Book Review; The Art of the Rifle

Spend enough time learning about firearms and their practical applications, and you'll run across the works of Jeff Cooper. The (late) Lt. Col. Cooper was a retired Marine, hunter, and scholar, founder of the Gunsite Training Academy, and Civis Americanus. He was the warrior-poet of his generation, the likes of which I haven't seen in my own. Whenever Lt. Col. Cooper comes up in conversation with other "gun guys", opinions are often divisive (or worse, unformed). It's strange to me that his teachings are somewhat seen as antiquated, when in reality they are quite forward thinking even lo these many years after his death, at least in terms of the use of force, and the practical skills required to run a rifle well in most conditions.

 Full disclosure; this is not the first time I've read "The Art of the Rifle", and it probably won't be the last; it's a pretty short book that is low on story or verse, but long on practical skills and guidance. Think of it as kind of a "How-To" manual for the self-taught rifleman, who due to circumstance can't get out to a proper shooting school to get a finishing education.

The proper audience for this book are those who wish to know how to use a rifle, and want to learn firing positions and undertake drills that will make them more apt to impact their chosen target at distance under field conditions with their first shot. Those who cannot understand the utilitarian, societal, or environmental benefits of hunting best steer clear, same for those who cannot fathom the use of force in human conflict. Lt. Col. Cooper doesn't dwell at all on gore or violence per se, but still this is not a book for the soft-hearted.

Taking the book as it is, it's about a 63 to 65 on my corrected statistical bell curve of literary enjoyment, if 50 was perfectly average in all respects. This is a well written book with lots of useful info and advice, but it's  short, could use more and clearer diagrams, and is sometimes a little dry. Still, it's a great book from a excellent source who was and still is a clear expert in his field.