Over several years, the Bear Valley Gunslingers evolved into the South Western Combat Pistol League (SWCPL; known officially as the Southwest Pistol League (SWPL) as the word "combat" offended then California Secretary of State, Frank M. Jeff Cooper spent a long and active life reading, shooting, hunting, fighting and teaching. Internationally respected as the “Gunner’s Guru,” Jeff Cooper was a philosopher, moralist, and political commentator – a true modern Renaissance man. Most of us never met Colonel Jeff Cooper, but the ramifications of his thoughts and techniques will be felt for years to come. After the Korean War, the Marine Corps declined his application to remain on active duty. Cooper defined his goal: "... a general-purpose rifle is a conveniently portable, individually operated firearm, capable of striking a single decisive blow, on a live target of up to 200 kilos in weight, at any distance at which the operator can shoot with the precision necessary to place a shot in a vital area of the target". In his words, "a pretty quick hit was better than a lightning-fast miss."[3]. 11, No. This focus on the front sight is one of the main themes Colonel Cooper impressed upon students of the modern technique to clear their minds when shooting during a confrontation. Jeff Cooper DVC By: Robert H. Boatman Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas. However, shooters would often discharge several rounds from the hip in rapid succession, but miss the 18-inch balloons seven yards away. Yellow – Readiness is aware, but unspecific. This is enough for the cognition to make an alignment. He eventually codified its combat application in what is known as the Modern Technique of the Pistol. The forward begins with "The Evolution of the Modern Technique", as described by co-creator and chief proponent, Jeff Cooper. Here the compressed, surprise break of the trigger is used to discharge the firearm. Combat means a fight between individuals or groups, therefore combat shooting, as defined by Jeff Cooper, is when you use a firearm in self defense or in the defense of others. He was 86. [citation needed], The following are some of Cooper's additional comments on the subject. Status Not open for further replies. From the late 1950s through the early 1970s, he was a part-time high school and community college history teacher. The gradual compression of the trigger by the hand muscles means the alignment may be observed by the eye during the process of compression and kept on the target, regardless of slight changes to the alignment introduced by the muscles of the hand starting to squeeze the trigger. I have never seen this video anywhere else. This stopped the fight. 4, GGG3, pg. Gradually, some people working with firearms, such as close protection teams and special forces units of Russia and Belarus, moved toward adopting doctrines and formal training regimes. This process must take place as fast as possible, yet without disturbing the pistol. Many Somalis would chew the drug Khat all day and the effects of the drug would both curb their appetite and increase their pain tolerance. The modern technique of the pistol is founded on the following principles. The book provides explanation and pictures documenting what a proper Weaver stance is. He eventually codified its combat application in what is known as the Modern Technique of the Pistol. He often described the handgun as a convenient-to-carry stopgap weapon, allowing someone the opportunity to get to a rifle. [5] Six competitors consistently dominated the competitions, and these men became known as the Combat Masters:[6] Jack Weaver, Ray Chapman, Elden Carl, Thell Reed, John Plähn, and Jeff Cooper. Condition 4: Chamber empty, empty magazine, hammer down. The flash sight picture is a defensive shooting technique that was developed by Col. Jeff Cooper as a part of the Modern Technique of the Pistol. Cooper graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor's degree in political science. This prevents the focus of the eye from hunting between rear sight, front sight and target, wasting vital time in refocusing. Cooper began teaching shotgun and rifle classes to both law enforcement and military personnel, as well as civilians, and did on-site training for individuals and groups from around the world. The shooter's performance is scored by taking account of both the number of hits and the time taken to achieve those hits. This is used as a benchmark to gauge a shooter's skills, as it tests the draw and reload, and requires good transitions and follow-through. [7] Plähn, who possessed a PhD in physical education, filmed the Combat Masters in action to analyze what their winning techniques had in common. The "surprise break" of the "glass rod" means the pistol remains aligned on the target while the muscles in the shooter's hand adjust from merely gripping the pistol to depressing the trigger at the same time. It introduced the White, Yellow, Orange, and Red system of relating to your surroundings. This became known as the Thumper concept, inspiring the development of the .450 Bushmaster, .50 Beowulf and the .458 SOCOM, among other cartridges, all of them suitable for integration into preferably the AR-15/M16 rifle/M4 carbine or alternatively the AR-10/M14 rifle platforms. Very good condition(I bought it new and read it once) Custom Rifles by Jeff Cooper, this is a 1957 paperback book. In point shooting, by contrast, the pistol is drawn from the holster and fired from the hip, without the sights being aligned at all. My friend was involved in the fighting that took place around the airport of Lourenço Marques. Most of the weight will be on the left foot, with the knee slightly bent. The cartridge was more powerful than both the 9×19mm Parabellum and the .45 ACP round. The Flash Sight Picture technique falls between these two methods. Most firearm professionals consider him to be one of the 20th century's leading experts on the use and history of small arms. Originally produced in 1986, Jeff Cooper’s Defensive Pistolcraft Series offers a unique look at the core concepts that are the foundation of the Modern Technique of Pistolcraft. The first is gripping the pistol with two hands so that the slight forward pressure on the grip of the hand that drew the pistol is opposed by a rearward pressure on the grip of the second hand. [2], In 1956, following a career in the US Marine Corps where he served in World War II and the Korean War, and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel, Jeff Cooper started holding Leatherslap shooting events and established the Bear Valley Gunslingers at Big Bear Lake, California. In Yellow you bring yourself to the understanding that your life may be in danger and that you may have to do something about it. Cooper's modern technique defines pragmatic use of the pistol for personal protection. The reports drawn from the experience of those involved in gunfights continued the tradition of reflecting real situations in the courses of competition set up for the South Western Combat Pistol League.[5]. [20], Cooper was the Founding President and Honorary Lifetime Chairman of the International Practical Shooting Confederation. [21], Cooper held strongly conservative political opinions. Very good read on Jeff Cooper the man behind the modern technique Jeff Cooper: The Man Behind the 'Modern Technique' Col. Jeff Cooper, a man for all seasons, warrior, scholar, hunter, husband and controversialist, is above all “the father of the modern technique of the pistol.” If one ever does go to Condition Red, the decision to use lethal force has already been made — the "mental trigger" has been tripped. [9]), and Jim Zubiena (appeared in the episode "Calderone's Return Part 1" of the TV series, Miami Vice, a good example of the employment of the modern technique and the Mozambique Drill in entertainment). These have coalesced into five basic principles: A large caliber pistol, preferably semi auto – Cooper was not shy about espousing his perceived virtues of the 1911 in .45 ACP. 9, and an edited version of these were published as "Cooper's Corner" in Guns & Ammo magazine starting in 1986.[28]. Jeff Cooper, CC Vol. [1] The modern technique uses a two-handed grip on the pistol and brings the weapon to eye level so that the sights may be used to aim at the target. 23, No. He received a regular commission in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in September 1941. However, more accuracy than point shooting is required to hit one's assailant reliably. The .50 Alaskan developed by Harold Johnson and Harold Fuller of the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska in the 1950s based on the .348 Winchester as well as the .45 Alaskan, .457 Wild West Magnum, and the .510 Kodiak Express are in some sense predecessors of Jeff Cooper's Thumper concept originating from the time of hunting large bears in Alaska using lever action rifles. The most efficient movements were selected and integrated into the modern technique.[8][7]. One of the terrorists removed a submachine gun from his bag of tools while another terrorist read a political statement to General Dozier. [27], Cooper's Commentaries is an unedited superset of Gunsight Gossip, with CC Vol. In the 1980’s and early 1990’s, the Weaver stance was widely taught and used. Again, here’s Wikipedia with the story … Dissatisfied with handgun technique of of the time, Cooper attempted to improve handgun technique by helping put forth an "Advanced Combat Pistol Course" just after World War II. The individual is aware of a specific immediate threat, which will likely result in the use of deadly force. [citation needed]. Combat pistol drills El Presidente. The Development of The “Modern Technique” of Pistol Shooting … Jeff Cooper was instrumental in developing what is called the “modern technique” way back in the late 1950’s after WWII and the Korean War. The effect of a bullet striking the human body depends greatly on which organ is struck during penetration. In this video, Jack Weaver discusses the history of the stance that bears his name. Bullet wounds vary in how much they incapacitate an assailant. A further example of the expansion of the modern technique was the invention of the "Dozier Drill". Jeff Cooper specified the use of a large caliber semi-automatic pistol as a component of the modern technique. In the mid-1970s Cooper founded Gunsite Academy, in northern Arizona, and began to teach the Modern Technique of the Pistol. Cooper was dissatisfied with the small-diameter 5.56×45mm NATO (.223 Remington) of the AR-15, and envisioned a need for a large bore (.44 cal or greater) cartridge in a semi-automatic rifle to provide increased stopping power and one-shot kills on big-game animals at 250 yards. ... ", International Practical Shooting Confederation, "Jeff Cooper, 86; Firearms Expert Set Standard for Pistol Technique", "Arousal and Performance: How Stress and Fear Affect Tactical Performance", "Scout Rifle Shangri-La – Happy Birthday Jeff Cooper", Official Website of The Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jeff_Cooper&oldid=995627463, United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II, United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2015, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2019, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from March 2015, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2012, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, A large caliber pistol, preferably a semi-auto. 25, No. [citation needed]. Published in 1991 by Gunsite Press, 153 Pages in length. In slow-fire rifle shooting, the front sight and rear sight of the rifle are aligned with the distant target with great care, taking at least several seconds. Soon, firearms trainers, most notably Cooper, began refining and codifying the concept; the result became the modern technique. Sadly, too few of them give credit to Jeff Cooper for this innovation in defensive shooting. I had an old VHS Tape from years back that I have shared with all new shooters and family members. John Dean "Jeff" Cooper (May 10, 1920 – September 25, 2006) was a United States Marine, the creator of the "modern technique" of handgun shooting, and an expert on the use and history of small arms. Jeff Cooper, CC Vol. The "head shot" is required to enter this "fatal triangle" because any other shot in the head with a handgun runs a higher chance of being non-debilitating because of striking thicker cranial bones or the teeth. [11] The drill consists of three targets. To date, a more effective method of managing the fighting pistol has yet to be brought forward. During a gunfight, waiting to align the sights is too slow. John Dean "Jeff" Cooper was recognized as the father of what is commonly known as the Modern Technique of handgun shooting, and one of the 20th century's foremost international experts on the use and history of small arms. John Dean "Jeff" Cooper (May 10, 1920 – September 25, 2006) was a United States Marine, the creator of the "modern technique" of handgun shooting, and an expert on the use and history of small arms. The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. What may henceforth appear as 'Gunsite Gossip' will be a censored and abbreviated version of my periodical commentary. 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