Interesting article by Army SOF on MK18 use

[cbx]

Thank you for the article Dano. I found it very informative and hope you continue to write articles for an average guy like me to be able to read and learn.

I have a dumb question, are soldiers in socom allowed to do whatever they want to their weapons? Or are there certain guide lines depending on their unit?

[Wake27]

Thank you for the article Dano. I found it very informative and hope you continue to write articles for an average guy like me to be able to read and learn.

I have a dumb question, are soldiers in socom allowed to do whatever they want to their weapons? Or are there certain guide lines depending on their unit?

Dano didn't write the article, he provided comments based on his experiences on it. I won't answer your question since I only know hearsay.

[ClearedHot]

Here's Dano's reply to my PM asking him what his MOS was or what team he served with:
This has Don Shipley written all over it.

The 5326 in his username should have been your first clue. More likely than not, you're not as switched on as you THINK you are. Might want to stay in your lane before calling out a vetted SME.

[mtdawg169]

I remember a time when we respected our SME's and were appreciative of their participation here for our benefit. If the current trend continues, it won't be long before men like Dano, F2S and LAV decide it's not worth the headache to spend their time arguing with a bunch of Internet experts who don't know what they don't know. Dano, thanks for your continued participation. Many of us here still appreciate it.

[C4IGrant]

This is one of those times that members are either going to have to accept our vetting or move on.
The derail ends now.
Further disruption at this point cannot be permitted.

Please, no dog-piling, this has been addressed.

Bingo.


SME's on this forum are Tier 1 types. They are widely known to be quality individuals with substantial backgrounds. Some (like the folks in the "Ask the SME" section) are no longer serving in the Military and generally do not work for the US Govt any longer.

Dano is the exception to the above. I know where he came from and have a general idea of what he does now. I have also met him. So when he says that some piece of kit or gun is jacked up, well then it probably is.





C4

[Bolt_Overide]

The guy he is insulting/questioning is a 23 year Special Forces veteran and current Team Sergeant... Pretty far stretch from Mr. Sheen.

Your choice of words betrays you sir. Your comments and attacks on Dano reek of fanboism. You are confusing hard, brutal observations with personal attacks. Some folks have a rating of Zero point Zero when it comes to diplomacy, but that does not mean they are not expert on that which they are speaking. I would suggest that you take your feelings out of the mix, re-evaluate, and see if he is making any sense at all.

[docsherm]

Thank you for the article Dano. I found it very informative and hope you continue to write articles for an average guy like me to be able to read and learn.

I have a dumb question, are soldiers in socom allowed to do whatever they want to their weapons? Or are there certain guide lines depending on their unit?

I cannot speak for all of the branches in SOCOM, just the ones I have worked with. It is really up to the chain of command of each unit. I have had no issues because I train with my gear and my CoC has no issues with it. I prefer to build my own over having the only the parts available that the unit has or waiting until they are ordered.

There is a lot more flexibility but there are some rules about it, some units are more strict than others.

[trinydex]

I am also confused about that comment.

seems from the combat footage available online, it seems that most engagements are a lot of ineffective spraying, machine guns laying down suppressive fire and then someone launches an effective grenade, rocket, recoilless rifle, etc, or an aircraft drops a bomb or a missile for the cheers at the end.

there's other combat footage of up close and personal encounters with enemy and rifle comes into play for the win.

I think that might be what the perspective is.

I have pondered this at times, the m4 or similar, without proper optics is not going to be that effective in general. people will be hiding behind cover or will be presenting very minimum targets. some may be confident making hits on a human silhouette at 300 yards with unmagnified optics, but what happens when the target is only a head? i don't know that most people would be confident at making a head shot at 300 yards even with 4x optics. and that headshot may only present itself for moments at a time, plus it's moving to the next place from which to engage. a rocket or a lobbed grenade would be way more effective.

[ABNAK]

Now that the keyboard wang-measuring contest has ceased, does anyone have info on my .300 BLK inquiry?

Going off of what Dano alluded to in his comment about shorties and their questionable effectiveness in the expanses of Afghanistan, I'd assume a niche cartridge like 300BLK not only doesn't get much "air time" but would be largely useless. Think about the contact distances we're talking about and the 300BLK ain't it. Hell, you might as well throw out aiming stakes for the mortar-like trajectory at 500-700 meters!

[trinydex]

I guess what it comes down to is the fact that it doesn't matter what you think about the current realities and TTP's of the current warzone. You're not there. You have absolutely no clue what this guy is seeing on a day to day basis. You're in America on a cell phone or keyboard. He's taking pictures of weapons at his feet in a war zone. The fact that he is still typing means he's doing something right. I have a few badges and patches myself, even got the tattoos and a few ASI's. It really doesn't mean anything. The face that I spent a few years in Iraq doesn't make me I can even begin to fathom what is going on in the ever evolving battlefield where he is right now. The fact that you are judging someone's operational ability based upon their rail selection or where they place their accessories is pretty ridiculous. It's an immediate red flag to me. That's the whole point of SOF and SOCOM. It's the Indian. Maybe that's what works for him? Just because it doesn't pass your internet drop test it means he's less than solid soldier? That's absurd and I'm quite surprised I'm the only one to pick up on that.

I won't clutter the net with personal stories of the crazy things I have seen perform well in combat(Weaver Optics on an M4, etc...) or what gear setups I saw that I felt looked ridiculous(I usually carried 4-5 mags on a dismounted patrol, my team leader carried 15. Literally.) The point is that it's what worked for him. It's getting the job done. And judging someone's performance capabilities based upon their gear choice is exactly the opposite of the attitude that SOF looks for. It is the complete opposite way of thinking. It's flat out wrong, and anyone with a hint of experience in an ODA or Team can attest to that.

I hope this doesn't get edited by a moderator, because it needs to be read and understood.

I sort of don't want to agree with you, but I see your point.

you see this happen in all walks of life. there is a definitely correct way to do things (I think this is what dano is commenting on). then there's the other way, which most of the time doesn't totally botch the mission at hand, but just because it doesn't botch the mission at hand, doesn't mean it's the correct way to do things.

lots of gear gets the job done just because it doesn't end up being relevantly obstructive during execution of the job, at least not that time. might it some day? maybe. do some people like their socks on backwards? yes. if it works for them, should they be allowed? maybe? even if it causes them blisters? if they can cope with it?

in any case, I get what you're saying.