25 June 22
“The unprepared mind cannot see the outstretched hand of opportunity.”
Alexander Fleming
Rifles for serious purposes:
1) Optic covers. In an emergency, we don’t need to have to remember to flip-up lens covers. We use rugged, military optics. Get superfluous steps out of your life!
2) Covered adjustments knobs. I don’t want anyone messing with my optic adjustments! I have adjustments where I want them, and I have to know they haven’t been molested.
3) Zero the gun for you, with one type of ammunition, and then carry that ammunition! In a fight, there will be no time to “adjust” optics. Zero the rifle to be dead-on at 40m, and it will then be eminently usable for our kind of shooting, from point-blank out to 260m (5.56×45), all with no sight adjusting. Zero, and complete personal confidence in it, is critical. Verify zero at least monthly. With “shared guns,” zero will be a little different for each shooter.
Doesn’t work!
4) Reticles. The simpler, the better! I don’t need all kinds of marginally-useful information built-into the reticle. Such “extras” function mostly as just annoying noise, competing for my attention! Illuminated reticles are fine, but reticle should still be usable, even without illumination.
5) Eye-relief. Optic needs to be in the correct spot so that I’m instantly on-target the moment the rifle is shouldered. Keep your adjustable stock where it needs to be. Again, no one else gets to use my rifle and start “adjusting” things!
6) Default setting for 1×4 magnifying optics is 1x. That way, the optic will always render an operable perspective and will be useable with both eyes open. Not everyone can shoot through an optic with both eyes open, but you should when you can. I think 1×4 is about right for most uses to which we’re going to put this rifle. More than 4x magnification is rarely necessary.
7) Your serious rifle needs to be always clean and lubed
8) Shoot frequently. Better twenty rounds once a month, than 500 rounds once a year!
One of the disastrously ineffectual LEOs arriving on the scene in Ulvalde, TX had an early shot at the
perpetrator with a department M4 that, when true, likely would have ended the massacre before it started.
But the officer lacked confidence in himself, and in his zero, so he never fired, and the opportunity never came to him again!
When we are to be victorious, both we and our rifles must be continuously in a high state of readiness, and confidence.
Otherwise, when the opportunity for us to be genuine heroes, save innocent lives, suddenly rears its head, it will find us unprepared, incompetent, incapable, and paralyzed, as we see!
“To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents.
What a tragedy when that moment finds them unprepared/unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.”
Churchill
/John
