Jeff Cooper

John Dean "Jeff" Cooper (born May 10, 1920 in Los Angeles , † September 25, 2006 in Paulden , Arizona ) was an American firearms expert . He is regarded as the founder of modern pistol shooting techniques and was one of the leading international experts on the use and history of handguns .

history

Jeff Cooper was a Marine Lieutenant Colonel who served in both World War II and the Korean War . In 1956 he retired from military service.

He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Stanford University and a master's degree in history from the University of California , Riverside in the mid-1960s .

In 1976, he founded the American Pistol Institute (API) in Paulden, Arizona, where he began training police and military personnel, as well as civilians, on all kinds of firearms, and also provided on-site training for groups and individuals around the world on.

He sold this company in 1992 but continued to live on Paulden Ranch. He was best known for advocating large-caliber handguns, particularly the Colt M1911 and the .45-ACP cartridge .

Jeff Cooper conceived and designed the Bren Ten pistol and the 10 mm auto cartridge, based on the design of the Czech Česká zbrojovka ČZ 75 , the cartridge being significantly more powerful than both the 9 mm Parabellum and the .45 ACP was.

His second major contribution to firearms design was the so-called Scout Rifle . These bolt action carabiners were typically in .30 caliber (7.62 mm), with a weapon length of less than a meter and a weight of less than 3 kilograms, with open and optical sights , and equipped with combined carrying and shooting straps, and capable of hit man-sized targets at a distance of 450 meters with open sights.

These rifles usually have telescopic sights with a large eye relief that are mounted further forward than conventional rifles in order not to hinder rapid reloading. Steyr, Ruger, Savage and some other weapon manufacturers are now building these scout rifles, which roughly correspond to Cooper's specifications, but which usually lack the open auxiliary sights.

Cooper defined his objective: “[...] an all-purpose rifle is a suitably portable, individually used weapon capable of delivering a single decisive blow to an active target of up to 200 kg in weight, at any distance the shooter can can fire a shot at a deadly target area with the necessary precision. "

Cooper served on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association .

Cooper died on September 25, 2006.

The modern technology

Cooper's modern technology defines the pragmatic use of a pistol for personal protection. The technique emphasizes two-handed shooting using the weaver stance , replacing one-handed shooting. The five elements of modern technology are:

• A large-caliber pistol, preferably a semi-automatic ( .45 ACP )
• The weaver stance
• React quickly to the situation
• Lightning-like picking up the sight ( the flash sight picture )
• The clean triggering of the shot ( compressed surprise trigger break )

Cooper favored the Colt M1911 and its variants. There are several specific loading states in which such a weapon can be carried. Cooper established the following definition:

• Condition 4 (“Condition Four”): cartridge chamber empty, no magazine inserted, hammer released
• Condition 3 ("Condition Three"): cartridge chamber empty, full magazine inserted, hammer released
• Condition 2 (“Condition Two”): cartridge in stock, full magazine inserted, hammer released
• Condition 1 ("Condition One"): cartridge in storage, full magazine inserted, hammer cocked, safety inserted
• State 0 (“Condition Zero”): cartridge in storage, full magazine inserted, hammer cocked, unlocked

Some of these states are safer than others (e.g. a single-action pistol without a safety catch should never be used in state 2), while others allow a faster shot (state 1). To ensure consistent training, most organizations that use a 1911 pistol dictate the state of charge in which to wield the weapon.

Combat readiness - the Cooper color code

According to Cooper, the most important point to face a deadly confrontation is neither the weapon nor the combat technique , but the combat readiness , as he describes in his book Principles of Personal Defense. Cooper also presented an adaptation of the Marine Corps system to describe different levels of vigilance:

The color code, as originally introduced by Cooper, had nothing to do with tactical situations or alert levels, but rather with the status of one's own attention. As Cooper taught, this refers to the level of exposure one would like to face in order to respond appropriately to the situation at hand. Cooper did not claim to have invented this, however he was apparently the first to formulate this as an indication of a way of thinking.

• White - Inattentive and unprepared. If attacked in the status white , the only salvation remains the inadequacy of the attacker. When faced with something uncomfortable, the reaction will likely be "Oh God, how can this happen to me!"
• Yellow - relaxed and alarmed. There is no specific threat, but the mindset is "today may be the day I have to defend myself". You are aware that the world is a potentially unfriendly place and you are prepared to defend yourself if necessary. You keep your eyes and ears open and realize: “I might have to shoot today.” You don't have to be armed to accept this condition, but if you are armed you should be in the yellow state . You should always be in the yellow state whenever you are in an unfamiliar environment or deal with people you don't know. You can be in yellow for long periods of time as long as you have the opportunity to keep your back clear. One pays attention to information from the environment, in a relaxed but attentive manner. In Cooper's words: "I might have to shoot."
• Orange - Specifically alerted. Something is wrong and got attention. The main focus is on finding out if there is a threat. The mindset changes to "I might have to shoot HIM". In the orange state , you set a mental trigger: “If 'x' happens, I have to stop it.” The pistol usually remains in the holster . The orange state creates a certain tension, but can also be maintained for a longer period of time if necessary. If the threat turns out to be unfounded, switch back to yellow .
• Red - State Red is the fight. The mental trigger that was built up in orange has been exceeded. "If 'x' happens, I'll shoot that person."

The United States Marine Corps also uses Condition Black for “active in combat,” but Cooper found this unnecessary because it describes a process rather than a way of thinking.

In summary, the color code helps you think in a fight. As the degree of risk increases, so does the willingness to take action. As soon as state red ever occurs, the decision to use lethal force has already been made (the “mental impulse” has been triggered).

Firearms Safety

Cooper coined the four basic rules of firearms safety:

1. All firearms are always loaded. Even if they are not, see them as if they are.
2. Never point the muzzle at something you don't want to destroy. (For cases where the weapon appears to be unloaded, see rule 1.)
3. Hold your finger away from the trigger until the sights are clearly aligned with the target. This is the golden rule . The offense against it is the main cause of unintentional fires.
4. Identify the goal and the background. Don't shoot something that you haven't identified with certainty.

The queen of personal weapons

Cooper was best known for his work in pistol shooting, but he preferred rifles for tactical use. He often described the pistol as an emergency solution that was easy to carry until a rifle was available again. “ Personal weapons are what raised mankind out of the mud, and the rifle is the queen of personal weapons. ”

In the early 1980s, Cooper published an article describing his ideal of an all-purpose rifle , which he called the Scout Rifle . Towards the end of 1997, Steyr-Mannlicher manufactured a rifle in accordance with these specifications, and Cooper was involved in the development process. Although not a tremendous financial success, these rifles sold quite well and continue to be manufactured. Cooper considered the Steyr Scout perfect and was proud of this development. Rifle shooters value Cooper's concept and the ongoing development of the Scout Rifle as its most significant and consistent contribution to the world of weapons.

Other works

In the 1960s, Cooper coined the term hoplophobia - an irrational fear of guns.

In addition to his books on firearms and self-defense, Cooper wrote several books on the adventures of his life, as well as essays and short stories , such as: B .:

• Fire Works (1980)
• Another Country: Personal Adventures of the Twentieth Century (1992)
• To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth (1998)
• C Stories (2004)

His daughter Lindy Wisdom published the biography Jeff Cooper: the Soul and the Spirit in 1996 .

Cooper was also noted as one of the world's leading authorities on big game hunting .

Some of his comments from his Gunsite Gossip - Newsletter were printed in weapons magazines as "Cooper's Corner", and later in The Gargantuan Gunsite Gossip compiled.

A full bibliography of Jeff Cooper's publications is available in the Jeff Cooper Bibliography Project .

Cooper was the founding president and lifelong honorary chairman of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC). However, he was critical of the way in which IPSC was evolving from the original purpose to what he called rooney guns - highly modified pistols that were only suitable for athletic competition purposes but no longer suitable for everyday use.

The Coopertunnel , which goes back to Jeff Copper, is still part of the international IPSC regulations.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.bren-ten.com/website/id85.html
2. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/08/us/terror-oklahoma-echoes-nra-rifle-association-has-long-practice-railing-against.html?pagewanted=all
3. ↑ " Cooper, firearms expert, dead at 86 ( January 19, 2012 memento on the Internet Archive )" in Prescott Daily Courier , September 26, 2006
4. ^ Morrison, G. and Cooper, J., "The Modern Technique of the Pistol," Paulden: Gunsite Press, 1991.
5. ^ Cooper, Jeff, Principles of Personal Defense, Paladin Press, ISBN 978-0-87364-497-6
6. ^ " Jeff Cooper's Commentaries ( Memento August 10, 2006 in the Internet Archive )" by Jeff Cooper, Vol. 11, no. April 4, 2003
7. ^ The Jeff Cooper Bibliography Project

literature

• Siegfried F. Huebner: Radical Combat Shooting Techniques Yesterday and Today . ISBN 978-3-923995-14-1

Web links

• Official website of The Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation
• Jeff Cooper's "About Jeff Cooper" comment page