How did you get proficient in LR shooting?

[The Oregonian]

Curious what most of the folks here have done to 'get smart' on this stuff....I would guess the folks who have been at it a while did not start out with classes as it seems it was under the radar for a while, but interested to see where folks have gotten most of their knowledge.

I would also guess that many folks have done many of these, but curious as to which one was most valuable. In all of these responses, I am assuming someone has to practice so not calling it out as an option.

 

[WildRose]

All of the above along with lots and lots of practice.

 

[MMERSS]

Formal schooling focused on what causes a miss combined with what is required for a successful hit. The two combined should leave a foundation for determining the probability of success before the lanyard or trigger is snapped or squeezed for the very first time.

 

[MudRunner2005]

My dad taught me how to shoot at very young age. I was apparantly a "natural", and I love to shoot, so we went to the range all the time. Over the years, I took that knowledge and skills and molded and honed them over 10's of thousands of rounds down range, into the skills I have today. And I still don't know jack-squat compared to some of these guys, because I didn't grow up shooting long range like most of the northern and mid-western areas. Down here in Alabama, 75% of hunters shoot deer inside of 150 yards, because they pretty much only hunt greenfields. So, it was something I had to teach myself how to do.

 

[just browsing]

I would say a good mentor above all else. Obviously good equipment never hurts and the ideal way to learn would be a combination of everything, figuring out what you like and what works best for you. Every shooter is going to have their own way of doing things, and there's not always necessarily a right or wrong way. Take what you learn and mold it to what fits your particular style.

Just remember: a hit is a hit is a hit... and your target won't care how you do it.

 

[jehu]

Sako TRG 42 338Lapua with Nightforce NXS 5.5-22X56 MOAR & Zerostop, Lieca 1600 rangefinder and a good ballistics program. You cannot beat science and excellent equipment.

 

[Canadian Bushman]

Dont know how proficient i am, but it took thousands and thousands of rounds to get here.

 

[toddc]

Should have had this forum as an option. I learned a TON on here.

 

[dkhunt14]

A couple of fields full of groundhogs and a good laser rangefinder can teach you a lot. Matt

 

[dragman]

Long range ground hogs and steel is how I have molded my technique. However bad it is HAHAHA. But equally important to that is the knowledge from some older shooters that have my complete respect! I have a few guys that I love to talk out problems and discuss theories with and that is the most beneficial thing that I can imagine.
Why do you see guys out there that have seen every video and looked through all the books and bought all the best equipment but still aren't great.... Answer is that there is a HUGE difference between knowing what happens (and really understanding what it is that is happens) The mind is the most important key in all the LR shooting stuff.

 

[JoeS1044]

I wanted to vote for self taught and mentor but only could pick one. I've always been a naturally gifted shooter so a lot was just self taught and natural instinct but i really didn't understand the science behind MOA/MILS how to calculate drop and how to determine everything that affects drop from elevation, temp, incline... Until I had a good buddy show me and it took awhile to really understand how it works I still feel like I second guess myself with the calculations but it wasn't until I actually sat behind the rifle and applied everything in and actually hit a target without simply guessing where to aim that I finally felt more then just lucky when I shot. I accredit my improving long range knowledge to a Great Mentor above all else.

 

[RMulhern]

For me....my Uncle Sam had a lot to do with it 50 years ago!

 

[ukenout]

For me this road of LR shooting began when I came home from the 2013 Idaho deer season with a tag sandwich. I passed on a shot at a really big mule deer at 600 yards. I set out the rest of the fall researching about Long Range hunting and such. As you can imagine there are so many places on the .net that one could feel overwhelmed. I I had been around this forum for sometime but never contributed to the various topics as I am no subject matter expert. My experience in shooting is from nearly 15 years of military service and multiple combat deployments. Though the fundamentals of marksmanship is something all Soldiers are taught the understanding of Long Range shooting was something very new to me. On this site I happen to make a post about my Idaho deer hunt failure, then out of the blue I was responded to by the guys from 406 Precision. They offered a chance to learn about LR shooting at their basic course they held in Phillipsburg, MT. I live in Augusta, GA so the idea of learning how to become a better hunter by means of understanding LR shooting was something I was excited to learn. The 406 Precision guys and I talked over the phone a few times. I had to explain to them that unlike most of their clients I had some physical disabilities as having been wounded in combat I am partially paralyzed. They never let that stop the show, infact I was very relieved to know one of the guys was EMT certified. Because I was going to fly in they even let me borrow a lot of their equipment and made sure I had things for around camp. The course of instruction was so easy to understand, this was a basic course but as you can imagine everyone just wants to get out and shoot. Shoot we did however not before learning all the correct fundamentals to help us understand rifle setup, ballistic app/charts, ranging and reading wind. By the end of the course the entire class was able to make shots out past their expected limitations. Heck for me I just wanted to be able to shoot the steel plate targets out at 600 yards. As that was the mule deer distance I had to skip on. By the end of the course I was able to make hits on steel out to 1180 yards, with one of their Snowy Mountain Rifle 308s yes a 308 stretching out that far!!!!! The class was everything a novice like me could have asked for, more importantly it was held in the mountain of Royal tine guides schools location in Phillipsburg, MT. We saw deer and elk on the property this really added to the realism of what I was hoping to learn because my interest in learning was so I can use those fundamentals during hunting season.
So now that the 2014 Hunting season is over I can proudly say I returned to Idaho and this time no more tag Sandwich, best of all I made successful shots on my elk and mule deer! To be able to sit back and think that I was able to learn all this, spend time at home practicing on the rifle range, making sure my equipment was up to the task, and most of all when I had questions on things we had learned in the class but wanted to ask a question Jordan and Jason at 406 Precision was just a phone call away! Can't beat the fact that you can call them and ask for tips or explanations and they are happy to explain and discuss so you understand. They are genuine enthusiasts of LR shooting. If you are at the same stage of researching LR shooting like I was , I would highly recommend you contact the 406 Precision guys, they can explain what they have to offer, if it doesn't fit into what you are looking for then hey at least your doing your homework.

 

[woodmaster]

It has to be a value not an Ideal. Ideally we all would like to be good long distance shooters you have to value it enough to pay your dues. It helps if you have an understanding wife, none is better. I shoot .338 lapua and .50 bmg. I have placed 5th and 7th in .50 Bmg @ 1000 yards. That is a tough gun to master. Trigger time is most important. Get and read books on the wind. Most shooters have no idea how to deal with the wind. At 1000 yards it can change 4 times as you go down the range to the target. Nothing will take the place of trigger time. I have access to my own 1000 yard range and that helps you need a place to shoot. FInd a friend who also shoots LD and hook on to him like a blood sucker. He will save you thousands of dollars in wasted money no sense in reinventing the wheel.