Art Of The Rifle [Hardcover]

Jeff Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1997

"Riflecraft has been completely ignored since World War II," says Jeff Cooper, America's foremost rifle instructor. To remedy this situation, he took it upon himself to set down the fine art of the rifle before it was lost forever. In his no-holds-barred style, Cooper instructs you in everything you need to know about shooting the rifle, while entertaining you with tales of marksmanship, combat and big-game hunting.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jeff Cooper's accomplishments in the field of firearms are almost too numerous to list. They include founder of Gunsite Ranch, editor-at-large of Guns & Ammo magazine, rangemaster emeritus of the U.S. Practical Shooting Association, and Outstanding American Handgunner

Product Details

• Hardcover: 104 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873649311
• ISBN-13: 978-0873649315
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #637,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 57 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Rifleman's Bible, purely informative and well researched June 12, 1998

By [e-mail] Matt Garrett

Format:Hardcover

While I admit that I am an unabashed fan of Colonel Cooper, I without reservation regard this book to be one of the essential elements to the aspiring rifleman. This book however is useful to one person, the rifleman. If your into Benchrest, 1000 yard competion, and nameless other disciplines of specialized rifle usage, spend your money elsewhere. This book deals purely with the employment of the "queen of personal weapons", the rifle. The only thing that I did not like about the book was it's size. The information is so useful that I found myself in want for a compact "field edition" that could acompany myself and my rifle into the field. In short this book encompasses the most usable 97 pages of rifle related instruction that I have ever read.

48 of 52 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Concise clinic on the use of the general purpose rifle. July 7, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

In his usual erudite style, Col. Cooper lays forth the basic use of the general purpose rifle. This is an excellent book for anyone who wants to improve his skill with a rifle and therefore his self-esteem as an individual citizen. His opening line says it all, "Personal weapons are what raised mankind out of the mud, and the rifle is the queen of personal weapons." Do expect the straightforward dope on how to handle, hold, sight, and fire a rifle. Don't expect lengthy anecdotes, although personal examples, experiences, and observations are thrown in. Don't expect specialized material regarding target shooting or any specific (non-hunting) sporting applications. This is an easy-to-read book of just under 100 pages that will help the beginner build a solid foundation and help the expert hone their skill. You (as I did) will read it over and over. In a time where the skill of rifle use is rapidly disappearing from our increasingly urban society, this book is both timely and useful. I highly recommend it to all shooters and those who would like to be.

55 of 63 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Clear, concise, to the point- a precious volume March 3, 2000

By mckysdad

Format:Hardcover

The Art of the Rifle is the Kernighan-Richie of rifle shooting -the students and users of C language will understand me... This short volume, in its 97 pages of text, covers all the essentials of rifle shooting. It can be enjoyed word by word, and needs to be read several times before all substance has been extracted. Each area of discussion is fully covered in its critical aspects, and one often encounters penetrating observations from the author's long practical experience or analytical depth.

This book is one of these small gems of which you only wish that they could be made longer! In this case, it needs a companion volume which can discuss at great length the very many aspects of less than critical importance, yet still useful to discuss and understand, which can make you a better shot. My only regret is that the author does not provide this aspect as well. As it is, I fully recommend this book to novice and experienced shooters alike. You will read it quickly, enjoy it thoroughly, and get back to it often.

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A no-nonsense book - with some flaws December 4, 2003

By Eureka Arms Company

Format:Hardcover

Jeff Cooper is undoubtedly a giant within the field of gunwriting and this book is a clear reflection of that fact. It contains a wealth of information valuable to every wannabe rifleman, and it is therefore a must on every shooters bookshelf.

There are however some minor - but very irritating -flaws.
First of all: It seems that no other qualified gunexpert - or a professional writer for that matter - read the manuscript before the book was released, since there is a lot of undocumentet claims and some unclear passages in the text. For instance: It is stated, that in order to be "friendly", a rifle must not be longer than 39 inches in lenght. This might be true, but it would be nice to know, why the colonel feels this way. Another example: Throughout the book the colonel refers a lot to the condition a rifle is carried in, but he fails to clearly define these conditions (condition 1, 2 and 3), so the reader has to do some guesswork on what the author actually means - and thats a shame!
And the worst: In the chapter on trajectory, the colonel concludes in a sligthly arrogant manner, that elementary physics is "a course that a good many rifle shooters never seem to have encontered". This may be true, but the colonel could have paid better attention in that class as well, since he demonstrates in that very chapter, that he haven't understood the physical principles concerning ballistic coefficients, the trajectory of angled shots and the recoil of rifles versus smoothbore guns. Three factual errors are to much in one page!

Another real disapointment is the quality of the illustrations - they are really, really bad in black and white, not very clear and not very professionally made....

This books deserves a second edition, for the contents are very authorative, and as I stated in the beginning of this review - it belongs in any riflemans bookcase! Read more ›

43 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing old know-how not commonly documented January 16, 2000

By towSaint

Format:Hardcover

The Art of the Rifle is an outstanding collection of the various facets of riflery, presented by one of the most accomplished and articulate authors in the shooting business. Jeff Cooper presents a number of tips and techniques, not the least of which is the proper use of the shooting sling, for the readers benefit. If the book has a drawback it is this: some of the photographs did not print well and are a little difficult to decipher, particularly if the reader is unfamiliar with the concepts being illustrated. Just the same, this is the only manual I know of that contains this important information. Good Shooting...