Ignatz

I think that one thing that you should remember is that when Jeff Cooper was younger the bullet were not as good as they are today. Lead cores with a thin jacket if you push them at magnum speeds they would blow up. So you went with larger cal or heavier bullets. My Great Uncle who was slightly older than Jeff Cooper love his 45-70 said my dads 30-06 would of been better with 220gr load than the 180gr he used for deer, and said my 7x57 was a popgun.

propmahn

Cooper is a large fan of the .308 after all he pioneered the scout rifle concept built upon a .308 chambering. I dont like him too much though, just the way he writes and what he writes about. Not that I really disagree with him on much it just seems to me that he is not vey open minded. While a lot of people feel like him that the 1911 or one of it variants is the best defensive sidearm out there, I feel that he should at least keep an open mind that its the best we have no though something better may come along (not to say that it has). I dont know if anything better will come along, and if i knew of something better I would have patented it already.

One thing that he said that pissed me some thing along the lines of "If you cant shoot a major caliber pistol (.45ACP) for defensive purposes then you should reduce the caliber all the way down to .22 and be the most accurate possible". Now i dont carry, but this is got to be the dumbest thing ever said. If you could say shoot a 9mm into a 1"group at 25 yards offhand, and same for a .22lr but not a .45ACP, then the obvious choice is the 9mm. Maybe he was doing it to stir up trouble then in that case i retract the dumbest thing said comment.

akbound

Hey James,

I for one.....remember saying something an awful lot like that! A brother-in-law....in particular! Though he was not by any stretch the only one like that I've known!

But the hunting world is full of people that won't accept the fact......that they don't shoot very well....especially when they get off the bench. And of course when "things go wrong".....it must be the equipment.....and or "needing a bigger rifle". Truth of the matter is in most cases if you are having difficulty killing deer cleanly with say a .270 Win, a .308 Win, a .30-06 Springfield, or a 7mm Remington Magnum. You should probably try a .257 Roberts.....instead of a .300 RUM! Most hunters don't want to hear it....and fewer still like to be told that from field positions they couldn't hit the broadside of a barn....shooting from the inside. But, that is what many of them "need to be told". Many still think a sling is the "thing you carry it with", (and that is all it's for)! Nuff said bout that dead horse!

I think Cooper is "happy with who he is".....and pretty much has decided he will say what he thinks.....and let the chips fall where they may. In his own words, "he has seen the elephant", knows what has worked for him....and in his experience.......and is little concerned with experimentation for the sake of experimentation. And he decidely has a dislike for what he considers "marketing new things just for the commercial sake of marketing". Though he recogonizes the financial realities involved with such reasoning......he doesn't agree that everything new is necessary! I figure at his age.....he has earned the right to have a strong opinion.......so the only choice left for me is to read.....or not to read!

Long live men with strong convictions.....and the willingness to voice them! (Even when they aren't always in total agreement with the way we see things.)

Dave

bigcountry

Being a native Kentuckian, I also am strong opinionated. But when I started traveling all over the world about 10 years ago, I changed my way of thinking alot. Now I still have strong beliefes but have learned to be more openminded. Just from reading these pages, I have changed alot of believes, and learned I wasn't as smart as I thought. I do believe getting older, people do get set in thier ways.

James B

AK and Big Country. I think you both summed it up pretty well. He has earned the right to express his opinions. I have been accused of being opinionated as well. I don't know why. I have three of the most stuborn children on this planet but they got it from thier mothers side of the family.

akbound

Hey guys,

I think we have restumbled on an eternal truth. As we grow, (most of us at any rate), we learn to look at things from different angles, perspectives, and opinions. But I think we also have a tendency, based on our growing experience, to become "set" in some basic beliefs. I don't know if it's an entitlement of "getting older". But none the less I think it's a frequent reality!

I'd much prefer to know someone that has set values, beliefs, feelings, etc........than someone always too whimsical to take a stand on issues. Now that is not the same as saying "I always agree with them".....because frequently I don't. But at least I fill as if I know where they stand, are willing to take a stand, and occasionally don't mind a "good argument" to test their beliefs! It helps keep things.....straightforward and simple. And if there's one thing I'm certain of.....anymore I like to keep things as simple as possible.

Dave