Terms I am tired of hearing

Would you agree Hathcock was the most skilled even though his confined kill count was lower. He was an MP most of his first tour and got wounded not long after starting his second.
He was a world class shooter for sure. His exploits as a sniper are legendary and his bravery beyond question. Most skilled is probably appropriate considering his missions and their outcome, just not the most successful by actual confirmed count.
 
We have a Canadian gun site that has a equipment exchange. You wouldn’t believe how bad some of the people screw up the Queens English, it drives me up a wall
 
Would you agree Hathcock was the most skilled even though his confined kill count was lower. He was an MP most of his first tour and got wounded not long after starting his second.

Im not sure I would.. White Feather was an incredible sniper.. there is no questioning that all.. but to your point, the amount of time he actually spent in the field was limited compared to others.. so the amount of opportunities and # of missions completed were limited by comparison.. and the # of kills a sniper racks up is but only one thing they are judged by (remember they are also battlefield intelligence gatherers, and very complex force multipliers, that often DO NOT take a shot as part of their mission)

I think comparing Hathcock to Mawhinney or a host of names we'll never hear/know that worked in the special operations and intelligence communities as "snipers" is sort of like comparing a ferrari, to a maclaren, or a labroghini.. is one really better than the other? Or is one really just more to your likes/preferences/tastes/interests/or you just know more about one than the other?..

What separates Hathcock from Mawhinney really is their careers AFTER the USMC and their associated "fame"..

Hathcock stayed full time engaged and employed in the sniper community until the day he died.. when he left Vietnam he was assigned to the USMC sniper school until he retired (medically).. when he was medically retired from the USMC he started teaching sniper skills to police agencies, military special operations units, etc.. whereas Mawhinney chose to leave the community completely. He left the USMC and went to work for the US Forest Service as soon as his enlistment was up...

Hathcock had his exploits popularized in several different best selling books (to include a book he wrote himself.. althought I dont think that one hit any best seller lists..), in several movies, etc through the 80's and 90's.. Many people thought he was the leading sniper, kill wise, of the Vietnam War for decades, simply because he was the only sniper with such a high volume of kills that was actually known or talked about.. No one had heard Mawhinney's name, until a single book was written (by another USMC sniper) in the 90's that spoke to his skills and capabilities.. After retiring from the USFS and after being brought into the limelight by his buddy that wrote the book, Mawhinney re-entered the sniper community in a very limited fashion.. he worked with some "tactical" companies (gear makers, knife makers, etc) to design some kit, and he does some limited speaking engagement type stuff at sniper schools, etc..

FWIW I am a big Hathcock fan.. He lived/grew up less than 40 miles from where I did.. and he ran a private marksmanship school for mil/leo for years throughout the Southeastern US that several guys I know attended (I tried to go a couple of different times, and just couldnt make it work when I made the attempts).. I met him in person a few times at a couple of different events, etc.. he was truly a GREAT man..

Im just not sure he was the only guy during the Vietnam war that had that level of skill and capabilities.. there were a handful of guys that we know about that did some pretty incredible things... that were equally innovative.. equally good shots.. etc.. they just didnt do things that grab your attention like mounting an optic to an M2 and creating the first ".50 sniper rifle".. much of what they did was more subtle.. and there are another handful of guys out there that we will never know about that are also in the same category..
 
The one that drives me a totally nuts and has for YEARS is “smoked ‘em”. Usually said by morons hunting on camera followed by fist pumps. Ugh.

The other is “hit ‘em a little far back” when it’s an OBVIOUS gut shot. I actually made a spoof video of that like 10 years ago because it drove me crazy. I’d post it but i just remembered I deleted it from YT a while back.
 
Maybe off topic but I hate it when people use the term “fixed wing aircraft”. There are planes and there are helicopters that’s it unless you’re into sci-fi! Planes or helicopters. Period. Maybe this is a military thing but I hate it!
 
Maybe off topic but I hate it when people use the term “fixed wing aircraft”. There are planes and there are helicopters that’s it unless you’re into sci-fi! Planes or helicopters. Period. Maybe this is a military thing but I hate it!
Yes it is military....fixed wing vs rotary wing.
 
“We’ll have to make a plan” - that isn’t a plan, that’s a planless scramble without forethought

“Killin stix” and any other product advertised on outdoor TV

“Fine firearms” when referring to 90% of what people reference

“Buy a few more animals” when describing preparations for Africa

“Saving up for more animals”

“Fancy” when describing minimum-quality products

“Zombie” anything

The overuse of the word “mechanical”

Overuse of the word “ethical” by bow hunters, as a prop to imply they are superior

“Had to back out” which is code for “took a terrible shot, I hope it’s dead in 12 hours”

“I can’t afford it” when the person pisses money away on everything that doesn’t matter

“Hard cast lead” - the beginning of advice that leads to wounded animals unrecovered

“Never had an issue” when defending negligent anything

“Capstick says”


Like this list with the exception of "Had to back out". This, in my opinion, is okay if done prior to taking a shot. I have broken off a number of stalks due to swirling wind or too many eyes or running out of daylight and backed out. We of course then had to make a new plan. :whistle:
 
I've got one directed at no one but likely to offend a few as I've seen it lots here. "I saw x and it was on my list", "crossed X off the list" "once i saw x i had to add it to the list" etc. You're not shopping and it feels devaluing to what hunting is about when it's trivialized to being akin to a trip to kmart.

+1 on Mr Spots, I've always thought it sounded condescending to such a magnificent animal.
 
Awesome. Everything nowadays is awesome this awesome that.
 
Military-style semi-automatic, assault rifle and assault weapon which the New Zealand government and media seem very good at calling any firearm here which has recently been banned, even if they are a .22 or shotgun
.
 
Guess what, I’m sorry but if you can’t just tell me, I can’t be bothered with your childish games
 
How about this one, when people see all your mounts the first thing they ask you "did you kill all these" my standard reply is "I did those 7 over there, but talked these 3 into giving up" thank you Jeff Foxworthy. I love the look on their faces when they finally realize just how dumb their question was. Of course there is "I was just sitting here one day and bam he ran right through the wall and got stuck" so I grabbed my two tube, when outside, sent a pill his way, smoked him, but then realized hit him a little back, backed out to my couch waited until morning, found him DRT, and slapped some paper on his horns, made him legit. My epic attempt at being funny, I'll be here all week, don't forget to tip your bartenders and waitresses, mic drop, why because I'm awesome, I'm outta here!

:S Topic:
 
"DRT/dead right there".... Now we have damn acronyms for a kill? Sounds pretty stupid to me but guess I'm just getting too old to be part of the cool talking crowd.
And last but not least, "harvested", I'm not a crop farmer, I have killed lots of game but have left all the wheat and garden veggies alone. Just another way to bow to the anti's fragile feelings.
BnC04
Dang man you don't know what you're missing. Harvesting game is great fun. I don't get much game tho, dang things move to quick and that John Deere just don't turn quick enough to get em when they dodge and weave.
I'm like you I'll just shoot what I want to eat.
Yes I to havestuffed up a shot. I was on my first gemsbuck, shot was to high,between lungs and spine. TOTAL SHOOTER ERROR. Tracked for 20 km but never crossed him.
PH said the shot didn't appear to be be fatal and based on his experience the animal would be okay. Did my make me feel any better I STUFFED UP. The animal deserve better. Everything after that was one shot.
I will never forget that gemsbuck.
Cheers
Bob
 

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