Bullpups rock! The SA80 is awesome!

[will_1400]

[threadjack]

RE the M14:

Back in basic, I was issued a "trainer rifle" (M16A2 w/o any kind of FCG made by the legendary arms giant known as Olympic Arms). I distinctly remember hearing some of my wingmen in both mine and my brother flight bitching about how heavy the rifles were. Then in the same breath they'd say that they wanted M14s because "they at least got smackdown power". Of course these were also the same guys who deliberately put Icy-Hot on their own balls...

[/threadjack]

I just can't help but think that if bullpups were such great weapons, that weapons like the M16/M4, G36, SIG 55X series, etc, would have been replaced en masse long ago. Since that hasn't happened, I would call that a clue.

[fuse]

Of course these were also the same guys who deliberately put Icy-Hot on their own balls...

Clearly I am in the wrong branch..

[LOKNLOD]

Remembering that video games are poor representations of reality: apparently harder than C++ but probably easier than FORTRAN

That got a genuine chuckle from me...

It is amazing that video games have become so realistic and detailed that people are judging reality by comparison, instead of the other way around.


--Josh H.

[will_1400]

Clearly I am in the wrong branch..

Oh, that's par for the course. Another guy decided to put menthol shampoo on his nuts and forgot about it being there. Next thing we know, we're hearing screaming coming from the latrine and the entry controller goes to check it out. EC then comes literally crawling out of the latrine, laughing so hard at the moron that he couldn't even walk.

[Al T.]

Back in basic, I was issued a "trainer rifle" (M16A2 w/o any kind of FCG made by the legendary arms giant known as Olympic Arms).

In which country did you do your basic training? Does "FCG" stand for "fire control group" AKA the trigger assembly?

[will_1400]

In which country did you do your basic training? Does "FCG" stand for "fire control group" AKA the trigger assembly?

I'm USAF, so Lackland AFB in Texas. Yes, FCG stands for fire control group. Basically it had a trigger and selector, but where the hammer, sear, etc would be was solid aluminum. The only time I handled an actual rifle was during our "qualifications" and that was a beat-to-shit A2 with 100 rounds: 50 for sighting and fam fire, 50 for the "qualification". I'm using quotes because they basically passed anyone who didn't flag another trainee with their rifle or fire on burst since we were only allowed to shoot on semi.

[Joe in PNG]

Guys, having read the comments over at Caleb's, I think we're on the wrong track about the SA80, and bullpups in general. Yeah, Failure2Stop, LittleLebowski, and Caleb may THINK they know something about shooting guns (especially that Failure2Stop guy), but who are you going to trust about shooting rifles anyway? Because, OAL, man, OAL is the main thing that makes rifles good, yeah? Who needs adjustable stocks, the ability to do fast reloads, good triggers, balance and all that crap when you can have SHORT OVERALL LENGTH!!! KUZ SHORT OAL IS KING, BABY!!!1

Oh, and the ability to shoot one handed, right? Can you shoot your M4 one handed like you could a Kel Tec KSG (I don't have a Kel Tec KSG, but if I did, I totally could!)???!1 Uh huh, I thought so!

[/mall ninj4]

[JAD]

A friend of mine soldiered in the RAF. During a visit to KC, I took him to the range and let him run my Colt a little. After the fourth mag, he said, "I guess we won't be retaking Boston anytime soon."

[PPGMD]

It does lead to incredibly entertaining chains of logic. I used to work QA for a large video game company and I was the resident guy who answered questions related to whether or not guns were animating properly and so forth. Sometimes I'd get asked non-game questions, such as the time I got asked by a programmer, in complete seriousness, "Why did the army get rid of the M14? That thing is a laser in Call of Duty!"

I routinely shoot my AR-15 with a can, as it is a shorty and it otherwise very loud. More then once when people come in ask me about it some kid pipes up that "'Silencers reduce the power and accuracy." They won't believe me when I tell them that modern suppressors tend to do the opposite, making the gun more accurate (unless you have some barrel harmonics issues which would've been above this kids understanding) and very slightly increasing the FPS in most cases.

I then explain that many of the changes made in games are done for game play reasons, otherwise higher level players with silencers would have an overwhelming advantage over lower level players that haven't unlocked them yet. Now I noticed in BF3 they make a good excuse as to why silencers on the guns make them less powerful, subsonic ammo. You know except for the fact that few use subsonic ammo in automatic rifles.

Anyways it is a double edged sword. Because of video games, more kids who weren't otherwise exposed to guns try them out. But they also get many wrong impressions, like the Desert Eagle err I mean Deagle, or the USP (which become very popular after Rainbow Six).

[Tamara]

...but, hey! It's made in England, (well, some of it is, anyway) and everything that's made in England is awesome!

My friend Marko (a Bundeswehr vet from back when they carried the manly G3 instead of the plastic popgun they issue now) likes to say that he wouldn't trust the English to build anything larger or more mechanically complex than a hat.