this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2025
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I agree, especially about how it hones skills that are useful in life beyond hitting a target, but it's not flashy cool gun stuff so they can easily be overlooked. For me I really feel my mind working harder when running a bolt action or doing archery. I think it makes me slow down and make sure each shot counts.
There's a quote somewhere (I'll edit it in when I find it) that says something like "there is a connection between good citizenship and good marksmanship"
Edit: Here it is! It's a quote from Jeff Cooper "I have long had a tendency to tie marksmanship to morality. The essence of good marksmanship is self-control, and self-control is the essence of good citizenship. It is too easy to say that a good shot is automatically a good man, but it would be equally incorrect to ignore the connection."
I dig that quote.
One of the things my grandfather drilled into me that guns are a responsibility, not just a tool. You mess up with a hammer, you bust a thumb. You mess up with a rifle, someone can die.
Marksmanship, and the process of developing it, really is about self control. On so many levels, not just the obvious. Like, breathing. The way you do it, and when you hold it, syncing it up to your aim, then the control of how you squeeze the trigger.
If you can't control yourself with shooting, there's a pretty good chance you'll have trouble in other ways too. Conversely, shooting helps develop that awareness, the patience and self reflection, that makes for a solid person in general. Not that there aren't other ways to develop that, there are. But it's a pretty damn good option