I once worked for a guy at Fort Bragg who wanted everyone in our Det to buy a 4×4 fence post and attach a sling to it for road marches and local training. Although we had perfectly good rifles in the arms room we could check out any time we needed them, he always failed to plan and would pull stuff out of his ass rather than create a training schedule.
Had it been available at the time, the Luminae Running Rifle would have been much preferable to walking around with a big chunk of wood.
These days, it makes even more sense due to the sensitivities over open carry, even on military installations.
The Luminae Running Rifle is a military training aid that simulates carrying a rifle but can be used in public places and does not need signed in and out of an armoury. Perfect for training or keeping fit.
The only drawback for American users is that it’s based on a bullpup, the British issue L85, but it makes sense as Luminae Designs is a British company.
We always have to warn the surrounding countryside every time we send the ROTC cadets out with their “rubber ducks” that they are NOT real. It’s exhausting.
IMO the 4×4 is more badass and can always be used for the massive bonfire all those intel studs can fire up after the unit 50-miler…and for the climate monks, it’s carbon neutral.
It speaks volumes to the downfall of western societies that they have to come up with something like this to not offend people.
Recently, here in Germany, the police was called because a company of soldiers in uniform were marching through the streets, holding up a German flag and singing the German anthem among other traditional military marches.
Subsequently marching while in uniform in public areas was banned unless announced beforehand. Marching with rifles was banned years ago, people complained that soldiers looked menacing and aggressive. Western society is a lost cause.
As a Swedish friend told me “one or two Germans are alright, but when they get in a group they start marching.”
Naaah, Swedes are just hard-wired to be pussies when it comes to anything resembling German military.
Not sure why anyone would be impressed by the German military since they haven’t done anything in the past 100 years but lose.
Mmm .. that might not be entirely correct. It was only after the US, England and the Russians murdered hundreds of thousands of fleeing German civilians that their military finally surrendered. After WWII Germany literally had her women raped into obedience. Today, Germany is NATO and a has very capable military. It took Germany a while to regain her pride, but it is happening.
History is written by he who “wins”. We have become soft and may very well face that same fate sooner than later …
@Hans: [citation needed]
Not that I think this could not have happened with the very common hoplophobia and uniform-o-phobia in Germany, but I have not heard of such an incident.
I thought bright Blue Guns fixed this problem?
We just made things (mortar rounds, etc) out of pvc pipe with sand or quickcrete in them weighed out correctly. Pvc m4 would be cheap and easy.
Also rubber ducks work great…available for about $200. I’m sure you could convince a commander to buy some.
2006 Pre-Deployment I bought 6 extremely realistic Airsoft M-4s to start MOUT training our guys with, as we would not get to our final training ground for a month, and our unit could not draw weapons from the armory on short order. Gunny thought it was cool we were doing weapons training until he found out they weren’t real “weapons”. He was pissed we were ‘wasting time’ doing MOUT until we made it to our final training base and they burned two weeks on it (but the prep really helped with weapons handling, shoot / no-shoot scenarios, muzzle-discipline, mag changes, room clearing, tactical movement, setup of other load bearing gear).
Realistic training = best
Training = very close second best
I don’t know about the yellow stand-in weapons simulators for running, but if you can get items that satisfy what the needed items would accomplish without the mind numbing part of acquiring the actual item, I say DO IT.
This is exactly what “toy guns” are good for. You can train anytime without having to go to the armoury which is always a PITA with all the bookkeeping. When one of the toys breaks no hassle either.
In the Bundeswehr we used wooden AKs with a sprung plunger thingie at the muzel, that we had inherited from the NVA. Originally intended for bayonet training, but we used them as standins for the firearms from the armoury. Basic handling drills, night naviogation marches in full gear etc. etc. Much easier to just pick up a ahndful of woodden toys than signing for firearms in todays militaries.
That’s not a bullpup. Obviously the rear handle is a pistol grip and the front one is the magazine. Now you turn it around, maybe then its a bullpup.
Can’t blame the model for not having held a real SA80 before.
The angles on the lower pieces are meant to replicate the magazine (rear) and pistol grip (front).
Nerf guns are probably cheaper… and more fun.
“Sensitivity over open carry” screw peoples sensitivity.
Like others have said, when I was in military school in .inspiring we did stuff with rubber ducks all the time in that small town. Any time we traveled outside of that town was a press release. Then I transfered to a college in California. They carried sand filled pipes becsuse the college wouldn’t allow rubber ducks (even red or blue ones). I mentioned that this brought up other issues: muzzle awareness, familiarization with the rifle and seriousness of accountability
The COL in charge, his hands were tied. This is a better solution than pipes.
The Red Chinese are laughing at us…..
It’s ok the Russians, North Koreans and Chinese will be carrying their rifles.