What's the one weapon you never were able to use, but you wish you could have?

CPT Aaron Kletzing — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 21:04:37 -0500

I never actually fired a Barrett .50 cal even though my units always had some and guys had them assigned. If I could go back, I would have ripped off some rounds on that weapon. Which weapon do you wish you would have used at least once?

Response by SFC George Smith made Mar 3 at 2017 9:08 PM

SFC George Smith — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 21:08:43 -0500

the On I wanted to shoot But was Not a Weapons Guy...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahti_L-39

Lahti L-39 - Wikipedia

The Lahti L-39 is a Finnish 20mm anti-tank rifle used during the Second World War. It had excellent accuracy, penetration and range, but its size made transportation difficult. It was nicknamed "Norsupyssy" ("Elephant Gun"), and as tanks developed armour too thick for the Lahti to penetrate its uses switched to long range sniping, tank harassment and with the L-39/44 fully automatic variant, employment as an improvised anti-aircraft weapon.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2017 9:11 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 21:11:41 -0500

The Barrett .50 Cal sniper rifle

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2017 9:12 PM

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 21:12:13 -0500

The M110 I have always wanted to shoot

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made Mar 3 at 2017 9:48 PM

SSG Carlos Madden — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 21:48:10 -0500

120mm mortar

Response by PVT Brandon McCook made Mar 3 at 2017 9:54 PM

PVT Brandon McCook — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 21:54:22 -0500

My original MOS was small arms repair so we got to fire almost everything in the arsenal from the 45/9mm all the way to the 120mm on the Abrams! The newest weapons (past 1990) are the only ones I wish I had fired. I heard the one that replaced the M249 SAW is pretty cool!

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2017 10:19 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 22:19:26 -0500

81mm Mortar.

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Mar 4 at 2017 12:28 AM

CSM Charles Hayden — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 00:28:16 -0500

CPT Aaron Kletzing I did miss firing a Flame Thrower. Actually, I never took the time to see if there was one in the division. They were undoubtedly 'banned' by my time?

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Mar 4 at 2017 1:08 AM

CAPT Kevin B. — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 01:08:29 -0500

Always enjoyed Ma Duce and the 81mm. I'd love to touch a few off in a M1 tank. If I could time travel, I'd go for the Gustav Railway Gun and the M388 Davy Crockett. Have to wear a double set of Depends though.

Response by SSG William Jones made Mar 4 at 2017 1:09 AM

SSG William Jones — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 01:09:58 -0500

CPT Aaron Kletzing Come to Knob Creek, KY and shoot mini-guns, or just about whatever you like. Check it out below:

http://www.knobcreekrange.com/events/featured-events/machine-gun-shoot

machine-gun-shoot

Response by SMSgt Lawrence McCarter made Mar 4 at 2017 3:06 AM

SMSgt Lawrence McCarter — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 03:06:49 -0500

That 50 cal Barrett I think would be interesting, I've never fired that. I've fired the regular .50 Caliber machine guns while in Viet Nam and not always under the best of conditions. Of Course that weapon dates way back but I also know the damage it would do. I'm not sure how it would be to fire something of that caliber like a rife, I've never even held one of those new Barrett 50 cals let alone seen it used in person. I kind of pre-date those.

Response by Capt Richard I P. made Mar 4 at 2017 12:14 PM

Capt Richard I P. — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 12:14:06 -0500

Something I have not fired that I wished I had? Maybe a live TOW? Or SMAW? or a live Javelin or Saber? Only ever simulated those or fired inert (SMAW). Was very fortunate to fire just about every other US infantry weapon live, and many threat weapons.

The Barret kicks. Like, a lot.

Great question CPT Aaron Kletzing!

Response by SSgt Dan Montague made Mar 4 at 2017 12:43 PM

SSgt Dan Montague — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 12:43:21 -0500

Tank main gun and a mortar.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 4 at 2017 12:55 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 12:55:43 -0500

Hi, Captain Kletzing.
The Mk 19 auto grenade launcher, because it's an auto grenade launcher.

Response by TSgt David L. made Mar 4 at 2017 4:48 PM

TSgt David L. — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 16:48:07 -0500

Well, let's see. As we always had 2-3 or more Barrett .50 cals assigned to our units, I've got more time and rounds on it to last a lifetime. I would gladly do it some more though.
We had M60 A3 tanks in Germany in the late 80s and early 90s. I always wanted to shoot it. I would like to pop a few rounds on the MK19 and the M203 as well.
Hands down though I would like to shoot some of the anti-tank weapons. And a Stinger! And an RPG. And a Hellfire from an AH-64..... There are a few more of course! LOL

Response by Maj John Bell made Mar 4 at 2017 9:23 PM

Maj John Bell — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 21:23:05 -0500

Toss up
155mm or 105mm Howitzer direct fire fleshette round into heavy underbrush
or
Tow or Dragon missile.

But I'd give up either opportunity to fire a 60mm mortar again, even though I fired them a lot.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 4 at 2017 9:36 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 21:36:48 -0500

For me is the Gatling gun , always wanted to fire 1500 rounds in a blink of an eye !!

Response by CPT Jacob Swartout made Mar 5 at 2017 1:09 AM

CPT Jacob Swartout — Sun, 05 Mar 2017 01:09:11 -0500

CPT Aaron Kletzing Always wished I had one opportunity to drop a round in a 60mm or 120mm mortar tube or fire a 120mm or 155mm howitzer in the Army. Always wanted to fire one of the 16" big guns on a battleship turret if I were in the USN and the USS Missouri or her three sister ships were still in commission.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Mar 5 at 2017 1:20 AM

COL Charles Williams — Sun, 05 Mar 2017 01:20:54 -0500

MG 42

Response by SGT David T. made Mar 6 at 2017 8:40 AM

SGT David T. — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 08:40:44 -0500

I fired it, but the M2.

Response by CSM Richard StCyr made Mar 6 at 2017 10:57 AM

CSM Richard StCyr — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 10:57:03 -0500

A unit I was in had some of the M3 greese guns that were allocated to the M88 crews. They were pretty cool but ammo allocations were pretty tight and only the guys who were assigned them ever got to fire them. Other than that I got to fire and qualify with all the weapons we had assigned to the unit by the time I retired.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 7 at 2017 12:05 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 00:05:20 -0500

M-134 Minigun.
Sharing 58 rounds per second of freedom.

Response by TSgt Bret Whitmore made Mar 10 at 2017 12:31 AM

TSgt Bret Whitmore — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 00:31:46 -0500

In hindsight I can think of a BUNCH of weapons I would have loved some quality time on (including the Mk19, the M79 Blooper, the M15 revolver, the M-24, the M-14, and the 90mm Recoilless Rifle among them), but the Ma Deuce is still that special "one that got away".

As a USAF Security Policeman (Security Specialist) we got quite extensive (and frequent) AFQC and SPQC training on our usual daily duty weapons (M16, M203, and M60). Later, more or less pushed into a cross-train into a non-combat-arms career-field, I was antsy as hell for more trigger time than the usual limited annual AFQC, surrounded by office support types who rarely ever even saw a weapon. After all, I'd been a Mud Airman "Skycop" for several years! Starved of the adrenaline I'd grown accustomed to, I needed more "cordite therapy" than most of the back-office types. I almost had to pull teeth to get it approved but leveraging my being one of the wing's two classified couriers I managed to coerce my commander into letting me qualify on the M9 pistol as well. That made me the only junior enlisted guy on the Wing King's staff to have the largest number of small arms qualifications (and Expert awards) in his building. But I would've loved more. I trained on (but never actually got to fire) the LAW Rocket and the Claymore Mine. I'd love another crack at both, this time with live fire.

But as for my longtime favorite belt-fed treat, I really would've loved to qualify on the M2 Browning machine gun, aka, the "Ma Deuce". When I was an ABGD Defender, my squad of USAF Security Police "ground pounders" came within a few too many jams and misfeeds of training on one during one day of our deployment to Bold Eagle '84. Alas, it never happened. Apparently the headspace on the weapon was dangerously out of adjustment on the one and only M2 available that morning (mounted on an M113 we were patrolling in), and stupidly enough, neither the SP4 driver nor his S/SGT track commander (at that time the ARMY was providing us the training time) had brought along the required tools to correct it. (At least that was the story they told us.) To make matters worse, after our host crew had tried to impress us by hot-dogging us all the way out into one of the most remote field training areas of the Hurlburt Field/Eglin AFB complex, lo and behold they ended up blowing their transmission in the process. That morning was pretty much an embarrassing bust for our ARMY hosts, who OF COURSE, prior to these fiascos had considered themselves "Mechanized Infantry Gods" and all of us Zoomies, nothing more than soft-handed Desk Pilots. Karma favored AIR FORCE that day, however, and just proved the old adage, "work smarter, not harder." As we dismounted to ruck a short distance back to a nearby intersection for a pick-up and a Deuce-and-a-half ride back to our bivouac area and lunch, ARMY had to stew in the heat aboard their derelict vehicle much of the rest of that day, babysitting their dead-in-the-water track until a recovery vehicle could be freed up elsewhere to find them all the way out there to fix it.

[The pic above shows the second of the two M113s ARMY was training us on, with a different squad from another unidentified ABGD Flight aboard. (B Whitmore photo, Oct 1983).]

Response by SFC James Cameron made Sep 15 at 2021 12:16 AM

SFC James Cameron — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 00:16:56 -0400

I always wanted to do a gun run in an A-10. Big difference between strapping into a weapons system and having it save your bacon on the side of a mountain and do maximum performance turns on the way out.