Long Range Shooting Schools and Instruction

Hmm, I've been looking at the RFMA courses and the requirements to attend. It's reasonably close to me, and my wife has been encouraging me to do it.

I'd like to enroll for the first course next summer. None of my rifles are ideal, I have to figure something out.

My best suited rifle is a .308 and has a fixed 10x (M40a1 clone with mst100) mounted on it. Would I be wasting my time using a rifle like this? I haven't shot it beyond 600 yds.

I could pull the optic, mount the action in a more versatile stock with a bipod, and put a more user-friendly scope on it...

Maybe I should just email them and ask.

And in the meantime I need to dust it off and get some practice in.
 
If your M40 has a sling swivel stud put a Harris under it. 10x is not a bad place to start. It you get a chance to aim someone’s 20-30x you’ll see how the exaggerated movement can be difficult to deal with at first.
 
Hmm, I've been looking at the RFMA courses and the requirements to attend. It's reasonably close to me, and my wife has been encouraging me to do it.

I'd like to enroll for the first course next summer. None of my rifles are ideal, I have to figure something out.

My best suited rifle is a .308 and has a fixed 10x (M40a1 clone with mst100) mounted on it. Would I be wasting my time using a rifle like this? I haven't shot it beyond 600 yds.

I could pull the optic, mount the action in a more versatile stock with a bipod, and put a more user-friendly scope on it...

Maybe I should just email them and ask.

And in the meantime I need to dust it off and get some practice in.
That rifle will be fine as long as it has a 20 MOA rail.
10X is more than enough for the scope.

Cat
 
If your M40 has a sling swivel stud put a Harris under it. 10x is not a bad place to start. It you get a chance to aim someone’s 20-30x you’ll see how the exaggerated movement can be difficult to deal with at first.
It doesn't have a stud. I have an a5 setup that checks all the boxes except caliber. I could swap the .308 into that stock and be good to go.

I'm familiar with variable power optics, I'd probably use a 6-24x if I were to reconfigure a rifle for the course.

Just need to decide how I want to go about it I guess.
 
It doesn't have a stud. I have an a5 setup that checks all the boxes except caliber. I could swap the .308 into that stock and be good to go.

I'm familiar with variable power optics, I'd probably use a 6-24x if I were to reconfigure a rifle for the course.

Just need to decide how I want to go about it I guess.
Right on. Looking forward to hearing how it goes.
 
Hmm, I've been looking at the RFMA courses and the requirements to attend. It's reasonably close to me, and my wife has been encouraging me to do it.

I'd like to enroll for the first course next summer. None of my rifles are ideal, I have to figure something out.

My best suited rifle is a .308 and has a fixed 10x (M40a1 clone with mst100) mounted on it. Would I be wasting my time using a rifle like this? I haven't shot it beyond 600 yds.

I could pull the optic, mount the action in a more versatile stock with a bipod, and put a more user-friendly scope on it...

Maybe I should just email them and ask.

And in the meantime I need to dust it off and get some practice in.
Man, you will be doing just fine with that 10x MST 100. I attended the class with my M40A5 with a 12X scope on it and I used 10x most of the time and still beated out every other classmate from the friendly competition at the end of the class shooting 1000M. One of the instructor was issed with a MST 100 before and he will be impressed and feeling nostalgic if you bring a MST 100 to the class. You gonna have a great time out there!
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I just saw a post by Linda about a course they ran for the EPS, so I assume they are 🙂
Cat
if they focus on PS they may not have time for civvies, i guess i’ll reach out after new years and see what’s cooking,
any approximation to their location? map search puts them in the north west corner of the Hudson bay
 
if they focus on PS they may not have time for civvies, i guess i’ll reach out after new years and see what’s cooking,
any approximation to their location? map search puts them in the north west corner of the Hudson bay
They teach everything.
They are in the Peterborough area of Ontario.
I think their website has both Linda's and Keith's email addresses for contact .
Cat
 
Hmm, I've been looking at the RFMA courses and the requirements to attend. It's reasonably close to me, and my wife has been encouraging me to do it.

I'd like to enroll for the first course next summer. None of my rifles are ideal, I have to figure something out.

My best suited rifle is a .308 and has a fixed 10x (M40a1 clone with mst100) mounted on it. Would I be wasting my time using a rifle like this? I haven't shot it beyond 600 yds.

I could pull the optic, mount the action in a more versatile stock with a bipod, and put a more user-friendly scope on it...

Maybe I should just email them and ask.

And in the meantime I need to dust it off and get some practice in.


Yea, your 308 is more than capable to 1000m.

Was at a marksman challenge at the end of October and out of all the cals the one 308 placed 1st. Many 6.5 CM, a few 300, some 338, 300prc, 7raum. Was a balmy +/- 20 km crosswind so the pack was set apart by those that could read the wind the best.
 
I was chatting with one of the instructors yesterday and his opinion was that I'd be at a disadvantage using my 10x. I knew that going into the conversation, I'm not very good at range estimation with a coarse mil dot reticle!

I'll likely pull the barreled action and swap it into my McMillan a5 mostly because it has provision for mounting a bipod.

Then I need to decide on optic. I have a Bushnell 6-24 that I really like but its certainly not in the same league as what some folks are using. Advantage over my 10x is ease of rangefinding with the mrad reticle.

Booked in for the July Rifle 1 course.
 
I was chatting with one of the instructors yesterday and his opinion was that I'd be at a disadvantage using my 10x. I knew that going into the conversation, I'm not very good at range estimation with a coarse mil dot reticle!
I find this very interesting. Did he mention the scope power specifically would be a disadvantage or the reticle type you have? The reason I ask is I shoot Target Rifle, and regularly shoot at a 3MOA plate at 1K, or a target rifle target with a black aiming point of 44 inches.
Cat

 
No, I don't think that was was what he was getting at, I think it was the fact that it's a mildot reticle in an old style scope.

I could be wrong but the impression I've gotten is the course might be an introduction to range estimation with math, so a good mrad/moa setup would definitely make that less painful than estimating football sized dots in your eyepiece.

He stressed repeatability in the optic. Other than that, sounded like a good guy, sent me his number and said to call if I had more questions (I did, and turns out I called just as he was finishing dinner)

He told me whatever I end up bringing to the course, bring my m40 along too because he said it'd be cool to check it out haha.
 
No, I don't think that was was what he was getting at, I think it was the fact that it's a mildot reticle in an old style scope.

I could be wrong but the impression I've gotten is the course might be an introduction to range estimation with math, so a good mrad/moa setup would definitely make that less painful than estimating football sized dots in your eyepiece.

He stressed repeatability in the optic. Other than that, sounded like a good guy, sent me his number and said to call if I had more questions (I did, and turns out I called just as he was finishing dinner)

He told me whatever I end up bringing to the course, bring my m40 along too because he said it'd be cool to check it out haha.
Excellent, I was wondering , thanks for the clarification!
Cat
 
For sure what you have will work.

What is your goal for the course? Shoot better longer range, hunting, or getting into long range??

If you are getting into long range shooting, then I would build, buy one and you will get to use it, and be set up for it. If you need an excuse to get a rifle. $5K for rifle then some nice glass $3-$4K then ammo to shoot it. There are some nice used rigs on here for decent pricing as well.

If its just for getting better at shooting/hunting long distance then use what you have and get to know it better. Just limit to 5 shot strings on the carbon barrel. What I found I can get away with before too much heat. Get one of those portable air mattress pumps and you can run that between strings for quicker cooling.

I have something like this in my range bag for summer shooting, with a 2 ft clear tubing attached so the pump can sit near and tube into the chamber. Works great.

AKSOUL Portable Air Pump for Inflatables: 3600mAh Rechargeable Battery Powered & AA Battery Powered, Electric Inflator & Deflator for Pool Inflatable Camping Air Mattress (Basic/Upgraded)​

My goal is to explore long range shooting and to transfer those skills over to hunting. I am also interested in learning the proper techniques from the beginning. Never really had any proper training before.

The portable pump seems like a good idea...thanks for the tip.
 
I've been competing in archery Field (80y) and FITA (90m) over 17 years, and after several titles in Canada and Ontario - and my drawers full with dozens of medals - I could still not officially train (for competition) anybody for club level - because I have not finished any courses for that task ?!!!
I've seen also trainers all over the clubs around me, without any "credentials" but finished these "trainer courses" and now walking tall.

Shooting PCP airguns now, in a gun club, and I am a large volume shooter with about 8-10 K shots in average year.
Punching paper at 50 and 100 meter rings, training and practising - and competing with myself only ... because in close proximity no clubs or individuals that gather around this BR sport with airguns.

To OP... also other folks along the interest...
Do not under estimate PCP airguns shooting. One of the best for training and practice and the knowledge is straight transparent to long range and f-class. 2-300 hundred shots a week - or a modest thousand shots a month - can and will place you well in a perspective.
Again, I am not talking canadian tire/wallmart level plinker toys, but real PCP air rifles, YES, some of these toys can cost as an average cruse vacation, but shooting a can of pellets a day @ 50 or @ 100 - is priceless (and costs like a McDonald burger meal). A lot of learning curve, especially if you have access to gun club organized=controlled level ranges.

Everything is in building up a "muscle memory" .... and a ring is a ring, no matter how far out is.

just my 2c ;)
 
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You bet. I learned quite a bit from sub 500 fps 10M air pistol that you had to aim “forever” because of the exaggerated dwell time.
 
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