Rifles

This article shows what scopes and scope mounts/rings the competitive rifle shooters were running at this year’s Nightforce ELR Steel Challenge in Casper, Wyoming. That is a one-of-a-kind, 2-day, flagship match with 20+ stages featuring targets from 720 to 2,091 yards. The average target distance is year was 1,180 yards, with 70% of the targets beyond 1,000 yards! When you’re reaching out to that kind of distance your scope and mount must be rock-solid! This article is based on a survey of 100+ competitors and shares what brands and models these guys trusted to make first-round hits.

Over the past few weeks, I surveyed over 100 shooters who competed in this year’s Nightforce Extended Long Range Steel Challenge in Wyoming. I know a lot of you had questions about calibers, scopes and other gear guys were using, so I put together a survey, and the match director, Scott Satterlee, sent it to all the competitors. Over 100 shooters completed the survey, including 85% of the guys who finished in the top 25 overall. Thanks to all the guys who took the time to share. One of the fun things about the NF ELR match is it has ...

I recently spent a couple of months behind Accuracy International's new AXSR rifle chambered in 300 Norma Mag, firing almost 500 rounds. I used to cinch a top 5 finish in a flagship, national-level ELR match, but it wasn't all rosey! This is my 100% honest, full disclosure, hands-on review of the AI AXSR rifle platform, with all the details you could ever want to know!

This article focuses on how quickly the lands of a rifle barrel usually erode, especially for mid-sized cartridges that are popular in precision rifle matches. It also explains how many shooters try to manage their seating depth and bullet jump over the life of the barrel. These are topics don't seem to get much attention and are rarely discussed in any comprehensive format, so hopefully it provides some useful information and tips. The article also poses some questions that might make us rethink priorities when it comes to managing bullet jump, at least when applying the concepts to some specific shooting disciplines where you might fire 100-200 rounds over the course of a weekend.

American Precision Arms makes one of the most popular muzzle brakes among the top-ranked precision rifle shooters – and they just released a new design that made it ever better! This post covers the 3 big features that are important to precision rifle shooters, including an innovative way to help you stay on target and spot your impacts.

This article covers the shooting bags that the top precision rifle shooters in the country are running in long-range competitions, which has changed a ton in the past couple years! It’s based on a recent survey I conducted of the top-ranked shooters across the country in both the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) and National Rifle League (NRL). (Learn more about the PRS & NRL). This is a very unique data set, because it includes a wide sample size (170+ shooters) who also happen to be the leading experts in the field. (View all the What The Pros Use articles) There ...

This article covers the bipods and tripods the top 170+ precision rifle shooters in the country are running. It’s based on a recent survey I conducted of the top 125 shooters in the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) and top 50 shooters in the National Rifle League (NRL), which are points-race leagues based on the biggest long-range, field-based rifle matches across the country. These results are from a wide sample of the most elite marksmen and experts in the field. (View other “What The Pros Use” articles) Rifle Bipod I’ve been surveying the top precision rifle competitors in country for several ...

This article covers the muzzle brakes and suppressors the top 170+ precision rifle shooters in the country are running. It’s based on a recent survey I conducted of the top 125 shooters in the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) and top 50 shooters in the National Rifle League (NRL), which are points-race leagues based on the biggest long-range, field-based rifle matches across the country. This data is very unique, because it is a wide sample of the most elite marksmen and experts in the field. (View other “What The Pros Use” articles) Muzzle Brake or Suppressor? Every precision rifleman faces the ...

This article will focus on the gunsmiths the top precision rifle competitors in the country are using. I recently surveyed the top ranked shooters in both the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) and the National Rifle League (NRL) to learn what gear they’re running in long range rifle matches. (Learn about the PRS & NRL and who I surveyed.) This data represents over 150 of the best precision rifle shooters in the country. (View other What The Pros Use articles) It’s especially important with this topic to start with a balanced perspective: If a gunsmith is on this list, they are ...

I’ve heard a couple of the most respected shooters in the world recommend the first step to make a rifle more accurate should be upgrading the trigger and after that upgrade the barrel. In fact, this week I read an interview with Daniel Horner, a guy who was on the Army Marksmanship Unit forever and won the national 3 gun championship many times. He was asked, “What’s the first modification that you’d make on any platform?” and he said “The trigger, without a doubt. Gotta have a good trigger.” The barrel has a more direct/mechanical influence on precision, but they ...