I searched and searched the internets for a beaver with an upswept tail, but they were all flaccid and flat as a fritter.
Maybe "duck tail" is the better term after all.
Maybe "duck tail" is the better term after all.
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This thread sure takes me back a ways, I hope folks don't mind my rambling, but lots of posts jiggle a cog in my old rusty brain.
I don't remember (not doubting the statement - just can't recall) about the trigger serrations or slide stop. I do remember not talking much about the the "emergency reload" ("slide lock reload"), as running your gun dry was a serious infraction - in fact when I went to the school the first time there was a fine of a case of beer (Jeff Liked Dos Equis - I asked) if you got caught with your slide back and your pistol empty. When I went back for the 599 the case of beer had disappeared but as long as the Col. was running the show, running a gun dry was still considered a faux-paux.
Oddly enough both Tom Givens and I had one penalty each for the week - both came in different simulators under the eye of Chuck Taylor, which gave him a lot of joy
(well who ever heard of putting a gang of 5 shoot targets in a shoot-house?!)BTW, speaking of penalties, it is not germane to anything, but somewhere there are pictures of the "Mick-Lick" (I've never seen the term printed only verbally described so I may have mangled the spelling) - it was essentially a wooden silhouette target with about an 8" circle cut out of it - it had "arms" made of 2X4s which were hinged and there were something like screen door springs attached. The head was padded and hinged and there was some sort latch which caught it IF you hit it hard and fast enough - if you didn't, the arms were released and the 2X4's smacked you upside the head.
By the time I finally made it to the school in the spring of 1980 the springs had been removed from the "arms" (I can only imagine why
). In our 499 we had a drill called the "Broadway Special" which started on the "Mick-Lick" - the goal was to drive your support hand into the face hard enough to lock the head back - draw while stepping back about 2 feet and put two rounds though the hole - The penalty for hitting the rest of the wood target was a magnum of champagne! There was only one hole in it in the wood in 1980, when I went back in 1982 I think they no longer used it.Thanks for the memory!
Riposte
riposte191145, I noted your use of the word "affectation" a word the good Colonel used. I really miss the old days of early IPSC Matches. I don't even like to shoot USPSA Matches anymore for a variety of reasons. The first wide grip safety I remember was with a Hoag or a Safari-Arms grip safety. I had a Safari-Arms installed on my IPSC 1911 and really didn't notice that much difference, but then again I had started IPSC with a Browning Hi-Power which taught me to keep my grip low or I got bad hammer bite.
I really miss the old days of early IPSC Matches. I don't even like to shoot USPSA Matches anymore for a variety of reasons. The first wide grip safety I remember was with a Hoag or a Safari-Arms grip safety. I had a Safari-Arms installed on my IPSC 1911 and really didn't notice that much difference, but then again I had started IPSC with a Browning Hi-Power which taught me to keep my grip low or I got bad hammer bite.
Yep, I learned a lot of words from the Col. - finally I took to just hauling out a dictionary when I started to read one of his articles - but then what to you expect from a College Professorriposte191145, I noted your use of the word "affectation" a word the good Colonel used.
I have the same problem with Browning "Half-powers" - but I learned that the culprit is the back of the hammer shank, not the spur (I used to cut the "rowel" in half but they still bit!). I'm an early user of the Safari Arms grip safety, and the Col. sort of viewed me askance when he saw it - but I took an Expert in the 499 (1st in the Shoot-off) and a Senior Expert in the 599 (2nd in the shoot-off) and he decided it might be OK for me
Cheers!
Riposte
Could you tell us about more about Col. Cooper. I find him a fascinating person but not much info about him.This thread sure takes me back a ways, I hope folks don't mind my rambling, but lots of posts jiggle a cog in my old rusty brain.
I don't remember (not doubting the statement - just can't recall) about the trigger serrations or slide stop. I do remember not talking much about the the "emergency reload" ("slide lock reload"), as running your gun dry was a serious infraction - in fact when I went to the school the first time there was a fine of a case of beer (Jeff Liked Dos Equis - I asked) if you got caught with your slide back and your pistol empty. When I went back for the 599 the case of beer had disappeared but as long as the Col. was running the show, running a gun dry was still considered a faux-paux.
Oddly enough both Tom Givens and I had one penalty each for the week - both came in different simulators under the eye of Chuck Taylor, which gave him a lot of joy
BTW, speaking of penalties, it is not germane to anything, but somewhere there are pictures of the "Mick-Lick" (I've never seen the term printed only verbally described so I may have mangled the spelling) - it was essentially a wooden silhouette target with about an 8" circle cut out of it - it had "arms" made of 2X4s which were hinged and there were something like screen door springs attached. The head was padded and hinged and there was some sort latch which caught it IF you hit it hard and fast enough - if you didn't, the arms were released and the 2X4's smacked you upside the head.
By the time I finally made it to the school in the spring of 1980 the springs had been removed from the "arms" (I can only imagine why
Thanks for the memory!
Riposte
I don't want folks to think I'm an actual "authority" on Col. Cooper, but I have taken several classes and even taught a few at Gunsite. I corresponded with him since I was a teenager, and looking back he was very patient with my sophomoric questions. We got along pretty well. I once took a friend from England with me to a class and he took a 1921 Thompson - we showed it to the Col. and he really put on a show - even though he is pretty well known for disliking "machine-pistols".
He is also the best hip shot I've ever seen (but I haven't seen all that many) - I'm sure everyone knows that he once split a bullet on an ax and broke two balloons, in front of hundreds of witnesses.
There is actually trick to that, there is a steel backing plate and the bullet fragments and breaks the balloons, but in this case the bullet actually did split on the edge and the ax is in his armory at the sconce. I do not know if the "halves" of the bullet actually hit the balloons, and nobody alive is saying
He was actually not an arrogant man at all, though I could see how folks who have only read him or watched his lectures might get that impression. Also he was not perfect (who is) but if he found out you were clearly right about something he would admit it. That said, I never did convince him that the .45 Win. Mag was better than the .44 Auto Mag (just the cartridge) nor of the value of the .458 Lott.
One of the worst/best moments in my life was when we (instructors) were rating the students after the shoot-off and when it came to a guy who had done good work in both the simulators (I actually ran the Donga - in the mud no less! - and the Fun-house) with a Berreta 92 I argued for him getting an "E-ticket" - Jeff hated the gun (and the caliber), and actually so did I. But I said, the guy passed all the drills and shot one of the highest scores on the Standards and we probably should overlook what he shot - he was not convinced (I about had Louis Awerbuck and another instructor who worked for D.O.E. convinced) - ultimately Janelle stepped in and said I was right - that ended the discussion and the guy got his Expert rating. It was Janelle, not me that won the argument, but it was quite a relief!
One other moment stands out (though I will likely think of more); In the 599 (Advanced Class) shoot-off it came down to a really good guy and me for 2nd place (I had been asleep at the switch on my first bout to a guy that got eliminated fairly early, but when you lose one bout you don't get to challenge the guy who has not lost any). It was the "Guatemalan Table Drill" in which you had to start seated, knock down three Pepper Poppers at 10 yards, reload and hit the stop plate. In that crowd, if you make a bobble you are toast.
Well we are down to the last bout, the 1st place already being decided, and we split 4 bouts with two each each (by the time you reach the last "rung" of the J-ladder you must wind three out of five)
We switched sides every time we finished and I knew that there was one Popper of the six that was harder than the other to take down - but I was shooting handload that had a PF of 212 and hadn't had any problems . As luck would have it, I drew the hard side. By then I was "in the groove" and taking down the poppers and reloading and hitting the stop place in around 2.5 seconds (so was the other guy!). So I hit the three poppers, "licity split" and started my reload - then I noticed the 3rd popper had not gone down - I just leveled the gun from the hip and hit it in the head (which was really just luck!) and reloaded and won the exchange by a small fraction of a second!
The students and instructors all applauded, the Col, who was keeping score, waited and said loudly " He didn't learn that from me" ( actually I had learned that from him
, we had done such a thing the week before - on much smaller targets than a Popper).Sorry to ramble.
Riposte
PS; that guy I just barely squeaked by won 1st price at the first GAS (I wasn't able to make it). The prize was a Special Edition Bren Ten! He won it in the event shoot-off by taking the first 3 machine thrown clay targets from the 16 yard line with his 1911! I have shot trap with my 1911, but I'm only good for about 25% hits - 50 on a good day - that guy deserved the prize!
A little known "factoid" is that Jeff Cooper was left eye dominant (but it wasn't a really gross case).I would have listed shooting right handed with your left eye as "Objectionable" if I wrote the list.
and before anyone gets offended, that was just a joke- I'm a Cooper fan- but also a lefty.
Riposte
Thank you!I don't want folks to think I'm an actual "authority" on Col. Cooper, but I have taken several classes and even taught a few at Gunsite. I corresponded with him since I was a teenager, and looking back he was very patient with my sophomoric questions. We got along pretty well. I once took a friend from England with me to a class and he took a 1921 Thompson - we showed it to the Col. and he really put on a show - even though he is pretty well known for disliking "machine-pistols".
He is also the best hip shot I've ever seen (but I haven't seen all that many) - I'm sure everyone knows that he once split a bullet on an ax and broke two balloons, in front of hundreds of witnesses.
There is actually trick to that, there is a steel backing plate and the bullet fragments and breaks the balloons, but in this case the bullet actually did split on the edge and the ax is in his armory at the sconce. I do not know if the "halves" of the bullet actually hit the balloons, and nobody alive is saying
He was actually not an arrogant man at all, though I could see how folks who have only read him or watched his lectures might get that impression. Also he was not perfect (who is) but if he found out you were clearly right about something he would admit it. That said, I never did convince him that the .45 Win. Mag was better than the .44 Auto Mag (just the cartridge) nor of the value of the .458 Lott.
One of the worst/best moments in my life was when we (instructors) were rating the students after the shoot-off and when it came to a guy who had done good work in both the simulators (I actually ran the Donga - in the mud no less! - and the Fun-house) with a Berreta 92 I argued for him getting an "E-ticket" - Jeff hated the gun (and the caliber), and actually so did I. But I said, the guy passed all the drills and shot one of the highest scores on the Standards and we probably should overlook what he shot - he was not convinced (I about had Louis Awerbuck and another instructor who worked for D.O.E. convinced) - ultimately Janelle stepped in and said I was right - that ended the discussion and the guy got his Expert rating. It was Janelle, not me that won the argument, but it was quite a relief!
One other moment stands out (though I will likely think of more); In the 599 (Advanced Class) shoot-off it came down to a really good guy and me for 2nd place (I had been asleep at the switch on my first bout to a guy that got eliminated fairly early, but when you lose one bout you don't get to challenge the guy who has not lost any). It was the "Guatemalan Table Drill" in which you had to start seated, knock down three Pepper Poppers at 10 yards, reload and hit the stop plate. In that crowd, if you make a bobble you are toast.
Well we are down to the last bout, the 1st place already being decided, and we split 4 bouts with two each each (by the time you reach the last "rung" of the J-ladder you must wind three out of five)
We switched sides every time we finished and I knew that there was one Popper of the six that was harder than the other to take down - but I was shooting handload that had a PF of 212 and hadn't had any problems . As luck would have it, I drew the hard side. By then I was "in the groove" and taking down the poppers and reloading and hitting the stop place in around 2.5 seconds (so was the other guy!). So I hit the three poppers, "licity split" and started my reload - then I noticed the 3rd popper had not gone down - I just leveled the gun from the hip and hit it in the head (which was really just luck!) and reloaded and won the exchange by a small fraction of a second!
The students and instructors all applauded, the Col, who was keeping score, waited and said loudly " He didn't learn that from me" ( actually I had learned that from him
Sorry to ramble.
Riposte
PS; that guy I just barely squeaked by won 1st price at the first GAS (I wasn't able to make it). The prize was a Special Edition Bren Ten! He won it in the event shoot-off by taking the first 3 machine thrown clay targets from the 16 yard line with his 1911! I have shot trap with my 1911, but I'm only good for about 25% hits - 50 on a good day - that guy deserved the prize!
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