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
Chasing Optimum and Other Marketing Failures
Everyone loves talking about optimization. Entire industries spend huge amounts of money convincing you that their new whiz bang gadget or service will take you to the next level with no additional skill required. Today I'm putting a stake in the ground to tell you that optimum is a myth, and our constant pursuit of it only detracts us from focusing on what's actually important for our success.
Canik Rival Review: Bullet Points
The Rival is Canik’s first competition-focused gun and is supposed to be ready to compete in USPSA, IPSC and IDPA out of the box. This is close to true, as that box is loaded with accessories.
State of the Everyday Marksman, 2023
To start of 2023, I wanted to take a moment to look over where we've been over the last eight years, some of the impactful decisions I've made along the way, and how that's affecting where were going next in 2023 and beyond. Thanks for being a part of it!
CoolFire Trainer: The Raw Truth Long(ish) Term Review
There was a time where ammo was cheap, but those days are gone. The CoolFire Trainer allows you to train with your carry gun for the price of cheap .22lr in the comfort of your own home and on your own schedule. But after nearly 18 months of ownership, do I think it's worth it? Let's discuss.
VO2 Max, Aerobic Energy, and Why it Matters to You
You might not have noticed, but I recently updated the Level 1 fitness standards to include a 1.5 mile run instead of the 1 mile that I originally used. I did this based on a lot of learning I've done over 2022 concerning conditioning, metabolism, and how your body recovers from stress. In this post, I want to touch on the key measurement used for aerobic conditioning, how I'm using it for the fitness test, and some tips on how you can improve it for yourself.
Otto Noizebarrier Range SA: Raw Truth Review
When you talk about electronic hearing protection, most people either think "cheaper" like the ubiquitous Howard Leights or "Super Expensive" like Peltor Comtacs and Ops-Core AMPs. Today I'm looking at another American-made option you might not know about, the Otto Noizebarrier Range SA.
The Rifleman Harness: Old School is New Again
As part of revising my load bearing equipment, I've continued building on previous versions to create something I've dubbed the Rifleman Harness. It's a heavier load bearing equipment configuration for longer duration away from home.
Digital Radio for Serious Marksmen: AnyTone 878UVII+
Since you and I aren't part of a well-organized, funded, and supplied group who can issue common equipment to everyone, it makes the most sense that your radio brings the most flexibility that you can get. In this post, I want to quickly touch on what I think is the best "all around" radio for the prepared citizen. We'll touch on digital mobile radio (DMR) and the capability it brings along, as well as a few alternatives.
Stop Stealing from Yourself
In this episode, I once again talk to my very first guest: John Simpson. We dig deeper into the fundamentals of learning good marksmanship, past Army programs, the importance of learning the right lessons in training, and more.
Swampfox Optics Trihawk Review: I Can See Everything
The Swampfox Trihawk is a 3x magnified prism optic intended for tactical usage by law enforcement and prepared citizens. It sports a best-in-class field of view, great optical clarity, and battery-powered illumination. At about a quarter of the price of an ACOG, will it become my go-to recommendation for people looking at prism optics? Let's take a look.
Level 3 Fitness Standards: Tactical Excellence
This is the last of the Everyday Marksman fitness standards. Level 1 was about general health and fitness and Level 2 focused on strength and work capacity. Level 3 combines everything into a few events to test all aspects of combat fitness.
TA33 3×30 ACOG Review: The “Gunfighter’s” Optic
To start off a series of reviews concerning 3x prismatic optics, I wanted to start with the current king of the 3x hill, as it were. The TA33 has been around since 2007, and is well known among enthusiasts. Let's run down what makes this model so interesting, how it works up close, and where its age is starting to show.