Overview
Precision rifle shooting is a discipline built on a small number of interconnected fundamentals. Get them right, and accuracy follows. Get them wrong, and no amount of expensive equipment will compensate. This course teaches those fundamentals correctly — from scratch, without bad habits.
Whether you're a recreational shooter trying to tighten your groups, a hunter wanting confidence at longer ranges, or a new competitor laying the groundwork for PRS or NRL, this course gives you the foundation that everything else builds on. No prior rifle experience is required — only the willingness to learn and the patience to do it right.
Participants demonstrating proficiency will have the opportunity to earn a NRA Rifle Marksmanship Qualification certificate by performing specific courses of fire to standard.
Curriculum
Equipment and Terminology
Identifying and understanding the components and functioning of your rifle system using proper terminology.
Introductory Ballistics
Understanding how your specific bullet behaves over distance through the combination of bullet type and weight, ballistic coefficient, muzzle velocity, barrel length and twist rate, and environmental factors. Building a practical data card for your rifle and ammunition. Understanding the difference between your zero range and your maximum point-blank range.
Wind Reading Fundamentals
Reading wind direction and estimating speed using natural indicators. Applying wind holds and understanding how to adjust your point of aim at various distances.
Optics Setup & Zeroing
Understanding your scope — focal planes, units of measurement (minutes of angle (MOA) vs. milliradians (MRAD)). Proper scope mounting, level reticle alignment, eye relief, parallax adjustment, zeroing methodology, and why a proper and trusted zero is non-negotiable.
Position & Natural Point of Aim
Building a stable prone position using bipods, rear bags, and field-expedient support. Understanding natural point of aim, and why it matters more than most shooters realize.
Target Acquisition and Pre-Shot Routine
Acquiring a proper sight picture and building a consistent pre-shot routine including grip, stock placement, and cheek weld.
Breathing, Trigger Control & Follow-Through
Understanding natural respiratory pause and syncing your respiratory cycle with your shot timing, executing a clean trigger break without disturbing your sight picture, and follow-through — the skills that when done improperly ruin more shots than anything else.
Shot Calling & Self-Diagnosis
Knowing where your shot went before it impacts the target by what your reticle was doing at the moment of firing — and using it to diagnose your own errors.
Practical Application
Applying all fundamentals in a structured shooting session with coached repetition at progressively longer distances.
What to Bring
- Any centerfire bolt-action or semi-automatic rifle
- 150–200 rounds of factory ammunition (your primary load)
- A quality riflescope (or red dot — we'll work with what you have)
- Bipod or front support (sandbag acceptable)
- Rear bag (strongly recommended)
- Eye and ear protection
Who This Course Is For
- Complete beginners who want to start precision rifle correctly
- Recreational shooters who want to understand why their groups aren't tightening
- Hunters who want to be confident at practical hunting distances
- New or aspiring PRS/NRL competitors building their foundation
