SOLDIER OF FORTUNE MAY 1981 – SHARPSHOOTING WITH CHAIRMAN JEFF column
Jeff Cooper is the Honorary Lifetime Chairman of the International Practical Shooting Confederation, and thus combines official authority with his vast background and experience. In this column Jeff with alternate his own observations with those of other experts of his personal selection.
“Gunsite Rifle Course”
(November 1980)
The American Pistol Institute (API) at Gunsite, Ariz., is widely known (and widely misrepresented) for its courses in defensive pistolcraft. Consequently, a new dimension has been added to the curriculum at Gunsite Ranch.
Cooper’s infatuation with rifles preceded his military service in World War II. He hunted North American trophy animals between terms at Stanford, and learned the ’03 Springfield in ROTC. He still considers the Garand the finest battle rifle of all time. (Now, however, he is inclined to favor the Italian BM-59 version in 7.62mm NATO).
Having grown up with bolt actions, Cooper retains a fondness for the breed—and not merely from sentiment. He maintains that, in most circumstances, a skilled person—male or female—can do as well with a boltgun as with a semiauto. Cooper’s favorite “riflechick” is his daughter Parry, who’s won open matches with a Remington .308. She confidently asserts, “If I can see it, I can hit it.”
Therefore, API’s basic rifle course begins with the assumption that a prospective student will bring the weapon that best suits his needs, and that doesn’t always mean a semiauto with a 20-round magazine. Indeed, Cooper’s hands-down favorite general-purpose rifle is the .308 Remington 600 with an extended eye relief two-power scope.
Hefting his pet, he says, “If the bad guys were pounding on the front door, thus is what I’d grab as I ran out the back.” He’s speaking figurately, of course as an armed opponent is unlikely to get within 300 yards of the ranch house. But the point is well made, and is often reinforced during the six-day course.
Ranging In On Day One
The fourth such class was held early last November. Cooper and two instructors sorted the students into categories and proceeded on the basis of weapon types. In this instance both instructors were star pupils from previous rifle classes. Clint Smith is a police officer from Indiana who topped his class with his duty Remington 700 counter-0sniper rifle. Tom Jester is a big, drawling Texan who is regarded as a wizard with the HK-91. Both are expert riflemen blessed with equal shares of patience and sympathy—necessary qualities for teaching any subject.
The students offered a representative cross-section. There were rive each from California and Arizona, two Alaskans, a pair from Colorado, and a sprinkling of others, including a Foreign Service officer on leave from Beirut. The equipment ranged from seven M1As and five HK-91s down to three Remington 600s and the mavericks, including an exotic Ruger 77 modified to accept an M14 magazine. Except for a Mini-14 and a Remington 742 in .30-06, all students shot .308s.
Most class members had taken at least one previous API course. Bearded John Brook, the Gunsite administrator, reckons that 35 percent of all API students are former graduates. A handful have taken three courses by now, and occasionally you find someone in his fourth Gunsite class. At $400 a throw (plus travel and lodging), it’s ample proof of satisfied customers. Of the 20 students enrolled in the fourth rifle course, a dozen had previous API instruction.
There was a time when Americans learned rifle marksmanship in the armed forces or even in high school. But no more. And Cooper seems ambivalent on this point. While he relies upon the need for proper rifle instruction as part of his business, he also laments the services’ diminished marksmanship programs. It’s a worldwide trend, and Cooper notes that 20 years ago, few governments were in danger from rifle-equipped citizens. But now, considering the deplorable standard of military marksmanship throughout the world, several nations could be seized from within by marginally proficient civilians.
Opening Remarks: Marksmanship Factors
In his opening address to the class, Cooper touches on this very matter. He asks rhetorically whether the rifle is a sporting tool or an instrument of social change. But he makes it plain that at API the long gun is taught not primarily as a military weapon, but as a means of securing game. Through the majority of shooting is directed at IPSC Option targets, this is merely for convenience. (Several life-size animal targets are engaged during the course—but more of that later.)
Quoting Townsend Whelen, Cooper states that the object of his rifle class is to impart “the ability to hit small, often indistinct targets at unknown ranges, quickly and repeatedly, even though thy may be moving. That is the essence of rifle marksmanship, and API identifies four primary factors in achieving that goal.
First is trigger control. Cooper believes 60 percent of good rifle shooting is proper trigger release. API gives relatively little instruction in the time-honored hold-and-squeeze method, but students are constantly reminded to do just that. As in pistol shooting, a quick “draw” (or presentation is taught, followed by careful shooting. Smoothness and accuracy come first, for speed will follow as a result.
Second in importance are positions. API teaches prone, sitting, kneeling and standing, but always with the adage, “If you can get closer, get closer. If you can get steadier, get steadier.” Considerable time is devoted to perfecting each shooting position and selecting the proper one in the field. It becomes a trade-off between speed and steadiness, and the shooter must find what works best for him.
Next are sighting and aiming. Only a few rounds are fired at ranges over 300 meters, which Cooper feels is optimum for most practical rifle work. Again citing Whelen, he contends that with a good rest and sufficient time, a proficient rifleman should get first-round hits at 300 yards. Scopes give speed in target acquisition, but Cooper dispels the notion that they help anyone shoot better. An indifferent shot will do no better with a scope than with iron sights.
API identifies gun handling as the fourth factor. Transition from carrying to firing, economy of movement, bolt operation or magazine change all apply here. Students are told beforehand that a solid 30 days of dry firing and bolt cycling are not merely advisable, but necessary. Properly done, the rifle never leaves the shoulder while the bolt is operated. It is something semiauto shooters don’t have to contend with, but obviously API lacks the tie to give such instruction one the student arrives. After practice, the action becomes automatic, and under stress a bolt-action shooter will seldom remember cycling his bolt.
Basic Rifle in the Classroom
In contrast to the basic pistol course (API 250) basic rifle (API 270) involves only two classroom sessions. Cooper uses those opportunities to explain optics and ballistics, but only to the extent he considers necessary. A scope he emphasizes is no substitute for binoculars. Scopes possess insufficient resolution for proper long-range scanning, while binocs are better for light gathering, definition, and field of view. He hesitates to make product recommendations for scopes.
As for ballistics and acceptable accuracy, most bench resters and silhouette shooters would consider API’s attitude cavalier at best, crude at worst. But Cooper isn’t concerned.
“If you want a small group,” he quips, “just fire once.” Minute-of-angle accuracy is fine, but API believes too many uninformed gun writers have made the shooting public hypercritical in such matters. Cooper equates minute-of-angle (MOA) accuracy in shooting with drag racing in transportation. Interesting, but not essential.
Instead, API teaches that a three-inch group is permissible at 200 yards if the same rifle and load produce one inch at 100. Out to 300 yards or so, two JOA is considered acceptable. To obtain those standards, Cooper recommends zeroing cartridges with 3,000 FPS or more at 250 yards, while cartridges under that velocity are best zeroed at 200. For most .308loads, this produces a sight setting three inches high at 100 yards and three inches low at about 240. For either muzzle velocity, the shooter merely holds slightly high at ranges out to 300 yards.
In short, it comes down to a question of how much accuracy an individual can use, not how much accuracy his rifle possesses under ideal conditions. Obviously in hunting or in war there is seldom any such thing as an ideal condition. Therefore, the shooter must decide which factor is paramount at the crucial moment: speed or accuracy. Both are important, but which is more important?
The fast positions—offhand and kneeling—are not especially steady. And conversely, the steady positions—prone and sitting—are not really fast. Some are faster and some are steadier, and there lies the answer.
In addition to the standard positions, API teaches the military squat (“rice paddy prone” in ‘Nam) which offers the advantage of being faster than sitting and steadier than kneeling. Both elbows are braced on the knees, lending good support. And both standing positions are taught. Classic offhand is used only when time allows nothing else. Olympic-style standing is employed when time is not crucial, but visibility is. Obviously, one would not choose to shoot standing unless he could not see the target otherwise.
Slings And Bipods
Closely allied to position shooting is use of the military sling. API devotes considerable time to teaching not only proper use of the sling, but fast acquisition as well. A practiced individual can go from standard ready (muzzle downrange, butt at belt level) to fully rigged sling in five seconds. Several drill sessions are run to instill proper procedures for “slinging up” both for prone and sitting. In either case, the supporting hand under the forestock is completely relaxed, exerting no pressure on the rifle.
Those riflemen with bipods receive less sling instruction but learn to extend their bipod legs rapidly while getting into prone. This is in keeping with API’s rifle doctrine: you are taught the skills applicable to your specific weapon. Shooters with semiautos drill in fast magazine changes and shoot a Rifle Presidente (an innovation imported from Austria), which bolt actions work on the “shoot one, load one principle. (The Rifle Presidente is fired on IPSC Option targets at 100 meters. The shooter starts in standard ready facing 180 degrees from three targets spaced one meter apart. On signal, he engages each target twice, reloads and repeats. For a perfect score of 60 a good time is 30 seconds.)
Naturally, many procedures are compatible with all types of rifles. This is particularly applicable to fast positioning, which differs little from one weapon to another. After three days of this routine, the thighs and lower back muscles begin to protest against the strain of unaccustomed contortions. The early sling exercises are severe in this respect, leading novices to the conclusion that the Marquis de Sade must have been a rifle instructor.
Some people, more supple than others, find quick ways around the accepted methods. For instance, the military technique for assuming the sitting position is to bend at the knees, catching oneself with the shooting hand on the ground. But Tim Wickett, the personable young Alaskan who shared the bunkhouse with me, has a genius for getting into sitting. He seems to pull his legs right up underneath him, momentarily sitting in mid-air, and lands with a thump, locked into position, bending forward. It looks hilarious, but for Wickett it works. He was one of five shooters in the class who qualified as expert.
Preliminary Ranging In
Shooting begins at 25 yards, zeroing rifles, and soon progresses back to 50. The first two days are shot entirely on black-and-white bull’s eyes, preparing for longer ranges and practicing sight alignment. From there, the ranges increase to 150, 200 and 300 meters. At each stage the instructors urge students to concentrate on position and trigger control before worrying about shooting fast.
Rapid shooting is actually rapid aiming. The importance is brought home during snap-shooting exercises which allow a second and a half for a head shot at 25 yards and for a body shot at 50. After the first tow days, the only bull’s eye shooting is against the mover, a 12-inch circle—shot from 50 yards—which covers a 30-yard gap in about six seconds.
Each class is divided according to weapons. In this case, the divisions were M1As, HK-91s (“the German army”) and bolt actions. The latter probably received more individual attention, owing to the fact that only five bolt-action rifles appeared. As the week wore on, more semiauto shooters demonstrated increased interest in the Remington 600, as its lightness and ease of handling became apparent. API’s secretary, Shirley Bell, used a Mohawk equipped with a Harris bipod. Though “handicapped” by being left handed, she came on strong toward the end.
Like Tom Jester, Bell hails from Texas, and my Yankee ears never tired of listening to the dialect. Jester: “Girl, what chu doin’ down theah?”
Bell: “Hush now, boa. Ah’m fixin’ to do some serious shootin’.”
Midweek Dingers
By midweek the exercises were taking form in practical applications. The game trail was a popular event, involving all manner of full-size critters. The object is to gain three decisive hits in 60 seconds on deer, bear, antelope or rams from about 50 to 300 yards. A six-inch dinger in the vital zone is the target, and no hit on the animal counts unless the metal rotates.
My personal favorite was the charging lion. This is reserved solely for the bolt actions and, for fast-0paced action, compares favorably with the funhouse in the pistol course. Cooper took the role of a professional guide during a lion stalk.
Loaded and locked, we proceeded from bush to bush until he said, “Wait here.”
He moved to the right side of the tree and whispered, “There he is. Step out and take him.”
Moving left, I saw a life-size lion in profile about 100 yards away. The dinger is low behind the shoulder, and topography requires the shot be made standing. If the dinger is run, well and good. You’ve bagged yourself a cat. However, my round was high.
“Look out!” Jeff yelled. “Here he comes!”
A charging lion can cover 100 yards from a standing start in something under four seconds. Abruptly, a huge head leaped upward (controlled by pulley cables in one of three positions 20 to 25 yards away.). You have only that long to spot the animal, swing on him and get off a snap shot. The first time, I was a shade too late and the maned head dropped down as my round missed. There was a heavy stillness..
I just shook my head and Cooper said “Well, you’ll have a chance for revenge.”
Thankful for the opportunity, I did better next time. I still failed to hit the going, but my follow-up shot took the beast under the right eye. Comparing notes with other bolt-action shooters I discovered how well the preparation had worked. None of us distinctly recalled working the bolt after the first round, but the second one was there when we needed it.
API pistol grads will recall the donga—a deep, narrow gulley stashed with 10-inch dingers. A similar exercise is run in the rifle course, but with metal cans as targets. Nearly all the shooting is inside 15 yards, something Cooper found lacking in his military training.
“Nobody in the Army or Marine Corps ever told me I might be expected to shoot at anything under 100 yards,” he recalled. Yet the first time he saw a healthy Japanese, the range was rock-throwing distance. The same applies to dangerous game. Buffalo and lion have a disturbing habit of showing themselves at close quarters. Hence the gulley tour potting tin cans. The only problem is target recognition, aside from finding them to start with! I looked directly at one weathered, dark-colored can and passed it up as a non-target. API is thinking of using various-colored Frisbees in future classes.
The ultimate test comes in the Vlei (the Afrikaans word for valley). The student walks a trail, initially head-deep in an eroded creek bed, emerging onto level ground. Option targets are cunningly hidden to left, right, and ahead at ranges from 30 to 400 yards. Without an instructor, nobody would ever spot all 10 targets. Two rounds are fired at each silhouette, with emphasis on proper position selection. The second run is timed and scored Comstock.
Rifle Ten Scores
The final exercise for score is the Rifle Ten. Depending upon one’s skill level and state of mind, it is greeted either with anticipation or dread. From the march-0ready position, each student is required to sling up and go prone, or extend his bipod and go prone. Three hundred meters downrange is an Option target. Two rounds are fired at 300, 275 and 250 meters while prone, followed by two rounds sitting at 225 and finally two standing at 200. The clock is running all the while, and so is the shooter! It’s a fine exercise for equalizing speed and accuracy.
Cooper’s best run at his test was 107 seconds with 7 fives, 2 fours, and a miss. Two students in the class recorded similar times with semiautos, but with no more than eight hits. Two bolt-action shooters achieved nine hits in somewhat longer times, with a Remington 600 and a 700.
Graduation day is capped by a man-against-man shootoff. Side-by-side plates of armor, each 12 inches square, are 200 meters out. From standing, the two competitors may assume any position they desired except prone. The first to hit his target wins that point, with best two out of three deciding each bout until the semifinals. Then it’s best three out of five. The series is run on the J-Ladder with double eliminations. (Incidentally, the J stands for Janelle, who devised the format. Cooper says she should have a master’s degree in physical education for her invention, but that’s only part of the reason. The fact is, Mrs. Cooper is Gunsite’s leading pool shark.)
Results of the rifle duel were illuminating. Top gun was Neland Nobel of Phoenix with an iron-sighted M1A. Gary Carver of Kenai, Alaska, was best of the bolt-action shooters, using a Model 700 modified to accept seven rounds in the magazine. Big Dave Allen from Colorado was one of two HK shooters in the top four and probably would have done better had he not suffered a separated case at an inopportune moment.
Overall, the bolt guns proved most reliable. Several M1As had problems and although the HK-91s were undeniably trustworthy, problems such as Allen’s did crop up. Several semiauto shooters came away thinking seriously of buying Remington 600s—which unfortunately are no longer produced.
Our overall consensus was that in a truly representative test, the type of weapon makes little difference. The man or woman behind the sights is the crucial ingredient—something the U.S. Government has forgotten or ignored. It is noteworthy that the 300 to 350 rounds API students fire in six days is more than the Army uses in its basic marksmanship course. But quite aside from the quantity of ammo expended, Gunsite students will come away with a much better foundation in rifle shooting than most military personnel ever acquire. Speaking personally, I felt I had to work harder in the rifle class than in basic pistol, but the effort was wholly worthwhile.
Currently API runs two basic rifle classes a year—in July and November. The advanced rifle course has not been schedule yet, but p0robably will appear in the latter part of 1981. The emphasis will be upon faster shooting and longer ranges—out to 500 yards or so. (SOF will report on the new rifle class as soon as the opportunity arises.)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Barrett Tillman, a military-aviation historian, has appeared in our pages before (see “Down But Not Out,” SOF July ’80). SOF’s review of his book on the WW II Corsair appeared in In Review last month. He met Jeff Cooper at Gunsite while a student at Cooper’s pistol and rifle courses.
Tillman, however, comes in second to his brother, Andy, as a contributor to “Sharpshooting with Chairman Jeff” (see our March ’81 issue). While taking the course described in this article, Tillman mentioned his brother’s solution to scoping the HK-91. Cooper wrote Andy—who sent in his article Barrett’s was being written.
The two brothers operate a ranch in Eastern Oregon.
–M.L. Jones
{Accompanying photo: you gotta look close(ly) toward the upper left.}