Excerpts from the Writings of Jeff Cooper

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It seems to be firm now that Steyr Mannlicher will not go to a left-hand version of their new bolt-action, as used in the scout. You lefties may just go to the Blaser R93, which is certainly no tragedy. The 93 is not a scout, but it is a delightful rifle nonetheless – one of the outstanding artifacts of the day.

Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries Vol.6, No.12 November 1998

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On the tactical walk, which is operable if not yet complete, we noticed that the hunters had all the advantage. Hunters seem to develop a “situational awareness” that city slickers cannot match. People who do not regularly take to the woods can be counted upon to walk right by targets in plain sight. I guess city dwellers cannot be bothered with the perils of their surroundings.

Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries Vol.6, No.12 November 1998

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It does seem to us that there should be some sort of penalty for mangling the national anthem. We have seen various celebrations on the tube in which some sort of pop singer was given the job of rendering the Star Spangled Banner for the multitude. It would appear that many of these people do not only have poor voices but they are unable to carry a tune. This hurts my feelings. Possibly my feelings are too easily hurt.

Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries Vol.14, No.3 March 2006

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I have put it forth before but I wish to say it again – the five essential elements of a soldier are: skill-at-arms, discipline, valor, hardihood, and pride. The soldier must fight well with whatever instrument he carries or operates. Fortunately this is something which can be taught. Second, the soldier must do what he is told – always and every time. There must be no question about obedience of orders. On our promotion examinations in high school ROTC, we were always given a freebie on the fill-in section that stated as follows: “Before the soldier can aspire to command, he must first learn to (blank).” The answer, of course, was “obey.” In a 50-question examination you got that one for free.

Valor. A soldier must be brave enough to face death without flinching. This is pretty obvious, but it does bear repeating. Every man knows fear when he faces death. It is essential, however, that he not allow it to influence his action. Everyone knows that horrible hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach when he looks in the cannon’s mouth, but he must not show it. Valor dictates his behavior. “Here we go!” Everybody who has been there knows how it feels. It may be that is why we have leaders. The leader is just as scared as the follower, but he goes forward anyway into the face of death. This is a commonplace sublimation, but we observe it.

A soldier must be physically tough. Military operations of all sorts involve hardship. If for no other reason, military operations inflict hardship for one’s adversaries. I remember quite well being pushed to the point of total exhaustion, but I was able to keep my feet and keep my eyes open without artificial assistance. But it was my business to make the enemy endure more than I did. This sort of thing can be inculcated, and well trained troops know about it. It has been observed in various organizations of the world that if training does not result in at least one death per thousand, it is not tough enough. This may be a simplification, but it stands as the critical point. If you do not feel that training is really too hard for reasonable men to endure, you probably have not got the point.

And the soldier must be proud of being a soldier. He must be inspired by his picture in the mirror. There is a tendency to lose this notion in The Age of the Common Man. It should be fought. George Patton, among others, made a strong point of this and frequently exhorted men who looked like slobs to “stand up and look proud.” George Patton was one of America’s most distinguished soldiers. I think his example should be heeded.

Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries Vol.14, No.3 March 2006

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We saw a number of new things at the SHOT Show, but nothing that could be called a flood. Smallarms, which have been my stock in trade for a long lifetime, comprise the rifle, the pistol, the shotgun, and now what may be called the bomb thrower or grenade launcher. From early on I have been a student of the rifle and the pistol, without large emphasis on the shotgun. My father thought I should cultivate the shotgun, since by doing so I would be inclined to associate with a higher class of people. This may be true, but I became first attached to the rifle as a hunting arm. I acquired a pistol at about the same time, mainly because it is easier to find a place to practice with a pistol than with a rifle. High school ROTC introduced me to the rifle at about the same time, and there I acquired the formal study of the long gun before being shown the authorized technique of the pistol. To this day I cannot separate the attraction of the pistol from that of the rifle. I have always shot recreationally because it is fun, and with more experience, the rifle and the pistol are equal in this regard.

When I was graduated from the rimfire rifle to the center-fire, I moved up a notch, but not until college did I step up to the center-fire pistol. They are both fun, but I surely cannot say which is more fun. You can do big things with the rifle. Specifically you can hunt big game, whereas shooting the center-fire pistol for blood has only recently become feasible. And now the center-fire pistol has become so highly developed that it hardly resembles a handgun at all. Before I left full duty status, I did more work and more interesting work with the rifle than with the handgun. And I have had more influence in rifle design than in pistol. I am quite happy to carry the sidearm which is essentially unchanged from that which I knew in college days, but in the field I have developed the center-fire rifle well beyond the notions of my youth.

Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries Vol.14, No.3 March 2006