. I recently read a book, entitled The Complete Guide To AR15 Accuracy by Derrick Martin & Barrett Tillman. Derrick Martin is the owner of the company; Accuracy Speaks which is a company that makes match AR15s. He is or was also an Arizona National Guard shooting team member. You might want to give him a call and see what he has to say about competitive shooting in the reserves. I am sure he would know the players in California.

 

[MarineTech]

I'm not sure about the Air Force, or reserve components, but in the Marines you could not check out your issue weapon for some impromptu target practice. However, as a Marine, if you have a combat arms MOS or are assigned to an infantry unit, fear not for you will have adequate opportunity to fire your weapon. I was an electronics/computer tech assigned to 2nd Bn/7th Marines and I volunteered to act as a radio operator for every range detail that came down the pike. I also had more than a few company clerks in the line companies that owed me favors (great being able to repair a Walkman, Gameboy, Television, etc) and got me on range details with their units. (It's all about juice and hook-ups) Compound all that with your yearly qualification on the rifle range, and I was putting more than my fair share of rounds down range every year.

As a side note, the base I was stationed at also had a skeet range run by MWR.

 

[Griff]

About the closest thing overseas would be going to the local Morale, Welfare, and Recreation - sponsored "Rod and Gun Club" range during your off time, rent a house gun or use your own P.O.F. (privately owned firearm) that you stored there. Think you have to jump thru hoops in the States?
Unfortuantely, most of the host nations are getting antsy about us Evil Americans being armed and a lot of new laws appear all the time. Think you have to jump thru hoops in the States?

 

[Gewehr98]

Even military competitions are a private affair.

Mostly garnered by the MOS/AFSC that deals with shooting as their normal duty description. The CATM folks in the Air Force, which is now the same AFSC as the Security Forces, have had a lockdown on shooting competitions for some time now. Skeet still looks open to the general Air Force population, for now. The way it was explained to me, is that is just wouldn't look good for some reconnaissance flyer to go out and win, say, an Olympic pistol or rifle/biathlon event and not be one of the "chosen" career fields who are supposed to be the crack shots. I had support from my unit, the commander, and everybody until I bumped into that brick wall. Bummer.

 

[Redlg155]

I would say the average "gunny" civilian gets more range time than most of our soldiers out there, no matter what the branch. Unless you are Special Forces, the military just doesn't have the money in its budget to let you shoot as often as you should, or that you would like. For most folks the range time received in Basic Training will be the most they will ever get at one time. You can expect to carry a weapon, but not shoot it 99 percent of the time once you get to your unit.

In my Army career I'd venture to say I've sent more 155mm Artillery rounds downrange than I have 5.56mm M16 rounds. Go figure.

Good Shooting
RED

 

[UnknownSailor]

This squid has shot on the government's dime only 5 times in 9 years, including boot camp.

 

[Traveler]

I don't ever expect the government to pay for my RECREATIONAL shooting. But I've been able to shoot pretty much every place I've been stationed. In the States, and many overseas posts, have shotgun ranges available for everyone. I used to shoot at lunch.

In Europe I joined the local shooting club and shot with them, while at the same time shooting on the military ranges that are open weekends. Hunting is available there also, but you have to find it.

 

[Tamara]

You can still own personal weapons, ya know.

My roomie is a M/SGT in the TNANG and was cheerfully blazing away in the back yard this afternoon...

 

[10-Ring]

Go Skunk! Always working all the angles

 

[bunkie]

Air Guard??

Skunk,
I do have some knowledge about shooting, since that's what I did for 20-plus years in the military. I don't know about the AF Reserve, but I do know the Air Nat'l Guard has a match shooting team for M16 and M9. They beat my team more than once. The Army Guard has opportunities to shoot competatively, but this varies greatly on the unit commander, since he has to "sponsor" your team. As for checking out a weapon and just going shooting, that generally 'aint going to happen. However, if you are a Guardsman and are on a shooting team, the commander may allow you to sign out an issue M9 or M16 for the purpose of marksmanship competition and practice. The year we won the state combat pistol title, we were allowed to do just that, as well as issued ammo , so we could practice for the nationals. Now if you really want to do some blasting and get paid for it, join an Army Nat'l Guard Infantry unit. You'll shoot alot of stuff, from the M9 up to the 25mm and TOW.

 

[dude]

don't expect to much of any professional shooting in the Air Force........even less in the reserves.

I did 8 years active Army as a CH 47 mechanic and shot many (many) 10s of thousands of 5.56 & 7.62X51 rounds downrange. When I became a SGT I always volunteered for 'range saftey' whenever the folks from the unit(s) were to qualify with the M-60. Had to keep an eye on the morons all day, but before wrapping it up for the day three or four of us would burn-up the remaning ammo. Usually a few 1000 rounds were left if you knew what you were doing when 'advised' the range officer (wink-wink). As the folks who were in know, it's almost impossible to give the ammo back (and alot more fun to send it down-range!)

dude, going Reserves is OK............ but if you want a real change, go Active.
...................and if you want to shoot cool stuff, don't go Air Force or Navy. The Army has more aircraft that the other 4 services combined and the training if just as good.

 

[dude]

...........and I always did lots of off-duty shooting while stationed @ Bragg because I kept some very cool personal weapons with folks from the Unit who lived off post.

 

[Nightcrawler]

The Army, Navy, and Air Force have completely different attitudes and ways of doing things. Do some reasearch, ask people who are in, and see what they have to say.

Pick which service you think is the best suited for you, and go for it.

 

[Jmurman]

when I was in

that was 74-77 we couldn't check out 16's. Nothing to stop you from buying a Bushmaster though.

 

[Ryder]

I shot plenty in the CG

But it wasn't with gov't firearms except for training and qualification.

Did plenty of shooting on gov't property, but used my own firearms and ammo.

 

[Stetson_CO]

A long time ago, when I was the armorer at Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station, I shot every day. But thats because I had to test my repairs and ammo batches

If you were to be a tech or some other type job, your shoting schedule would depend on your higher ups. You can shoot on your off time if the base has a range and you get permission(not hard to do) but you don't get to use the fun stuff unless you own it.

I think the Reserves is a great idea. Heck, Id go back if they'd let me.

c):{

 

[BigG]

The AF doesn't have much to do with guns as we know them, Skunk. Especially a reserve unit. I thought you were going to ask for active duty army or something like that. We did have rod and gun clubs when I was in. A guy bought a Krieghoff 4 bbl O/U set in Germany. Nice!

 

[Monte Harrison]

When I was in the Army, the base I spent the most time at had a 600 yard Off Duty range. It had extremely limited operating hours, and of course, only officers and senior NCO's were allowed to use it. If you live in the barracks, you have to keep personally owned weapons in the armory. To get them out, you have to find the armorer and get the CO or 1st Sgt's permission. Not always an easy thing to do, especially on weekends, so you have to plan ahead for shooting trips. This is why most barracks rats buddy up with someone who lives off post, so they can keep the guns at their buddy's house. Just make sure the CO doesn't catch wind of this, or he'll make you move your guns to the armory, and you and your buddy will both be in trouble.

The bottom line is, the Army only wants you to have the gun they give you, and then only when they want you to have it.