Attending a Long Range Shooting Course

If you’ve ever considered attending a long range shooting course, here’s what you might consider to help your journey.

In most of life’s endeavors, a solid education sets the stage for success and flattens the learning curve for a lifetime of improvement. The same is true with long-range shooting. Forming a foundation of knowledge or simply getting a learning refresh are both essential to the long-range marksman. Which is why we believe attending a long range shooting course can provide a huge advantage for hunters and shooters.

Many courses specialize in providing this foundational knowledge of long-range shooting. Whether you’re a seasoned hunter hoping to draw another antelope tag this fall or you’ve just purchased your first rifle, we have put together some thoughts on how to find a good long range shooting course, what you’ll learn, and a few we recommend.

Taking a shooting course with Guntry Gun Club of Maryland.

How To Select a Good Course

If you’re going to a long range shooting course, think of the process like choosing a good college or deciding what kind of car to buy. You need to identify what it is you hope to accomplish, establish a workable budget, and finally select the option that provides the most value, based on your goals and budget. 

What do I hope to gain by attending a shooting course? Are you new to the sport and want to get started on the right foot? Or are you tired of losing competitions or missing those 500-plus yard shots on your big hunts? Maybe you are hoping to build a network of like-minded shooting buddies. Whatever it is that you’re hoping to accomplish, it’s important to identify your goals so you can ask good questions and select the best match.

A great way to make an informed decision on a reputable regional long range shooting course is to pick up the phone and call your local rifle range or long-range firearm dealer.  These folks often have a pulse of what the best options will be in your local area.  Don’t know who to call locally? Most state wildlife management agencies will have a listing of rifle ranges and shooting complexes. These would be good places to get started in your area.  

A couple of things to keep an eye on would be to make sure there is a very low student-to-instructor ratio. With this kind of instruction, one on one time with the instructor is vital. It’s also a good idea to make sure you know what is included with the cost of a course and whether this adds up to the kind of experience you are looking for. Does the cost include food, lodging, ammunition, a firearm, or some sort of discounted opportunity to purchase a firearm? These questions will ensure you maximize the value of your investment.

What You’ll Learn At A Long Range Shooting Course

Any long range shooting course worth its weight in copper alloy will have safety as the chief concern. If you’re considering a shooting course, no matter which one it is, determining if safety is a priority is an easy and quick way to determine if it’s a professional operation. Specifically, you’ll want to ask if all the staff are NRA-certified instructors. 

Most courses will have a great mix of hands-on training on the range or in the field and classroom work understanding key principles. The word “classroom” might scare some folks but it is very important to truly understand the science involved if you want to consistently make long-range shots and nice tight groupings. 

A good long range shooting course will have both basic and advanced courses to pursue. On a basic track, you should expect to learn about shooting positioning and form, how to select and mount a scope, the science of how a bullet travels across long distances, the effects of the wind on your bullet, how to estimate and judge distance, how to use milliradians (mils) in shooting, and of course how to take quick and decisive successive shots using bolt manipulation techniques.  An advanced course will have a more in-depth focus on each of these topics as well as training on communicating with a spotter, and hands-on training at extreme shooting distances. 

Courses We Recommend

If you want to take a shooting course, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to make the proper selection. To narrow your search, we’ve put together a short list of reputable courses that you should be sure to check out depending on what part of the country you’re in or plan to travel to.

• IDAHO – Force Options offers an Introduction to Precision Rifle course in the incredible setting of Twin Falls Idaho. They provide the fundamental knowledge and skills required to engage targets from 100 yds out to 1000 yards with first shot accuracy. Hunters, competition shooters, and military/police marksman will benefit greatly from this class. TRAINING SCHEDULE – Force Options (forceoptionsusa.com)
• MONTANA: The Bergara Academy in Belt, Montana’s reputation is known throughout the country and their onsite lodging maximizes time with other shooters. Plus, you can immediately put your skills to the test with some prairie dog hunting!  https://www.bergara.online/us/the-bergara-academy/
• MARYLAND: Guntry Gun Club offers a 2-Day Precision Rifle 1,200 yard Course. The price of class will include the use of a 6.5 Creedmoor rifle with optic and suppressor (ammunition avaible at an additional cost). https://www.bizzflo.com/Gun-Ranges-Instruction/Guntry-Club-of-Maryland/class/1000yd-Class-NEW
• PENNSYLVANIA: Wolf’s Precision for the true gun geek. Their onsite Armory and Gunsmithing Course gives you the opportunity to build a world-class rifle and learn to shoot it the right way! https://www.wolfprecision.net/index.html
• TENNESSEE: Down south, consider the world-class facilities at the massive K&M Precision Rifle Training shooting complex: https://kmprecisionrifletraining.com/km-shooting-complex/
• OREGON: Learn from Bob Beck of Extreme Outer Limits TV and learn to shoot at extreme distances on a sweeping 35,000-acre scene in Central Oregon. https://huntlongrange.com/schools/
• TEXAS: learn from Navy Seal and native Texan Clayton Hergert in the rugged Texas hill country. https://atxprecision.com/
• UTAH: Who doesn’t love a 100% money-back guarantee from a 20-year-old school? Mark Thompson at Thompson Long Range guarantees that you’ll be hitting tight groups at 1000 yards by the end of this two-day class.  https://www.thompsonlongrange.com/