Cliffy's Scopes - Stories and Lesson's Learned

 

The Scopes I’ve Owned

And Stories About Them

Lessons Learned

 

I’ve written extensively about scout scopes over the years so I thought I’d put into writing what my experience is with different scopes.  Some of this is just background and some is a review of various scopes from my experience.  My experience is by no means exhaustive.  Most of it is just trial and error based on what I find in Central Virginia piedmont hunting.  There have been some training classes in the past 6 years but for the most part, this is hunting experience.

 

Leupold M8 2.5X – Nice little scope.  It started off life on a Winchester Model 70 in .308 (the old style with the push feed).  I was looking to have a scoutish type rifle back before it was fashionable.  The rifle was crap but I kept the scope for a number of years.  I used it on various rifles including an FN-FAL and it wasn’t bad on that.  I finally sold it a few years ago.  Nice scope.  It was handy and fast and very light weight.

 

Leupold Vari-X-III 2.5-8X – This scope came on a used rifle I bought in the early 90’s and it was a really good scope.  Very clear, rugged and light.  I sold the rifle and kept the scope for a number of years and finally sold it.  When I sold it, it had a weird speck that appeared at some point.  It was in the glass, next to the reticle.  The guy I sold it to didn’t care because he knew of Leupold’s lifetime warranty and knew they would take care of it.

 

Leupold Mark 4 10X40mm M3 – I had this scope on a Remington heavy barrel that was supposed to be the same configuration as the US military sniper rifle of the time.  Unfortunately, this was a time in my life that I couldn’t find a range longer than 100 yards so I really can’t describe how it performed.  The rifle could produce some astonishing groups at 100 yards but that doesn’t really speak too much to the performance of the scope.

 

Nightforce 5-25X – I had this for a hot second back in the 2007 timeframe.  I mounted it on a Steyr Tactical Elite and again, it was a tack-driver but as with the Mark 4, I never had the opportunity to use it before financial realities forced the sale.

 

Leupold Vari-X-III 1.5-5X – I think I bought this in the late 90’s to put ton a Remington Model 7.  It is a fantastic little scope.  Very crisp and clear and good low light performance.  It is a good match for a light and handy bolt gun.  It currently resides on my wife’s Ruger American .223.  My only complaint is that the eye relief varies too much between the high and low magnification settings.  The difference is so dramatic that it is difficult to mount it properly as the eye relief at 1.5 is just too long. 

 

Burris 2.75X Scout – This was my first scout scope and at the time, the choice was between it and the Leupold 2.5X.  Everything I could find at the time said there was really no difference so I chose the Burris because… well, 2.75 is better than 2.5, right?  I found the scope frustrating and couldn’t explain why until I actually used it side by side with a Leupold 2.5X Scout.  The Burris had a lot of black area visible in the scope around the viewable image.  Where the Leupold had a very thin ring of metal, the Burris had a thick housing and even within the lens, it seemed to have a smaller visible image.  A true scout scope allows your eye to see the unmagnified surrounding area and the magnified image in your dominant eye without requiring you to focus through the scope.  That black ring caused a distraction to my eyes and never allowed it to do what it was intended to do.

 

Leupold M8 2.5X Scout (the first one) – I used this scope pretty extensively in the early 2000’s.  This was before I took any training classes and I didn’t have a place to really train so my use was exclusively in the hunting field.  It got quite a workout.  I loved how fast it was to acquiring targets.  I took deer from 40 out to about 250 yards with it and I want to describe a few situations where it really shined… and where it didn’t.

The longest shot I ever took was 250 yards.  I was hunting with friends and we would “push” a woodlot by having one guy walk through a patch of woods the several of us would be waiting on the other end to cover escape routes.  Because the deer were not pressed hard, they usually didn’t come flying out.  I was on top of a hill when a deer trotted past me down in a valley.  He was headed toward a fence where I knew he was going to pause to jump.  I dropped to a seated position and got looped up in my sling.  As predicted, the deer stopped at that fence in preparation to jump.  With both eyes open, the scout scope showed up in my vision exactly like it was supposed to and I briefly shifted my focus to the reticle and pressed the trigger.  It was a textbook success for the scout concept.

Another time, I was hunting in the snow and was walking along a ridge when a doe broke from cover below me.  She was bounding in the snow about 50 or 60 yards below me.  I didn’t pause and swung the rifle up and used it like I was shooting sporting clays with a shotgun.  I timed my shot so she was at the apex of a leap and she was dead by the time she landed.  Again, the scout scope performed exactly as intended.

Over the years, I learned that I had to stop hunting before the end of legal shooting light.  Unless a deer happened to wander into a field, there was just no way to see them at 15 minutes past sunset if they were in the woods.  Even in a high contrast setting like a deer in a green field, that last 15 minutes of legal light was a challenge.  I had noticed this for some time, but had just filed it away as an annoyance that I could live with.

Then it happened.  I was hunting in the early afternoon and crested a hill where I could look down in a small draw below me.  The draw had tall brown grass, some scrub brush and was littered with small pines.  Distance was 100 to 150 yards depending on where I was looking.  I could see nothing with my naked eye but scanned it with my 8X binoculars.  There was a herd of deer filtering through.  It was a mix of does and fawns and I’m a meat hunter so I was excited.  I sat down and looped into my sling.  I brought the gun up and… nothing.  I couldn’t find them. 

I thought maybe they busted when I sat down so I raised my binos again.  They were still there.  They were oblivious to my presence.  There were at least 8 of them.  Again, I raised my rifle and again, I could not find a single deer.  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” was the though going through my head.  “A scout scope can’t be this bad, can it?”  Well, apparently, it could because in broad daylight, I could not find a single deer in the lens of that 2.5X scout scope.  It was at this point that I decided two things.  1. There is something wrong with the scout scope concept.  2.  I need to find a better solution that doesn’t sacrifice many of the benefits of the scout concept.

 

Leopold Mark 4 MR/T 1.5-5X – This is the scope that I decided upon to replace the scout scope.  This was in 2006 (or thereabouts) and it was the best low power variable that I could find at that time and it is still a pretty good choice.  It has an illuminated reticle but takes a weird battery and has a large appendage on the side of the ocular housing for it.  It has an exposed target turret marked for 63 grain 5.56 ammo and it has ½ MOA clicks.  The reticle is a circle dot crosshair with mil markings.  So yes… a military configured scope with a mix of MOA and mil markings.  This scope completely solved the shortcomings of the scout scope and I used it for several years.  It isn’t as light as the scout scope and it isn’t quite as fast or handy.  It wasn’t bad either and was excellent in low light or with hidden targets.  I successfully used it on deer right to the edge of legal shooting light without any problems.  In the back of my mind, I kept thinking that there had to be a better solution that didn’t give up the advantages of the scout scope but had the benefits of this one.  More to come on that.

 

Leupold VX2 4-12X – I purchased this to go on a heavy barrel Remington Model 700 in .223 Rem.  This was my coyote gun.  It did its job.  Nothing fancy but it worked as intended.  My coyote hunting never really exposed any flaws but I never asked it to do anything crazy.  I’d call it a good value.

 

Leupold VX2 1.5-4X Scout – I’m not sure when this scope came out but I bought mine in 2016.  I was excited because I thought this could be the answer.  This could solve the issues I had with the original fixed power scout scope but give me to versatility of the LPVO.  In all honesty, I wasn’t bad.  It was clearly better than the original scout scope in fading light and I could find game better.  It had a shorter eye relief than the fixed scout scope but still allowed for the open field of view of the scout.  Still though… it just didn’t really shine.  One hunting trip found me sitting in the woods and 3 does were picking their way through the hardwoods toward me.  At about 70 yards, I found that it was difficult to really see them in the lens.  It wasn’t that I couldn’t see them… they were just hard to find in the glass.  I chalked this up to too little magnification.  More on this in a bit.  For reference sake the VX2 Scout has been replaced by the VX Freedom Scout which seems to have the same dimensions as the VX2 Scout.

 

Burris 2-7X Scout – This had to be it.  This had to be the solution to match the versatility of the scout rifle concept… right?  Wrong.  Using this scope finally made me realize what the problem with scout scopes really is.  Yes, this scope is a true scout scope with a 9” eye relief and it is a variable that can be cranked all the way to 7 power.  In that regard, it works.  I found it to be less bright and crisp than the Leupold VX2 Scout and I noted a fair amount of edge distortion (AKA fish bowl effect).  But the real problem was that it still didn’t allow me to see small, camouflaged targets, especially in low light.  I had been mistaken in what the cause of this was.  I had thought that magnification could solve this issue but that really wasn’t it.  The problem was that with an ocular lens so far from the eye, any image in that lens requires fairly high contrast to pick it out.  Magnifying it helps some but then you have issues to losing the subject in the limited field of view.  This is exacerbated by the fact that both the Burris and Leupold VX2 (and the fixed power Leupold Scout for that matter) have fairly small ocular lenses.  A small lens, far from the eye, means finding low contrast target indicators is difficult at best.  That is why the LPVO works so much better for these targets.

 

Leupold VX-R 1.5-5X Scout – This was the solution.  This fixed everything.  The eye relief is between 6 to 7 inches and on the Steyr with the stock spacers removed, it comes right to 6 inches.  The ocular lens is 50% larger than the VX Freedom Scout.  The lenses themselves have much better lens coatings and are clearly of better quality than the other scout scopes.  Being 6” from the eye with high quality glass and being so much larger than the others, it is like a totally different category of optic.  The performance of this scope in low light is nothing short of stunning.  I used it in a Randy Cain Practical Rifle class where he has a low light drill.  Students are lined up at 100 yards from their target stands near dusk.  Students are to pull themselves out when it becomes too dark to identify the targets and place an accurate shot.  With that scope, I was on the line the longest.  Hunting has confirmed just how amazing this thing is in low light.  It really seems that the trick is not so much the magnification, but rather, the fact that the lens is large and closer to the eye which allows me to pick out subtle target indicators.  It is a fantastic optic.

The other thing that is nice about this scope is that it overcomes some of the issues with an LPVO.  An LPVO is a very versatile optic but it suffers some in the way of handiness.  In the real world (as opposed to on a square range), a person can get contorted into all manner of jackass shooting positions.  Quite often, this means one is forced to creep up on the back of the scope.  That can be a bloody problem with a conventionally mounted optic but it is no problem if you start out 6” behind the ocular.  Brimmed caps are another area where an LPVO is often less than handy.  The brim often gets in the way, particularly under recoil.  Again, the longer eye relief of the VX-R Scout makes this a non-issue.  The VX-R Scout has the best of both worlds and is a rare instance of a compromise actually working better. 

Of course, this means that Leupold discontinued it and seems to have no plans for a replacement.

 

Leupold M8 2.5X Scout (second try) – I was signed up for a second time to take Tom Russell’s Scout Rifle class at the Whittington Center in New Mexico.  I decided to run this one with the lightest and most handy package possible.  I stripped down one of my scout rifles to the bare essentials.  I removed the bipod, modified the stock, and shaved every ounce of weight possible.  I installed a Leupold Scout scope and the whole package weighed in at exactly 3 kilos… grail weight!  Running that scope in that class illustrated to me why Col Cooper was so enamored of this package.  It was phenomenal.  It was light and handy and very fast.  I won the overall shootoff at the end.  I earned my Expert rating from Tom.  The thing was just a joy to carry and shoot the whole week.  If all my shooting were on a range like that and the targets were equally visible, it is all I would ever want or need. 

 

Leupold VX-R 1.5-4X Patrol – I have this mounted on an AR15 and it is a really nice optic.  The reticle is easy to pick up for snap shots and it is clear and sturdy for more precise work.  I haven’t put it through its paces enough to say much more than that, but overall, it is a good scope.  I do wish it had a bit more magnification but it is so compact that I am not sure I’d change it.

 

So that’s my scope use resume’.  I might have missed one or two but that’s what I recall.  I know there are plenty of people with more knowledge, training and experience than me.  My brain is funny though.  I really try to examine what works and what doesn’t and why.  It irritates me to no end that I finally found the best and most versatile scope only to have Leupold discontinue it the following year.  It makes it difficult to recommend a scope to others.  The perfect scope doesn’t exist at this point.  LPVO’s are developing nicely with lot’s of real world experience.  The military, gun culture 2.0 and the competitive 3 gun community all have contributed to furthering development of those scopes.  The VX Freedom Scout is probably the best of the scout type scopes but there isn’t a lot of competition.  Apparently Skinner Scopes is developing a variable power scout scope so that will be interesting to look at. 

 

If somebody were to ask me to develop the ultimate general purpose scope, I would hand them the VX-R 1.5-5X Scout and tell them to put a BDC reticle in it and a CDS turret and call it a day.  If somebody at Leupold ever reads this and wants to gain an advocate for life, that is what I would beg them to do.  Considering that they already had this scope on the assembly line at one point leaves me with a glimmer of hope every year when SHOT show rolls around. 

 

The "duty to retreat" and Kyle Rittenhouse

 I want to address one aspect of the Rittenhouse trial that I think has been lost in the mix.  I think this is important because FAR too many people in this country are completely ignorant of the rules and realities of self defense.  

(quick disclaimer... I am NOT a lawyer and I am not giving legal advice. Research it for yourself or contact a lawyer.  I'm realating my understanding of law which is based upon my research and discussions with lawyers but this is your responsibility.) 

Every state has slightly different laws with regard to "stand your ground" and a "duty to retreat" when it comes to defending your life.  Some states codify these things into law while others rely on what is called "case law" which is essentially deference to natural law that has been ensconced into verdicts over decades or even centuries.  

I'll use Virginia as an example because I'm more familiar with it but from my understanding, this is fairly similar in most places.  In Virginia, we have two different types of situations where a person legally takes another life while defending oneself.  Justifiable homicide means the person was an innocent person from start to finish and did nothing to provoke an attack.  For instance, one is standing at an ATM machine and a person comes up and shows a weapon (any weapon that could kill and that includes a brick, tire iron, knife or gun).  In that case, the victim can employ lethal force to stop the attack immediately.  That is justified.

The other situation is called "excusable homicide" and that is a little different.  If a person is involved in escalating a conflict that eventually turns deadly, they can still use deadly force in response but not until they attempt to retreat or break off the conflict.  For instance, if a person is in a restaurant and gets into a shoving match with another person over how their girlfriend looks.  The fight is mutual and both sides have provoked the other.  One party then draws a knife.  The other person has to attempt to disengage and retreat if possible.  It is not until they have no escape that they are allowed to legally use deadly force to stop the opponent.  Because both were involved in escalating the situation, there is a duty to retreat if they are going to have the mantle of innocence.

Some states have a duty to retreat regardless of the situation.  Others allow one to stand one's ground regardless, but it is this duty to retreat that is important for this discussion.

Back to Kyle Rittenhouse.  Did he have a duty to retreat?  I actually don't know because I don't know Wisconsin law.  I seem to recall somebody in court claiming he didn't have that duty but I could be wrong and it doesn't matter anyway.  The question is, did he retreat?  Did he fall back and attempt to get away from those he ended up shooting?  

Absolutely he did.  He did not fire upon a single person who was not a VERY real and present danger to his life.  The first guy had twice told him that he wanted to separate him from the others and kill him.  He chased Kyle and was in the act of lunging at him when he was shot.  The other two were in the act of using weapons against him when they were shot.

Now... you can argue about the wisdom of him being there and having a gun.  You can argue that it shouldn't be legal for a 17 year old to guard property.  You can argue a host of issues but what cannot be argued is that at the moment he pulled the trigger, he had nowhere to retreat and that if he didn't pull the trigger at that moment, he would likely be dead.  

The whole concept of "duty to retreat" is a recognition that even if one was actively involved in a provocation, that doesn't mean they give up their life.  The duty to retreat is to give a person the opportunity to end the provocation and get away.  If one cannot get away but they have tried, they still are allowed to defend their life.  They are not required to be the victim of homicide.  

So go ahead and argue for social justice.  Argue about unequal treatment.  Argue about wisdom and good sense.  But if you're going to argue about the law, understand what the law is.  The law does not require one to allow themselves to be murdered.  Even the most restrictive self-defense laws allow a person to use deadly force after going into full retreat until no further retreat is possible.  

Harlem Globetrotters 2021 Review

 I recently had the opportunity to see the Original Harlem Globetrotters play at Fairfax VA.  Overall, it was a lot of fun and I want to write a review.  I'm choosing to not post this on any social media platform so if you're reading this, it is because somebody sent you a link or you just stumbled upon it by dumb luck.

Before I start this review, let me explain why I wrote it and give a bit of background.  My cousin is the referee and he invited me to bring my family since this might be the only chance we would get this year.  After the show, he asked me what I thought.  He seemed interested to hear my take on some of the changes.  I gave him some initial reactions but upon more reflection, there is a lot more to be said.  I'm really writing this so he has the feedback in case anybody at the organization asks him.

I have gone to Globetrotter shows for as long as I can remember starting in the mid1970's.  I've seen them in CA, WI and several times in VA.  It really is a wonderful American institution.  I'm a suburban white guy and I'm not a fan of professional basketball, but I have always enjoyed this show.  I took my older kids to shows a few years ago and now I have 5 year old daughters and it makes me happy to show them something that brought me laughter as a child.

Normally, a review would start with the good stuff and then finish up with the less than perfect aspects.  I'm going to do this in the opposite order because I want to finish on a positive note.

The DJ:  Okay... I get it.  New era, new music, new sound.  I'm a middle aged white guy so the music wasn't going to be my preference and I get that.  The fact that it was so loud was distracting but that wasn't the big complaint.  My big complaint is what happened to Sweet Georgia Brown?  That is a tradition that dates back to the original team.  The familiar whistling during the introductions is an integral part of the charm of the Globetrotters and it was missing entirely.  Instead, we got bombarded by thumping loud music.  It wasn't until near the end that I could identify a hint of Sweet George Brown in the midst of the thumping.  I was very saddened by this.

Granny:  I couldn't understand a single word she said.  I'm betting it was funny but her accent and cadence over the loudspeakers made her totally unintelligible.  

The Pimp:  I'm not sure he was supposed to be a pimp, but that's how he was dressed.  I think he was supposed to be some sort of caricature of a shady doctor/lawyer or huckster but it just looked like a street hustler in fancy clothes which I associated with a pimp.  I could understand a few words and phrases but again, due to the accent and cadence, the speakers made him sound garbled most of the time.

Now remember... I'm a suburban white guy and I'm not really one to get offended at much.  Were I one of the "woke" crowd, I probably would have noticed that both of those characters reinforced racial stereotypes.  I'm not sure how the black community feels about this and I would never presume to speak for them, but to me, it looked like mockery.  Perhaps I'm way off on this.  Wokeness has killed comedy so I'm not sure how the organization can deal with this.

The running commentary from the floor:  This was usually funny stuff when I could understand it.  I could understand about half of it.  It was partially the accent but I think some fine tuning of the soundboard could clear it up.  There was too much echo and bass.  Same holds true of the emcee.  

Clock management:  Maybe I'm the only guy who noticed, but the game clock continued to run during time-outs, skits and breaks from play.  It would almost randomly stop when somebody realized the game clock would expire before the show was over.

Now for the good stuff:

Athleticism:  This is just fun to watch.  The skills just amaze me.  They enthralled my daughter.  It makes basketball fun.

The team:  I don't remember the names but some of the team members were really fun.  The girl in particular was awesome.  She is talented, but the expression on her face was one of pure joy.  She not only looked like she was having fun, she looked approachable which is missing in professional sports today.  The midget was amazing to watch and the other players were just great fun.

The referee:  Yes, he is my cousin but he genuinely stole the show on several occasions.  I could understand every word he said on mic.  His comedic timing shows he works well with the team.  The skits involving him were some of the highlights of the show.  It was funny to see him in the hallway after the game as people asked for his autograph.  The crowd felt connected to him.

The overall show:  It was just a fun mix of old tricks and stunts with good chemistry on the floor.  My daughter had a blast and I loved pointing out the rewind and slow motion tricks along with the guy on the rim just before the end of a period.  Just great family entertainment all around.  

So take this for what it is.  It is just the opinion of one guy.  I might not be representative of the typical Globetrotter fan, but I have been enjoying these shows for more than 40 years.  I notice things that others may not.  Thanks for reading.

Scout Rifle vs Practical Rifle Training

 

Scout Rifle or Practical Rifle Training

Tom Russell or Randy Cain

 

I have now taken both the Randy Cain Practical Rifle and the Tom Russell 5.5 Day Scout Rifle course twice each.  I have had many people ask me which is better or which I recommend for a person taking their first rifle class.  The bottom line is, there is not a real answer to that question.  They are both excellent, but each has a unique way of going about teaching the fundamentals of riflery. 

 

The following is a compare and contrast review of different things that are taught and how they are approached by each instructor.  I should note here that Tom has 3 coaches who assist with various things like setting up targets, spotting targets and generally helping make things run smoothly.

 

The Instructors:

 

Tom Russell was an instructor with Jeff Cooper back in the late 90’s and was with him on two trips to Africa.  He is one of six individuals who Cooper conferred the title “Master Instructor” and I believe only one other is still alive and presently teaching.  His demeanor is that of a preacher and that is his full time profession in addition to firearms instruction.  You will not hear a curse word in the class.  He listens well to his students.  He is interested in new ways to look at things and will listen to well reasoned and researched ideas.  He will often digress into tales of his adventures with Col. Cooper. 

 

Randy Cain was also an instructor with Col. Cooper but was really a protégé’ of Louis Awerbuck (one of the other 5 Master instructors but has since passed away).  He is a bit rough around the edges and one cannot be offended by the "F" word if one wishes to enjoy the training.  It makes for very colorful banter and it makes things feel very genuine.  His background is law enforcement and that comes through very clearly during the class.  He will also digress into stories from the past but they usually involved Louis or some connection to law enforcement.  At every point, there is no doubt that one is learning how to fight with a bolt action rifle.

 

The facilities:

 

Tom Russell conducts his rifle class at the Jeff Cooper range at the Whittington Center in Raton New Mexico.  It is an amazing facility.  From the shooting line, shooters can engage targets from 50 to 500 yards without moving.  It allows for running the Rifle 10 and Rifle Bounce drills.  There is a side valley that can be set up for an individual rifle walk while the assistant instructors monitor drills with the rest of the class.  There is a classroom with tables and chairs and a room heater.  There is running water and multiple outhouses.  There is a proshop where one can get some shooting supplies.  It is like Disneyland with guns.  It allows Tom to do things that Randy just can’t.

 

Randy conducts classes at various facilities but his main one is in Central Florida.  It is a grass range out in the middle of nowhere.  Students move from position to position and can shoot a maximum of 200 yards.  There is a covered area where instruction takes place and ammo and gear can be stored but that is not a shooting position.  All shooting is exposed to the elements.  It is a bit primitive but he makes the most of it.

 

Format

 

Tom’s class is 5 and a half days, starting on a Monday and finishing at noon on Saturday.  Students start off at the bench to zero their rifles.  While the original zero was about 2.5” high at 100, we confirmed zero at 200 from prone and from sitting.  Students move on to learn prone, sitting, squat, kneeling and offhand.  Heavy emphasis is put on the snap shot at 10, 25 and 50 yards (start from high ready position and engage the target on command within 1.5 seconds. Head shots at 10 and 25 yards and “A” zone body at 50).  We did the snap shot drill several times a day. 

 

On Thursday and Friday, the instructors set up two different “rifle walks” which involved setting both steel and cardboard targets in hidden positions along a valley.  Also on those days, we had the opportunity to shoot out to 500 yards.  This is a mindset drill more than anything and it is very effective.  We did the “Rifle Bounce” several times (pepper popper targets at 100, 200 and 300 yards, each being engaged from different positions and timed).  We did the “Rifle 10” once each which at 6500 foot elevation was enough.  That drill has one starting from prone at 300 yards, running to 275, then 250, then 225 and finally 200 and make two shots at each range.  The final shots must be from standing. 

 

The final day has evaluations which was to see who could make the most snap shots at 25 and 50 yards and then a bracket style double elimination shootoff.  Two steel targets were placed at 60 and 200 yards.  Two students paired off and engaged the first from standing and the second from any position. 

 

Between drills, we had classroom instruction and covered a variety of topics from shot placement to mindset and various other ideas about sling use and carry positions.

 

Randy Cain has a more compressed format as his class is only 3 days.  He starts by zeroing the rifle from the prone position.  He has a strong emphasis on “Natural Point of Aim.”  This takes a lot of time but it really emphasizes the importance of NPA.  Randy doesn’t introduce the sling until day 2 which is when most students really understand what NPA means.  He moves on with sitting, kneeling, squat and offhand. 

 

Near the end of each day, he has a mad minute style drill that really emphasizes weapon manipulation.  If you take the class during the winter, he also has a night shoot which is an incredible opportunity to see how your optics work in low light.  There are several shootoff type competitions using various drills including the scrambler (shot at steel from prone at 100, advancing 10 yards, shot in sitting, 10 yards to kneeling, 10 yards to squat and 10 yards to standing).  Randy uses reloading time to give instructions about upcoming drills.  

 

Style, emphasis and esoterica:

 

Tom Russell  never lets one forget that this is Jeff Cooper’s baby.  Because of the facilities, he can do things that would be impossible elsewhere.  Learning to shoot comfortably at 300 yards is great, as is the chance to stretch to 500.  Most rifle owners never get the chance to see what their rifles can do off the bench and very little shooting is done from that bench. 

 

The value of the rifle walks can’t be underestimated.  It teaches one to look both near and far.  It can be frustrating the first time through because it is so easy to look right past some targets which is why he sets it up twice.  The lessons on mindset from this are amazing.

 

Tom also does some really neat team building.  On Wednesday, weather permitting, after the shooting day, the class hikes several miles up a canyon to a genuine ghost town.  Rifles are carried so the students get an idea what it is like to move with a rifle.  On Thursday, the class travels to Cimarron and the St. James Hotel which is the oldest operating hotel and saloon on the Santa Fe Trail.  Real gunfighters stayed there and there are bullet holes in the ceiling to prove it.  On the other nights, the class will often meet in Raton for dinner.  Because many students stay in competitor housing, the lobby often serves as a central place to enjoy lunch.  There is great chemistry and comradery between the students and instructors.

 

The way Tom teaches builds students up so that by the last day, most are shocked by what they can accomplish.  In both classes I took from him, there were students that had almost no rifle experience and by the end, each was able to perform extremely well.  Both times, a new rifle shooter placed 2^nd in the shootoff.  That’s pretty amazing.  The experienced shooters all advanced their skill sets as well.

 

Randy Cain runs a hot range which means that between each drill, the rifles may be topped off before they are slung.  His emphasis on NPA is tedious at first but extremely valuable.  The mad minute drills expose poor gun handling and rewards smooth reloads.  I really liked being pushed that hard in these drills.

 

Randy spends a good amount of time in teaching how to come out of a slung position and onto target.  African carry works best for most students.  He has a demonstration where he picks a student that has a pistol on their hip.  He has that student and one other stand 10 yards from the targets and asks if this is pistol or rifle range.  Most think 10 yards is pistol territory.  He has the two students stand next to one other.  The one with the rifle is in the African carry position.  On signal, both must bring their weapons up and engage the target with one head shot.  The rifle usually wins. 

 At every point in Randy's class, one is reminded that the object is to learn to fight with a hunting rifle.  Everything is centered around that.  From the class discussions to the drills, one is learning to run the gun for a fight.

The night shoot is invaluable in terms of learning to use one’s equipment to the best of their ability.  It starts at dusk and starts off with all students in prone and aiming in at their targets.  Randy occasionally calls for a shot.   Students must come off the line at the point where they can’t positively identify their targets or see their reticle on the vital zone.  This exposes scout scopes and lower quality glass very quickly.  Low power variable scopes with illuminated reticles usually do best although my Leupold VX-R 1.5-5X scout actually tied a Leupold VX6 1-6X scope in this drill.  The rest of the evening, Randy teaches how to use lights in conjunction with the rifle.

 

Is one better?

 

Tom’s class has much better facilities.  The ranges are longer and the drills are more varied.  The rifle walks teach things that Randy just can’t.  The shootoff format is really fun.  Tom’s connections to Col. Cooper keep students well engaged in the class time.

 

Randy drills the fundaments to the point that one cannot forget.  The night shoot teaches lessons that Tom can’t.  The hot range and mad minute drills force gun handling lessons extremely well. His emphasis on NPA and positional shooting emphasizes the fundamentals extremely well.

 

Both teach mindset but from different perspectives.  Both will take a shooter and make them better.  Both can take a beginner to places they didn’t anticipate.  Both made me feel like I was watching every lesson from “The Art of the Rifle” come alive in front of me. 

 

So the answer is, both.  Tom’s class is longer and harder to get to and costs $1300.  Randy’s is shorter, easier to get to and costs $650.  Both will take 500-700 rounds of ammo.  Tom’s is more of an experience in terms of history and heritage and Randy’s is more blue collar.  Take your pick, you can’t make a bad decision between them.

(note:  I didn't get many pics at Randy's class.  Don't take that as anything other than the fact that my wife was with me at Tom's most recent class so I got many more pics.)

How to Prepare for a Scout Rifle Class

 

How to prepare for a scout rifle class

 

So you signed up for a general/practical/scout rifle class or you're considering it and want to know how to prepare for it.  That's smart.  Going in well prepared will make your training more effective and you'll spend more time learning the fundamentals than dealing with extraneous issues.  I've taken 4 of these classes so far and I've learned a number of things that might help you in preparing for this.

 So far, I've taken Randy Cain's Practical Rifle class twice (once in FL and once in WV), Steyr Academy Scout Rifle class taught by Mario Marchman and Richard Mann and Tom Russell's 5.5 day Scout Rifle class.  I have not taken Rifle 270 at Gunsite, but all of this should be applicable there as well.  I believe Frontsight in Nevada offers a Practical Rifle class as well.

 

 

Knowledge:

 

Buy a copy of Jeff Cooper's Art of the Rifle.  Read it cover to cover and then read it again.  Everything you're going to be taught will be coming directly from Cooper's book.  This is not to say that the book is a substitute for the training.  If you're familiar with the fundamentals ahead of time, you'll get more out of the class.  It is really cool to have Cooper's words come alive in front of you.  This is something I found to be true when taking classes from Randy Cain and Tom Russell.  These guys were there with Col Cooper and having them demonstrating positional rifle shooting and helping me to do the same really added a lot of value to the experience for me.  

 

Watch instructional shooting videos but be careful which ones.  There are a lot of idiots on YouTube.  If you want an illustration of how bad it can be, look up "hasty sling" and see how many well intentioned guys have videos claiming this will help you stabilize the rifle  by just wrapping your hand around a standard carry strap (it doesn't and can't).   Watch Il Ling New from Gunsite.  Richard Mann has some great content, as does Lucky Gunner.  

 

Tom Russell has been doing something unique lately as well.  About 3 months before his 5.5 Day Scout Rifle class, he conducts Zoom meetings every Thursday night to help potential students prepare for the class.  He goes over a lot of the things I'm covering in this blog and video but also will help people understand how to get into the 5 basic shooting positions.  

 

Conditioning:

 

You don't need to be a 26 year old cross fit champion to do well in a rifle class.  I'm 52 and I have a bit of a gut.  I don't have a gym membership.  Before my last Tom Russell class, I decided I needed to be a bit better shape since the class is at Whittington Center which is at 6500 feet elevation.  Try waking up 20 minutes early.  What you do for those 20 minutes is up to you but it doesn't need to be overly strenuous.  I spend a few minutes doing deep knee bends, lunges, push-ups and some time on a rowing machine.  It is basic calisthenics plus one other feature I'll describe in a moment.  The point is to stretch your muscles and get your heart rate up.  

 

Now for the last part.  As part of my morning exercise routine, I take my rifle and shooting mat and spend time getting into shooting positions.  I start with 5 repetitions into squatting.  Then 5 times into kneeling.  Then 5 times into sitting and finally, 5 times into prone.  This will get your heart rate up.  It will also help you find out what does and doesn't work getting into and out of these positions.  It will also make you MUCH smoother by the time you get to the class.  In the class, you won't need this skill in the first day or two.  By the end however, you will be glad you prepared.  You'll melt into the positions because your body is so used to it.  Even if you're unsure how these positions should feel, if you've read the Cooper book, you'll have a good idea.  Just don't get too used to it.  The instructors will correct any errors in positional shooting, but at least you'll be able to get into and out of them easier.

 

Equipment :

 

Zero your rifle before going to class.  Don't show up with a gun and scope that you've never shot on paper before.  If you don't know how to do this, look it up.  You should be hitting 2" high at 100 yards.  If you can't get to a 100 yard range before the class, find a 25 yard range and set it so you're dead-on at that range.  If you don't, you'll spend the first hour or more of your valuable training time doing basic bench work that could have been done at home.  Use the training time for training, not sighting in.

As for guns and scopes, run what you are most likely to use in the field.  If you're a hunter, bring your hunting gun.  If you're a prepper, bring your prepper gun.  You'll get more from the class with a bolt gun, but I don't think you'd be unwelcome with a semi-auto (talk to the instructor of course).  Optics are the same thing.  If you normally run a LPVO (low power variable optic like a 1.5-5 or 2-7 maximum), bring it.  If you normally use a scout scope, that's the one to bring.  Randy Cain prefers an LPVO to a scout scope and Tom Russell likes the scouts.  The only thing is, make sure the low end magnification is no more than 3X and preferably lower.  In all of these classes, you'll be doing some work from close up (like 10 yards) and your longest shot will be 2-300 yards.  General/Practical/Scout classes are not long range classes and bulky optics are not helpful.

 

Bring a real sling.  Every time I go to a class, I bring an extra sling because there is always a guy who didn't understand what that meant until it was too late.  A carry strap isn't a sling.  You need something that allows you to loop up around your bicep that will hold the rifle in place from supported positions.  If you have 3 swivels, the Ching sling is the obvious choice.  If you have only two, then the Rhodesian style or the Galco Riflemann sling are the best choices.  The Galco Safari sling will work, but are not as well liked by the instructors I've had.  

 

How many magazines should you bring?  All of them.  If all you can bring are the two that came with your Steyr, you will survive, but you'll be at a disadvantage and might slow down the class.  You're going to be stuffing rounds in mags while standing at the line with a rifle in your hand.  You really need 4 five round mags.  If you can bring more, bring more.  I prefer to have 50 rounds loaded in magazines with me at the line, but that isn't realistic for some people.  Steyr mags are almost impossible to find right now and cost $50 each at this point.  AICS mags are easier and I'd still try to bring 50 loaded rounds but would use 3 ten round mags and 4 five rounders.  

 

How do you manage all that ammo?  First of all, you don't need to carry everything on your body at all times.  You need 20 to 25 rounds on your person but you can have an ammo can or bag sitting at your feet with the rest of it.  As you start shooting through the loaded mags on your body, there will be pauses where you can switch out the empties for fresh mags from the can without running back to the staging area.  Because the Steyr has a stock that carries one extra mag, I only need to carry two more.  I use the pouches from Wilderness Tactical that are sold by Steyr and I have one on either side of my belt buckle at the 2 and 10 position.  I might put one more loaded mag in a cargo pocket and the rest in a bag or ammo can behind me on the line.  I did a class with a Sig Cross which uses AICS mags and those were a little more difficult.  I had to move those to the 3 and 9 position so they wouldn't interfere with the sitting or squatting position.  

 

Next, you need a dump pouch.  I've tried a few different ideas here but a simple belt mounted one at about the 8 position works best.  If you put it at the 6, you'll find it in your way for some positions.  Work with it and you'll figure it out.  You need it though.  These mags are too expensive to drop on the ground.  Speaking of which, mark your mags.  If somebody has a similar rifle next to you, you really don't want to have that awkward conversation about who's magazine that is.  Just a dot of paint or use a Sharpie to put your initials.  While you're at it, put your initials on your hearing protection.  It turns out everybody has Walker's Razor headphones.

 

What about the guys running hinged floorplate guns?  You actually have it easy.  Grab a handful of ammo and stuff it in the cargo pocket of your pants.  You can get 20-25 in there and then have another 20-30 in your ammo can at your feet and you're good to go.  I've seen guys with various pouches to hold loose ammo, but most of them dumped ammo on the ground when shooting prone.  If you find a pouch that is secure enough for shooting prone but easy enough to grab 5 quick rounds, go for it, but most will not.  

 

Let's talk pants.  I have a strong preference for 5.11 pants, but not for the reason you might think.  The 5.11 pants have a pocket in the knee that accepts their neoprene knee pads.  These things are slick.  They are unobtrusive and people can't tell you have them on, but they will protect your knees when going down into prone and kneeling.  They also give your elbows a better resting place when shooting from the sitting position.  They also don't look like SWAT gear.  

 

The rest of it is just common sense.  Yes, bring a shooting mat.  Yes, have rain gear handy.  Yes, well worn boots are preferred.  Read the equipment page of your instructor's website and if in doubt, call the instructor before the class.  Don't be afraid to ask questions.  They've heard them before.  

 

 

Resources:

Lucky Gunner on becoming a practical rifleman:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtfmHKQmIoM

Il Ling New with a scout rifle: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=il+ling+new+ruger+gunsite+scout

Richard Mann's blog and videos  https://empty-cases.com/blog/

Tom Russell's web site and contact info:  https://americanfirearmsacademy.com/author/tom/

Randy Cain's web site:  https://www.guntactics.com/

Steyr Academy https://www.steyr-arms.com/us/ssrc

Gunsite: https://www.gunsite.com/classes/270-rifle-class/

Art of the rifle book:  https://www.gunsitestore.com/product/library/books/the-art-of-the-rifle-by-jeff-cooper/

Rhodesian and Ching Slings:  https://www.andysleather.com/

My video on scout slings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf93qY1z7dE&t=167s

Why we were there

 

Why Protest?

 

Today marks one week since the protest at the US Capitol which is now being characterized as a seditious act of an angry mob.  Those who attended are being excoriated and “cancelled.”  I posted a blog with a fairly detached tone that was a simple description of the event and I was rewarded with a person who I don’t even know posting a review on my employer’s Facebook page calling me out by name as a cultist and a seditionist.  The person feels that I don’t deserve a job.  Fortunately, my post was reviewed and determined to be acceptable but I pulled it down anyway.

 

The one thing I did not address was why I chose to go to the protest in the first place.  I thought that would be clear to all, but I have since learned that it isn’t.  Either through innocent or willful ignorance, they really cannot figure out why so many thousands of Americans would travel to participate in such an event. 

 

There are a few points that unfortunately need to be brought up.  I thought these were self-evident, but apparently are not. 

 

1.      1.  Nobody I spoke to had any intention of breaking any laws.  That includes rioting, breaking and entering, assault or any of the things that are shown on TV.

2.      2.  Those that clearly did come to break the law were very small in number as compared to the numbers at the protest.  I don’t have actual figures because strangely, they are not available anywhere I can find.  The crowd at the Ellipse was huge and likely in the hundreds of thousands.  It was not the 2 million that rumor pegged it at but it wasn’t in the tens of thousands either.  The number actually in the Capitol was somewhere in the low hundreds. 

3.      3.  Not everybody who was there was a Trump supporter.  Yes, I know you’re reading plenty of media accounts of those arrested who were indeed Trump fans, but in watching and listening to the crowd, it was obvious that there was a small contingent of those with other views and likely, other motives.

 

Let me also get in the obligatory note that neither I nor anybody I am friends with supports the idea of sedition, treason, murder for political ends, violence for political ends, theft, vandalism, assault, or any of the things that happened inside the Capitol.  I have met a few people who are so angry that they believe it is time for violence, but those are the outliers.  They are not the Tea Party types.  They are the Q-Anon types and there are not a lot of those.  I don’t deny their existence, but they don’t represent any significant fraction of Trump supporters.

 

So what was the point and why did Americans drive and fly from all over the nation to protest this event?  Was it stupidity?  Ignorance?  Malice?  Some people really don’t understand what brought so many Americans to this point and think that is must be some cultish devotion to what they view as a the incarnation of evil.

 

In order to understand it, we need to go back a bit.  In 2016, the seeds of all of this were sown.  The Steele Dossier was a fraud from the very beginning and the FBI knew it at the time.  They ignored that fact and lied to a FISA court and to others in order to pursue a fraudulent investigation.  The Mueller report confirms that that the very least, there was zero evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians.  This led to 3 years of wasted energy and time and destroyed the credibility of the FBI in the process. 

 

There was however, clear collusion between the Clinton campaign and those same Russians.  John Durham is looking into it and conservatives have been waiting… and waiting… and waiting for satisfaction for that report which will hopefully bring to justice those who really did engage in sedition.  The longer this takes, the less credibility it will have to conservatives.   

 

Then there was the bureaucratic attempted coup.  Sally Yates was one, but not the only one.  Remember all the leaks in 2017?  They were outrageous and unprecedented.  Recordings of conversations with foreign leaders have never been leaked in such a manner.  None of this has ever happened.  It was obvious that the “swamp” or “deep state” was actively coordinating to weaken the president or even run him from office.  They were called the resistance.  They damaged the credibility of the permanent bureaucracy in the process. 

 

Next was the Ukrainian phone call that turned out to be nothing.  This time, it was the national security apparatus that damaged their own credibility once the facts came out.  We watched the Democrats in congress impeach Trump for things that looked idiotic to us. 

Through all of this, the mainstream media was at least complicit if not actively involved.  They never once showed any curiosity into any of the above events except to bolster the resistance.  All it would have taken is for one New York Times reporter to question the narrative and do just a little digging.  That was never done.  The media put the final nail in their credibility coffin when they ignored the Hunter Biden story.  Even now, they admit that the laptop and the evidence of corruption exists but still refuse to mount any serious investigation of it.  

As a side note, with this level of corruption so obvious to conservatives, is it any wonder we were distrustful when more bureaucrats said we had to shut down the economy over a virus?

 

All of this just sets the stage for the election.  Some may look at the above situations and dismiss it as the wrong way to view the facts.  They really can’t dispute the facts themselves though.  In this election, 75 million Americans saw things essentially this way which is more than any candidate has in any election in history. 

 

Seventy-five million Americans saw it and voted and yet somehow President Trump lost to a candidate who didn’t campaign, had rallies where literally a few dozen people attended and had a demonstrated history of a condition resembling dementia.  It made zero sense.  Surely that can’t be true. 

Now about that election… to deny that problems didn’t exist is to deny reality.  I don’t care if court cases have been thrown out, not heard or if Republican officials in some states say things were normal.  If this is normal, then normal needs to change.  We’ve seen the video from Detroit with pizza boxes being used to block Republican observers from doing their job.  We’ve seen the video from Atlanta of cases of ballots being pulled from under a table after observers are made to leave after a “water main break” that never happened.  We’ve seen that election laws were re-written in several states by judges who had no statutory authority to do it.  That just scratches the surface but are the most obvious and don't require mysterious conspiracy theories to demonstrate.  Ballots were sent to every registered voter when the law didn't provide for that and that is in states that had resisted or been prevented from examining the voter roles for decades.  The opportunity for corruption is undeniable.

 

Is any of that enough to change the outcome?  Maybe and maybe not.  But it should be in all American’s best interest to find out.  Election integrity is critical to any functioning democratic government.  Without trust in the outcome of elections, any remaining credibility in government is gone. 

 

That is why we were there.  That is why people traveled thousands of miles to be present at the Capitol that day.  It was to remind the legislative branch that Americans demand election integrity.  We knew this was a Hail Mary and that there was likely no way to stop it at this late date, but all other avenues to attain that had been blocked.  We hoped that Senator Cruz could be successful in getting congress to actually look at the problems and delaying things just a few days more while an honest hearing could be made.  The Pence gambit was doomed but some put faith in that effort as well.  It was grasping at straws because we felt it was our duty to ensure honesty in the election. 

One more thing to consider is what we were prepared for.  We were not thinking that this would turn into a riot of Trump supporters.  The thing that concerned me and everybody I met was the fear that the same protesters that had attacked a previous rally would try to attack this one.  It is why I got a train ticket to get me out of town well before sunset.  The fear of Antifa or other violent mobs was a genuine concern of several people with whom I had conversations.  The Tea Party crowd is very respectful and will not even litter on the grounds of the Capitol.  It didn't occur to most of us that elements of the group would resort to rioting.  

Edit 1/16/2021:

Now we are seeing that the riot wasn't as pure as was first portrayed.  It is still too early to know if the real story will come out but already there is video of a BLM activist who embedded himself in the crowd and was clearly inciting as if he were a Trump supporter.  In a heated crowd, this kind of behavior would have predictable effects.  Individuals may be smart, but a mob is not and a mob is easily manipulated by those who are determined to do it.