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.
