[hopalong_casio]

What I've learned in the army was that a SHOOTER successfully hits the intended targets, often with consistency, while a FIRER merely causes his weapon to discharge one or more rounds. A non-shooter is a poor marksman. You can't SHOOT what you can't hit, in other words. FIRE simply means "go bang" while SHOOT means go bang productively.

Civilians might often say "shooting one's gun" to mean discharging it without regards to whether an intended target was successfully engaged or not. When one shoots a gun, does that mean the gun in question was discharged or was the gun itself an actual target that was hit?

By the way, we never were supposed to call our RIFLE a gun.

Just a little interesting thread on that most strange and mysterious military parlance.

 

[Coalcracker]

I refer shooting as going for a target. If i fire my gun as in a salute or just to make noise then it's firing it to me,

 

[QuickdrawMcgraw]

By the way, we never were supposed to called our RIFLE a gun.

That's what its called, a rifle. A gun is a main armament on a battle ship, its an artillery piece, its the main armament on a tank, etc.

 

[hopalong_casio]

That's what its called, a rifle. A gun is a main armament on a battle ship, its an artillery piece, its the main armament on a tank, etc.

The army, while on the thread of odd military lingo, once had a rifle simulator called "Weaponeer".
I got to use it a few times while I was in. In basic training, there was a weapons truck (a white van operated by civilians to repair our M16s) with "weaponeer" written on it, if memory serves me correctly.

Here is 'weaponeer' as defined in dictionary:

weaponeer [ wep-uh-neer ]SHOW IPA noun

Military. a person who prepares an atomic bomb for detonation.
a person who designs nuclear weapons.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/weaponeer

 

[mini14]

opcorn2:

 

[hopalong_casio]

opcorn2:

enjoying the show

what really cracks me up is the army calls certain parts of protective (NBC) masks "outserts"

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/outsert?s=t

outsert [ out-surt ]SHOW IPA noun

Bookbinding. an additional folded signature or sheet into which another is bound.

 

[hopalong_casio]

I refer shooting as going for a target. If i fire my gun as in a salute or just to make noise then it's firing it to me,

"all right, experts, scan your sectors"

 

[LRDGCO]

A shotgun, however, is a gun.

 

[QuickdrawMcgraw]

Im for a little bickering amongst others, its only healthy imo, though lets keep it from getting out of hand. Thank you.

 

[ArthAnsgar]

If we're discussing definitions:

Shoot
verb

• to drive forth or cause to be driven forth by an explosion

Fire
verb

• to discharge a weapon

Gun
noun

• a weapon incorporating a metal tube from which bullets, shells, or other missiles are propelled by explosive force, typically making a characteristic loud, sharp noise.

So, by those definitions alone, a rifle is a gun, and you don't shoot, you fire, the gun shoots. It's all semantics, the definitions of words change over time depending on how they are used in society.

Military terminology is kinda funny in that, sometimes it makes sense, but most of it is just needless variation from everyday language.

 

[AgedWarrior]

Words get used in unique ways by different groups of people. Like the mythical ugly creature whose name is now used to describe people who intentionally provoke anger in others on the internet. Hopalong_casio, can you guess what I am referring to?

 

[Stamps6]

John, just because we’re a bit bored, we let you entertain us with these posts.

 

[Steyr Man 146]

EH? Mater/Tamato/Tomato military folk just like the rest of the world speech reflex education, place raised and social ties, I have heard all on the line, Firer/Shooter/Soldier/Defender/Shootist/Cap Popper I have heard a Plethora of descriptions on the firing line form Basics in New Jersey AIT Virginia. and duty stations.

 

[LimaCharlie]

A shotgun, however, is a gun.

In the Navy, a shotgun is a riot gun. I often carried one while boarding boats in Viet Nam.

 

[Nod]

In basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood in 1960 we were taught
'This is my rifle (wave rifle)
this is my gun (grab crotch)
this is for fighting,
this is for fun.'

 

[Steyr Man 146]

In basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood in 1960 we were taught
'This is my rifle (wave rifle)
this is my gun (grab crotch)
this is for fighting,
this is for fun.'

YUP Ft.Dix in the 80s was still using it...However it was barracks only

 

[Reloadron]

I can't speak for other services but can for the Marine Corps circa 60s. During annual qualifications the commands given were: Ready on the right, ready on the left, ready on the firing line. Shooters, you may begin firing when your (target name) appears. So those on the firing line were refereed to as "shooters".

Ron