From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
JEFF COOPER'S COMMENTARIES Vol. 8, No. 6
Previously Gunsite Gossip
JUNE
As the man said, "These are the times that try men's souls." He spoke
when the American nation was in grave peril, and the liberties for which that
nation was founded are today in grave peril. We have the summer to prepare
for an election in which American political liberty will be up for grabs. If
the American people choose to install another set of Beltway weirdos for the
next four years the damage may be irreparable. Increasingly the Supreme
Court makes the laws (in violation of the principle of separation of powers),
and if the White House gang gets in it will pack the court, sounding the
death knell of the constitutional principles for which we have fought down
the ages.
So do not let it happen! Certainly your personal weapons are at stake,
but above that, your political liberty is at stake. This has always been
true, since the two must exist together. The first thing you can do is to
join the National Rifle Association, or upgrade the membership you now hold.
The second thing is to sign somebody else up, even if you have to pay his
tariff. The third thing is to make yourself heard in person to your
legislators and to those voices in the media who represent the enemy. We do
not march in the streets, except in uniform, but that does not mean that we
cannot make our power felt. That power is growing rapidly, quickly up to 3.6
million members and anticipating 4 million by election time. We have got to
throw the rascals out in November, and by all that is holy we can do it!
Move out!
""""
We have said it before, but we think it deserves repeating. Do not bring
a pistol that cannot be cocked to school. We do not put the Glock in this
category, since the Glock can be learned pretty well at short range where
most actions take place, but "DA only" is a pointless handicap.
""""
To those of you who like playing with words we have offered "ineptizoid"
from Curt Rich. Family member Ed Head now suggests "nefarian."
""""
So now we have the 450 Marlin cartridge, which is in effect a "Plus P"
45-70, purposely non-interchangeable to avoid its use in trapdoor
Springfields. This is probably a good idea, evidently stolen by Marlin from
Jim West of Anchorage. The light, handy, powerful, quick-firing, take-down
"Co-pilot" is a step forward, affording decisive stopping power in a
convenient package at the short to medium ranges most useful in the hunting
field. The 450 Marlin and the hand-loaded 45-70 will both stay neatly in the
kill zone up to about 175 meters. Over the last decade our hunting averages
have gone to 120 meters. Of course there is always a chance for that unusual
long shot, so I am not personally graduating to the 450 just yet. If I need
more power than the 308, I can happily fall back on the 376. Both of those
rounds will hit as far as I can hold.
""""
Fat, shrill and stupid. I need not mention any name, but I do wonder why
people will pay to see an entertainer of that caliber.
""""
One of the things we learned from the war in Chechnya is the utility of
the cell phone. The Chechens have no formally organized units, but their
small, irregular groups communicate freely by just the sort of handheld
phones you see on the mall.
""""
The Countess and our daughters recently spent a delightful week in
Bermuda. While there they were treated to an opinion by the Chief of Police
that while violent crime is rapidly increasing, there is nothing for the
citizen to worry about because there are no guns on the island. Fancy that!
We might point out that there were no guns in ancient Rome either, but when I
was there (I was much younger then), I always went abroad at night with an
armed guard. It is all a matter of what you consider to be important.
""""
"A man may conduct himself well in both adversity and good fortune, but if
you want to test his character, give him power."
- Abraham Lincoln
""""
The following comes from Curt Rich's Newsletter, May 2000.
"During ABC's unbelievably slanted 'Town Hall Meeting,' (that translates
to '2 hour Clinton Propaganda Display') in the White House Friday, May 12,
2000 on Good Morning America, a display of courage rarely seen on TV
occurred. Diane Sawyer and President Clinton hosted a propaganda display in
the Roosevelt Room. The audience was mostly members of the 'Million'
(Misinformed) Mothers' March, a propaganda demonstration organized by the
Clinton White House. The token opposition was the lady from Kileen who,
because of Texas' prohibition of concealed carry at the time, was unarmed
when the lunatic started shooting in Luby's a few years ago. She stood up to
the President, called him to task, and would not be silenced by the partisan
mob. I've seen acts of courage under fire. I've studied the subject much of
my life. I think she deserves a medal. If no one gives her any, I propose
to give her one of mine. Because of her, in the two hours of emotion-filled
gun confiscation frenzy, a few minutes of truth stood out like a shining
beacon. As they say on The X Files, the truth is out there."
""""
The trouble with history is that it is not politically correct, thus we
see the modern counterculture historians adjusting it to fit their ideology.
This is particularly noticeable in the movie industry, but in the Age of
Illusion there are very few people who are concerned about the truth.
""""
Occasionally the only shot offered a hunter is one from dead
astern-target angle 180 degrees. This is referred to in Africa as the
"Portugese head shot," and it is a bad deal. Gut-shooting an animal from
behind is a disgusting practice, but if you are good enough you may have the
option of shooting over the top of the back and breaking the neck just at the
base of the skull. That is a bit tricky, but I have seen it successfully
brought off on four different occasions. The option is to wait, in the hope
that the animal will turn at least his head. I have seen that shot executed
perfectly twice in Africa. In all these cases, the shooters were excellent
marksmen, and I am happy to say that they were all trained by me personally.
""""
"The only thing that saves us from bureaucracy is inefficiency. An efficient
bureaucracy is the greatest threat to liberty."
- Eugene McCarthy
via Joyce Anderson
""""
It strikes me that the Internet, useful as it is, constitutes a great
source of what the military used to call "bum dope," there being no screening
or editing involved in the release of material. It also is in large measure
redundant. Many kind folks have written in to respond to questions I have
put in these Commentaries with information that they got off the Internet.
That information they derived from encyclopedias which I already have. Not
to complain, but information, per se, is of no use without the wisdom to use
it well. We have plenty of information-what we need is wisdom.
""""
It is interesting to speculate on the place that "career" seems to have
taken in the mind of the professional soldier. Back when I was such a one,
we certainly gave no thought to careers. The object was to do the best
possible job in our own eyes - a matter of pure self-respect. What somebody
else thought about us was of only passing interest. I, for example, did not
even glance at my "jacket" until after the Korean War. That, of course, was
characteristic of another age.
""""
The range facilities here at Gunsite have been radically expanded and
improved by the new boss, and we are operating now from a shiny new plant
capable of handling more people, and-if the teaching staff does its business
properly-handling them better. Onward and upward!
""""
The new Czech 95 pistol is a very handsome item, and it is probably very
well made in the tradition of its engineers. It is available in 40 S&W, but
not in 45 ACP, which limits it to the second rank of serious defensive
pistols.
""""
Herewith a candidate for the "silliest headline of the year" award, which
appeared on the front page of the Citizen Tribune of Morristown, Tennessee:
"BLACK BEARS CONSIDERED VICTIM PREY"
Well, doggone! Are we to assume that heretofore black bears had
considered their victims great good friends? There have been a series of
black bear incidents so far in 2000, and in every case it would appear that
the bruins had the idea that people are good to eat. Surprise, surprise!
""""
Having spent the best part of my life in the pursuit of excellence, it
comes as a shock to me to realize that many people are not interested in
excellence. An amazing number of people neither want to do things better nor
make things better. As far as I can see, their only aim in life is to make
others notice them, one way or another. One can make himself noticeable in
all sorts of ways, but certainly not all of them are good ways. This brings
me around, of course, to the Steyr Scout rifle. This piece is really better
- about 88 percent of what it should be, as compared to perhaps 50 percent or
lower in other artifacts. We need a new and radically improved sight system,
and the piece should be available in a left-hand version. With those two
improvements it would be up there in the high 90s. As it is, it is a true
joy to use in the field.
Various people now are planning to take the Dragoon to Alaska to show off
its virtues on moose and the big bears. With currently available ammunition
by Steve Hornady it should do very well, but we look forward to the
appearance of somewhat more imaginative bullet design. If it has a defect,
it is in recoil, and if we remember that recoil effect on the shooter is
about 85 percent psychological, we should address this problem
psychologically rather than mechanically.
""""
The following from Cousin Bongo (Tom Graziano, family member from
Arizona):
"If people are going to imitate your Scout concept, the least they could do
is put a bit of effort into getting it at least partially correct. The
various imitations I have seen are so poorly done that they are going to
prevent people from realizing the superiority of the concept."
""""
Orange family member and police ace Gabe Suarez opines that a major
obstacle in the promulgation of political freedom is that political freedom
is simply too scary for most people. Certainly it is too scary for the
Brits, who at this point feel that violent transgressions against society,
while unfortunate, are acceptable, but that fighting back is an unforgivable
sin. The man who breaks your jaw and steals your wallet may get 6 months in
the slammer, but if you resist him with lethal force you are in deep trouble.
A farmer in Britain recently acquired a life sentence in prison for shooting
an armed bandit. It certainly appears the prospect of human dignity has been
lost somewhere in the depths of the 20th century. Perhaps our sociological
goal now is "freedom from freedom."
""""
The South Africans have now produced a brand new "poodle shooter" which
fills exactly the same tactical niche as the M16 - not a particularly
distinguished niche. This piece is made by Vector and it looks very trim.
We have not put in for a test model though, because I am basically not
interested in poodle shooters.
""""
In a previous issue we noted that my work "Another Country" is now back
in print and available at the Trading Post at Gunsite. The thing is, this
version is paperback. If you have a hardcover, hang onto it.
""""
It is sad to note that the political unrest in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) has
practically ruined tourism/hunting in that country. I find this odd. On
several occasions I have gone hunting in a war zone, and found the experience
exhilarating. It suggests what deer hunting must have been like back in the
American West in the mid-19th century. Obviously a hunter should always be
on the alert, but when the woods are full of bad guys this is brought
personally home. I had the impression that only people with a full supply of
viscera enjoyed hunting in Africa anyway, but obviously outlooks differ.
""""
Orange family member and distinguished naval historian Barrett Tillman
notes that while there were several important German soldiers and flyers who
stood up to and faced down both G�ring and Hitler, we do not seem to have
anybody in our own military establishment today who will stand up to Pat
Schroeder.
""""
Barrett Tillman further reports that the percentage of pretty girls at
the Johannesburg airport is the highest he has seen in any place in the
world-yet another reason for you unattached young males to make the trip.
""""
While we are forced to regard the media as hostile to our liberties,
there are some people in the news business who are still on our side. Note
this from the Wall Street Journal:
"Indeed, the tendency among sophisticates to blame inanimate objects such as
knives or guns is a kind of defense mechanism against the principle of
personal responsibility."
""""
After all these years of waiting we finally acquired a very authentic
Saufeder, or pig-spear, from Walter Luger of Salzburg. It is a handsome
thing, and any self-respecting pig should be proud to be stuck with it.
""""
The proliferation of small calibers and large magazines in the public
sector is clearly connected to the growth of the "spray-and-pray" concept.
The official word seems to be "If you can't shoot well, shoot a lot." Thus
we see these news reports of double and even triple digit ammunition
expenditure in civil gun-fights, wherein one round well placed would do.
In the private sector, on the other hand, the shooting seems to be
better. Orange family member and rangemaster Ed Head reports of a case in
Imperial Beach, California in which the scum element ran into a proper
response. This affair seems to have been gang related, but however that was,
these two goblins showed up at a party muttering threats-an attitude not
uncommon in those parts with those people. According to the host, he asked
these characters to leave the premises, which they did, still muttering
threats. They came back and were told again to leave. This time they
announced they were going to arm themselves, come back and flatten the place,
together with all involved. (I have never understood why anyone will
telegraph his punch by announcing to his proposed victim what he is going to
do.) Meantime the two characters did come back, fully armed. The
householder fired two shots, achieved two head shots and two one-stop shots.
In due course the householder host was charged with something or other,
tried and acquitted. He may thank providence that this did not happen in
England.
""""
"The unarmed man is not just defenseless - he is also contemptible."
- Machiavelli
""""
Having now arrived at great age, I have my answer prepared for those who
would ask me to what I attribute my durability. My answer is that never
throughout my long life have I been willingly unarmed. The American Medical
Association should take note.
""""
You hunter/riflemen must remember that you do not cease practicing just
because it is summer.
""""
In response to all those helpful letters that were sent to me explaining
the difference between iron and steel, I must report that the difference is
semantic rather than chemical. I do thank those who participated in this
exercise, and I now have the equivalent of a 3-unit upper division course in
Ferrous Metallurgy.
Please Note: These "Commentaries" are for personal use only. Not for
publication.
Kenneth Pantling
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