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
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.
WTF: You Just Have to Experience It
March 7, 2023 6 Comments
I sat down with a few of our community members who recently competed in events put on by Waco Tactical Fitness. I'll be doing a similar tactical biathlon event later next month, and I was curious about equipment, training, and lessons learned from the events.
The Beginner’s Guide to Ammunition Management
February 21, 2023 6 Comments
A while back, I did a primer on magazine pouches, and one of the topics I mentioned was managing your ammunition supply. This is the follow-up where I get into some specific advice for beginners about working through your equipment and positioning your magazines.
Just Say No to Flex Culture
January 31, 2023 18 Comments
Like many enthusiast topics, we've got a problem with flex culture. What is that? Today we're talking about it, how it manifests, why its a problem, and what you can do to combat it.
Resource Review: The Guerilla’s Guide to the Baofeng Radio
January 24, 2023 7 Comments
My friend NC Scout of Brushbeater recently put out a book about using the Baofeng radio as the base of a whole communications plan. The interesting thing about the book is that the Baofeng is only a small part of what he's actually talking about, while the rest is incredibly useful for just about anyone looking to use radio equipment in challenged situations. Let's dig in.
Chasing Optimum and Other Marketing Failures
January 17, 2023 5 Comments
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
January 10, 2023 7 Comments
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.
CoolFire Trainer: The Raw Truth Long(ish) Term Review
December 20, 2022 12 Comments
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.
Otto Noizebarrier Range SA: Raw Truth Review
December 6, 2022 3 Comments
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
November 29, 2022 5 Comments
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+
November 15, 2022 10 Comments
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.
Swampfox Optics Trihawk Review: I Can See Everything
August 23, 2022 3 Comments
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.
TA33 3×30 ACOG Review: The “Gunfighter’s” Optic
August 10, 2022 7 Comments
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.