Re: When did everyone start "driving" rifles?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Erud</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Maybe it's just me, but I would feel like a total douche even talking about driving a rifle. Isn't anyone satisfied with just plain "shooting" them anymore? If not, is there possibly an even cooler term we could all start using?
How about "Riding"?
Or "Piloting"?
Or my personal favorite: "Captaining"?
Open to other suggestions as long as they are at least equal in awesomeness to mine.
</div></div>
I agree it seems partially constructed of kool-aid.
However I do understand the distinction people are suggesting with the term.
You can sit on a bench and with minimal input shoot the rifle, or you can attempt as much as possible to minimize the movement of the rifle for rapid follow-up shots or even for spotting your own trace.
I've heard the Marine Corps Sniper program is teaching people to spot their own trace now- well maybe now that they have the S&B glass that's a possibility.
They use a specialized sling tensioned prone that pulls the muzzle toward the ground allowing fairly flat recoil- pulling the gun tight like a macro version of handgun grip for recoil control.
For carbines it is "Drive the gun toward the center of the target" as in "push always toward center" an implication of rapid fire with precision. Here drive sounds like a better fit.
I'd rather lose the term "driving" and I don't use it, but I understand what people are implying when they do. Mostly my resistance to the term is I feel it is over-used. People say "I have to learn to drive" like just improving shooting is what they think people are trying to say.
No it's not- it's about making things consistent, but also making that recoil control predictable, and spotting trace or impact. I feel the overuse by people who don't know what they are talking about is what is making the term more annoying.
As Frank said, it really becomes an issue with semi-autos. I find myself working on small things with semi-autos. A group has a flier and I think "was my bipod load consistent for that round?" or "was my grip pressure and tension on the gun the same as before?" The semi-autos are more erratic, and the triggers often lack the pedigree and it all makes them more of a mental challenge when I'm attempting to use them in the traditional role of a bolt gun.
]
