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There's a reason why a good portion of people get VA disabilities, even if they never got a heart. The common injuries I hear about are feet/shins (stress from wearing combat boots day in and day out for years on end), and back injuries. During BCT, I spent at least a day of training just learning how to pack a rig to maximize it, and then learned how to put it on correctly, and also how to adjust it. Yes, there is a certain way troops are suppose to put on their rucksacks; otherwise it will be a real pain to get on, and won't sit correctly. If the pack is sitting where it should be, it isn't too bad. I'm sure every other service does it, but during BCT, and with the actual unit, troops do numerous FMs (foot marches). So, the first couple suck real bad because you're trying to adjust to carrying a heavy load, wearing combat boots, a kevlar, and holding a rifle (and at night for that matter)-- and you're only going like 1-5KMs! By the time you're done with BCT, and sometimes with the unit you're sent too, you're doing 20-25KMs easy without moaning about it too much (it just gets awfully lonely). Downrange, it does get a bit uncomfortable. Mostly because of the heat, and its constant stop and go (get into a vehicle, get out, get in, get out, etc). But I'm a short guy, low center of gravity, and have legs of a fullback, with pretty broad shoulders (I swam for years)... so, the weight would distribute out pretty well.

I agree with the fact that ARs are dominating (reason why I think the addition of the AR sub section was a good idea), but I have to say I like the platform. When I was downrange, I had mine out every day (unlike some folk who never really step out of the wire), and never had an issues with jams or anything. Just some TLC and maintenance, and Arielle (I miss her ) treated me right. There was one occasion where an M4 blew up in my hands, but that wasn't operator or rifle error-- it happened to get shot. Fortunately, Arielle had a twin sister at home waiting!

Out of the country, nice. I think you still need to narrow it down a bit. For example, are you looking to just relax somewhere, and order in or sit at a cantina? (I'd say St Johns or Hawaii.) Maybe you're looking to get away for a bit, but still be pro active? (Traveling throughout Switzerland was one of my all time favorite. It had a mix of city enjoyment and natural beauty.) Or you want to go sight seeing? (Paris, Amsterdam, etc-- those possibilities are endless.) If you're on a tight budget, any place in the America's (Vancouver is gorgeous, Mexico, Peru, Hawaii, etc) is pretty accessible for cheap. But yea, overall, you need to narrow down some parameters. And yes, I've been around, so, I'd be happy to bounce some ideas off. Personally, I'm hoping to get out of the country for a week or two in August, so, I hear ya.

Ahh ok, yea, most services are transitioning to better body armor. As stated, the Army has switched over to the IOTV, and the Corps has switched as well to the MTV. These systems are leap years better then the old plate carriers. Whether or not they prove to be a force multiplier cannot really be judged until another few years down the road (I think). As for the eye protection, yea, agreed. It became a required piece of equipment in my unit. Some civies think its just the troops trying to look cool or keep the sun out of their eyes, but all of shades seen down range are issued (for the most part). Since I wear glasses, I was issued transitioning goggles... haha, pretty awesome. Should have 'combat-loss'ed' them

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyfNgfCiT4I&feature=related I'm sure this was operator failure (not lining up his shots), but I've seen this happen A LOT. Then of course they do have a different quality of doors over there compared to the flimsy ones we have here.

Yea, I've been stocking up on Wolf because its so cheap. The policy at SS about frangible rounds isn't a new concept, I just was surprised when I saw it. One of my past duty stations was on an AF base, and though we had qualified there for years, the AF decided to up and change it so that only frangible rounds were allowed to be fire (indoor range, considering the base was within kicking distance of Denver)... so, since the Army had bigger things to worry about, we were forced to ask the local PD if we could use their range to qual (fortunately, it was right across the street... literally).

Heh, we've had the discussion of mags vs clips plenty on the forum. I think it was just a bit of complacency that somebody didn't pounce on it earlier.

The combat load varies depending on the service, mission, and role of the specific person. I can't speak for my brothers in the Corps, but in the green machine, the loads are pretty similar across the board. First thing to note is if it is a light inf/cav/recon/etc unit. Then it differentiates between a squad leader, communications, SAW specialist, designated marksman, etc. But for the average ground pounder: - a battle rifle: ~8 lbs loaded. Another 270 rounds on the individual (these days guys are making the transition from the classic LBVs to chest rigs which are far more effective in weight distribution and maneuverability: http://www.bdstacticalgear.com/pd-bds-tactical-patrol-chest-rig.cfm) - The Army made the change from the IBV (Interceptor) to the IOTV (Improved Outer Tac Vest). The weight distribution is similar, though the IOTV can weigh more or less depending on what modulation is used. With that said, the flexibility with the IOTV is FAR better then the IBV. I could actually turn my head to check my sector without struggling. The IOTV also vents a lot better. - Generally, the last part is the pack. The pack can weigh anywhere from 70 lbs upwards to 200 easy. I don't know much about mech inf or even light inf units, as I was usually in the field for specific odd ends... so, the heaviest my pack got was 100 lbs. Aside from the essentials, I would usually stock up on extra ammo. The packs haven't changed much. There are other things like the transition into the MICH helmet vs the PASGT, which improved the comfort level. There also have been improvements in foot rigs (combat boots).

Yea, no issues for me. I have a SA XD40 sub compact, which is 3'', and have never heard such a thing.

Excellent, thank you.

Does BA have any restrictions on rifle munitions that can be fired there? I know at SS you can't use Wolf, and the rounds now have to be frangible rounds. Just curious as I want to put some rounds through the rifle, and I have no problems buying some ammo specifically for indoor shooting.

No joke. Once the sun goes down in my town, I will usually go no more then 25-30MPH because the deer creep and creep and creep up on to the roads at night.

Ahh I miss Colorado, especially during the summer time... but yes, I agree with ben (I'm a Ben too!). And the fact that Arizona might in fact have that provision in their laws, that's icing on the cake.

Some of the naked truth of the correlation between the demand and the current operations (and this is not classified) is that while the US military definitely needed a good deal of ammunition... there was a significant percentage that was actually acquired by the US government for the host countries (Iraq and Astan). With the planned major drawback in operational needs in Iraq (plus they have probably finally acquired the means of their own production), it might have some small impact on supply here in the States. The fact is true, but the impact is speculation. We'll see. On a sidebar, I finally picked up some .223 for my rifle, got some Wolf at $10 box. This was at the Dick's in Princeton. I asked if they were facing shortages, and they said for the long gun calibers the only thing they ran out of consistently was the value packs. But they said they were having some difficulty keeping the pistol ammo stocked. The guy also said that they were about to get some .40 in though (this is today, 10JUL).

I never fired, or even saw a real firearm, until BCT. I shot terribly at BCT, but progressively got better through my career. In 2004 when I was going through, quals was: 40 rounds. All fired from a standard foxhole (4x2 rifles). 20 supported, 20 unsupported. Pop up targets from 50-300m. The standard was 26/40, I scored a 27, haha. Not to make excuses, as I was grateful that I wasn't a BOLO, it was raining like all heck that day, and between my BCGs fogging up, and the spray in front of the targets, I couldn't see the 50m or 300m targets. Later in my career I had to just fire at paper that had the silhouettes on them (shooter at a controlled distance so the targets would appear as they normally would). Quals didn't change much either for the first year or two I was in. But the last two years we were required to qual with IBVs on (prior it was just a kevlar and LBV). Rotation also changed to 20 prone unsupported, 10 prone supported, 10 kneeling. All from iron sights of course. I was able to shoot expert by the time it was all said and done, which I'm proud of (39/40)... and expected really after having used enough of the tax payers money to hone my skills.

Hehe, I feel that any answer to your question, TBT, a Marine, would not prove to suffice. But I think the Army gave me a good amount of trigger time. I'm still waiting for them to implement targets that move side to side for quals instead of pop-up-Joe

Just a quick question about DD-214s. I've been out for a year and a half now, and some of the briefing (albeit all 30 seconds of it at out-processing) has escaped me. I of course have a couple hundred copies of the DD-214 member-4 copy, and still have the member-2 (I think that's the one) sealed in the envelope. My question is: Am I suppose to take the sealed copy to the County Clerks office to be stored? Or is that the only place we can get official copies of the sealed DD-214? I only ask because I'm trying to re-organize and secure all of my FOUO files (DD214, passport, SS card, Birth Cert, etc), and I know that this somehow involves the county clerk's office, but I forgot to what capacity.

In reading the review/forum posts about them, this guy really seems like he stands behind his product. He personally wires all the optics in such a manner that they are far more shock resistant then other clones. He went even as far as to purposely break the glass on the optic to prove the point that it'll still function and hold zero. He also serializes each scope so that they can be tracked if somebody needs to use the warranty (only a year though). Given, I'm going to still be skeptical until I actually get mine.

+1 to Maksim for hitting on every point. Even after I got my FID and PP, I spent every week up until there was a week or two left on the validity of my PP out at the range, test firing everything I was considering (yes, it was expensive, haha). For example, I actually liked how the Glock felt in my hand, but wasn't a big fan of it once I started putting rounds through it. Also, I ended up getting my XD first because I had the paperwork, and I knew that if I let that PP go to waste, it'd be a terrible pain to get my hands on another one. Though I wanted a rifle myself first, I deferred to my second choice (a close second at that). And yes, use the firearms quote resource. I finally had the opportunity to use it, and the vendors on the forum were very prompt in contacting me-- fantastic resource here. Best of luck.

I was looking around on AR15.com, and came across Primary Arms. It received pretty solid reviews across the board, and is considered a weapons-grade optic even though its sub-100$. I got the Aimpoint M3 Clone w/ high cant mount (as the guy also sells 3x/5x magnifiers clones that I might invest in eventually). Like I said, a lot of positive reviews, and a good price at only $70. Everyone has been saying this guy ships quickly (already in the mail actually, I should be expecting it Saturday), so, I'll comment on it once I actually get my hands on it. http://www.primaryarms.com/product.sc?categoryId=5&productId=18

I don't have much of an opinion with the Hi point or Kel Tec as I'm not familiar with either, though I know there have been discussions here on them... so, somebody will be able to fill you in more. However, I do own a SA XD in .40SW (the Sub Compact model). Mine too was priced right at $500, and after NICs and taxes (as well as a pistol cleaning kit, and two boxes of Federal ammo), it was right around $600. I know your budget is $500, but honestly I think it'd be worth it to save up a bit more if you can. The XD has been nothing but good to me, and SA throws in a bunch of extras (extra mag, mag loader, holster, mag holders)-- and though I haven't had to contact SA about anything, I've heard their customer support is top of the line. So, I say invest a bit more and go for the XD if that's the avenue you wish to take. Edited to add that my XD was my first gun too!

Updated with pictures. I'll keep the thread updated as I progress with adding to the rifle. I was a bit thrown off at first with the weight, and the fact that the model I got has no sights. But the more I tinker with the rifle, and walk around with it, the rifle is starting to feel a lot better. I can't wait to get it up to speed, and to put some rounds downrange. I have to admit that I never had any intentions of getting a pistol with my FID, but instead have been trying to get an AR instead. So, definitely a happy camper here. I actually just ordered some optics, but thanks for the offer. And yea, once I get the necessities down, the first major upgrade is going to probably be the DD rail. As for the mags, I have an order form that I just have to fill out and send over to Paul.

And by collection, I mean two guns Either way, after having done some research with shotguns (and coming within a moment of getting a Mossy), I came to realize that while an AR would be more pricey, I would enjoy an AR over a shottie any day. So, after having done some more homework, and reaching out to the necessary channels, I purchased a SW M&P15 ORC. Thanks again to Paul at AnA and Vinny to getting back to me so promptly. Fortunately I have classes and work to keep me busy, and as the ORC model is pretty much naked, I'll be making a mini project out of it to get the rifle up to speed. At this point, I'm considering optics options (been looking at http://www.primaryarms.com, pretty decent reviews on AR15.com for very cheap red dots). As noted, going to invest in a cheaper optics set up for the time being, but going to start saving up for a Trijicon ACOG and set of folding sights. Also will be getting my hands on some of those gorgeous looking PMags Paul is selling. Probably going to also get a vert grip (no need for a bipod, I'll save the $100~, and just use my operator pack for supported positions ). Will add pics tomorrow when there is some natural light. [Edited w/ pics]: Optics in the mail.

:roll:

Hehe, yea, my understanding of "armor piercing" capability was never dependent on the munition. I know there was a short thread about this after Corzine released one of his adverts.