Jeff would have been proud of the conference .
Improvised positions for the field portion were my favorite . Shooting from trees and stumps , offhand , slung / not slung , sitting and prone were all needed to complete it . We shot steel in the field so the results of your hits were immediate .
The instruction was fantastic , lead instructor Il Ling New imparted upon us the knowledge we needed in a professional manner as a teacher ( not just a lecturer ). This is a key part of the course as anyone could tell us what to do , she actually taught us . She would tell us what we needed to know , then show us . Tactile and Visual learners were well informed after her blocks of instruction .
Il Ling managed her staff well too . Gary Smith and Mario Marchman were her co-teachers and did a fine job coaching us , tuning up our form / shooting with superb tips , tricks and one-to-one correction . Both were accomplished shooters who knew how to motivate the class and get the best performance from our varied-experience class .
We shot quickly and as accurately as we could . Remember , these were field conditions with no benches and shooting with a timer ( for some COF ). Shots in a short period of time were tricky , but we all accomplished it and gained a lot of experience quickly .
The actual Conference part of this meetup was great . We all had a chance to talk with the makers of rifles , accessories and gunsmiths / engineers to discuss what worked , what did NOT work and address the issues . Reps from Steyr , Ruger and Mossberg all listened ( and learned on the range !). Jim Brockman had his wares available and listened to us , he knows rifles and how to shoot , this feedback helped everyone .
As the sole left hander of the group , I admonished the rifle markers for the lack of a decent left handed option ( Ruger does ok , hint : We need a synthetic version !).
I ’ ll get a copy of the prior conferences up in the next few issues of the magazine .
Highlights : Janelle and Lindy stopped in to visit us a couple of times . This was great . It had been AGES since I have seen either of them .
Side note : Don ’ t let anyone try to tell you that gun writers cannot shoot . I am VERY impressed with the half dozen that we had in class . Safe gun handling , accurate and quick .
Gun Makers : Steyr had 3-4 shooters and more rifles to shoot . They are into Scouts and made the very first commercially available Scout Rifle .
Ruger sent a rep who was personable , knowledgeable about the Scout AND he brought a suppressed Ruger for the course as well as a number of guns for shooters to try .
Mossberg sent an engineer and a rep and quite a few guns . I am impressed with their offering and need to add one or two to the collection .
While trying to find a decent analogy of the class , the only one that comes to mind is that we lived the book “ The Art of Rifle ” in a few days . Jeff Cooper wrote this , it ’ s a must for the rifleman , shooter or Cooper fan .
My thanks to Richard Mann , Il Ling New and her minions , Gunsite , Ken Cambell and my fellow students for a job well done .
Scout Rifle Magazine | -5-