Marine and Army MOS options for small arms

[Phantom Warrior]

A lot of good ground has been covered already.  I'll just second the statement that going into the military isn't a great way to learn to repair weapons.  Your friend might be able to work something in the area he's interested in but it's far more likely he'd end up counting barrels and typing up turn in paperwork than custom machining stuff for the AMU or the Quantico armory.  Especially since it sounds like he's interested in doing four years and out rather than making a career of it.

My recommendation is to take French G's COA #2.  Go be a tanker or Infantry or whatever floats his boat.  Be warned, it'll suck.  But he'll probably enjoy it a lot more than sitting in an arms room issuing weapons.  And he'll probably get some neat opportunities.  After that he can use the GI Bill to go get education or training to do what he really wants to do. 

[Balog]

Got a young kid who's interested in getting into the gun manufacturing biz when he grows up. Plans to start out in the service, he's leaning toward Marines but might consider Army too.
Any of you current or former Marines or Army guys here - can you recommend an MOS that will give him hands on practical experience with various small arms weaponry?

Thanks!

I bolded the part that struck me the first time, and that I don't think has been addressed. Gun manufacturing is just like any other industrial gig. If he wants to get into it he can either move to where a factory is and apply for grunt labor, goto a trade school to become a machinist and then move and aplly, or get some variety of mechanical engineering degree then move and apply. Time in the .mil will be no more beneficial to him than it would be to anyone looking to go into any other field.

[Jamisjockey]

Wonders never cease....I find myself in agreeance with Balog twice in one thread.  Seems like there are better ways into the gun .biz....

[Balog]

Wonders never cease....I find myself in agreeance with Balog twice in one thread.  Seems like there are better ways into the gun .biz....

I'll try not to make it a habit 

But yeah, in thinking about it getting "into the gun .biz" there are probably a lot more sales/marketing/business etc type positions available than anything involving lathes and milling machines. Now, I think .mil experience is probably helpful in interviews in many industries just because it tends to teach valuable life lessons. And I think there are more .mil folks in the firearms industry than the average industrial/manufacturing business.

But the sad reality of the .mil is that outside the infantry, most MOS's are regular jobs with uniforms and a range trip once a year if you're lucky. I only know the Marines, but non-infantry MOS's get formal square range instruction in boot camp and a few weeks at... umm, whatever they called the non-grunt combat school right after boot camp. AIT maybe? Even as a grunt I spent way way way more time sitting in a crap-tastic barracks room pretending to care about M2 barrel dimensions or cleaning my rifle so much the damn anodizing was getting worn off than doing anything remotely useful.

[erictank]

Well then factually correct it. Please.

Based on my ASVAB and basic physics/nuclear testing results, I was permitted to select my general field (nuclear) and specific NEC (3383, surface vessel reactor operator) for the US Navy, back in '91.  Nuclear field was specified in my enlistment contract before signing, and reactor operator was contracted in writing for me in boot camp after further testing.  As Balog stated, all guarantees are subject to successful completion of .mil training school(s) - in my case, ET (A) school, Naval Nuclear Power School, and Naval Nuclear Prototype training, a curriculum totalling approximately 2 years (thus requiring a 2-year contract extension for active duty which came out of the Individual Ready Reserve requirement - instead of 4yrs active/4yrs IRR, it was 6/2).

The .mil allows EVERYONE to put in for whatever they want.  Needs of the service do come into play, but if you qualify for advanced training and technical service, you'll almost certainly find that the service needs you in that position rather than as an infantryman or cook.  And if you don't get it in writing before signing, you deserve what you get.

[MrsSmith]

All information passed on to the kid.
Thanks guys!

[Bogie]

I'd tell 'em to go guard or reserves, one of the MOS areas that will help, and to wait until he gets the slot. While he's doing that, get a job in a tool & die or CNC machine shop.
 

[Jamisjockey]

umm, whatever they called the non-grunt combat school right after boot camp. AIT maybe?.

MCT.

Major Consumption of Time/Tobacco.
 

Based on my ASVAB

Good point.  Get him to take the ASVAB.  The whole world opens up (or closes in) once thats under his belt. 
I started thinking I wanted to blow *expletive deleted*it up.  That is exacly what I said to my recruiter.  Dad said "whoa...is there any bonuses right now?"  Ended up in a career field that meant something, and was a major part of making sure the Marine Corps mission was fulfilled during my short enlistment. 

[Hawkmoon]

Good point.  Get him to take the ASVAB.  The whole world opens up (or closes in) once thats under his belt. 
I started thinking I wanted to blow *expletive deleted* up.  That is exacly what I said to my recruiter.  Dad said "whoa...is there any bonuses right now?"  Ended up in a career field that meant something, and was a major part of making sure the Marine Corps mission was fulfilled during my short enlistment. 

Hmmm ...

I wanted to build things, so I enlisted in the Army for Combat Engineers. So they taught me to blow things up.

Then some brain trust realized I have defective color vision so they didn't trust me to connect two wires to the only two terminals on the box. So I was reassigned out of demolition and sent to do ... other things.

[Stetson]

I know you said Marines and Army but what about USN

Im asking because there is (or used to be) a rate of Gunners Mate (GM) that worked on small arms.
There are 2 subsets of this GMG (Gunners Mate Guns) and GMM (Gunners Mate Missles).

Just a thought....

[French G.]

I know you said Marines and Army but what about USN

Im asking because there is (or used to be) a rate of Gunners Mate (GM) that worked on small arms.
There are 2 subsets of this GMG (Gunners Mate Guns) and GMM (Gunners Mate Missles).

Just a thought....

Same S* Different Silly hat. GMs(No longer split rate) do not work on weapons unless they are fortunate enough to be stationed at Crane NSWC. As with the other services there are two primary reasons that turned them into gun counters and cleaners across the fleet. One, there was too many incompetent maintainers. Two, you spread spare parts out all over the world and soon you have things walking out the door, complete back room built guns in some cases. So, you so much as break a spring in your M-9 and back in a box it goes to Crane for repair. Now there's a plan that will work just spiffy in a war.