In the world of long-range precision shooting, the right scope can make all the difference. There have been DRAMATIC shifts in what scopes are most popular among the top PRS shooters over the past 5 years – more than any other piece of gear! In fact, the brands that now lead the pack were towards the bottom of the list last time I surveyed the pros. Curious about the specific models and reticles they trust? Dive into the surprising trends and find out why these optics make all the difference.
Read More »Austin Buschman – What The Pros Use: Top Shooter Spotlight
This article takes a deep dive with the reigning Precision Rifle Series (PRS) Season Champion and World Champion Austin Buschman. Austin shares every single detail about the competition rifle that he used to win both of those titles. Learn which stock, barrel, scope, action, bipod, trigger, and everything else he used to get into the winner’s circle. The article also provides insight into why Austin chose the gear he did and why he feels it gives him the best shot at winning. There are several shooting/strategy tips shared, which makes this article a must-read!
Read More »Wyoming ELR Scopes & Mounts – What The Pros Use
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.
Read More »Accuracy International AXSR Review
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!
Read More »Best Scope – What The Pros Use
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.) This group of over 150 competitors represent the best precision rifle shooters in the country. This post focuses on the optics these guys ran, along with some advice they gave related to long range scopes. Most Popular Scope Brands Lots has changed since the last time I published info on what scopes these guys run. In 2012, 2013, and 2014 Schmidt and Bender ...
Read More »Extreme Long Range Tips 4: The Less Technical Challenges
This is the last post in a series highlighting the major challenges related to extreme long range (ELR) shooting. Along the way I’ve shared a few tips and products to help you overcome those challenges. I grouped topics into a few categories, and here is what we’ve covered so far: Optics & Mounts – Accounting for an extreme amount of bullet drop Spotting Shots & Ranging – Seeing your bullet impact and getting an accurate range Ballistics & Time of Flight – Advanced/unique things that happen when a bullet stays in the air for a long time In this post, ...
Read More »Extreme Long Range Tips 1: Optics & Mounts
When shooting targets at extreme distances (like 2000+ yards), you’ll quickly uncover some new obstacles. A few factors that could be safely ignored inside of 1000 yards become critical to getting rounds on target. You’ll face new equipment challenges that may not be obvious at first glance. As your bullet’s time of flight extends up 3 seconds, and possibly even up to 6+ seconds, priorities shift. Everything is important, but to differing degrees. In this post, I’ll start by focusing issues you’ll face surrounding optics. That certainly isn’t the biggest challenge when it comes to ELR, but there are some ...
Read More »What The Pros Use – King of 2 Miles Edition
Earlier this week I traveled to watch the King of 2 Miles rifle competition (Ko2M) at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico. It’s one of the few matches where great shooters from across the country gather to push the limits of what is possible with small arms as they engage targets out to 2 miles (3,520 yards). It was interesting to see what the top shooters were using in terms of equipment and gear, and I’ll share a summary of that in this post. In subsequent posts, I’ll go into more detail on some of the issues these ...
Read More »300 Norma Mag Custom ELR Rifle
I’m sharing a series of posts on ELR shooting, but I didn’t want to jump from the long-range rifles in mid-size 6mm and 6.5mm cartridges that I normally talk about straight into the extreme, super-high-performance 375+ caliber rifles used to engage targets at 2+ miles. Instead of just presenting the extremes, I thought it’d be helpful to first share a rifle setup that is somewhere in between. Then in later posts I’ll get into the more specialized setups used to push the boundaries of what is possible with shoulder-fired rifles. In this post, I’ll share the details of a rifle ...
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