1,000 Yards in Two Days

A new world record was set recently in the King of Two Miles competition. Lindsay Paul was crowned queen. She was not only the first female winner of this long-range shooting competition but she also managed three consecutive shots with a CheyTac at 3,520 yards (2 miles). This feat would have been unattainable 10 years ago. Technology has made it possible for more shooters to conquer distances that were once reserved for the elite. Greg Ray and his Outdoor Solutions Long Range School were the instructors. They also fired… and sometimes missed. These classes are not for those who assume that instructors will use the same guns or ammo as students. Instead, they should be able to show them what success looks like. It’s a very rare thing.School’s Out ForeverThere are usually two types of pitfalls for long-range shooting schools: military-type and hunting.Military-type schools typically sell an experience for those who idealize sniper culture. I can’t remember the actual skills I learned, but I have sat through these classes without a straight face. The problem is that many of these mil-spec guys want to make hunting or target shooting into a war game. This is not the case for most people. While the military classes require that you bring a rifle of a certain type and ammo you are familiar with, most hunting classes struggle to achieve uniformity in training. Many of these classes are for the hunter who only wants to fire at longer distances and see the results of his gear. Although long-range shooting classes are generally successful, they are often taught by people who have a basic knowledge of rifle setup and ballistics. “You’ll be a good two inches high at 100 yards, if you want to shot 300 yards,” is the usual order of the day in this type of teaching. Confidence is not always earned at the end. Each student printed groups at the 1,000 yard distance using their class rifles and their calculations. It was an impressive feat considering how many students were completely new to guns. I was also amazed by the professionalism and execution of this course. It avoided common pitfalls and passed along useful information. Greg Ray, the owner of Outdoor Solutions, created a program that is so easy and intuitive that even a complete novice can hit targets at 1,000 yards with confidence after only a few days using off-the shelf rifles and optics. Ray’s course has never seen a student fail at 1,000 yards after only a few hours at the range. Let this sink in. Ray’s school is unique because it carefully blends practical elements. It borrows from long-range competition, military shooting, and a hunter’s emphasis on field conditions. It brings together the most important elements and makes them all into something that can be used to dispel the myths surrounding long-range shooting. A brand-new shooter fires a borrowed gun at 500 yards. He hit every shot. Many of the people in the class had never fired beyond 100 yards. By the afternoon, they were printing groups at 1,000 yards with relative ease. The methods were straightforward and highly effective. There was no fluff. Even better, the humbleness of the instructors made it even more enjoyable. Ray said that despite their many credentials, they were very down to earth and made everyone feel at home. This is a far cry from other classes where you have to deal with a large number of diva instructors. “Our clients, especially those from the East, were not well prepared for the shot distances required to hunt West. We are a booking agency for Western Big Game hunts. It is rare to find an antelope within 100 yards in the open plains. 100 yards seems to be the most common distance that our clients from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and other Northeast states were comfortable shooting. Nine-inch plates at 300 meters as seen through the author’s spotting scope. Ray said that this distance was not too far for an experienced shooter but was still much greater than the range of many students had ever shot. Ray said, “Yes, we teach you to shoot at 1,000 yards, but not at that distance. We believe that practicing at longer distances will make you more proficient at shorter distances. It also teaches the shooter his limitations and the limitations of his equipment.” I tend to go in with a little more gun than I actually need when it comes to gear. I love case-hardening, rich walnut, and most of my field guns have carbon fiber and titanium. I brought two high-end precision rifles. They were great performers. But what really impressed me was Ray’s class, which had a set Remington 700 and Benelli Lupo rifles with Zeiss optics and direct thread suppressors. These guns were completely off the shelf and once they were calibrated with Federal 6.5 CM ammunition, printed flawlessly at all distances. Ray said that Ray isn’t trying to sell clients a $9,000+ custom setup. There is nothing wrong with that, but it’s not what we do. The class was long and covered a lot of material. I have rethought the way I build my rifles, how heavy they are, and whether I should suppress them. This class was the best of all the classes that I have taken. My guns are too heavy, but they are accurate in terms of optics and caliber. This class helped me get out of the target shooting mindset. I also learned that my guns are too heavy but right on as far as optics and caliber. Target grids and bullseye sizes can be downloaded in MOA. Get Free Targets