Jeff Cooper Shooting History

In 1945 an icy slip and fall around Thanksgiving left a junior Major of Marines with the head of his right radius shattered into six pieces. After surgery and a difficult, painful recovery, to regain full use of his right arm he would have to perform a long course of physical therapy. Christmas of 1945 came and went; first, the Major tried tennis, but the overhead serve was just too painful. By some quirk of fate, his family’s quarters at Quantico overlooked the FBI shooting range. The sound of small arms fire drew him like a moth to the light. Perhaps the draw stroke would loosen the adhesions that were limiting his function and causing his pain. Thus the Major’s physical rehabilitation — and epiphany — began.