mljdeckard
Member
When I went through basic training in 1991, pretty much all of the time we kept our rifles at 'port arms'. When we were on the range, we were to keep the muzzle 'up' and 'downrange'. Fast forward .....a few years. Now, they have magically decided that up is no longer a good idea. Muzzle is always down. I asked why the change, and when it happened, and no one seems to know for sure. The best definitive answer I could get was that they want muzzles down, so that if there is a ND in a helicopter, it will not hit the blades or power train. I don't really buy this, because if it wasn't for the occasional shuttling of passengers in Iraqistan, most soldiers would never touch a helicopter.
I see a lot of problems with the 'always down' idea. They expect us to rest them against walls resting upside-down on the flash hider. This means they are more likely to fall, and that often you are putting the flash hider in the dirt. When soldiers carry them they often point them at toes and legs. The mentality is that if a muzzle is pointed at someone's upper body it is terrible, but their legs are expendable. Requiring it to always be down makes soldiers flip the rifle to comply, and sometimes it is difficult to fine a clear lane to point the muzzle to flip it.
When I have discussed this with other soldiers, they ask me what I think would be a better idea. I tell them, "How about we always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, whether that means up, down, sideways, or otherwise? Seems simple to me."
Why and when did they change?
I see a lot of problems with the 'always down' idea. They expect us to rest them against walls resting upside-down on the flash hider. This means they are more likely to fall, and that often you are putting the flash hider in the dirt. When soldiers carry them they often point them at toes and legs. The mentality is that if a muzzle is pointed at someone's upper body it is terrible, but their legs are expendable. Requiring it to always be down makes soldiers flip the rifle to comply, and sometimes it is difficult to fine a clear lane to point the muzzle to flip it.
When I have discussed this with other soldiers, they ask me what I think would be a better idea. I tell them, "How about we always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, whether that means up, down, sideways, or otherwise? Seems simple to me."
Why and when did they change?