A story about my first gun.

[Skysoldier]

I grew up in a Military family. My dad served in the Army Air Corps in WWII, and retired from the Air Force 1964 after 24 years.

We lived all over the world, but were never allowed to have toy guns, and BB guns were also out of the question!

I never knew why until many years later, when my Dad told me the story.

It seems that when I was about 6 years old, Dad had Payday Escort duty one month, and came home after work with a loaded 45.

He wasn't paying attention, and my older brother took it off the kitchen table.

My brother aimed it me, and pulled the trigger.

The bullet went past my head and blew the shit out of our first TV!

I don't remember any of it, but Dad told me Mom got hysterical, and he promised her there would never be any guns in our household again.

We lived in Colorado and Montana as kids, but the only BB gun or 22 I ever held belonged to my friends.

I never had my first gun until I went to Basic Training in 1966.

It was an M-14, and although it wasn't really mine, it was my first gun.

One of the first things I learned when I joined the Army was that it was my first chance in life to be in an environment where I was equal with everybody else.

It was my first chance to succeed, and not be judged because I might be a kid "from the wrong side of the tracks."

So I excelled in everything in Basic Training.

When they taught us how to breakdown the M14 and reassemble it, I was one of the fastest students.

When they taught us how to get a "sight picture", and adjust for elevation and windage, it became natural to me.

The first day at the range, I zeroed my weapon before anyone else.

After the third day at the range, the DI pulled me off the line and had me help the other guy's.

It was one of the most rewarding and fun times I ever had in the Army.

Unfortunately, that was my last time shooting an M-14. When I got to Infantry AIT, it was the M16.

I thought the M16 was a piece of shit compared to the M14.

I carried the M16 in Vietnam,..... it was OK I guess.....because in Vietnam it was just "rock and roll...spray and pray!"

But my favorite gun is the M14!

 

[JohnMarston]

thats an awesome story Skysoldier, we all come into our own somehow...dont we?

Dom

 

[gerrycaruso]

I'm glad your brother sucks at handgun shooting.

 

[chopper_man]

Thanks for sharing yet another great story!

 

[Pilgrim]

Gotta tell you about one of my M14 experiences in the Army.

I was no stranger to guns as I had a BB gun when I was 10, and a 12ga dbl barrel when I was 12, but I never had a rifle until I got into the Army.

I, like you, was real quick and good when it came to stripping the M14 and reassembling it even in the dark. It was fun.

As you know we were all assigned a specific rifle which we used prety much every day in basic. If we didn't shoot it, we carried it just to get used to carrying one.

We didn't get to shoot it until we mastered the care and cleaning of it so we got to know the gun inside out.

When we got to the range to shoot it the first time, about 100 (?) guys would line up on the firing line ( it was a BIG line), maybe it was less..I don't really remember now that more than 45 years have passed. There were a couple of towers where staff was overseeing the range and talking thru loud speakers to the people and DI's on the line.

Were were all told to load our 20 round mags insert a mag and wait for instructions. Soon the loudspeakers spoke.

"Make you rifle ready, safeties off"
"Ready on the left, ready on the right. The firing line is ready. Fire one round!"

All along the range you heard everyone fire one round. I pulled the trigger once, like I was told, and tatatatatat, about 6 rounds went down range. It full autoed, even though the gun was not set to full auto.

The DI came over and screamed at me, "You were told to fire ONE round !" I told him I only pulled the trigger once. He screamed, "Don't do that again!"

Soon I heard ""Ready on the left, ready on the right. The firing line is ready. Fire one round!".

Again one trigger pull and tatatatatat, another 6 rounds went down range.

Again the DI screamed at me. Again I explained what happened.

Soon I heard ""Ready on the left, ready on the right. The firing line is ready. Fire one round!".

Again one trigger pull and tatatatatat, another 6 rounds went down range.

Again the DI screamed at me. Again I explained what happened.

Now I've gone thru almost a full mag and wondering what am I going to do if they tell us to fire another round. Fortunately, the speaker told us to take a break and called a second group to the line while we placed our rifles in some racks and those who smoked, smoked and while those who didn't, watched the others smoke.

While the others were smoking, I quickly swapped out my trigger assembly with the rifle in the rack next to mine. It was real easy, just pull on the trigger guard, pull out the trigger assembly and insert it into the gun next to mine. I did it in less that 10 seconds.

When we went back on the line, it went like this:

"Make your rifle ready, safeties off"
"Ready on the left, ready on the right. The firing line is ready. Fire one round!"

All along the range you heard everyone fie one round. I pulled the trigger once and it fired once. Somewhere down the line I heard:

"tatatatatat"

I shot expert. I don't know about the other guy.

Say what you will about being in a wartime army, but there were some good times.

 

[NTMAREMACH]

Cool story Skysoldier.
My father banned ski poles in our house after my younger sister nailed me over the head with an old wooden ski pole as my hands were tied behind my back. I was about 12 and was playing Houdini, trying to escape from being tied up with my hands behind my back. I had an egg on my head the size of Wachusett mountain. My Father came in and broke that pole in half. All this was going on while my he was trying to get the lights working on the Christmas Tree.lol

 

[Carnea]

.

 

[beldavius]

Cool story Skysoldier.
My father banned ski poles in our house after my younger sister nailed me over the head with an old wooden ski pole as my hands were tied behind my back. I was about 12 and was playing Houdini, trying to escape from being tied up with my hands behind my back. I had an egg on my head the size of Wachusett mountain. My Father came in and broke that pole in half. All this was going on while my he was trying to get the lights working on the Christmas Tree.lol

That sounds like a scene in the movie "A Christmas Story"

 

[SalemCat]

When I was in the National Guard in the seventies I always volunteered to carry the M60 Machine Gun.

Everyone thought I was nuts. It was much heavier, much more awkward than a M16.

The Lieutenant appreciated what he mistook for Gung-Ho spirit; before I left the Guard I'd been promoted to Staff Sergeant.

But I had ulterior - um - posterior motives.

In the swamps of Camp Edwards of Cape Cod, they would station us in the same spot for hours. I'd open up the bipod, and sit down, high from the mud, right on the barrel

I was the only soldier, who at day's end, returned with a dry ass.

 

[George D]

When I was in the National Guard in the seventies I always volunteered to carry the M60 Machine Gun.
I'd open up the tripod, and sit down, high from the mud, right on the barrel

I was the only soldier, who at day's end, returned with a dry ass.

View attachment 50033

I bet that M60 had some "elevation" issues when fired.

 

[NHCraigT]

I grew up in a Military family....It seems that when I was about 6 years old, Dad had Payday Escort duty one month, and came home after work with a loaded 45....The bullet went past my head and blew the shit out of our first TV!.....I don't remember any of it, but Dad told me Mom got hysterical, and he promised her there would never be any guns in our household again......But my favorite gun is the M14!

Great Story = Thanks for Sharing!

Hope you own an M14 Now.

 

[DJ_99Wing]

Great Story = Thanks for Sharing!

Hope you own an M14 Now.

+1 ^^^

 

[WallHack]

Badass story! Reps inbound.