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When you hear the term “long-range shooting,” a few things might come to mind. Big rifles, bigger scopes, and probably a competition shooter buried behind a steel barricade somewhere in the American Southwest. What probably doesn’t come to mind is a vineyard in Southern California, a hunting rifle, and a group of down-to-earth people stretching their shots from 250 out to 1,250 yards. But that’s exactly what Practical Precision 101 turned out to be.
Hosted at a private ranch somewhere in Southern California (for the privacy of the rancher and guests, we’ll keep the vineyard’s name off the record), this two-day course was run by South Coast Long Gunner, with Ryan Burns as the primary instructor. Burns — backed by the ranch owner and his range safety officers — put together a class that didn’t require a competition-ready rifle or a physics degree to follow. Instead, it was focused on giving students a working knowledge of the principles behind long-range shooting and helping them explore the real capabilities of their rifles.
Students were forced to get creative when it came to establishing shooting positions.
A Grounded Start
Like any good long range shooting course, we started with a safety brief. Burns made it clear that safety was non-negotiable and walked everyone through the protocols for both individual shooters and the firing line as a whole. With that squared away, we shifted focus to the first real task of the course: getting our rifles zeroed at 100 yards.
For many of us, that’s where our familiarity with our rifles began and ended. Burns challenged that right off the bat. “Most of you have been using your rifles as 200-yard tools,” he said. “But they’re capable of so much more.”
The rest of the weekend would serve as proof of that. Day one was all about building the foundation, which included zeroing the optics, understanding scope adjustments, and getting familiar with the mechanics of long range shooting. Day two would stretch that foundation to the edge, with targets ranging from 250 yards all the way out to 1,250.
Special tools, like this inexpensive anemometer, were used to precisely measure wind speed and air temperature.
Beyond the Muzzle
To understand what it takes to hit targets long range shooting, we first had to get our heads around what happens between the muzzle and the target. Burns laid it out simply, “Three things affect your bullet in flight: gravity, the environment, and time.”
Gravity pulls your bullet down the moment it leaves the barrel. The environment encompasses wind, humidity, air pressure, drag, and even the rotation of the earth, which all play a role in steering the bullet off course. Time makes both of those worse by compounding inaccuracies the further it travels. The longer your bullet is in flight, the more it drops and the more the environment can mess with it.
Burns emphasized that we’re not at the mercy of those forces. We can quantify them, dial them into our scopes, and work with them. But to do that, we need to ditch the “set it and forget it” approach.
“Back in the day, people zeroed their scopes, put the caps back on, and never touched them again,” Burns said. “Now we’ve got the tools to adjust our optics dynamically by distance, by wind, by situation.”
Moving from hilltop to hilltop, students had to make shots with elevated heartbeats and heavy breathing.
MOA vs. Mils
One of the first technical conversations we got into was about scope adjustments. Specifically, the difference between MOA (minutes of angle) and Mils (milliradians). Most of us had probably used MOA before without fully understanding its limitations.
Here’s the deal: MOA is an angular unit of measurement, where 1 MOA equals roughly 1 inch at 100 yards. Most scopes adjust in 1/4 MOA increments, which works well in even-number scenarios. But when you’re trying to compensate for odd numbers — like needing 7.3 inches of correction — it quickly turns into a math headache. Add in environmental factors and changing distances, and those fractions become a liability.
Mils, on the other hand, are based on the metric system, which is base 10, and the math stays a lot more consistent across distances. That makes Mils easier to work with, especially under pressure or in less-than-ideal conditions.
Lead instructor Ryan Burns observes the impacts of rounds being sent down range.
DOPE and Ballistics Apps
“DOPE” stands for Data On Previous Engagements, and before smartphones and ballistic solvers, shooters used to keep hand-written DOPE charts based on their range time. But those charts were only as good as the atmospheric conditions they were written under. Change elevation, temperature, or humidity, and your data could fall apart.
That’s where apps like Applied Ballistics and GeoBallistics come in. Feed them good input, such as ammo type, barrel length, and ballistic coefficient, and they’ll give you accurate DOPE for your shot. The key is giving them the right data.
A big part of that data includes understanding drag coefficients, specifically the difference between G1 and G7. G1 is the older model, designed for round-nosed or flat-based bullets like what you’d find in a .22LR or 9mm. G7 applies to modern, boat-tailed, spire-point bullets like 6.5 Creedmoor or match-grade 5.56. These are far more aerodynamic. Think of G1 like a school bus and G7 like a Corvette.
The more accurate your ballistic coefficient entry is, and the better you understand what kind of bullet you’re shooting, the better your app will be at doing the heavy lifting. That’s the science. But reading the wind? That’s the art.
No two firearms were the same, and we were able to get a better understanding of how different builds performed.
Weaponizing Mirage
Burns introduced us to a technique that was new to many of us: watching mirage. Mirage, or the shimmer you see rising off a hot surface, isn’t exclusive to desert illusions. It’s a direct visual indicator of wind. When there’s little to no wind, mirage rises straight up. A slight lean (15 to 30 degrees) means a 4- to 7-mph wind. Mirage at 45 degrees suggests over 10 mph. When it starts flowing parallel to the ground, you’re dealing with over 15-mph wind.
Using mirage to estimate wind speed, especially through a spotting scope or high-magnification optic, adds another layer of control to the long range shooting process. You’re not just guessing anymore. You’re reading the environment in real time.
After the relatively short classroom portion, the rest of the first day was spent ensuring our optics were perfectly zeroed.
Position Matters In Long Range Shooting
In long range shooting, not all shots come from a benchrest. Especially in the hunting world, your shots are more likely to come from awkward terrain, hasty positions, and whatever support you can improvise. Burns walked us through positional shooting basics. A few takeaways that stuck:
• The more of the rifle your body is supporting, the less stable the shot will be.
• Don’t force a position. If you feel tension anywhere in your body, it’ll show up in the shot.
• Avoid “stacking joints,” like elbow joint directly on knee joint. Instead, plant your elbow in the meat of your thigh for greater stability
• Point your toes and hips at the target to square up your base.
He also emphasized the importance of spotting your misses. “Don’t lift your head off the gun,” he told us. “Keep the target in the scope before, during, and after the shot.” One trick he offered was to hold the trigger back after the shot breaks. Often it helps keep your eye behind the glass and prevents you from flinching away from recoil.
Logs and other debris made adequate improvised firing positions.
When a Hunting Rifle Is All You’ve Got
I took the course with a lightweight hunting rifle — a setup designed more for carrying through brush than ringing steel plates at 1,000 yards. My scope had decent clarity but lacked high magnification. My barrel was shorter than what most precision shooters would pick. Basically, my gear wasn’t ideal for this kind of shooting. But that’s where the course shined. Instead of punishing students for their gear choices, it taught them how to make the most of it.
Because my rifle was significantly lighter than the PRS-style rifles others brought, I had to pay close attention to my position. Recoil management was harder. Staying in the scope through the shot was harder. But some of the techniques — like pressing the trigger and holding it to the rear — helped a lot.
My biggest takeaway? Match-grade ammunition makes a difference. Long-range shooting is all about consistency, and consistency starts with your ammo. When everything else is held equal, small inconsistencies in ammo turn into big misses downrange.
Closing Thoughts
By the end of the weekend, we were hitting steel out past 1,000 yards — some of us with rifles that had never been pushed past 200. More than that, we walked away with a new level of confidence, not just in our equipment but in our ability to use it.
Practical Precision 101 lived up to its name. It was practical in the best sense of the word. Focused, grounded, and built for shooters who want to make real improvements. Even if you’re running a high-end precision rifle or a bolt-action you’d use during deer season, the lessons apply. Burns and the South Coast Long Gunner team gave us the tools to push past our own perceived limits — one click, one wind call, one trigger press at a time.
Build Sheet
This is a rifle I intend to use on future hunting trips. The lighter weight isn’t ideal for PRS-style competitive shooting, but with the right technique, it’s still capable of reaching out and touching targets 1,000 yards away and beyond
- MAKE & MODEL: Faxon FX7 – 20-inch 6.5
- Stock: Grayboe Phoenix 2
- Optic: ZeroTech 3-18X50mm LR Hunter MRAD
- Rings: Warne 1 PC Precision Mount 30mm
- Sling: Magpul MS1 QDM
- Bipod: Spartan Pro Hunt
- Ammo: Black Hills Ammunition – 147-Grain ELD Match
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Editor's Note: This article has been modified from its original version for the web.