Tools....

I have fought, worked and trained with (in my opinion) some of the greatest human beings in the world. Both men and women that I have always said were much better marksmen, operators and instructors than me. I attempt to give credit to as many people from my past that I can possibly give.

The Marine Corps taught me that every Marine is a basic rifleman, however they did not teach me much of what I was forced to learn from many of those individuals I mentioned previously. Of course, I have always been that guy that researches things people tell me and I have done allot of research in my time, to present classes and to teach others about things that I believe they need know. I believe classes should not be filled with “useless knowledge” or opinions. Although, I have opinions on gear; I never put a rifle or pistol down…people earn their money with hard work and I would not want to discard their decisions on how they spend their money.

Many individuals purchase firearms because the amount on the price tag. I have seen individuals with $2,000.00 pistols and $3,000.00 AR-15’s, and they only take them to an indoor range and shoot hundreds of rounds at only 25 yards. They fail to realize and take full advantage of the capability of those tools. Many people believe that the more they spend, the better they will shoot.

One must know more than just point and shoot, you must know how to disassemble, assemble, function check and clean your tools. I have had the distinct privilege of teaching marksmanship at a member only range to individuals who I knew spent allot of money on their firearms. They received the equal amount of training and time as did those who came in on a whim to see “what this place had to offer”. Training was delivered, taken and executed in a precise and safe manner. I believe it was appreciated.

That being written, I have and always said “it is not the tool; but the person handling the tool”. A great mentor developed a class where he began a class with a power drill and equated it to a pistol. His reasoning “Both are tools; you need bits to drill holes and you need bullets to make holes”. Poetic…yes? It doesn’t matter what you spent on your tools…use them.