Thank you for coming by The Everyday Marksman. This site and its community are a labor of love. I hope you stick around for a while, and maybe even join us.
-Matt
Introducing the Rifleman Pentathlon: A Game for Martial Marksmen
For a while, I’ve been kicking around an idea for a new type of competition. I enjoy all the various disciplines I’ve played in, but also think that each of them in isolation is missing something. Today, I’d like to tell you about my vision for a “complete” type of match that I think covers all of the foundations of Everyday Marksmen, and it does so in a way that lets all of us have an objective to train for. Let’s talk about the Rifleman Pentathlon.
Agon and Aretê: A Foundation for Life
This is a philosophical one. For the last month or so, I’ve been obsessed with an Ancient Greek concept of excellence and how to apply it. Today’s post is about presenting the core concepts and how I think it works within the construct of The Everyday Marksman. At a broader scale, this will weave throughout my work and form the bedrock what I want you to achieve.
The Rack Rifle: “Break Glass in Case of Emergency”
The question you’re probably asking is, “Matt, what the hell is a rack rifle?” This post stems from a conversation in my friend Ilya’s community. He tagged me on it to provide some of my thoughts, and then he built out his own calling his project, “The AK of ARs.” The idea focuses on 3-4 rifles configured similarly that you keep on the rack (or in the safe) for the express purpose of handing them out to friends and neighbors to create a fire team if needed. I thought it was an interesting thought experiment, so I went down a rabbit hole.
Foundations of Patrol Rifle Marksmanship: Know Your Objective!
A while back, while talking about the latest revision to his sniper marksmanship book, John Simpson let me know that he had another book on the way- this one focused on patrol rifle marksmanship. Well it recently hit the shelves and we got together again to talk more about rifle marksmanship, training philosophies, and competition. Let’s dig in.
Ammo Squared Review: 18 Months Later
Every time an ammo crunch comes around, I find myself asking why I didn’t take my own advice about buying ammo slowly over time. The reality is that it comes down to a mixture of time, budget, and attention. I recently came across a company that looks like it could solve that problem for me, and I want to bring them to your attention.
A Better Way to Battle Belt?
Circumstances have made me reevaluate and replace my longstanding battle belt system. I took the opportunity to seriously poke around the market and find a better way to do business, and I think I found it.
An Introduction to Sniping 4th Generation
The Swiss Sniping 4th Generation, or S4G, concept leverages ballistic arcs and volleys of fire to increase hit probability. It’s not as fancy as the American Designated Marksman Program, but it’s no slouch, either.
Project Warhammer: Beginning a Shotgun Journey
This post is several months overdue. Between 2021 and 2022, I had a lot of conversations and read a lot of articles. I noticed a distinct trend that shotguns were making waves, and there was a growing interest. I decided to finally fill the glaring hole in my collection and dive into the world of shotgunning. But where to start?
Radically Simple Strength Development: Consistency, Not Variety
This is both my review of a new book on strength training as well as an interview with the author. Over the last year, I’ve built up a library of strength and conditioning books, and I think I’ve settled on the one to suggest to just about everyone who wants to get started. Let’s dig in.
The 2023 West Virginia Gun Run: The Retrospective
Months of prep time, new gear configurations, and a lot of articles. I finally ran the West Virginia Gun Run this past Saturday. Here’s some notes on how it went and what I’d do differently in the future.
Resource Review: TargetBarn Stage Builder
This is just a quick post to introduce you to something I recently came across that I haven’t seen anyone else doing. If you’ve ever had to plan a USPSA or IDPA stage, then you know that it can be a bit of a pain in the backside to create because of all the unique items and props that show up. Well, someone decided to do something about it.
The Four Corners Approach to Unlocking Peak Performance
Today I’m discussing a concept that’s been brewing in the the back of my brain. While working on the book, I’ve needed a way to illustrate how different things we do relate to improving the whole and take use to new levels of performance. I think I’ve figured it out, and this is my first go at explaining it.