Mar 11
A beautiful SIG P365 for our latest satisfied customer.
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A beautiful SIG P365 for our latest satisfied customer.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP): More Than Just Surplus Rifles
The Civilian Marksmanship Program: More Than Just Surplus Rifles When most people think of the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), they picture historic M1 Garands and other surplus rifles. While that is a significant part of what CMP does, the organization is much more than just a place to buy old military firearms. It plays a crucial role in preserving American marksmanship, training the next…
Very old, but of enormous quality.
Long Range Precision Shooting for Morons:
Buckle up, it is a ride.
Equipment
There are basically two different schools of thought: one side says you should go out with whatever you have, focus on the fundamentals, make do and you’ll be a better shooter for it, however, I disagree. I’m on the side of shooters that say you should invest in quality gear, a solid rifle setup and then you’re ready to shoot. I believe this for one reason alone - eliminating variables. When you’re learning to shoot ELR (extreme long range), it’s easy to be overwhelmed with the insane number of environmentals, fundamentals and processes it takes to make that 1 mile shot - there’s no need to be worrying whether or not your rifle/optic/peripheral equipment will function properly.
The Rifle: This decision will largely be decided by what kind of shooting you’re trying to do (F-Class/PSR/Hunting/HTI etc). When it comes to rifles - you’re in Burger King, you can have it your way. But, you’ll have to take into consideration caliber (cost/ballistics/availability of ammunition), cost, weight, bolt action v DI/Piston gasser and a handful of other considerations. I shoot primarily a .308 gasser (for targets <800 yards), .300 Win Mag bolt (for targets 1400<800 yards) and .338 Lapua Mag bolt (targets further than 1300 yards).
I’ll expand a little bit on caliber selection. Caliber selection depends on distance and target. You need your round to get to your target, and (depending on application) take down your target. If you’re a hunter, you need to have enough remaining energy in the bullet by the time it gets there to humanely take down the animal. If you’re a long range target shooter, you need enough energy to carry the round 3,000 yards. I would recommend the Sniper 101 series (Parts 2 & 3) for better understanding your decision.
As for the rifle itself, I’ve seen guys shoot extremely far with nothing but an accurized MilSurp. I believe the original Anon that brought on this post asked what’s involved in accurizing; essentially its the bedding, rebarreling and stabilizing of a rifle. You could also lap the lugs and face the bolt for a smoother action.
The Optic: This is where we can get into the weeds a bit, I could talk about optics for days. First decision you have to make is Milliradians (Mils) v. Minutes of Angle (MOA). For the uninitiated, these are two different ways of measuring angles - think metric v. imperial standards of measure. While Mils are more common in the Mil/LEO side of the house, I prefer MOA because it’s what I came up on. Do a little research, and decide what you’re going to go with. Mag values, optic clarity, brand, features, diameters, reticles and all the other fun stuff come next - I’ll skirt over that and just recommend what you should look for: The world standard for military mag value is about a 10x, I prefer to see my target - so an 18x or even up to 27x (yeah I’m talking to you Vortex Razor HD Gen 2 you sexy bitch) is my preferred mag value. Optic clarity - you have to be careful, back in the day good glass meant a good scope, not anymore. A nice big objective lense will let in plenty of light, so I like a good 55mm Obj. Turrets are big, theres a tube inside of the scope called the erector assembly, and when you rotate the turret, that erector moves - its called tracking. It is vital that when you turn 1.5MOA, the erector moves 1.5MOA, NOT 1.4 or 1.6. We’ll cover some safe brands. With ELR shooting, the bullet drops quite a bit, and you need to be able to dial that drop in, and still see your target - so when you’re looking at scopes, look at something called Overall Adjustment (this is how much up and down adjustment you get) - you want a lot - literally all of it. Side Note: larger diameter tubes have more adjustment. For our application stick to a type of scope called a First Focal Plane Scope. Brands: you’re going to be pretty safe with brands like Nightforce, Leupold, Schmidt and Bender, Primary Arms, Vortex. If it comes in a plastic case off the walmart shelf - steer clear. You really can’t spend too much on an optic.
Essential Peripherals: Keeping it brief, I HIGHLY recommend a Kestrel Ballistic Computer, you can, and I used to shoot analog - but its added time, and added variables. Keep it simple stupid. A drag bag of some form to carry all the shit you’re bringing with you. An infrared thermometer for measuring ammunition and rifle temps. A spotting scope. A sandbag/toe sock to support the toe of the rifle when you’re laying behind the gun. A good quality (Atlas and Harris are common) bipod is essential. A basic GPS helps, or if you’re shooting an unknown distance range, you will have to have a reliable range finder (Dont trust the manufacturer rated range - find one thats at least 50% better than you’re expecting to shoot). Your DOPE book (we’ll address that later). If you’re shooting analog, you’ll need all your ballistics tables, calc forms and a basic scientific calculator. And ammunition (quantity depends on caliber/training objectives). You’d be best served to bring along a handful of tools for breaking down your rifle/rings/scope - your rifle will break down in the field, don’t call it quits early because you forgot your allen key. And finally, and this is crucial, batteries - two extra sets per electronic device.
Ammunition: Let’s dive into this for a second, because it’s important, and I hear people get this wrong a lot. When it comes to ammo there are two ways to go; factory match and hand-loaded. I hate load development, trying to count out each kernel of powder to harmonically tune your rifle is my definition of a nightmare - but some guys like it. But whatever you hear, no you’re not going to lose a match because you shoot factory match. Certain manufacturers have really nailed it for my guns, but each gun eats rounds differently, based on their harmonics.
Learning To Shoot
Whatever your previous shooting experience, you’re basically going to start from scratch. Reset whatever expectations you have about how easy a 1k shot is, don’t bring that tacticool attitude. Just shut up, get behind your rifle, and practice. I would definitely recommend TiborasaurusRex’s Sniper 101 series on youtube, its long, technical and you might find it a bit boring - but I usually watch it through when I’m not going to the range regularly, and I’m always learning something new. You can also take Long Range shooting courses at a local range (be warned the quality of instructor varies greatly, so take it with a grain of salt). When all is said and done, with good fundamentals of marksmanship (sight picture, breathing control, trigger squeeze, body position and follow through) and proper scope set up - you’re going to hit the target. I would recommend you find someone who has been shooting for a minute and have them spot for you. It can be very frustrating to try and spot your own shots when you’re coming up.
One of the most difficult things to learn when coming up is the wind. It’s the great equalizer on the range. Reading the wind is a skill that takes a lifetime + 1 day to master. Best you can do is go out with a Kestrel, take in the wind - noting how it feels on your face, what its doing to the vegetation, guessing what the wind speed is and then looking down at the Kestrel taking a mental note and linking that feeling to the number on the screen. Reading the wind is a skill that will come with experience, don’t let it get you down if you spend all day watching the wind throw your rounds away.
Finding Places to Shoot
This depends largely on location. Out west there is plenty of public land you could easily drop a target, drive a mile down the road and take your shots. On the East Coast, this gets a little harder. You can either google a range (good luck finding something beyond 1000 yards), or find a friend with some land.
Competition
I came up in the competition world, its what I know and love. its insanely fun - and a source of an incredible amount of knowledge. A ton of these guys really know their shit. If you think it’s something you’d be interested in, go find a match and just hang out - talk to the competitors, volunteer as a Range Officer, get involved. A word of warning; I see a lot of guys (a shocking amount actually) who get into the sport solely to get sponsors - this is the wrong attitude. Sponsors (and other competitors) can pick out who is just trying to get free shit pretty quickly. Again, shut up, get behind your rifle, and impress us with your shooting. That being said, the majority of shooters would gladly give you some advice, help you with your setup/processes etc - it truly is a very friendly sport. I know a lot of guys who are anxious to join, because they think they’ll be ridiculed or judged if they mess up. Listen, and I’ll say this only once, I’m too busy focusing on my own shooting to really notice if you missed your target! And if you do, we’ve all been there - you have to start from somewhere.
My Thoughts on ELR Hunting
This is a topic I find myself incredibly conflicted. While I am an avid hunter, I cannot justify taking a shot at an elk from 1k. Not because its not sporting, but I firmly believe you must be absolutely certain you will drop the animal after you pull the trigger. Nobody wants to traipse through the woods for 3 hours, following a blood trail, to find an animal hyperventilating. And at extreme ranges, nothing is certain. So I don’t necessarily condone LR/ELR hunting, just tossing that opinion out there.
Best Practices
I’m a big believer in documenting my range days. I document everything, from environmentals, to bullet temps to hit locations. All this data builds my D.O.P.E, or Data On Previous Engagement. The better you understand your rifle, your ammunition, how slight variations in barometric pressure affect your bullet - the better shooter you will become. So I would recommend command that you go buy a little three ring binder (doesn’t have to be one of those fancy manufactured books) and start taking notes during your range sessions.
Not only am I Team Documentation, I also believe that you have to have a plan for your training. You don’t go to the gym without a plan, right? Why go the the range without one? That’s a pretty good way to waste rounds. So while you’re planning your range day, come up with a training objective and a plan to achieve that goal. For example, I will occasionally go out to the range with 10 rounds - T.E.N. And give myself two shots per target for five targets from 300 - 1200 yards. Shooting close to far. If I miss I miss. This kind of drill will force you to focus on fundamentals, properly taking into account environmental factors and slowing down. Have a plan, what do they say? A dollar not budgeted, is a dollar spent. The same goes for ammunition, and with ammo prices the way they are, I’m not a fan of wasting $6/round.
All that said; focus on your fundamentals, learn how the environment affects your bullets and how to account for that effect. Have fun, be safe, and have a plan. I think I’ve gotten most of the big items out of the way, if there are any specific questions you have, feel free to shoot me a message.
Long distances are my specialty.
Photo Credit: RE Factor Tactical / JJ Rock CO
Now that all the components of my rifle are gathered and being sent to DMR LLC for assembly/machining, the time has come to decide what I should do about glass. I more than anyone knows that you get what you pay for when it comes to components. Once you get into high-quality glass territory, differences are a wash in terms of glass clarity and it comes down to small differences. Anywhere between $2,750-4,000 would be considered a good territory and that’s what I’m prepared to drop. When the time comes.
These things being said, I am trying to decide between Nightforce and Kahles.
Nightforce ATACR F1 ($3,492) being a well established name in precision shooting with ultra reliability and prominent features. Kahles K525i ($3,299) on the other side, with quality glass, good ergonomics, and straight-forward features, not to mention amazing light transmission (95%).
Look at this Ruger 57 Pro. Wow!
What a lovely pair: Springfield XDM Elite (10mm) and XD Mod4 (9mm)
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