A Lived Experience: AR-15 Wokesanity

 

The geniuses at The Babylon Bee could not have done a better job. As a reporter ventured to Vermont’s first ever indoor gun range…wait a minute. Hold the phone! How does the ‘Freedom and Unity’ state, a constitutional carry state that allows permitless concealed carry (PC) and open carry (OC), never have an indoor gun range until June 2021? I’m floored by that revelation, but I digress. A topic for another day.

I’ll give the reporter an ounce of credibility for even showing up for this experience but the piece is laced with liberal nuance, revealing an undercurrent of bias from the get-go. Cue eye-roll – not shocked. This is no more obvious than his hyperbolic description of firing the “beast” that is the AR-15.

Since I’ve been told by my betters that lived experience is now truth, I guess I’ll let this reporter wallow in the comfort of his own delusion. But whose lived experience do we settle on? When others’ lived experiences run contradictory, it seems only the powerful decide what’s true despite the evidence.

I could regale you with stories of frail, 90-pound septuagenarians or red-pilled anti-gunner liberals waking up to defund the police policies or even heart transplant recipients fearful of recoil asking for rifle training.

I could bore you to tears with calibers, ballistic coefficients, impact force calculations, etc. Instead, I’ll offer up video evidence of a different lived experience. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what is this video worth?  Priceless!

.

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  1. Seawriter Contributor
    Seawriter
    @Seawriter

    When I was in ROTC at the Summer Camp at Fort Knox they gave a demonstration of firing an M-16 – a militarized version of the AR-15. The demonstrator fired the gun with the stock on his nose and on his groin, with no ill effects. It had no kick. Period. 

    • #1
  2. Graham Witt Coolidge
    Graham Witt
    @hoowitts

    Seawriter (View Comment):

    When I was in ROTC at the Summer Camp at Fort Knox they gave a demonstration of firing an M-16 – a militarized version of the AR-15. The demonstrator fired the gun with the stock on his nose and on his groin, with no ill effects. It had no kick. Period.

    Yup, been there done that. Very little difference except for the pew-pew-pew selector 

    • #2
  3. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Graham Witt:

    Reporter “rattled” after firing AR-15 at Vermont’s first indoor gun range: “It felt like a meteor had struck the earth in front of me. A deep shock wave coursed through my body, the recoil rippling through my arms and right shoulder with astounding power.” https://t.co/7q7h9lqcmO pic.twitter.com/1jP6nepsSA

    — Rob Romano (@2Aupdates) August 5, 2021

    The video of the 11-year old says it all – this reporter is either a flat-out liar, or he’s a major league, pajama-boy wuss . . .

    • #3
  4. Nohaaj Coolidge
    Nohaaj
    @Nohaaj

    Stad (View Comment):
    The video of the 11-year old says it all – this reporter is either a flat-out liar, or and he’s a major league, pajama-boy wuss . . .

    FIFY

    • #4
  5. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    You’ve got to admit: that is one extremely buff 11 year old girl.

    Betcha she could take Joe Biden.

    • #5
  6. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Percival (View Comment):

    You’ve got to admit: that is one extremely buff 11 year old girl.

    Betcha she could take Joe Biden.

    Not if he grabs her from behind . . .

    • #6
  7. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Nohaaj (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):
    The video of the 11-year old says it all – this reporter is either a flat-out liar, or and he’s a major league, pajama-boy wuss . . .

    FIFY

    Thanks!

    • #7
  8. jmelvin Member
    jmelvin
    @jmelvin

    Eh, to be fair to the reporter, it could be that what rattled them is not so much the recoil, but the noise.  .223 / 5.56 rounds are quite loud and firing them out of an AR in an indoor space gives a hefty percussion.  I’ve spent a fair bit of time in ranges, particularly indoor, and I find them to be annoyingly loud.  Of course rattling an AR shooters bones with some percussion from a Mosin-Nagant is a fun of its own. :)

    It’s easy to poop on ninny reporters, but I think many newbies might get a bit rattled in that circumstance and would not yet have the perception that their rattling was coming more from percussion than recoil.  I recall finally going to an indoor range as an adult after only shooting outside only growing up and the percussion from even handgun rounds going off was a bit unsettling.  Am I a ninny?  Maybe I am, but I can understand the perspective.

    • #8
  9. John H. Member
    John H.
    @JohnH

    I enjoyed my AR-15 lesson. What I most remember about it now is the phrase “Kentucky windage,” which I had never heard before and have not heard since. Probably because the people I live among are too skilled with firearms to resort to it. 

    What I least remember about the lesson is how severe the recoil was. Probably because there was hardly any.

    • #9
  10. Roderic Coolidge
    Roderic
    @rhfabian

    It’s hard to believe the terror with which liberals regard firearms.  The topic came up at a gathering at our house one day, and I retrieved a .357 revolver from my gun safe to show the guests after obtaining their permission to do so.  The fear evident on their faces at the sight of it convinced me to put it away quickly, never mind convincing them to touch or handle it.

    The reporter is to be praised for having the courage to overcome his fears.  The concussion of a high power rifle whatever the caliber is quite a sensation for those not use to it. 

    • #10
  11. Graham Witt Coolidge
    Graham Witt
    @hoowitts

    Stad (View Comment):

    Graham Witt:

    Reporter “rattled” after firing AR-15 at Vermont’s first indoor gun range: “It felt like a meteor had struck the earth in front of me. A deep shock wave coursed through my body, the recoil rippling through my arms and right shoulder with astounding power.” https://t.co/7q7h9lqcmO pic.twitter.com/1jP6nepsSA

    — Rob Romano (@ 2Aupdates) August 5, 2021

    The video of the 11-year old says it all – this reporter is either a flat-out liar, or he’s a major league, pajama-boy wuss . . .

    I would lean toward the former as @nohaaj so astutely pointed out, but the latter carries much weight with me. I wish I could claim the term but I give props to Megyn Kelly.  On her interview with Jason Whitlock she called it the ‘Wussification’ of America, certainly the American male.

    • #11
  12. Graham Witt Coolidge
    Graham Witt
    @hoowitts

    Stad (View Comment):

    Percival (View Comment):

    You’ve got to admit: that is one extremely buff 11 year old girl.

    Betcha she could take Joe Biden.

    Not if he grabs her from behind . . .

    Grrrrr. Hulk. Smash.

    • #12
  13. Graham Witt Coolidge
    Graham Witt
    @hoowitts

    jmelvin (View Comment):

    Eh, to be fair to the reporter, it could be that what rattled them is not so much the recoil, but the noise. .223 / 5.56 rounds are quite loud and firing them out of an AR in an indoor space gives a hefty percussion. I’ve spent a fair bit of time in ranges, particularly indoor, and I find them to be annoyingly loud. Of course rattling an AR shooters bones with some percussion from a Mosin-Nagant is a fun of its own. :)

    It’s easy to poop on ninny reporters, but I think many newbies might get a bit rattled in that circumstance and would not yet have the perception that their rattling was coming more from percussion than recoil. I recall finally going to an indoor range as an adult after only shooting outside only growing up and the percussion from even handgun rounds going off was a bit unsettling. Am I a ninny? Maybe I am, but I can understand the perspective.

    No arguments there. Percussive force, especially indoors can be a shock, pardon the pun, to first-timers. Even from the tiny, but fast, AR-15 round. Hence the popular use of non-lethal, concussion grenades to disorient when breaching a hostile environment. Though it is not dissimilar to being within 100 yds of fireworks vs. the usual 1 mile+.

    If the reporter was earnest in forming an opinion he should have attended/co-written with someone in his social circle that were familiar or experienced with firearms. Alas, that was probably not possible since he more than likely knows no one like this (did that come across as judgmental??). His next article: Pick-up trucks and the troglodytes that drive them.

    • #13
  14. Graham Witt Coolidge
    Graham Witt
    @hoowitts

    John H. (View Comment):

    I enjoyed my AR-15 lesson. What I most remember about it now is the phrase “Kentucky windage,” which I had never heard before and have not heard since. Probably because the people I live among are too skilled with firearms to resort to it.

    What I least remember about the lesson is how severe the recoil was. Probably because there was hardly any.

    Surprisingly? Being deft at ‘Kentucky windage’ requires much skill, experience and adaptability…at least if you are effective. I’ll never discount running the numbers and knowing the math, but I’ll take the shooter who knows the drop and windage and never touches the scope/sights.

    And your memory serves you well: AR-15 = almost no recoil.

    • #14
  15. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Stad (View Comment):

    Percival (View Comment):

    You’ve got to admit: that is one extremely buff 11 year old girl.

    Betcha she could take Joe Biden.

    Not if he grabs her from behind . . .

    Heel stomp an instep, then go for the reverse.

    • #15
  16. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    jmelvin (View Comment):

    Eh, to be fair to the reporter, it could be that what rattled them is not so much the recoil, but the noise. .223 / 5.56 rounds are quite loud and firing them out of an AR in an indoor space gives a hefty percussion. I’ve spent a fair bit of time in ranges, particularly indoor, and I find them to be annoyingly loud. Of course rattling an AR shooters bones with some percussion from a Mosin-Nagant is a fun of its own. :)

    It’s easy to poop on ninny reporters, but I think many newbies might get a bit rattled in that circumstance and would not yet have the perception that their rattling was coming more from percussion than recoil. I recall finally going to an indoor range as an adult after only shooting outside only growing up and the percussion from even handgun rounds going off was a bit unsettling. Am I a ninny? Maybe I am, but I can understand the perspective.

    Always wear hearing protection.  I wonder if the reporter even did that . . .

    • #16
  17. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Percival (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    Percival (View Comment):

    You’ve got to admit: that is one extremely buff 11 year old girl.

    Betcha she could take Joe Biden.

    Not if he grabs her from behind . . .

    Heel stomp an instep, then go for the reverse.

    You can always SING (roughly the 2 minute mark):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97JIFQzw8NM

     

    • #17
  18. Full Size Tabby Member
    Full Size Tabby
    @FullSizeTabby

    Stad (View Comment):

    jmelvin (View Comment):

    Eh, to be fair to the reporter, it could be that what rattled them is not so much the recoil, but the noise. .223 / 5.56 rounds are quite loud and firing them out of an AR in an indoor space gives a hefty percussion. I’ve spent a fair bit of time in ranges, particularly indoor, and I find them to be annoyingly loud. Of course rattling an AR shooters bones with some percussion from a Mosin-Nagant is a fun of its own. :)

    It’s easy to poop on ninny reporters, but I think many newbies might get a bit rattled in that circumstance and would not yet have the perception that their rattling was coming more from percussion than recoil. I recall finally going to an indoor range as an adult after only shooting outside only growing up and the percussion from even handgun rounds going off was a bit unsettling. Am I a ninny? Maybe I am, but I can understand the perspective.

    Always wear hearing protection. I wonder if the reporter even did that . . .

    Most ranges (indoor or outdoor) require hearing protection. Although I have never used an indoor range, it seems that everything in an indoor range is sufficiently close in space that someone would have raised a flag if the reporter were preparing to fire without hearing protection. Again, although I have not used an indoor range, one of the reasons I don’t use one is that I imagine the noise level to be uncomfortable for me.

    • #18
  19. Tex929rr Coolidge
    Tex929rr
    @Tex929rr

    The NY Daily News ran an almost identical article 5 years ago;  it’s been the source of much hilarity in the shooting community ever since. 

    https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/firing-ar-15-horrifying-dangerous-loud-article-1.2673201

    “It felt to me like a bazooka — and sounded like a cannon.”

    His PTSD claim came in for special treatment.

    “The recoil bruised my shoulder, which can happen if you don’t know what you’re doing. The brass shell casings disoriented me as they flew past my face. The smell of sulfur and destruction made me sick. The explosions — loud like a bomb — gave me a temporary form of PTSD. For at least an hour after firing the gun just a few times, I was anxious and irritable.”

    • #19
  20. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens

    Wuss

    • #20
  21. navyjag Coolidge
    navyjag
    @navyjag

    Seawriter (View Comment):

    When I was in ROTC at the Summer Camp at Fort Knox they gave a demonstration of firing an M-16 – a militarized version of the AR-15. The demonstrator fired the gun with the stock on his nose and on his groin, with no ill effects. It had no kick. Period.

    The one thing I missed in Navy ROTC.  One year in Army ROTC learned how to clean an M-1 but not very accurate with it. Navy just wanted us to learn navigation and how to hit the missile button. 

    • #21
  22. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Tex929rr (View Comment):
    It felt to me like a bazooka

    Six and a half pounds empty. Seven and a half  with a full thirty round magazine.

    When I was eleven, I fired Grandma’s 10-gauge. That thing sounded like a cannon because it was one. The recoil knocked me halfway across the orchard. The first thing I wanted to do after I fired it the first time was load it up and fire it again.

    • #22
  23. Graham Witt Coolidge
    Graham Witt
    @hoowitts

    Percival (View Comment):
    Grandma’s 10-gauge.

    Modern feminists got nothin’ on her

    • #23
  24. jmelvin Member
    jmelvin
    @jmelvin

    Full Size Tabby (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    jmelvin (View Comment):

    Eh, to be fair to the reporter, it could be that what rattled them is not so much the recoil, but the noise. .223 / 5.56 rounds are quite loud and firing them out of an AR in an indoor space gives a hefty percussion. I’ve spent a fair bit of time in ranges, particularly indoor, and I find them to be annoyingly loud. Of course rattling an AR shooters bones with some percussion from a Mosin-Nagant is a fun of its own. :)

    It’s easy to poop on ninny reporters, but I think many newbies might get a bit rattled in that circumstance and would not yet have the perception that their rattling was coming more from percussion than recoil. I recall finally going to an indoor range as an adult after only shooting outside only growing up and the percussion from even handgun rounds going off was a bit unsettling. Am I a ninny? Maybe I am, but I can understand the perspective.

    Always wear hearing protection. I wonder if the reporter even did that . . .

    Most ranges (indoor or outdoor) require hearing protection. Although I have never used an indoor range, it seems that everything in an indoor range is sufficiently close in space that someone would have raised a flag if the reporter were preparing to fire without hearing protection. Again, although I have not used an indoor range, one of the reasons I don’t use one is that I imagine the noise level to be uncomfortable for me.

    The thing is, I’m not talking about just the noise and ear exposure.  What you hear is one thing, but the percussion affects the whole body.  Get that blast inside a room with hard walls and you get reverberation off of that blast too.  I always wear ear sufficient ear protection at the range, so even for me it’s not an issue of simply being too loud.

    • #24
  25. Basil Fawlty Member
    Basil Fawlty
    @BasilFawlty

    As of 1968, the Army was still using the M-14 for basic training.  They also gave us a one-day familiarization session with the M-16, the weapon we would likely be using in the field. I broke one trying to disassemble it. It was made of plastic.

    • #25
  26. navyjag Coolidge
    navyjag
    @navyjag

    Graham Witt (View Comment):

    Percival (View Comment):
    Grandma’s 10-gauge.

    Modern feminists got nothin’ on her

    Agree. But I must confess I do like the chicks with their guns on the Powerline Sat morning posts. 

    • #26
  27. Seawriter Contributor
    Seawriter
    @Seawriter

    Basil Fawlty (View Comment):

    They also gave us a one-day familiarization session with the M-16, the weapon we would likely be using in the field. I broke one trying to disassemble it. It was made of plastic.

    John Ringo calls it a “Barbie” gun in his novels.

    • #27
  28. Arthur Beare Member
    Arthur Beare
    @ArthurBeare

    Percival (View Comment):

    When I was eleven, I fired Grandma’s 10-gauge. That thing sounded like a cannon because it was one. The recoil knocked me halfway across the orchard. The first thing I wanted to do after I fired it the first time was load it up and fire it again.

    Eleven year old boys aren’t known for common sense, are they?

    As an adult I think I would pass on the 10 gauge . (Well . . . maybe just one round.) 

     

    • #28
  29. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Tex929rr (View Comment):
    The brass shell casings disoriented me as they flew past my face.

    He watched the shell casings fly?  What is he?  Left-handed?

    PS: The disorientation will last for years.

    • #29
  30. Jim McConnell Member
    Jim McConnell
    @JimMcConnell

    Tex929rr (View Comment):
    “It felt to me like a bazooka — and sounded like a cannon.”

    He has obviously never fired a bazooka, either. There was no recoil from a bazooka.

    • #30
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