siglite
Member
So I'm a professional geek. And I have this t-shirt. It's all black, and says simply RTFM in block white letters. It's an industry acronym I'm sure some of you have heard. It stands for Read The F###### Manual. It's a standard response for that annoying user that's asked you the same question five times over the past four days which is plainly answered in page one, paragraph one of the manual.
My laundry cycle has just worked out several times over the past few months such that I happen to wear this RTFM t-shirt on range day. I assure you, it was not a conscious choice.
I do a lot of draw-fire speed drills when I'm shooting pistols at the range. I generally hit my target, and do it reasonably fast. My split times aren't anywhere near competitive, but I'm not exactly slow. I also practice firing from retention a lot at very close range - 3 yards or so. Around here, not many people shoot like that, so it tends to attract some attention. I've found that ringing a 12" steel plate @200 with irons on an AR does too, even though it's nuthin' special. But I digress...
The past three range trips where I've worn that RTFM shirt and shot pistols, people have approached me to make smalltalk. You know the deal. Whacha shootin? I have a <insert some pistol here>, and it's a real good shooter. Hey, what's the deal with that crazy fast thing you're doing with the target all close? Et cetera. I'm always polite. I take the time to explain the tactical merits of shooting from retention up close. I enjoy talking about their guns more than I enjoy talking about my own. I know my own guns. Theirs I may know nothing about. I digress again...
Anyway, the question's asked every single time. "You a cop?" Sometimes, it's in the form of a statement. "You must be a cop." My response to this is always the same, and I have to admit, I get a little mental chuckle out of it.
"Nope."
*uncomfortable silence*
I'm CERTAIN they think I'm lying and are wondering why.
But it just dawned on me. Every single time I'm wearing that shirt, during the uncomfortable silence following "nope," they're STARING INTENTLY at the letters RTFM on my t-shirt. And... I just started cracking up for no apparent reason a few minutes ago, completely confusing my wife. They're staring at RTFM trying to figure out what agency RTFM is.
My laundry cycle has just worked out several times over the past few months such that I happen to wear this RTFM t-shirt on range day. I assure you, it was not a conscious choice.
I do a lot of draw-fire speed drills when I'm shooting pistols at the range. I generally hit my target, and do it reasonably fast. My split times aren't anywhere near competitive, but I'm not exactly slow. I also practice firing from retention a lot at very close range - 3 yards or so. Around here, not many people shoot like that, so it tends to attract some attention. I've found that ringing a 12" steel plate @200 with irons on an AR does too, even though it's nuthin' special. But I digress...
The past three range trips where I've worn that RTFM shirt and shot pistols, people have approached me to make smalltalk. You know the deal. Whacha shootin? I have a <insert some pistol here>, and it's a real good shooter. Hey, what's the deal with that crazy fast thing you're doing with the target all close? Et cetera. I'm always polite. I take the time to explain the tactical merits of shooting from retention up close. I enjoy talking about their guns more than I enjoy talking about my own. I know my own guns. Theirs I may know nothing about. I digress again...
Anyway, the question's asked every single time. "You a cop?" Sometimes, it's in the form of a statement. "You must be a cop." My response to this is always the same, and I have to admit, I get a little mental chuckle out of it.
"Nope."
*uncomfortable silence*
I'm CERTAIN they think I'm lying and are wondering why.
But it just dawned on me. Every single time I'm wearing that shirt, during the uncomfortable silence following "nope," they're STARING INTENTLY at the letters RTFM on my t-shirt. And... I just started cracking up for no apparent reason a few minutes ago, completely confusing my wife. They're staring at RTFM trying to figure out what agency RTFM is.
