A Data-Driven Approach To Precision Rifles, Optics & Gear
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What The Pros Use

This is hard data on what gear the best precision rifle shooters in the country are using. Each year, we ask the top-ranked precision rifle competitors about what equipment and gear they run (like cartridge, scope, stock, barrel, gunsmith, and a bunch of other items). These posts are the results of those annual surveys, along with deep-dives from some of the top shooters.

G1 BC vs G7 BC vs Bullet-Specific Drag Models

G1 vs G7

“In the past 4-5 years we’ve made quantum leaps when it comes to predicting bullet trajectories.” –Dave Emary, Ballistician Ever wonder why you center punch targets at some distances, but your dope is a couple clicks off at other distances? Maybe your shots are dead on at 600 yards but off at 1000 yards, or vice versa. In those scenarios we often blame the rifle, scope, ammo, or ourselves, but is our firing solution as accurate as it should be? This article gives practical insight into some important nuances of predicting bullet trajectory, and shows what drag models the top ...

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Ballistic App – What The Pros Use

Ballistic App

Ever wondered what ballistic app the best shooters use? Here are the answers! This article covers the ballistic apps the top precision rifle shooters are running to calculate their firing solutions for first-round hits at long range. The data is 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 represent the leading experts in the field. (View all ...

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Best Rangefinder – What The Pros Use

Best Rangefinder

This article covers the rangefinders the top precision rifle shooters in the country carry in long-range competitions. This is the first year I’ve asked about rangefinders, so it was exciting to see which brands these experts trust to give them an accurate target distances. The data is 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 represent the ...

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Best Shooting Bags – What The Pros Use

Best Rear Bag

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 ...

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Rifle Bipods & Tripods – What The Pros Use

Best Rifle Bipod

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 ...

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Best Muzzle Brakes & Suppressors – What The Pros Use

Best Suppressor

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 ...

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Top Precision Rifle Gunsmiths – Who The Pros Use

Best Rifle Gunsmith

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 ...

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Best Trigger – What The Pros Use

Remington Trigger

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 ...

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Most Popular Rifle Chassis & Stocks

Best Rifle Stock

Rifle chassis and stocks continue to advance at a rapid pace, as creative entrepreneurs bring new products to market and every company is in an arms race to release new features that allow us to get more steady from barricades or other improvised shooting positions. Stocks and chassis have become serious tools in the hands of a marksmen, and they can provide a competitive advantage if you know what you’re doing. Never in history has there been more competition in this space, and in the end that means we as shooters all win! I recently surveyed the top ranked shooters ...

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Best Rifle Barrel – What The Pros Use

Most Accurate Rifle Barrel

Barrels are deceptively simple, yet crucial to the precision required for long-range shooting. I once visited the shop of Benchrest Hall of Famer Cecil Tucker and I recognized a unique opportunity to learn from a legend. So I asked him the million dollar question: “What is the most important thing when it comes to precision rifles?” Cecil didn’t hesitate. He seemed to have been preparing his whole life to answer that elusive question, and it was on the tip of his tongue: “The barrel and the bullet.” Deceptively simple. Retired Army Ranger Sniper, Ryan Cleckner, explains “just as the receiver is the main part of the rifle for legal purposes, the barrel is the main part of the rifle for accuracy purposes. ...

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