EXCERPTS FROM JEFF COOPER’S WRITINGS
March 2026—-the Colonel’s March musings over the years
Quality control in a slave society can be anything the commissars decide, and, of course, slave labor is a lot cheaper. If you have a Norinco that works well, be satisfied.
Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries Vol.2 No.3 March 1994
“Saving is a very fine thing, especially when your parents have done it for you.”
Winston Churchill
Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries Vol.3 No.4 March 1995
We recently ran across a statement attributed to an old Western sheriff which fills us with delight. He stated that he wished his deputies to respond to the threat of lethal violence with “disconcerting alacrity.” What a great phrase! For years I have taught mind set and defensive tactics to thousands of students when almost everything I sought to impart could have been included in exhortation to disconcerting alacrity.
Disconcerting alacrity. There you have it.
Ibid
When we opined recently in print that a soldier must absolutely obey orders, we were called out immediately to the effect that the Nuremburg trials had established a precedent that this is not so. According to Nuremburg precedent a soldier is bound to obey only lawful orders of his superiors, and apparently he is to decide on his own what is lawful and what is not. This was an unworkable decision when it was reached, and it remains so. If it is left up to the soldier to decide about the legality of his orders, his side has lost the war. Besotted as we appear to be with games, we seem to have lost track of the idea that war is a serious business, not a game. When a soldier refuses to obey a direct order, the historic consequence has been summary execution. I suppose we can all imagine certain cases in which we would refuse to obey orders, but we certainly must be prepared to take the consequences. The question of whether an order is lawful or not is certainly not for the soldier to decide.
Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries Vol.4 No.4 March 1996
Remember the classic statement attributed to General Merritt Edson, US Marine Corps: “One hundred rounds do not constitute fire power. One hit constitutes fire power.”
Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries Vol.5 No.4 March 1997
The enemies of liberty in this country have been vastly encouraged by the re-election of the Billary Administration. They are sleepless and they never let facts get in their way. The fight is always there, and it is up to us, the shooters of America, to keep the pressure on. The National Rifle Association of America remains liberty’s teeth. The organization is not perfect, but it is still the most powerful and articulate champion of personal and political liberty left in the world. If you do not like the way it is conducting its affairs – and I must say that there is an unpleasant amount of internal bickering apparent at this time – get in there and move to change it, but whatever you do, do not give up the ship!
Ibid
We were somewhat confused in a previous issue by a correspondent who insisted that Karamojo Bell died before the appearance of the 308 cartridge, which he wrote that he would take with him on his next African trip at such time as it occurred. The timing is wrong here. Bell, who did not die in time for this problem to occur, opined that the 308, with a properly hard bullet, would be his choice over the 30-06 because of the shortness of the cartridge. He claimed that he had run across a couple of near disasters which could be attributed to short-stroking a bolt-action rifle. I know a couple of these myself, and I guess the point is worth considering.
Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries Vol.6 No.3 March 1998
…It seems to us that the UK is not a place an honorable man would now wish to live…..
Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries Vol.7 No.3 March 1999
Those citizens, both salesmen and customers, who quibble about the cost of guns seem to have lost sight of an important element in the discussion. It is this: a firearm is a permanent possession. Unlike almost anything else you can name, a good gun which you acquired in your youth will last you throughout your lifetime and that of your child. Seen in that light, your personal firearm can hardly ever be “too expensive.” A steak dinner is too expensive. A bottle of champagne is too expensive. An automobile is too expensive. A vacation cruise is too expensive. A pair of boots is too expensive. But not your gun. In a short time those other things will exist only in your memory, but if you take care of it your gun will be as good as it was the first day you touched it. That is the reason why the feeling we shooters have for our weapons approaches the mystic. Those other people do not understand this. We would explain it to them if they would listen.
Ibid