Can You Shoot?

Small groups from a bench? Offhand with a rifle? Fast hits on a practical target? Slow hits at long range? From concealment? With a powerful weapon? Auto’s, revolvers, pump shotguns, lever guns, bolt guns, double rifles, single actions, single shots?

There are all different kinds of shooting and some people excel in one area but not the other. Rarely does someone excel in most or all of these areas, but it can certainly be done.

I was reading online where a person with some minor noteriety was casting doubt on the shooting ability of Ross Seyfried, as well as his world championship IPSC win. I’ve heard different things from different people about Seyfried, but I have never heard of anyone questioning his shooting ability. He has done it all, and often before anyone else even knew to try. He can hit very precisely at long range with a revolver, and at silly long range with a rifle. Fast up close, no problem. Major recoiling guns? Easy.

I think if there was an award for best all around shooter, Ross would be one of only a small handful who would even be in contention.

When I was a kid reading gun magazines, there were the authors who you knew probably couldn’t actually shoot well. When I got older and was able to meet many of them and shoot with them, my initial opinion was confirmed. Typically, gun writers aren’t really shooters. Then there were writers like Ross Seyfried, Jeff Cooper, and Massad Ayoob. You just knew they could actually do what they were writing about. When I was old enough to be able to go to LFI, I found out for myself that Mas could shoot, and though I was lucky enough to meet Jeff Cooper, he was past his shooting days at that point. Unfortunately, I have never met Ross. He had a very large influence on me as a developing shooter, and because of one famous article he wrote on setting up the 1911, my 1911’s have always run correctly. To this day, that article is perhaps the greatest instruction manual ever written on how to make sure your 1911 runs correctly. Everyone I know who really understands running a 1911, seems to have read that article. Every 1911 I see choke on the line, has been used by a person who hasn’t read that article.

Would Ross be competitive today in IPSC? Surely not. That was probably true almost immediately after he stopped shooting competition back in the day. Show me a competitor from decades ago who can still keep up with the best in his field today? Anyone?

That doesn’t diminish Ross’s shooting ability at all. He is still better than almost anyone shooting today. He has been there, done that, and probably has forgotten more about shooting than most current competitors know. If you are not familiar with his writing, a search online should net some of his articles. You would be well compensated to read them, and serious gunmen should rejoice that he put pen to paper.