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I’ve never met a hunter who thought he was a lousy shot. I suspect every one of us fancies himself a bit of a modern-day Davy Crockett, and while some among our ranks deserve the title “marksman,” the hard truth is that many don’t.
The good news is that top-flight instruction has never been easier to come by, particularly with the proliferation of long range shooting schools, most of which have been strongly influenced by modern sniper techniques. Every hunter could benefit from this instruction, regardless of skill level, and you might be surprised at how much crossover there is between shooting at hostage scenario targets and going after a trophy mule deer.
Not only will sniper school improve your skills and judgment––these classes, which you’ll see photos of in this story, have certainly helped mine––but it will also show you the limits of what you can do under practical field conditions, which is the very least we owe to the game we hunt and cherish.
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This gallery explains exactly how snipers shoot and how you can use their techniques for hunting.
A Long-Range Hunter
A proper rifle for long-range hunting needs to incorporate a number of features that distinguish it from a regular carry rifle. It has to provide a solid–meaning heavy–shooting platform. Both the length of pull and comb height should adjust to ensure proper fit to the shooter. The stock geometry needs to favor a prone position. It requires components of the highest quality–with machining and construction to match–to make it accurate. And it needs to be tough enough to withstand the rigors of the field and still deliver outstanding performance.
Little wonder, then, that “tactical”-style rifles, like the one pictured here by the gifted gunmaker George Gardner, are catching on with more hunters. Expensive? Yes. Drop-dead reliable and accurate? That’s what you pay for.
- The oversize bolt handle gives more grip surface and additional leverage for follow-up shots.
- Precise inletting allows for perfect mating between the receiver and the bedding surface in the stock. The heavier-contour barrel is free-floated for accuracy.
- A good bipod, like the one from Harris pictured here, is essential for maximizing accuracy when you’re shooting prone.
- This rifle is chambered in .308, which is at the top of the list when it comes to accurate cartridges for big game.
- The Picatinny rail has 20 MOA built into it to give the scope more elevation for long-range shots and to keep the crosshairs closer to the center of the optic, which is where the scope is most clear.
Keeping a Shooting Log
A detailed rifle log is a must for precision long-range shooting. Over time, this will reveal your rifle’s quirks and foibles–as well as your own–and will yield invaluable data to make you more accurate. By recording every–and I mean every–shot, you will, for instance, soon learn exactly what your rifle does from a cold barrel, which will take the guesswork out of that long-range shot on the opening day of deer season.
A log also gets you into the habit of calling your shots before you verify their impact, a skill that will make you a better marksman and improve your technique. It will also help you figure out when your rifle needs maintenance.
For a detailed account of how to use a shooting log and to print out a log for free, see “Log It.
https://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/guns/rifles/2011/08/sniper-school-precision-long-range-shooting/