# Is there a niche in militaries for really big guys? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 24, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-niche-in-militaries-for-really-big-guys/568724 "2011-01-24T01:52:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-niche-in-militaries-for-really-big-guys/568724/41 "2011-01-25T20:54:37Z")
> [@SecretaryofEvil](#): > > Well John Basilone picked up a machine gun and used it during the WWII battle of Gaudalcanal. I’m fairly certain he wasn’t a giant, although I’m sure he was a strong guy. > > [John Basilone - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Basilone) > > This is the gun he used. I think one could argue that it’s considerably more impressive to pick up and run around using than an M60. > > [M1917 Browning machine gun - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1917_Browning_machine_gun) Actually, a quick search of Youtube shows lots of people using M60s like assault rifles. No one using the M11917 in that fashion though ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-niche-in-militaries-for-really-big-guys/568724/42 "2011-01-25T21:04:42Z")
> [@SecretaryofEvil](#): > > Yeah, but you’re talking about larger than average guys. The OP was talking about an unusually large person. Were there any seven foot guys in your units who wielded weapons in a fashion that would be impossible for an average infantryman? Because if there was, and you haven’t shared said story with the Dope, you’ve been holding out on us. Nah. I was just saying that while there is a maximum size limit, the concept of the “heavy weapons guy” \*does \*exist. Basically, it’s like this: the biggest guys get the machine gun. The slightly smaller, but still big guy gets the light mortar. The most all-around athletic guy gets the radio. The nerd gets the sniper rifle. The tall skinny guy gets the missiles, probably for aesthetic reasons. The short-but-tough guys get the granade launchers. Everything else is a pot luck. The test to see of a machine gunner is strong enough is this: stand up and pick up the MAG. Hold the bipod with your left hand. Balance a coin (like a quarter) on the barrel. Slowly pull back the charging handle until the weapon is cocked, without the coin falling off. It’s harder than it sounds. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-niche-in-militaries-for-really-big-guys/568724/43 "2011-01-25T21:13:37Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Audie Murphy is the most decorated combat soldier of the WWII. Among his 33 awards was the Congressional Medal of Honor. Nitpick: It’s just a Medal of Honor, there’s no such thing as a Congressional Medal of Honor, irregardless of the nonstop usage of the phrase. While the award is given in the name of Congress, the title of the award is simply the Medal of Honor. > **[Medal of Honor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor)** > > The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians, and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. The medal is normally awarded by the president of the United States (the commander in chief of the armed forces) and is presented "in the name of Congress." It is often referred to as the Congressional Medal of Honor, though the official name o There are ... ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-niche-in-militaries-for-really-big-guys/568724/44 "2011-01-25T21:22:27Z")
Speaking as a big guy, currently 6’5" 275# (down five in the last two weeks, YAY ME!) I claim that my tolerance for recoil has actually reduced from when I was a skinny skinny young man of 185#. The same '06 has gone from “that is strong recoil” to “that is not any fun at all”. If the gun were a hammer, then the mass of the shoulder is the anvil, and the skin and muscle behind the rifle butt take a lot more punishment when backed by a heavier anvil…thats my theory anyway. Hell, maybe it is just me getting older as I get fatter. Now this is of course for slow fire from the shoulder. I might be able to control a machine gun from the hip better than a little guy. Speaking of which, shooting from the hip is a lot less punishing than shooting from the shoulder…the arms just roll with the recoil like a little guy would. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-niche-in-militaries-for-really-big-guys/568724/45 "2011-01-25T23:24:14Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Audie Murphy is the most decorated combat soldier of the WWII. Among his 33 awards was the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was barely 5’ 5". Being small in the infantry is an advantage. You can jump into any bit of cover. 20 mile marches are easier when you only weigh 160 lbs. This! A friend of my grandparents was an infantryman during WWII (103rd ID), and he actually survived a particular fight because he was small enough to actually fit completely within his particular little divot out of the ground, while the soldiers around him were killed or seriously wounded because they were larger and stuck out a little. I’d think that being bigger than average might be useful for humping the machine gun or mortar, but I’m talking 6’1" 200, not some Hulk Hogan type guy- he’d just be a big target who’d be hard to drag away if he got wounded. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-niche-in-militaries-for-really-big-guys/568724.md?page=2)