Review: Long Range Marksmanship May 2018: Greg
I had the opportunity to attend the LRMS course taught by John Flynn, and the one word that I can use to describe the class is confidence. The concepts and practical experience that was gained in just 2 days gave me an enormous confidence boost with long range marksmanship. There was also ample opportunity to “stress test” my gear and determine which I could confidently depend upon to perform consistently. Most importantly our instructor John was extremely proficient and an excellent teacher who instilled confidence in our ability to use this knowledge to “put steel on steel” successfully.
I truly am a novice when it comes to marksmanship and had only shot out to 100 yards on a square range before this class. I had huge reservations about signing up for this training due to my inexperience. However, the classroom preparation and subsequent drills that John took us through ingrained the fundamentals. By the end of day 2 much to my amazement I was consistently hitting targets out to the 1000 yard mark! Although rumor had it that Max was in the background ringing a gong that sounded like the targets we were hitting. Of course John was always assisting with dialing in the scope and correction so were not left to mere guessing. Overall I went from zero confidence to the realization that LRM is not impossible with the right training and practice.
Just like every MVT class I had the benefits of using my equipment in the field to determine what worked and what turned out to be expensive, unreliable scrap. John knew equipment very well with his prior experience and made recommendations prior to the start. It became evident that MIL dot was more popular than MOA for scope gradients, however John provided formulas that worked for either. I also learned the importance of a scope level as you can’t always trust the background for leveling. Also a good bipod is key as cheaper versions made for a very unstable platform. Surprisingly what I thought would make for poor shooting, an 18 inch barrel on a AR-10 platform actually turned out to not be such a big deal. I was reminded of how essential good equipment makes that long distance shot so much more accurate and the ammo costs much less.
What can I say except Max knows how to pick only the best cadre and the benefits far outweigh the price of the course. Since John was a prior sniper who taught snipers how to shoot, the knowledge base and way that he was able to break down the concepts was to a level that even I could understand. He was always positive and encouraging whether we were shooting, spotting, determining distance or wind estimation. I absolutely took away from this training how much of a force multiplier a good marksman can become in any tactical team. The affects of reaching out and touching the enemy at a thousand yards or longer has got to wreak psychological havoc on their collective psyche. Even better if every member of the team has trained and perfected this skill set.
Thank you John for the excellent training and for opening up a whole new world of the long range marksmanship shooting art. Thanks Max for the top notch tactical training that you offer at MVT for a civilian who would never otherwise have any clue how to do anything other than the square range.
Greg