Weapon System?

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Robert101

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I have been watching a fair amount of gun and military shows lately and find that a lot of the commentators use words like weapon systems and weapon platforms, etc. to describe what I call guns. What has happened to our firearm industry when on the show “ Triggers”, the lead past Ranger character calls a 1911 handgun a weapon system? Is my 308 battle rifle a weapon system too?
 
Generally, it's an effort to make the speaker come across as profound and uber-knowledgeable. Sorta like the silly weather people who yawp about "rainfall event" or "storm system" and other such nonsense.
 
Haven't you heard that garbagemen/trashmen are called sanitation engineers? I hate it when people go out of their way to impress or are pompous.
 
Wow, so glad to hear that I'm not the only one who thinks they are trying to just show off.
 
When I hear "weapon system", I think of something like the Cheytac Intervention in .408 cal., where the rifle, the cartridge, the scope, the ballistic calculator, and all that jazz are all designed around one central weapon concept. Anything less isn't exactly a "system".
 
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Let me clarify.

A stock Remington M700 rifle is just a weapon. It's a platform (foundation) for building a system. Take that bare weapon add optics, sling, suppressor, case, bipod, extra magazines, field kit, and that's a system. The shooter is also part of the system.

Term is used correctly. It's not like the use of tactical.

The sniper rifle is a platform. It's a foundation to building a system. A handgun can be a platform, much like any other firearm.
 
A stock Remington M700 rifle is just a weapon. It's a platform (foundation) for building a system. Take that bare weapon add optics, sling, suppressor, case, bipod, extra magazines, field kit, and that's a system. The shooter is also part of the system.
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I'd just as soon have something like a Remington 700 with a good scope and probably a sling and call it a nice rifle. ;)
 
Also they're trying to carefully walk the line between a "firearm" and a "weapon". On Topshot I heard one of the guest instructors explaining the difference. As I understand his explanation, a weapon MUST be (by definition) designed to or currently being used to defend the well-being of human life. Yeah, I didn't quite get it either. But "Firearm System" just doesn't have that ring to it. :scrutiny:
 
All firearms are weapons. Not all weapons are firearms.

Weapon is not politically correct and the NRA strives to promote the idea that firearms used for "sporting" purposes are not weapons, which I strongly disagree with. The NRA believes soldiers and police use weapons, hunters use firearms, and armed citizens use tools. Give me a break. They're all weapons.
 
At least it's better than the nonsensical "high rate of speed" that cops and psuedo-low-drag people always blurt out. Speed is a rate! What's the difference between saying following:

"The car was traveling at high speed."

versus

"The car was traveling at a high rate of speed."

(Answer: two completely unnecessary words.)
 
In my opinion "Weapon System" is a term we all need to down play a bit, it just get's the other side riled up! Now as for the term itself has more pre-dominatly been used by the military. You have to keep in mind that when the DOD begins R&D on a new defense "system", it's usually going to be refered to as a new "weapon development system". As for public use it really has no bearing, and the left likes to use that against us if they can.
 
I've never seen anyone from the Brady Campaign, CSGV, VPC, etc. try to politicize the term "weapon system." If you've got a source for that, I'd be interested to see it.

As for the term itself, it's not one that I generally use as I agree that it does sound a bit pretentious.

That said, I think that it is extremely helpful to try to think in systemic terms when buying a new firearm. It's really easy to succumb to the Wannacoolgun virus without putting much thought into everything a new gun entails.

I posted about this awhile back, here:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=578108
 
1. At that particular point in time: then.
2. Involving the facial area. In the face.
3. A storm event. Rain. Or snow.
4. A male individual. A man.
5. A female individual. A woman.
6. A weapon platform. A gun.
 
What also cracks me up is people talking about the weapon system that they are "running". I wanna ask them where they are running to and why they are running.
 
What also cracks me up is people talking about the weapon system that they are "running". I wanna ask them where they are running to and why they are running.
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Hmmm... now that's one I use myself. But for me it means something very specific.

I can shoot just about any firearm at least passably. But owning it, and being able to fire it, and understanding the maual of arms for it, is not quite the same thing as being able to run that gun.

Running that gun requires dedicated, focused time (usually a fair bit of time), training with that gun until drawing/shoudlering it, pointing it, aiming it, firing it, reloading it, going to the support side with it, clearing common problems/malfunctions with it, and so forth can be done smoothly and (almost) un/non-consciously while I'm focusing on the problem/scenario at hand.

I shoot a 1911 during some seasons of competition. At other times I'll shoot my 629, or my xDM, or something else. I can pick either up and shoot them well. It takes ~500-1,000 rds. of re-education for me to really run that gun* well.

(* -- I'll even go so far as to say that gun "system," or "platform" as using the weapon effectively requires having an unconscious familiarity with the holster, mags, mag carriers, speedloaders, and whatever other accessories are specific to that gun.)

I've got a small pile of firearms that I own/shoot. At any given time I'm only really "running" one or two of them at top competence.
 
When I hear "weapon system", I think of something like the Cheytac Intervention in .408 cal., where the rifle, the cartridge, the scope, the ballistic calculator, and all that jazz are all designed around one central weapon concept. Anything less isn't exactly a "system".
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Me too.

If you have something like an AR lower with a 20" HBAR flattop upper and a day scoped and a NVRS zeroed to that upper, another 14.5" CAR upper with an aimpoint, and a supressor, that, to me, also qualifies as a weapon system.

The AR by itself is a modular weapon, but not a "system" until you have other components.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that I see three classes here:

1)Weapon system
2)Modular firearm platform
3)Gun

All firearms are weapons. Not all weapons are firearms.
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I agree in general, but there are "firearms" that are as inappropriate as weapons as a dump truck would be trying to run in the Indy 500.
 
Sam, it doesnt bother me when I hear that, I just think its funny. I have quite a sense of humor and find lots of things amusing. That is just one that ill laugh at.
 
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