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
The Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Training Course
I've got a bit of experience between training and competition, though not as much as I'd like. Still, I've learned a few things along the way and today we're talking about some of the key lessons I wish I could go back and make sure I knew back at the beginning.
Level 2 Fitness Standards: Strength and Work Capacity
This is the second level of the Everyday Marksman fitness assessments, and it focuses on strength and work capacity. Caution, this is not for beginners.
Why a Fitness Test? Why now?
This is just a quick unedited rant about why I decided to launch a physical fitness test for The Everyday Marksman. In short, 2020 sucked, and 2021 might be worse: maybe it's time to hold ourselves to some objective standards.
Level 1 Fitness Standards: The Baseline
It's time to set some standards. Members of The Everyday Marksman community have been trading ideas back and forth about what a proper set of fitness standards might look like, so I decided to try and answer that question. This is Part 1.
Cash to Burn? Spare Parts & Magazines
This is a short episode touching on an observation I've had lately. Since the biggest rush of gun-buying stuff, this year is new shooters, they haven't quite learned about all the other stuff they should be aware of. And that leaves an opportunity for enthusiasts like you and me.
Oryx Chassis for Tikka T1x: Raw Truth Review
The Oryx Chassis is a great starting point for an entry-level precision rifle chassis. It's beefy, stiff, and you can buy it for one of the widest variety of actions I've ever seen. But it's not without its tradeoffs to reach it's budget-friendly price point.
The Right Optic for the Mission
This episode is a bit of an audio guide version of my article on selecting AR-15 optics. It’s a bit more off the cuff than usual, and you can probably tell that I get a bit excited about nerding out with this topic. The principles I outline apply to just about any kind of optic regardless of the rifle, or handgun, that it mounts to. At the core, it’s about understanding the role you are trying to fill and then selecting an appropriate solution within the bounds of your budget.
Now What? A Back to Basics Approach to an Uncertain Future
2020 has been a rough year, and things may only get worse from here. So what, exactly, can we do about that? First, take a breath. Now let's talk.
Ammo Shortage? No Problem. Here’s a Solution
If you’re anything like me, then the great ammo shortage of 2020 has been putting a significant damper on your range time. I have a healthy stash set aside, for sure, but the general turmoil I’m seeing out there makes me reluctant to start using it until there’s a ready replacement. So what do we do?
Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25×56: The Raw Truth Review
The Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25×56 is the first entry of the Strike Eagle line into long range optics, and it seems as though it was purpose-built for the precision rimfire market. Vortex managed to stuff many of the desirable features of their more expensive Razor line, ubiquitous in Precision Rifle Series (PRS) matches, into a more affordable package for the everyday shooter.
Explaining the Minimum Capable Carbine
Today I'm talking about my concept of the Minimum Capable Carbine. If you've been reading for a while, you might recognize this as my suggestion for your first AR-15. In truth, this episode is a chance for me to say things out loud that didn't come across very well in written format.
Keep Your Gear Dry: Waterproofing Your Pack
I'd like to throw a shout out to a fellow blogger, and community member, who did a great writeup on waterproofing a pack. I've got a bit of experience here, but given his background I think it's best to just hear it from his mouth.