Duck hunting or not?

[PMB1861]

This is just so amusing... all of it.

How about this? Instead of duck hunting or worm shooting... You could just use the ramrod for what it is intended for, i.e. seating the charge in the bore so it goes off completely and correctly.

Anyone who shoots a ramrod during an event is publicly ridiculed for being an idiot and either leaves the hobby or grows up and learns how to do it right and safely. Officers and NCO's who fail to supervise their men and let a ramrod get shot lose their straps or stripes and go back to the ranks for their incompetence.

After a year or two of events where rammers are required to be used everyone should be trained up to do it right as opposed to doing it wrong and we'll have cut down all the excess rank wearers in the hobby and increased the average company strength by returing said incompetent strap and stripe wearers to the ranks where they should have been all along.

THEN we can get to worrying properly about other pressing matters like what bugle call is sounded first in the morning or how to combat the insidious creep of waistlines and age in the reenacting ranks.

[Bill_Cross]

That's a really good suggestion.

Therefore it's unlikely it will ever be adopted....

[billwatson2]

"Officers and NCO's who fail to supervise their men and let a ramrod get shot lose their straps or stripes and go back to the ranks for their incompetence."

If demotion for incompetence could be enforced, don't you think we'd have seen some sign of that by now?

What we're seeing is prevention measures that don't prevent anything adopted en masse as an alternative to requiring competency. Another name for it is madness.

[TB1861]

I like the notion of confusing spectators.

They won't notice the inconsistencies of our kit, age or girth then. It's a viable way to go, folks.

I thought that was why people used fake accents.

[TB1861]

"Officers and NCO's who fail to supervise their men and let a ramrod get shot lose their straps or stripes and go back to the ranks for their incompetence."

If demotion for incompetence could be enforced, don't you think we'd have seen some sign of that by now?

What we're seeing is prevention measures that don't prevent anything adopted en masse as an alternative to requiring competency. Another name for it is madness.

That is so nicely put I can see why you have chosen to publish your writings.

[Bill_Cross]

We propose sensible changes, and then real life happens.

[mike51tenn]

I thought that was why people used fake accents.

We're all Irish when it comes down to it..........

[reddcorp]

This is just so amusing... all of it.

How about this? Instead of duck hunting or worm shooting... You could just use the ramrod for what it is intended for, i.e. seating the charge in the bore so it goes off completely and correctly.

Anyone who shoots a ramrod during an event is publicly ridiculed for being an idiot and either leaves the hobby or grows up and learns how to do it right and safely. Officers and NCO's who fail to supervise their men and let a ramrod get shot lose their straps or stripes and go back to the ranks for their incompetence.

After a year or two of events where rammers are required to be used everyone should be trained up to do it right as opposed to doing it wrong and we'll have cut down all the excess rank wearers in the hobby and increased the average company strength by returing said incompetent strap and stripe wearers to the ranks where they should have been all along.

THEN we can get to worrying properly about other pressing matters like what bugle call is sounded first in the morning or how to combat the insidious creep of waistlines and age in the reenacting ranks.

Please excuse me if I don't jump on board with your suggestion. I've no problem with using rammers at LHs and other events, where there's no one down range from me. But when there's someone opposite, I'm not willing to trust that those folks have been properly trained and drilled on the proper loading procedures, particularly the part about putting the rammer where it belongs. I'm fairly confident that the fellas in my unit and batt. know what to do, but the rest.?????? Heck, even soldiers in the day, who drilled and drilled every day, sometimes miscued and....there goes a rammer down range. If you happen to be on the receiving end, you've had a bad day. Just my opinion. So, just in case your's was not tongue in cheek. Don't do it.

A.W.Redd

[TB1861]

We propose sensible changes, and then real life happens.

What a polite way to say "people are idiots".

[vamick]

Tho I usually deal with artillery I had a chance to skirmish at a non disclosed event a few years back and guess what..I fully used my rammer just like it was meant to be, just like they did back in the war and *GASP* I managed to NOT shoot it down range...and I didnt duck hunt...we have a "over caution, safety obcessed" society..all it takes in THINKING about what one is doing..all this Im sure makes me a bad bad man, but it was fun using that rammer and the weapon went BOOMB instead of FUUUUF!