Only accurate rifles are interesting
Townsend Whelen
The primary emphasis of The Everyday Marksman is on your personal skill and capabilities, but I’m not blind to the importance of good and reliable equipment for your success. The articles here cover selecting, configuring, and using your gear.

You can’t escape the work, though.
The thing I want to you remember is that your equipment only has to be good enough to be reliable. After that, it’s all about what you are capable of achieving with it. Don’t fall into the trap, as I did, of looking for mechanical solutions to software problems.
/// Equipment Archive
Let’s Talk SHOT Show 2024
February 9, 2024 14 Comments
So SHOT show is over, and the headlines have started dying down. What were my takeaways, and is there anything I'm really looking forward to?
I See You, Two: More About Night Vision
January 23, 2024 No Comments
In this follow up to his first article on night vision, particularly the digital variety, Pieter covers more of the basics- like mounting and aiming with your night vision devices.
My New Favorite Magazine Pouch: The Savotta 2-Mag
December 20, 2023 1 Comment
For years, I've been on the hunt for my "perfect" magazine pouch, to no avail. Several things came close, but didn't quite get there. I even went so far as to start talking about custom work with gear makers. That is until a couple of months ago when Savotta put up a social media post that seemed to be the answer. Today, I'm reviewing that mag pouch, which just might be my favorite ever.
I See You! Affordable Night Vision Options Part I
December 6, 2023 2 Comments
In this short primer, guest writer Pieter lays out the basics of night vision units. Not everything needs to be the high end gucci gear that most people think of.
In Defense of the SMG. Maybe You’d Like One After All
November 7, 2023 10 Comments
SMGs and PCCs have gotten some love lately, and fell off the radar. Their utility is a hot topic for debate, so here's one of our takes. This is a first post by guest writer Pieter, so enjoy!
The Martial Marksman’s Training Philosophy: Simple, Not Easy
October 31, 2023 1 Comment
In the last episode, I discussed the Martial Marksman ideal and how it relates to the various topics I talk about here. One of the challenges that anyone going down this path quickly runs into is the fact that there is a lot of “stuff” to learn and practice. It’s one thing for a professional soldier to do these things, but it’s a very different beast for Everyday Marksmen like you and I.
Primary Arms GLx 3-18×44 Review: The Go-To SPR Scope?
October 5, 2023 2 Comments
This is my ongoing "live" review of the Primary Arms GLx 3-18x44 rifle scope. Nearly purpose-built for tactical rifles serving in an SPR/DMR role, it's got a lot of intelligent features and a great price point for what it offers. So how does it stack up for me?
The Rack Rifle: “Break Glass in Case of Emergency”
July 18, 2023 25 Comments
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 ...
Ammo Squared Review: 18 Months Later
June 26, 2023 15 Comments
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?
June 20, 2023 7 Comments
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.
Project Warhammer: Beginning a Shotgun Journey
May 16, 2023 27 Comments
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?
The 2023 West Virginia Gun Run: The Retrospective
May 2, 2023 17 Comments
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.
The Four Corners Approach to Unlocking Peak Performance
April 18, 2023 4 Comments
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.
Light Precision: Build Guide for the SPR and DMR Platforms
April 6, 2023 16 Comments
The DMR and SPR platforms are gaining a lot of popularity again. I wanted to take a minute to walk through the history of the rifles as well as my personal templates and build suggestions should you want to go down the light precision rabbit hole for yourself.
Old But Gold – A Case for Obsolete Firearms
April 4, 2023 6 Comments
People often think old weapons are automatically obsolete, and don't have much place in your safe as anything other than a collectors item. In today's episode, which is admittedly a little bit of a rant, I'm going to make the case why "obsolete" weapons might still have a real world role to play.
The General Purpose Patrol Harness: Run & Gun Kit
March 14, 2023 6 Comments
I'm rounding out descriptions of my load bearing equipment configurations. We've covered the MInuteman Harness, the Rifleman Rig, and now the General Purpose Patrol Harness-otherwise known as the Run & Gun rig that I'll be using for tactical biathlon competitions and other things.