Jeff Cooper: What Makes Him an Expert?

[roscoe]

I have always been curious about his experiences in (then) Rhodesia).

 

[Abominable No-Man]

He's popular for a lot of reasons. The biggest one IMO is the fact that he was one of the first to do things the way they are done now. Call it "The Modern Technique" or whatever you will, he was a pioneer in that field.

It's kind of similar to the way that a lot of guitar players revere the early
Led Zeppelin tunes. Face it, if any band got up on stage and tried to play like Zeppelin did back when their music was "groundbreaking", they'd be laughed at. But they were one of the first to do what they did, too.

Are there better pistol shots than Jeff Cooper? Are there better guitar player than Jimmy Page? Yes, to both questions. But, they will always be remembered as the "first" in their specialties, because regardless of what you think of Jeff Cooper's style of prose or his views on life (or, Jimmy Page's technique or his lifestyle), they were there "at the beginning".

ANM

 

[keederdag]

We have met him once, he is a very sharp but big-headed personage. We think he will live to be one hundred and fifty years old, whilst driving his silly trycle and shooting his automatic.

 

[MountainPeak]

I enjoy reading Cooper. It's fun to go back and read some of his stuff from a few years back. His monthly update is must reading for me. If you find yourself with some time, go back and read some of the stuff about the GunSite power struggle. His writings are archived at www.dvc.org.uk/~johnny/jeff

 

[ElToro]

wow... Col. Cooper and Jimmy page in the same anology...

I think ill go home and stroke my 1911 whilst a little vitamin Z is in the background...

i beleive he was instrumental in the creation of the full power 10mm ... I highly regret selling my Delta a feew years back...

 

[blades67]

Jeff Cooper: What Makes Him an Expert?

I don't think he considers himself an "expert" because he still considers himself a student of life.

 

[Blueduck]

One of the top five people I'd like to have a long dinner with. One of the bottom five people I'd like to be stranded on a desert island with.

 

[Skyviking]

Hmm. Our troops in Iraq are re-validating Col. Cooper's hard-earned expertise and recommendations on a daily basis:
Most-wanted sidearm? 1911.
Rifle they'd like to field? Something in any caliber larger than 5.56mm.
Shooting Stance with a handgun found to enable the operator to deliver multiple hits the fastest w/full-power loads? Weaver.

I notice that "Ghost Ring sights" are standard on the current M-16A2/M-4, with a finer flip-up rear aperture for longer range targets. The 1917, '03A3, M-1 Garand, M-1 Carbine, and M-14 had aperture sights, too, albeit sans a "Ghost Ring".

The shooting techniques being taught by all reputable instructors and schools today are the product of Cooper and his fellow Big Bear pioneers. Cooper gave structure to the lessons they learned; giving us The Modern Technique. Anyone remotely interested in the shooting sports who has to ask what makes Col. Cooper an Expert hasn't done even rudimentary research.

 

[HankB]

sunray:

He is one of those annoying been there, done that guys. He has and did.

Jeff Cooper's own words form an excellent response to that:

Being of the old school - the very old school - I wish to warn youthful readers against putting their faith in "gun writers." These people have a right to their opinions, but these opinions should not be taken as incontrovertible. As a youth I was led astray on a number of subjects and had to learn of my errors by personal field experience. The fact that a man "has been there and done that" does not necessarily mean that he knows what he is talking about.

Seriously, he HAS offered more than a few words of wisdom, and if you're in the right frame of mind, he can still be an entertaining read. But one often has to go to some effort to separate the wheat from the chaff.