R. L. Ermey: Lock and Load

[TDH]

Bill, et all, have an excellent point. Remember the Marlboro man on tv of the fifties or sixties? It gave the message that a real man, a REAL MAN, smokes cigarettes and wears a cowboy hat. Well, the cowboy hat didn't cause the lung cancer.

The younger generation who sees a very respectable figure on tv not utilizing protective hardware will have the proclivity to mimic the person they idealize.

Had I known the hazards of not wearing ear protection when I first shot a firearm while in high school, I would have worn it from day one. I didn't learn about the consequences until I was in college. At least, I saved what hearing I have left. My hearing loss is moderate; can't hear high frequencies, according to the audiologist.

The good news is my wife knows about my moderate hearing loss and I take FULL advantage of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :0)

Thanks, guys, for the great input and for the education.

Thomas

If you had known back in high school you probably would have ignored it anyways just like any other teenager since we had all the answers. We listened to loud music and shot guns and had our heads under the hoods cars with loud engines. We went through boot and no they didn't issue ear protection to us in Basic at Lackland in the late 60's. Since then I have had 40 years of being shot at and shelled, more large loud machinery then you can shake a stick at and pounded on heavy steel with a big hammer than I care to admit too. All without ear protection. And if I had it to do all over again I probably wouldn't do anything different because I would still be the same smart a$$ed know it all teen I was then.

[John Kepler]

And if I had it to do all over again I probably wouldn't do anything different because I would still be the same smart a$$ed know it all teen I was then.

Folks.....15 minutes at an "Oz-Fest" generates more dB than a lifetime of shooting....and ain't NOBODY wearing muffs or plugs! Heck, the only tinitus I've every had was from a "James Gang" concert back in 1971!

"Made loud to be played loud!" P. Spector

[mhb]

FWIW, after watching the first couple of episodes of Ermy's new series, I did go to his web site and comment on unnecessary and fairly egregious errors of fact and methodology - that was about ten days ago, and I've never received anything in reply.
I admit it's a fun show, but there is really no reason for putting out bad information when the correct stuff is readily available.
In the machinegun episode, for instance, Ermy took a (deservedly) unfavorable look at the Chauchat LMG which France furnished to U.S. troops, but forgot to mention that the French also made many thousands of them (just as unreliable) for the U.S. in our own 30-06 caliber. He also did not mention that, until the belated advent of the 1917 Browning MG, the French supplied U.S. troops with the Hotchkiss MG, which was both effective and dependable, and fairly well-liked by our machinegunners (yes, I know it wasn't so good a gun as the Browning, but it wasn't junk, either). When he did mention the Browning, he credited it as having a great advantage over French MGs using the 8mm Lebel cartridge (which his show identified as '8.5mm Labelle') and the German 8mm as used in machineguns because of its (the .30-06's) boattailed bullet which, he said, outranged the other two types. In that he was absolutely, 100% wrong. Both the 8mm Lebel Balle D and the German 8mm sS ball ammunition actually DID have excellent (and nearly equivalent) boattailed bullets which greatly outranged the U.S. standard 1906 ball ammunition. The U.S. became aware of this during the Great War, but didn't actually adopt a long-ranged boattail bullet to compete with the French and German types until 1925 (M1 ball).
There were other howlers in this and the other episodes I've watched, so I'd guess neither he nor his producers are spending much effort on getting the facts straight.
As I said, it's fun, but not much as a source of accurate information on the weapons discussed.
mhb - Mike

[John Kepler]

Hmmm....considering the target audience, what you are doing can be defined as "picking nits"....the principal disease of "experts"!

Hell, most of the world still thinks a Corvair is "Unsafe At Any Speed!", just because a half-a$$ed "expert" lawyer said so!

[mhb]

Sorry you feel that way. This forum, and others I participate in, is aimed at sharing factual information (and opinion, when properly identified) about topics of common interest - firearms. If you don't think facts matter, you need not be bothered by them, or take them personally. But there is already enough BS out there (my opinion) without encouraging it, or allowing it to pass unremarked, when the topic is addressed here.
mhb - Mike

[Litt'le Lee]

sour grapes--Gunny is a Hollywood actor !!--He is making a few buck's off his much appreciated service in my glorious Marine Corps--he is nothing like
his DRILL INSTRUCTOR persona,,you will not find a more gracious person,,only those who stood on those yellow foot prints understand the bit

[mhb]

that he's nothing like his DI persona, and that he IS a Hollywood actor: both of these things became credible when I watched him put a juicy liplock on another guy in one of his big-screen roles... so I certainly can't argue those points with you, if I cared to.
But none of that has anything to do with the topic under discussion, really.
mhb - Mike

[John Kepler]

Sir.....it's ENTERTAINMENT, not a friggin' class with weekly quizzes and a test at the end of the term! Keep things in perspective!

[mhb]

Sir:
I agree that the program is entertainment, and already acknowledged as much in my first post, which was not addressed to you and did not have any bearing (so far as I can tell or intended) on what you had said in your earlier comments at all.
By all means let us have perspective, but make it clear whose ox is being gored, lest folks suspect you're just having a hemorrhoid flare-up.
mhb - Mike

[talucah]

Mike your points are correct and noted, but I still enjoyed the show, even tho or maybe because like most of the crew here I enjoy a little BS.
Bob