I have long had a tendency to tie marksmanship to morality. The essence of good marksmanship is self-control, and self-control is the essence of good citizenship. It is too easy to say that a good shot is automatically a good man, but it would be equally incorrect to ignore the connection.
Marksmanship is the heart of everything we do here. Through marksmanship, we learn and practice discipline, focus, and self-control. As one of my podcast guests once put it over a couple of beers, “Marksmanship is the American Martial Art.”
Here you will find all of my articles, podcasts, and marksman challenges relating to the study and practice of good marksmanship. If you’re specifically looking to learn the fundamentals, be sure to check out my article series on how to shoot a rifle. I’ll soon be working on a series for pistol marksmanship as well.
If you haven’t tested yourself against a Marksman Challenge, be sure to check one of them out and lets us know how you did over in the community forum.
/// Marksmanship Archive
Q4 2020 Postal Match: Bringing the Bull
For the fourth quarter of 2020’s match, we’re taking a note from the bullseye pistol game with a few tweaks. As much as I like …
Mike Green of Green Ops Tactical Talks About Adult Skills
Mike Green is a 15 year veteran of Special Operations who began a training company in Northern Virginia as a bit of a side gig. His school has since grown into quite the training operation spanning multiple states and categories of students. One of the things that stood out to me about Green Ops is their motto, “Why Should Your Training Be Less Special?”
The Marksman’s Trinity: Balance for New and Old Gun Owners
The theme of the month is all about balance, so here’s another one to think about. I thought about the elements that should go into decision making regarding everything we do, and I categorized everything into these three: safety, capability, and security.
As gun owners and firearms enthusiasts, we should always be mindful of keeping these things in balance.
Ammo Companies HATE this Substitute for 22LR Dry Fire
Sure, the headline was a little clickbaity, but I thought it was funny. Regular dry practice with your rifles and pistols is an important component to keeping up your skills. Done right, it dramatically cuts back on the amount of range time and ammo you need to spend while also greasing the groove of your fundamentals.
The trouble is that you’re not really supposed to dry fire a rimfire rifle, right?
Answering the Question: Why Good Marksmanship is Important
I don’t know why this question has been on my mind lately, but I’ve felt compelled to try and put words to my answer. Why is good marksmanship important? What do we get from learning and practicing it?
I think there’s an assumption within the gun world that everyone already knows that marksmanship is important. But I don’t think most people actually care.
A Marksman’s Guide to the Squatting Position
The squatting position, otherwise known as “Rice Paddy Prone,” isn’t as common as it once was. It is a moderate stability position that supports both elbows, making it more stable than kneeling yet keeping a high level of mobility.
Q32020 Postal Match Series: Five Position Rifle
These are the rules for the Q3 2020 Postal Match. We’re taking on a five-position course of fire at 25 yards on an official NRA target. Let’s get to it.
The Everyday Marksman Postal Match Series Challenge
With this challenge, we introduce the new Everyday Marksman Postal Match series. What are postal matches, well I’m glad you asked. Think of them as friendly competitions you can do from home.
Now Hear This: Are 22LR Trainers Overhyped?
By this point, it’s no secret that I’m way down the path to building a 22LR rifle for training and competition. I’ve previously written about using 22LR as a short-range substitute for centerfire rifles at long range because of its inferior ballistics.
With that in mind, I want to share a podcast episode from Wolf Precision on this very topic, and why my thinking might be wrong.
A Marksman’s Guide to the Sitting Position
Jeff Cooper, in The Art of the Rifle, stated that the seated position is the most useful for hunters. Military shooters use it less because it’s neither as low as prone nor fast like squatting or kneeling.
Make the Sacrifice Worth it: Olympic Shooting with Amanda Banta
Amanda Banta is a national rifle champion and Olympic competitor. She began shooting at 11 years old and competed in the 2012 Olympic games only 9 years later. In this conversation, we take a look at what it took to make that kind of progress, what it means to have a winning mindset, and of course learn some tips for better marksmanship practice.
On the Cheap: 22LR as an Awesome Long-Range Training Tool
Today I’m broaching on the biggest omission from my safe: a 22LR rifle. I know it’s been a great training tool for generations, but I’ve never been interested. Until now, that is.
And the reason I’m suddenly interested is how well the little rimfire works as a trainer for larger centerfire cartridges like the 308 at long ranges.
