Precision Rifle Marksmanship: The Fundamentals - A Marine Sniper's Guide to Long Range Shooting. Frank Galli
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three headlines, and only these three first, the rest you can consider decoration for the cake. The wind is the most significant equalizing factor; we have to manage the wind. Why do I put it first? It’s something we consider even if we are not shooting a target. When I am driving out to the range, I am looking at the wind. We have wind flags on the highways where I live. So, wind should be our number one consideration.
Target, or what are we shooting at? Until we have a target, we don’t need to worry about the other factors; however, once a target appears, we need to know the range to that target. The range tells us what DOPE, or data, we need to input into our sights to get the hit. This is where understanding ballistics comes into play. Without getting too deep, of course, because that alone is a rabbit hole.
Lastly and importantly, the Fundamentals of marksmanship. We used to say at the Rifles Only range when I was instructing there: “There is not a single shooting solution that cannot be solved with the proper application of the fundamentals of marksmanship.” It goes back in time to the beginning of rifle shooting. It is knowing how to apply the correct fundamentals as well as where to compromise, trading off and indexing to maximize the outcome in your favor.
In this case, the fundamentals become automatic. We want them to be in our subconscious, so we don’t have to think about them unless one is being compromised. How do we make them subconscious? Through repetition. In sports science, some say it takes 3,000 repetitions to build a positive neural pathway, and 10,000 repetitions to fix a bad habit. That is a lot of effort put into a hobby. This is the mindset. It’s not just a case of practice that makes perfect, but perfect practice makes perfect.
I write online a lot about putting in the effort. Many new shooters, especially in today’s world, are trying to buy a hit. And by purchasing a hit, I don’t mean buying an expensive rifle or the best scope they can afford. I mean replacing practice for a product. Thinking, “If I only had this specific tool, shooting would be so much easier.” Yes, if you focus on a particular case, within a specific situation, an individual device can make things easier. But it doesn’t make you better. You traded becoming a marksman for being an applicator. Marksmanship requires the application of a series of methods; it’s not about the use of an individual item.
Your only limitation is your imagination. Don’t be afraid to experiment; to climb on high when looking for a solution.
Take the time to go out and put theory into practice. Go out and shoot, then record the information. When you go out to shoot again, see if the results change. When they do, note the cause. As I stated, it’s a thinking man’s sport and needs to be addressed like chess more so than a game of checkers.
I see this book as an extension of my classes. I teach what could only be described as full time. I see a wide variety of students across varied platforms. Even though each student is unique, my goal is to make precision rifle clones. I want each person, operating within his or her means to execute the firing task consistently. Consistency is king when it comes to accuracy and precision. Look at it like this, we call it trigger control, not trigger slap, or trigger tap, or trigger crush. The word control is in the definition.
To expand on the techniques covered in this book, head over to the Sniper’sHide.com website. We have an active forum with thousands of topics every single day. The resources found in the forum are priceless. It is like-minded people crunching numbers and digging more profoundly than ever before. That is why precision rifle shooting is changing so rapidly.
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Teaching Precision
Rifle Excellence
One of the objectives in my precision rifle classes is to guide the shooters on their precision rifle journeys. After all, this is a journey, as the sport is continually changing. New equipment changes the game monthly. Different teaching techniques and adapting to the changing demographic landscape have forced us to move in a variety of directions. It’s a lot of ground to navigate, which is why it is important to have a guide.
The world is full of good-bad shooters: Guys who have learned to adapt their bad habits along with the right equipment and have found some limited success. Talking with other instructors, we see a lot of people looking to shortcut the system by learning the tips and tricks before the trade. Rather than trying to purchase success, one should evolve, become a more well-rounded marksman through training.
Going hands-on with a student is important to the author when teaching. It’s about adjusting the shooter and answering the “why.”
From setting up the rifle to the shooter, and tweaking the individual’s body position, it’s critical to understand how each move changes the results downrange.
Training comes in many forms. There is education you get from a book. There is hands-on instruction. And there is also experience in the way of competition. Any one of these alone is better than nothing, but combining them is divine. A lot of shooters learn by mimicking what they see in images. While the context might be lost, the position looks good enough, so they run with it. Shooting is broken up into disciplines, and those disciplines can have their context for success. We cross-pollinate a lot, however. And understanding the “why” is important.
The why is vital in the age of the Internet. Videos can be edited for success, images can be staged, it all needs a critical eye to weed out the good from the bad. During the breaks in my class, I play a video that has me shooting my precision rifle. The technique has to be impeccable, the hits on target are impressive, but it’s a bit of a lie. It’s two videos stitched together, and I explain this in class. You can make anything look impressive if you have some skills. While the video appears seamless, it is actually of two different ranges shot years apart. The color is corrected to match, and the cuts are done in a way the casual observer has a hard time noticing missing clues. It’s easy to get fooled online. Know the “why,” and nobody will get over on you.
Step out of your comfort zone. Take a class from a well-established facility or instructor. Go hands-on and then reinforce what you learned in competition. Local or national, it makes no difference. Get out and shoot against others where the rules are written by someone else. We rarely set ourselves up to fail; this fact limits our ability to learn on our own.
Competition is a different animal from training, which should be designed to establish your technique. A match will demonstrate to you how to apply those skills. The beauty of the competition circuit is it will be different enough from most training that you will instantly see the need to attend more than one competition to nail down its unique set of skills. In a match, it’s all about getting into and out of position efficiently while maintaining your focus to get your hits on target. It’s more about your movement, which will then shine a light on the level of your training.
Don’t be afraid to manage the shooter based on physical limitations. Moving a shooter to a bench can be the right answer even when the majority of the class is shooting prone.
There is a ton of equipment to assist you in a match. Everything from the caliber you choose, to the stock on your rifle, and the bags you carry, will matter. Stay tight and stripped down in the beginning, don’t default to these tools. Instead, focus on you and the techniques you employ. Your first three matches should involve employing the bare minimum equipment necessary. It will not be pretty, but get over it; you’ll thank me later.
Local, one-day matches are the breeding grounds for success. Many of them are within a two-hour drive and come with no strings attached. Find one and hit it with eyes wide open. Get involved