Shooting Times Guide to Accuracy by Editors of Shooting Times

Author:Editors of Shooting Times
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2017-04-30T04:00:00+00:00

PART III

TACTICS FOR LONG-RANGE

A good shooting course is a great place for the exchange of ideas and a place to make contacts. The smaller the class, the more one-on-one time you will get with an instructor.

Back in the day, whenever that was, 300 yards was the outdoor benchmark that got you into “long-range” territory. Much like catching a 10-pound bass or shooting a 10-point buck, sending a bullet precisely on its way the length of three football fields was quite the feat. This day and age, I have rifles that are zeroed at 500 yards, a mere starting point 200 yards beyond the old long-range benchmark.

The shooting world has gone long-range crazy, and rifles, equipment, optics, and ammunition have improved to the point where a novice that can hold a rifle correctly, look through a scope correctly, and squeeze the trigger can hit targets at ranges only a serious competitor or trained marksman would have attempted a few decades ago. I was recently at a seminar where Remington and Leupold had their new Modular Sniper Rifle in .338 Lapua, a fancy variable scope with an even fancier Horus reticle, and a big pile of ammo out for a few writers to shoot. A Leupold employee, who had only just started shooting, was quick to jump into line. She settled in and with the slightest bit of instruction was making head shots on steel targets at 400 yards. If you want to go long, there has never been a better time.

There are all kinds of long-range shots to be made—chasing mule deer out West, in a sniper competition, or even across a hayfield just for fun—but they all require planning if you want to hit the target and not just burn up ammo. I called up friend and shooting mentor Caylen Wojcik to get his thoughts on a basic long-range road map. Of the dozens of friends I have who are long-range shooters, Wojcik offers a truly unique perspective. He spent his formative years as a Marine scout/sniper (arguably some of the best trained long-range shooters in the word), worked as a scout/sniper instructor at the division level, and served as a sniper in combat until a rocket knocked him out of the Battle of Fallujah. Though serious injuries prevented him from returning to combat, the Corps tapped him to train Marines, SEALs, and other Special Forces operators at the 1st Special Operations Training Group sniper school.

After Wojcik turned in his M-40 for the last time and returned home to Washington State, the instructor bug had bitten hard, and he started Central Cascade Precision (CCP). The dozen or so courses he offers each year allow him to pass his expertise on to civilians like myself. We met last summer at one of his courses, and what I learned fundamentally changed my shooting forever—and for the better. Wojcik shoots in sniper competitions and is a serious high-country hunter. His long-range shooting skills have been applied in combat, hunting, and competition, and he is darn good at teaching others what he knows in an unassuming, precise way.

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