Jim Casada - The marksmanship primer: the experts guide to shooting handguns and rifles

Copyright 2013 by Skyhorse Publishing
Excerpts from Jack OConnors 7-Lesson Rifle Shooting Course (1981) and Sportsmans Arms and Ammunition Manual (1952) Copyright Time 4 Media, Inc. Reprinted with permission from Outdoor Life Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any medium is strictly prohibited without permission from Time 4 Media, Inc. Such permission may be requested from Outdoor Life Magazine. Portions of this book appear courtesy of Bradford OConnor, Caroline OConnor McCullam, Catherine OConnor, Bryce Towsley, and Wayne Van Zwoll.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Casada, Jim.

The marksmanship primer : the experts guide to shooting handguns and rifles / Jim Casada.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Summary: Presents selections from Americas gun writers of past and present, aimed at marksmen of all levels of experience, that give advice on topics such as sighting, accuracy, and hunting--Provided by publisher.

ISBN 978-1-62087-367-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Shooting. 2. Firearms. I. Title.

GV1153.C27 2012

799.213--dc23

2012033183

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As is invariably the case when one writes or compiles a book, others make contributions richly deserving of thanks. Les Adams conceived this project, and his effort along somewhat parallel lines, The Second Amendment Primer, provided a model starting point. Amanda Adams has been intimately involved in the undertaking at every step along the way, gently prodding me when needed (which was often), encouraging my efforts, and facilitating everything from links to contributors to dealings with the textual editor. That individual was Katharine Wiencke, who knows little about marksmanship but who is always on the mark when it comes to issues of clarity, consistency, and proper usage.

Two contemporaries in the world of writing on guns and hunting, Bryce Towsley and Wayne Van Zwoll, figure significantly in this book, and in addition to being an admirer of their professionalism, I am proud to claim them as friends. The same holds true, albeit vicariously, for those great gun writers from earlier generations whose collective wisdom forms the heart of this compilation. I have read their words as a boy and a man, and the enduring verities found there tell, in eloquent fashion, of the prominent place marksmanship has always had in the American way of life. They were straight shooters, in person and in print, and theirs is an example well worth emulating.

Finally, as always, I am indebted to my family. My wife, Ann, tolerates the vicissitudes of the writing life; gives me a sense of safe harbor when the dark, gathering clouds of deadlines move uncomfortably close; turns the fruits of my personal marksmanship in the hunting field into delicious meals; and does her part in seeing that all my efforts as a writer reach fruition. Our daughter and son-in-law, Natasha and Eric Getway, ask the right questions about works in progress, and I look eagerly forward to the day when their daughter, Ashlyn, becomes my partner in the field, giving me a welcome opportunity to pass the shooting tradition on to another generation.

A NOTE ON SELECTION

Over the years, an incredible amount of material on rifle and pistol marksmanship has appeared in print. Many of the basic principles of accurate shooting remain constant; others have changed, thanks to study, experimentation, and technological advances. This primer combines the finest advice from old masters and modern writers. Selecting the best information on marksmanship is a difficult and ultimately subjective task. However, certain parameters guided me in the selection process. Primarily, I sought material that was readable and writers who were authoritative. In many cases, anecdotal or dated information was edited out of the material presented, my underlying idea being provision of sound, sensible, and easily followed advice.

I have given the origin of all the selections, most of which come from books. The bibliography offers some further guidance on the sources consulted during the process of compiling the book. A goodly number of these works are now out of print. Biographical profiles of the contributors are presented at the end of the book, before the bibliography.

A NATION OF STRAIGHT SHOOTERS: THE EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN MARKSMANSHIP

Marksmanship has played an integral and important role in American history. So much is this the case that we regularly use the phrase straight shooter to describe an honest, reliable individual who speaks his mind. Although it could be argued that straight shooters are a vanishing breed in the world of politics, one of our greatest leaders was a staunch advocate of the shooting life and the sport that forms one of its most enjoyable manifestations. Theodore Roosevelt wrote, in his timeless book, The Wilderness Hunter (1893):

One of our greatest leaders was an advocate of the shooting life

The free, self-reliant, adventurous life, with its rugged and stalwart democracy; the wild surroundings, the grand beauty of the scenery, the chance to study the ways and habits of the woodland creatures all these unite to give to the career of the wilderness hunter its peculiar charm. The wilderness hunter must not only show skill in the use of the rifle and success in finding and approaching game, but he must also show the qualities of hardihood, self-reliance, and resolution needed for effectively grappling with his wild surroundings.

To a considerable degree, it was the wild surroundings of which Roosevelt wrote that gave rise to the great American tradition of superb marksmanship. Hardy frontiersmen depended on their wits, woodsmanship, and ability with the long rifle for survival. The gun became almost an extension of the body for these men, and they relied on it for both sustenance and safety.

The use of firearms looms large in our past

Anyone who delves into American history soon comes to realize just how large the competent use of firearms looms in our past. In the American Revolution, a key turning point came in the battles of Cowpens and Kings Mountain. In the latter engagement particularly, the redcoats (British regulars and Hessian mercenaries) proved no match for the Overmountain Boys. These hardy frontiersmen from the area that would eventually become the states of Tennessee and Kentucky had several things going for them that more than made up for the superior organization and military experience of their foes.

First and foremost, they had accurate rifles and understood their performance capabilities completely, whereas the British troops had relatively ineffective smoothbores. Any frontiersman worth his salt could bark a squirrel (shoot a bullet into the tree or limb beneath the animal in such a precise fashion that the bushytail was killed, the meat was undamaged, and the lead could be retrieved for remolding) at a considerable distance. Add deadly marksmanship, superior skills as woodsmen, and an intimate knowledge of the lay of the land, and the Overmountain Boys became formidable adversaries.