Online "long range" shooting courses

[TradLife406]

I've got a buddy to help me learn how to shoot this spring, when all the rifles parts I've ordered show up.

But I'm too excited to just sit back and do nothing.

Are there any decent online courses a guy could learn a few things on shooting? I'll be playing with my other guns as well (depending on components and ammo). But I'd like to get a head start on the ways of the Force.

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[mt100gr.]

If you haven't already, get a good ballistic solver app and start playing with "data" inputs. See how velocity changes your correction, see how environmental factors change your correction. See what wind speeds and wind angles do to you trajectory. You can learn a lot from hypothetical inputs.

 

[Ryan Avery]

We need an online shooting class for hunting weight rifles and hunting field setups.... right, @Formidilosus.....

 

[TradLife406]

We need an online shooting class for hunting weight rifles and hunting field setups.... right, @Formidilosus.....

That'd be great. I'm sure most of it is hands on learning. But it'd be nice to get a head start. Especially since now that I've watched all of the new season of Letterkenny and have nothing better to do online.

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[OSU Fisher]

What kind of things are you wanting to learn and perfect? With todays endless info on the web theres a ton of great stuff out there at the click of a few buttons. Theres also many ways to skin a cat. I have shot and hunted my entire life. The long range shooting bug bit me a few years ago and now it consumes my life haha it sure is addicting. There is a lot to learn if you want to truly be proficient. Need to learn your equipment and whats needed or helps. How to read conditions like wind, thermals etc. Also good shooting techniques sure do help. And then shoot, shoot, shoot and perfect all of that. I have a perfectionist and sorta obsessives personality which has lead to me read and watch pretty much everything i could get my hands on over the last few years. With those traits i have also worked extremely hard to better my skills along with my hunting/shooting partners (dad and fiancé) i believe its done great things for us. to some i might focus to much on chasing the "perfect form/techniques but i do feel its made us more accurate and consistent. Also the fact that we all shoot very similar aids in helping each other and being able to swap equipment without much ill effect. In the field you obviously cant always obtain this and have to adapt but we all still do our best. Forums like here (rokslide) longrangeonly, snipershide, etc all of some good info. Im a online training member on snipershide-frank has a lot of good videos and write ups. phil velayo has some good videos and ideas as well. ex. his thoughts on a high medial placement of the buttstock vs shoulder pocket. overall working hard at things like butt stock placement, square behind rifle, bipod and body height, bipod load, pulling straight back with bicep, trigger finger position and pull, rear bag techniques, cheek/head placement, shoulder and arm placement, breathing, etc has really helped me. im obviously big on perfecting this kinda stuff vs some who just shoot how its compfortable and works for them. I worked extremely hard this last year with my prone techniques along with tripod and pack shooting. It made a huge difference for us. and dont just do this on the range. field work is just as important. shooting rocks can sure be fun!

 

[HighUintas]

Here's a thread link for a field practice drill. If you have any kind of rifle right now... Try it out
Field practice

 

[hereinaz]

There is a ton of old outdated info and videos out there. For good info and discussion, look here and Long Range Only and Snipers Hide.

The best video series is Modern Day Sniper. Caylen is a back country hunter and precision rifle guy. It is most up to date. Sniper 101 is old, old, but not bad. Ryan Cleckner has good videos. Bryan Litz has excellent info

Honestly, a good thing for your time is to listen to Modern Day Sniper and Everyday Sniper podcasts from the beginning.

 

[OnDeco]

Snipers Hide has online courses that are inexpensive if the free information isn't enough.

 

[Dobermann]

Along with Sniper's Hide (Frank) and Modern Day Sniper (Caylen and Phil) mentioned above, check out Thomas / our own THLR's videos - not just his YouTube content, but his Vimeo course - it's worth every penny.

 

[MaraviaDave]

As others have said…..enroll in Modern Day Sniper’s online training.

I’d also recommend;
1) getting a D.F.A.T. from DST Precision. This attachment screws onto the objective end of your rifle scope and will shorten up the focal distance to ~12 feet. Making it possible to dry-fire inside your house. Included with the D.F.A.T are targets that are scaled down ….. with sizes from 1 MOA to much larger. With this tool you can practice positional shooting.

2) get a .22 LR (rimfire) trainer, that replicates your centerfire rifle as close as possible (e.g. same scope, stock, trigger, etc). This will also help you practice positional shooting with the added benefit of being able to see increases/ decreases in group sizes based on whatever skill you are working on.

From my perspective, dry firing and shooting a training rifle is the best way to learn and reinforce the fundamentals of marksmanship that you’ll learn from the MDS online training.

To get proficient at most things, we need to put in the time getting quality repetitions.

I have a hard time believing a person will ever maximize their full potential as a shooter by only going out and banging away with heavier recoiling hunting rifles. Oftentimes, they’ll develop problems that are detrimental (e.g. slapping the trigger, target panic, flinching, etc)

Of course, you’ll need to spend time shooting your hunting rifle (zeroing, truing ballistic software, etc). I’m just saying it should not be the training emphasis, but rather, it should be the confirmation of the skills/capabilities that you learned/developed during training.

3) get a wind meter (Kestrel or similar) and learn to read wind speeds. You can teach/test yourself by guessing the wind speed first and then checking it with the Kestrel. This is similar to the idea of teaching yourself to judge yardages, by taking a guess, then checking with a range finder.

At the risk of sounding condescending, which hopefully you’ll recognize is not my intention…

Buying bad ass long range rifles, range finders and ballistic solvers is fun. But, ownership does not equal competence. Training is how we bridge the gap between gear and competence, which results in being a proficient killer.

Enjoy the journey!!

 

[kickemall]

Buying bad ass long range rifles, range finders and ballistic solvers is fun. But, ownership does not equal competence. Training is how we bridge the gap between gear and competence, which results in being a proficient killer.

This.

 

[Antarctica]

Go buy a 22 and shoot some long range rimfire competitions. That's a 95% solution to form, position, etc. Better to shoot more over the winter than read about it. What the rimfire competitions lack you will quickly learn at some PRs competitions when you get your rifle put together. I learned about 500 times more in two PRS shoots than I ever did online reading. But I would have learn 95% of that in a similar rimfire competition.

I'm cheap. I'm there to learn, not compete. I shoot a shit-ass 223 gas gun with a $500 scope. i've got a long way to go before I can start blaming the rifle on my performance.

 

[Bravo 4]

I usually tell guys this:
Take a class, nothing beats professional hands on instruction. Learn to shoot what you already have and when your capabilities exceed those of your gear then upgrade your gear. I know too many people that have shoved money into gear and expect results when the best investment is in you.
In your case you have a mentor and have invested, he can teach you a lot with “just a hunting rifle”.

 

[IDMONK]

Sniper 101 on YouTube was a great resource for me.

 

[Dobermann]

Sniper 101 on YouTube was a great resource for me.

Is that Rex's series? If so, it has a lot of content based on out-of-date military manuals. He also puts a lot of emphasis on things that don't matter that much in practice.

Sure, it gets a lot of online views, but its main value is not in content - but that it leads people to seek out better information.

 

[rifletuner]

Is that Rex's series? If so, it has a lot of content based on out-of-date military manuals. He also puts a lot of emphasis on things that don't matter that much in practice.

Sure, it gets a lot of online views, but its main value is not in content - but that it leads people to seek out better information.

Yes, my sentiments exactly. I have never been too impressed with Rex's content. It gets recommended a lot, but I think there are much better sources available.

 

[IDMONK]

Is that Rex's series? If so, it has a lot of content based on out-of-date military manuals. He also puts a lot of emphasis on things that don't matter that much in practice.

Sure, it gets a lot of online views, but its main value is not in content - but that it leads people to seek out better information.

There is no short cuts when things get way out there. The same forces have always affected projectiles it’s physics, and those physics will never be outdated. Things that don’t matter much in practice sure do when you extend your range further. His content is still true and just as pertinent today as ever.