So are we all jacks of all trades??????

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cslinger

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MODS, although this is not technically gun specific firearms play into my thoughts. Feel free to delete or move as necessary.

I am a jack of all trades. I have skills in a great many things but I am not really an expert in anything. Is this a trait of of the average gun owner/boy scout?

I am the kind of person that feels a need to be able to fix his own problems as necessary. I want to have the tools and the knowledge or at least know where to get the knowledge to take care of anything I might encounter.

I have firearms fore defense. I am by no means a gunfighter and have no desires to ever shoot a gun in anger but I am certainly more capable then most in this regard.

I am by no means a mechanic but I am capable of basic repair and maintainence.

I am by no means a doctor but I am reasonably well skilled in basic first aid.

I am certainly no hunter but know the very basics of tracking and skinning.

I am by no means a survivalist but would not panic if lost in the wilderness and know some basic navigation and survival skills.

I am by no means a carpenter or designer but can get by with a saw and some wood if need be.

I am by no means a pilot but if push came to shove I can take off, fly and land a small fixed wing aircraft and I am capable of flying rotary aircraft (never really got that soft landing down with these though :uhoh: )

And so on.

I have found that being a jack of all trades master of none has taken me very far in life and I wonder if this is a trait of many of us "gunnies". So do the rest of you find yourself wanting to have a little knowledge on many things.

Most "gunnies" I meet seem to be well educated curious folk who have a desire to learn a bit about anything they can and tend to be very humble in their abilities. I think this makes us as a group prepared to handle many everyday situations, not SHTF I am talking regular every day stuff.

You would be amazed how many folks don't carry a small knife or flashlight and how many more wouldn't even know how to use them in any given situation.

So how many other jacks of all trades masters of none boy scouts do we have?

Chris
 
I can't cook, but have the skill to eat anything delicious made for me.

I may not bring a lady to ecstacy when making love, but am able to make sure that I enjoy it to the absolute fullest.

I may not be a great fighter, but among those who are, I am considered a formidable non-fighter.

I may not be the best shooter there ever was, but through years of dedicated experience I can now embellish descriptions of my ability to match even the most legendary gunner.

;)

I keed, I keed...


.
 
I'm good at breaking things.. so my mom tells me.. it doesn't matter what... does that count?

~Can you shoot a man with an M14 @ 500 yards with iron sights?
~Can you make chili or spagetti?
~Can you fix a flat, change the oil, repack the ballbarrings, replace your own ~brakepads on your car?
~Can you skin a deer?
~Do you know the difference between New York, Filet Mignon, T-Bone, and porterhouse?
~Can you transition from rifle to pistol?
~Can your break down all your guns to cleaning level blindfolded?
~Can you throw a knife?
~Can you make good lemonade?
~Can you drive stickshift?
~If you got in a fight with Richard Simmons, would you win?
~Can you program your VCR?
~Can you stitch a holster for your pistol?

Just questions that make you go humm... My partial list of basics you should know.


Seriously, I think gun owners are more "versatile" than most others. We tend to believe in less gov'ment, more elbow grease.
 
Those who hold personal responsibility above most else tend to be the generally capable type. Capable of just about anything they give good effort to doing.

I see myself in 100% of everything you said above.

Welcome to the club, maybe we should come up with some kind of signifying handshake.
 
~If you got in a fight with Richard Simmons, would you win?
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Probably not since I would be doubled over in laughter which would give him ample opportunity to flee or sucker punch me into submission. Heck I might laugh myself into submission.
 
Laugh all you want- a cornered Richard Simmons isn't something to be taken lightly in the wild.

.
 
~If you got in a fight with Richard Simmons, would you win?
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I hope you haven't seen his guest appearance on Who's Line Is It Anyway? It's disturbingly funny.

General carpentry, tiling, framing, drywall work, electrical, basically any work needed to repair or renovate a house, albiet I don't think I could actually build one from scratch.

I've got mechanical inclination so I tend to break things, or take them apart if they aren't broken and put it back together again to learn or marvel at the engineering behind it (or scoff at the cheapness of it), but not in an obsessive-compulsive disorder way. I guess you'd call it the tinkering gene. I'd like to find an engine to work on since I am lacking in the automotive section but I know the physical workings of an engine and very basic maintenence and repair. I might consider a 63B light mechanic MOS if I re-enlist (but I want 11x so I can go play Cowboys and Indians first)

I've got some physical and electrical background since I was planning to major in electrical/mechanical engineering but quit short of that when I realized the real world of the overworked, underappreciated engineer is JUST like Dilbert and that the comic wasn't an exaggeration at all. I was under the impression that I'd get to R&D my own toys and physically work on them, not design one small component of a microprocessor at a desk that I'll never see in person.

I can cook edible food, but many things can be considered edible and not gourmet. There are still some areas I'd like more experience in so I'm not completely well-rounded.

I guess I'm halfjack of some trade
 
Mr. Heinlein summed up what I think is the basic philosophy most "gunnies" either subscribe too, or embody.

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

Source: http://www.bobgod.com/writer/lazaruslong.html
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Most "gunnies" I meet seem to be well educated curious folk who have a desire to learn a bit about anything they can and tend to be very humble in their abilities.
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I concur. Well, except for the humble part, but thats just me. :neener:
 
That’s kind of interesting cslinger. I'm a hunter, shooter, and general all-around gun nut. But for years I had to masquerade as an electrician in order to earn a living. I wonder just how many gun people do consider themselves jacks-of-all-trades. I think of myself as more of a "do-it-yourselfer.” However, because I am a gun lover, doing it myself may be more a matter of economic necessity than choice. For instance, I don’t like changing the oil in my pickup truck, but I can do it for about $12.00. If I take it to one of those oil change places it will cost me $30.00. The $18.00 I save helps feed my present 1911 addiction. :D
 
At least for me, it comes from wanting to be prepared for things, general curiosity, and a desire to be a minor expert in everything that interests me.
 
more like semi expert at a few things.
but i have also always been into the small team effort, so all bases are covered by all of us.

but definitely a DIY person for so much stuff, often with some expert help- networking is one of my strong points.

i am always amazed at how little the hmmmmm- i think scouts did have a lot to do with it, but not just scouts, becuase im sure a bunch of you guys are do it yourselfers etc who werent in scouts- anyway , so many people just dont even try and take care of anything themselves.

i take care of the vast majority myself or with some help.
im pretty good at most of the stuff above- but for example i can redo bathroom tiles/plumbing totally, but cant really hit a nail for the life of me.
i can r&r tranny and clutch, but wouldnt take off the heads.

i dont cook much- BUT when you can bake like i can- cookies, muffins, pies, cakes from SCRATch- its easy to find a cook! heheh.
main point is i am better than average at a few things, but connect myself to many experts, so its rare i have to look in the yellow pages for help with any project, and in an emergency/survival situation- more than capable, especially considering the small team we'd assemble
 
Not so much. Jack of some, master of few.

As time passes I try not to pass up the opportunity to learn new things. I have friends who are very handy and I make a point of getting involved in their projects both to be a friend and to learn something.
 
I guess I am sort of a jack of all trades, my work necessitates it and my personal life continues it. A 'can do' attitude carries over to my shooting and gun maintenance/upgrade work as well.
 
I can't cook, but have the skill to eat anything delicious made for me.

I may not bring a lady to ecstacy when making love, but am able to make sure that I enjoy it to the absolute fullest.

I may not be a great fighter, but among those who are, I am considered a formidable non-fighter.

I may not be the best shooter there ever was, but through years of dedicated experience I can now embellish descriptions of my ability to match even the most legendary gunner.
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Best post I've read to date
 
FYI, many people will view themselves as a "jack of all trades"--especially the small percentage of people on this forum who volunteer to apply to this thread.

Let's see, I can....

--order the 64 ounce Porterhouse at Morton's and eat it
--place moderately well in the eating contests I've been in
--procreate
--deliver babies
--do a C-section
--suture lacerations
--fix a pneumothorax NOW
--intubate
--appendectomy in a pinch
--incise and drain abcesses
--reduce a dislocated shoulder
--reduce a dislocated hip
--put on casts
--inject joints
--cure some STDs, manage others
--pharmacologically manage psychiatric disorders
--dive deep
--free dive to 100' in 40 degree water
--hold my breath for 1:45+ minutes at rest
--navigate under water
--navigate above water
--sail for pleasure and to win
--operate a twin screw powerboat
--winterize a boat
--tow a boat
--swim a mile
--water ski
--snow ski
--play hockey
--speak Spanish
--not have credit card debt
--invest, rather than spend
--grow and harvest coral
--breed African cichlids
--wire and stick weld
--change oil, brakes, plugs, belts, tires, fix flats
--understand and apply Ohm's law
--solder
--fly single engine airplanes
--design and build model airplanes
--cast a fly rod
--tie a size 16 Adams
--catch big game on a fly rod
--shoot a pistol very well at a stationary target
--shoot a pistol less well practically
--install night sights
--operate a tractor
--operate a combine
--ride a horse well
--train a dog
--identify most baroque, classical, romantic, contemporary pieces
--give a good toast at a wedding
 
The label fits. There are a few things I can do very well, most things I can do decently. Someday I'll find that one thing I can do well that actually pays decent and is enjoyable. ;)
 
One of the most enduring lessons from my father: never pass up the opportunity to learn something new. You may not need it right now, but at some point in life, it will come in handy. Also comes in handy for trouncing the wife at Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit (wish I could find a "spike the ball/endzone dance" smilie) :p
 
--catch big game on a fly rod
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that's something I want to be witness too... I hope we have different ideas of what big game is... :D

you see once you're offically a JOT, you don't ask your friends "what can we do today?" instead you ask... "got anything we can tear up??" or "did you ever get that working right??" a good JOT reply is "we can do that"... or "where 's the duct tape and/or j.b. weld??" :eek:

now hold my beer, and watch this.... :neener:
 
Some big game walks and runs, some big game swims and jumps. The quest for prey does not stop at the waterline.
 
Background medical and engineering - born a ''tinkerer'' - which means dismantling stuff to learn how it works - then the challenge, of putting back together. Learned a lot, sometimes the hard way.

Countless interests as a kid and so became somewhat able at most things - which developed as years passed. Now reached a stage where less capable due to age factors but - can turn hand to most things if physically able. If beyond my abilities, tooling etc - then have learned to either ask for help/assistance or - let the guy who knows more than me do it. Much less pride now!

This last includes gun work beyond my own skills, camera inards, clocks and watches etc.

So for me ''jack of most trades - expert in VERY few''! :p
 
This is an interesting thread. Looking around at the gun owners I know personally, both male and female, I think there is certainly a tendency toward all-around competence.
 
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