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Latest Scholarship Recipient - Deputy Sheriff Martha Sosa

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:42:48 -0600

Deputy Sheriff Martha Sosa from Santa Barbara, California, completed her 250 at Gunsite in mid-January. She did very well and pulled off a second place in the final day's shoot off! We are very proud of her!

Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation at SHOT Show 2010

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:07:24 -0600

Latest Scholarship Recipient - Captain John Feddema

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:07:52 -0600

Our latest scholarship recipient is Captain John Feddema of the Central Yavapai Fire District. He did us all proud by winning the shoot-off in his 250 class, November 9-13 of 2009. Captain Feddema comments, "The course was an excellent opportunity to improve my gun handling ability and to improve my situational awareness at home to protect my family and at work to protect my crew."

Ivy O'hern - Third Scholarship Recipient - Personal Account

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:10:00 -0600

I am so thrilled to have been selected as the third recipient of the Jeff Cooper Legacy Scholarship. I am very grateful to Mrs. Janelle and the entire Cooper family for this amazing experience. I attended the June 2009 250 Defensive Pistol class under the instruction of Jay Tuttle, Steve Tarani, and John Hutchinson. These three men are excellent trainers, leaders, and mentors. The five day course consisted of both classroom experience and range practice. Throughout the week, I shot a .45 caliber Kimber SIS with high quality re-loaded ammunition. I used a combination of Chip McCormick and Novak magazines, and all worked quite well. Our week at the Gunsite ranch went like this: - Day 1 - Introduction lecture, basic shooting drills - Day 2 - Ballistics lecture, malfunction drills - Day 3 - Mental conditioning lecture, pivots and turns, Tactics lecture - Day 4 - walk through of the Donga and the Fun House, Low light class - Day 5 - final graded �school drills,� final graded Donga and Fun House, man-to-man shoot off competitions, GRADUATION! Among the things we were taught throughout the week were The Modern Technique of the Pistol which entails the 5 count draw, the Weaver stance, the flash sight picture, and the use of a heavy duty, self loading pistol -M1911-A1. This was set into place by Colonel Jeff Cooper and taught at the original American Pistol Institute. We also learned different shooting techniques, and we practiced several different drills. Some of these techniques included controlled pairs (2 shots, 2 sight pictures, as quick as possible) and hammers (2 shots, 1 sight picture, as fast as the trigger can be pulled) as opposed to NSRs (non standard response - shoot until the threat goes away, no real pattern). The Color Code system of awareness was also explained to us during the Mindset lecture. Different colors are used to describe a person�s mental conditioning and preparation to respond to their surrounding environment. These colors are our mental triggers that either restrain or compel us into action. The colors are as follows: -white - unable to react to threats in the environment, not paying attention -yellow - aware of one�s surroundings -orange - alert to a specific potential threat -red - ready and prepared to fight Two drills that I have continued to practice are Dozier drills and El Presidentes. Colonel Cooper created both of these drill based on real world events that he recognized and thought them necessary to practice. He modified these happenings into exercises to test the abilities of a shooter as well as to help enhance their performance. A Dozier drill is simply 5 pepper poppers knocked down as quickly as possible from low ready. El Presidentes are a little more involved. Beginning with our back to the targets, we would turn, fire two shots on each of three separate targets, speed load, and fire two additional shots on the same three targets. These were scored with a par time of 10 seconds and a maximum score of 60 points. We also practiced the standard malfunction clearance drill - tap, rack, and roll to clear double feeds and stovepipe malfunctions. In the 250 class, we were introduced to two shooting simulators: the Donga and the Gunsite Fun House. The Donga is an open area scenario where various pepper poppers are spaced throughout the walk. The Fun House is a closed area set up similar to a house complete with furniture, doors, mirrors, etc. Both of these simulators teach shooters how to search buildings when approaching an unknown, sticky situation. Our night shoot on day 4 shed a different light on everything we had learned. We were taught the Harries flashlight technique as a method of shooting in poor light conditions. The Harries technique incorporates the use of a hand-held flashlight into the Weaver stance. I used a SureFire 6P, and it worked beautifully. At graduation, all the students were presented with a certificate of completion with our final grade on it. Grades were based on our performance in the two simulators, our numerical score in our final set of school drills, and our overall performance throughout the week. There are four grade levels: Completion, Marksman, Marksman 1, and Expert. Expert rankings are rather difficult to achieve, and my unusual class had three Expert graduates. I however am incredibly proud to be a Marksman 1. I�m not sure if all of the classes are as aggressive as mine, but the special group of people I was with thrived on friendly competition. The man-to-man shoot offs throughout the course made the week rather interesting. The game was simple - with a single shot, hit the steel target before your opponent. These little races soon turned into heated rivalries. On day 5, after all grading was finished, we had another, different shoot off. We had to hit two steel plates, speed load, then knock down half of a split pepper popper. No matter what the outcome was, we all enjoyed ourselves greatly in these matches. After all, we were fighting for bragging rights! The difference in my range performance on day 1 and day 5 is incredible. I have developed immensely as a shooter over the course of 5 short days. I am familiar with the proper way to handle a firearm, I notice my mistakes each time a make one, and I know how to correct these mistakes. I have all the tools I need, and I will continue to improve each time a draw my gun from my side. I have also gained so much mental confidence. At home, I would always shoot with the same group of family and friends. They all already knew my style and my capabilities. But at Gunsite, I was thrown into a different group of shooters, many of which had already had a great amount of shooting instruction. Some were simply natural shooters, while others were still learning just like me. I went into the class only wanting to survive without embarrassing myself too badly. I quickly realized that I actually could keep up the pace with these guys and maybe even give them a run for their money. That was more than enough of a confidence boost to accelerate my performance throughout the week. On day 5, with friends and family there to watch me shoot, I stumbled � a bunch. But the instructors saw my frustration and assured me that everything was in my head and that I was indeed a better shooter than my numbers let on. That reassurance is one of the most important things that I took away from Gunsite, and it will always be in the back of my mind, ready to remind me of past mistakes and there to correct future ones. The class I attended was actually not supposed to teach a person to shoot; it�s real purpose is to teach a student to fight. As a young woman who will soon be moving to a new and much larger city, I will need to be able to protect myself at all times. I have the skills and the mental preparation to handle any unfortunate situations, but that�s still not enough. This is a new lifestyle that I am adjusting to. RM Tuttle told us of a little exercise to test mental awareness. Every time I stop at a red light, I look at the cars to my right and left and try to remember as much as I can about the vehicle and its passengers, trying to notice anything that might cause alarm. It is almost becoming second nature now, and I really like my constant state of �yellow.� I gained so much knowledge, experience, and assurance in my abilities within these five short days. I now know, without a doubt, that if I am ever in the unfortunate position where I must defend myself, I am mentally and physically prepared to do so. These skills I will carry with me always. The Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation has given me a special gift. I am now a proud member of the Gunsite family. And as a family tradition, I will ensure that Colonel Cooper�s memory and his teachings will be carried on for many, many years to come. I extend my sincere gratitude to the Cooper family and the Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation for this great honor - my life has been forever changed.

Marie Morrow - 4th Scholarship Recipient

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:05:01 -0600

The Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation, in conjunction with the fine folks of the API List, was pleased to present our 4th tuition scholarship to Marie Morrow---

Marie running the plates during the shootoff

Marie makes ready during the shootoff.

Marie Morrow and Mrs. Janelle Cooper in the Armoury at The Sconce, Gunsite Ranch, Paulden AZ. 18 Jul 09

Mrs. Cooper presents Marie with a copy of Principles of Personal Defense.

Marie Morrow, Mrs. Cooper, Marie's mother - Jennifer McGrew.

see link below for the full story.

http://gunsiteym.blogspot.com/

Ivy O'hern - Third Scholarship Recipient.

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:37:05 -0600

Our third scholarship recipient completed her 250 at Gunsite on June 19 with an M1 certificate. Ivy O'hern is 18 and a recent high school graduate from Americus, Georgia. She will be attending college in the fall and intends to become a physical therapist. Ivy came to our attention through the recommendation of a mutual friend and wrote such a great letter to Janelle about her desire to take a class at Gunsite that we were thrilled to accomodate her. She came to Arizona accompanied by her parents and we had the pleasure of meeting them all and welcoming them into the Gunsite family. Ivy in the Friday afternoon shoot-off Janell, Ivy, Christy Cooper Hastings, Lindy Cooper Wisdom Ivy with her certificate aboard Jeff's lion in the armory!

Jeff Cooper A Man In Full - DVD Preview & Purchase

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 23:13:00 -0600


"JeffCooper A Man In Full" DVD
SampleClip #1	SampleClip #2
DVD is now available for purchase. Price is $25.00 (includesS&H)

Jeff Cooper's Theodore Roosevelt Reunion

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:20:00 -0600

Whittington Center, New Mexico September 26,27,28 2008 What a fine reunion! The weather was perfect and Whittington Center and its surroundings were beautiful and serene. The ethereal silence was broken occasionally by the sound of gunfire--the sound of freedom! Under the inspiring leadership of Colonel Clint Ancker, interesting and challenging courses of fire were offered. With the stimulating declamations and heartening reminders of the importance of shooting straight and speaking the truth, the reunion achieved its goal---to recharge our batteries for another year. Next year--2 & 3 October 2009--mark the dates! See you next year! Janelle Cooper

Gunnery Sergeant Joe Ban, USMC - Second Scholarship Recipient.

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:53:15 -0600

Gunnery Sergeant Joe Ban, USMC, graduated at the top of his 250 class at Gunsite on September 12, 2008. Sgt. Ban is the second recipient of a full tuition scholarship from our Foundation. He is a career Marine, a good shot and a fine young man. We are proud of him and of our scholarship program. Thanks to all of our donors for their support! Incidentally, Sgt. Ban graduated at the top of his 250 class and has been asked by Gunsite to come on board as an instructor. Congratulations Joe!

First Scholorship Recipient, Douglas Owens, Completes Gunsite 250 Class

Wed, 14 May 2008 08:30:51 -0600

Our first scholarship recipient, Douglas Owens (Yavapai County Deputy of the year) completed his first class at Gunsite on Friday, May 9th. Mom and Christy and I were on hand to see him graduate and to offer our congratulations. We are so happy to have gotten our scholarship program underway and to see concrete results! Thanks to all our donors! "Being chosen as the very first recipient of The Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation Scholarship Award is a great honor. I am extremely grateful to Ms. Janelle Cooper and her two daughters, Ms. Lindy Cooper-Wisdom and Ms. Christy Cooper-Hastings, for granting me the scholarship, which allowed me to attend the five day 250 defensive pistol class. This scholarship is very special and will greatly benefit those that are fortunate enough to be chosen in the future." Douglas E. Owens Deputy Sheriff Yavapai County Sheriff's Office