Long Range Shooting Tips to Make You Look Like a Pro

Shooting a target at 300 yards is fine. Many people can do it without much skill. Being able to shoot accurately at 1,000 yards is a whole other story.

How’s your long range shooting game? More and more people are challenging themselves to shoot like a sniper when target practicing or out in the field hunting. So how do you define long range shooting?

Decades ago, police snipers decided that long range shooting started at 500 yards, but by today’s standard with weapons and ammo that are more accurate and precise, it’s more in the measurement of 1000 yards to be considered “long range.” Challenging yourself to at least 800 yards or more is going to be a new way to expand your skills. Here are some long range shooting tips to make you look like a pro, or at least a little more likely to hit that far off target.

Tip #1: Shoot a Dirty Rifle

Snipers love to shoot a dirty rifle. There’s a reason why they do this. They won’t clean their rifle after 300 rounds and may leave it dirty for the whole season of shooting. It’s better for long distance and accuracy, since after your clean a rifle, a little debris gets left behind which can affect your shot.

Tip #2: Learn Proper Breathing Techniques

Professional shooters have taught themselves to relax and be as calm as possible while shooting. That requires you to learn the proper breathing techniques to make yourself less nervous and in complete control. When you have the breathing down, it’s going to limit the extra motions your body makes that can disturb your shot. Plus, you also want to shoot on empty lungs. Many people make this mistake, and take a huge deep breath before shooting, which expands your stomach and puts you in the wrong position to make the shot.

Tip #3: Understand the Wind

The way the wind is moving is going to affect your shot. It’s at the worst for your trajectory about ⅔ away from the target. Make adjustments to compensate for this fact. You can purchase a wind meter to determine the exact speed and direction of the wind. That can help you make the proper wind correction.

Tip #4: Make an Even Trigger Pull

Ideally, you want a methodical, steady, and evenly pressured trigger pull. Don’t just slap the trigger and hope for the best. Your groupings will be a mess. It takes some effort to learn how to pull the trigger in just the right even way. That doesn’t mean a super slow trigger pull, just measured and balanced.

Tip #5: Practice Your A** Off

Snipers didn’t get to where they are with accurate shots over a long range by not practicing. Their skills are top-notch for a reason. The more you can get out to shoot and train, the better you’ll be at long distance shooting over time.