Tacticool. LOL I like that description Widewing.
These guys kinda scare me
(Image removed from quote.)
For everyone's information, that photo was put together to make fun of the guys who get in to that kind of stuff. No one in their right mind would even consider putting %90 of the stuff shown in the picture on their own rifle, especially all at once. The optics and electronic sights do not even match up for a co-witness (co-witness = able to use multiple sights at once). The weight alone of all that stuff has to triple the weight of the rifle, and ultimately does not make it any better. Think of it as buying a Shelby Cobra Mustang and not knowing how to actually use it on the track. The only thing I have ever had my rifle/carbine that was an "add-on", other than an optic was a light mounted to the front hand guard, and that was while I was working for the sheriff's office. Most of us carried a M4 carbine (semi-auto) with a light because in many cases we had to have a hand free for radio work, handcuffs, etc, and having a light on the rifle killed to birds with one stone. I also had a light on my Sig 226R handgun for the same reason.
Some guys go way too far, they buy all this gear, etc, and they do not know how to use it and/or they never really train with it to get to know the gear in the first place. Even without all my law enforcement training, I still have a very good base of knowledge regarding tactics and training to pull from. I spent 10 days down at Thunder Ranch down in TX back in 1998 while taking rifle and handgun courses, and I've been shooting and 'smithing AR15's since 1993. Plus, when I have the range to myself I will do all the running, jumping, rolling, Rambo somersaulting, Samurai war shouts, and rifle-katana attacks on the targets to keep my skills honed.
Actually, I do work on the tactics I've learned over the years such as using different firing positions, moving and shooting, and engaging multiple targets. When I get a chance while on the wide open steppes of Wyoming, I'll run the gauntlet which means to set up targets in increments of 25-50 yards in zig-zag pattern 20-30 yards apart for 300 yards length wise and start at the point blank firing 5-8 shots at the target then falling back to the next target (jogging/running), then engaging again the target I just left behind. This simulates a retreat/falling back while keeping the pursuers at bay in an urban setting. The trick is to keep moving from cover to cover, creating space between you and the perps, and keeping their heads down. Once at the end of the gauntlet you'll be very short of breath, have a hot rifle, and have spent 30-50 rounds downrange at the target(s). It is fun, but very trying. There are other drills that I/we do as well, just sitting at a bench shooting at static targets sets the base mechanics for using the rifle and for learning proper shooting skills, but applying them while in a 'zone is a different thing altogether.
Someone else mentioned the cost of shooting ammo at the range. For most people it costs around 40-50 cents a round when speaking of .223/5.56 NATO or the 7.62x39 Soviet (AK and SKS) ammo. In contrast, 50 rounds of 9mm Luger still runs about 20 cents a shot. For those of us who reload our own ammo, the cost is 1/4th to 1/3rd of what the "off the shelf" buyers purchase. For 5.56 NATO, we can re-use brass as many as 5-6 times (many of us get brass for free), primers are 3 cents a piece, powder charges are about 5 cents a piece, bullets are about 10 cents a piece. We had to make an initial investment of $300-400 (or more) for all the reloading equipment, but that is usually paid off within the first 800 to 1000 rounds or so. I dont keep track officially, but between all my firearms I've fired somewhere between 1000 and 15 rounds this year with most of it going out the 9mm Sig 226 and 5.56 Colt AR15. I reload for 15 different calibers.
