I'm retired police and was Security Police in the USAF Reserves, but other than shooting an AR from 100 yds once every quarter or less, never got into Sniper type training because other agencies always handled it.  I keep seeing shows on what all the snipers learn and the science seems interesting.  I'd like to learn some of the principles for fun and to make my long distance shooting better, especially with my old eyes.

I can't afford one of these tack driver sniper designed rifles, nor probably the ammo (if I could even find any) so curious how to use what I have (AR, Lever action 30-30, .22 Squirrel rifle) and maybe when things calm down with all the gun restriction bigots, I can look into some of the more exotic rifles.  I've seen numerous "Sniper" books out there and some videos too, but have no idea if any of them are good (I've had guitar instruction videos that stunk!).  Was wondering if there are some recommendations to check out?  I've been shooting since I was a kid and shot the AR very well at 100 yds, but the range was never any longer, so not even a way to try, and my department didn't like "Outside" training, but I'm retired now so can try and have some fun.

I'd like to maybe try some of the long distance matches some day, maybe like the CMP (If there are any Garands left and I can find ammo that doesn't require me to take a 2nd mortgage-LOL) especially if Kalifornia, etc, takes away our AR's, so looking for something that describes equipment, etc, and what all those toys do that the sniper/spotter use to figure out how to hit that little blurry dot WAY off in the distance?  One of the ranges, that's about 1 hour+ away has/had a USMC Sniper Vet working there, so I figure I can probably bug him some, but can't really afford the drive and class, so something I can view at home on DVD and/or read that will explain all the cool toys I need and will probably never be able to afford! (LOL)

Not looking to be the next long distance shooting champ, just have a better understanding and maybe give the competitions a shot.

Thanks in advance.

I started with a simple 10/22 and saved a little money and after puttin $50-$100 here and there into it I slowly upgraded the entire rifle. That taught me why we need certain types of components to shoot better and how they work together such as the trigger ,free floating the barrel  using match ammo and optics. You will see improvements as you change out components. Every shooter will be different in their style You have to find out what works for you by shooting thousands of rounds and a 22lr is perfect for that start at 25 or 50 yds and set goals to reach 100+. You can find a sub MOA rifle on the market for around $600 such as the Savage 10fp or weatherby vanguard  If you can get into reloading it will help to save you money VS Match grade mass produced ammo and you can cusomize it to your rifle.My 308WIN that I built I spent $700 on it and put a bushnell 5-15 ET on it 6month later for $400  later I upgraded the stock/muzzle brake and scope mounts. It will out shoot me at .3in groups at 100yds w my handloads out of a vise, and .5-.75in groups off of my bipod .It takes time / patience and a lot of practice. I also learned alot on youtube and through forums.

If you are looking to stretch your rifle out to 400-500 yards with the gear you already have, this is a great read: http://www.thenewrifleman.com/learning-to-shoot

There's a devildog on youtube who has a nice series of videos showing how he takes a stock Remingon 700 SPS and builds it up on the cheap. For instance, if you don't want to spend $400+ upgrading and bedding a new stock, he shows how to shim the crappy SPS stock to at least get proper barrel free-float. He also shows how to bed the scope base, and other little tricks. I was planning on following along with a rifle build, but I ended up buying rifle from a local precision shooting instructor.

Went ahead and looked up the link for you: Video series

I did my first long-range class (Designated Marksman Rifle, actually) with my 6.5 Grendel, and it performed beautiful at the 600 meters we shot to.
You don't have to spend a ton of money on a 20" Grendel upper, and can save money because you use the lower you already own.  You might need to fool around with buffer weight, but overall it's an easy configuration.  I love the round because it performs very well at medium range (much better than the 5.56) and has little recoil (much less than the 7.62.)
Ammo availability is a concern, but it's a concern with any caliber you invest in these days, except for some of the less popular ones.  Heck, I can buy .358 Win ammo all day long...





ETA - just re-read your original post, OP.   Can't help you with the Kommifornia issue.  I like the Grendel in an AR-15, but I'd go with a .260 Rem or a 6.5 Creedmore in a bolt gun.  I think the 6.5mm bullets are superior overall to the .30 for for long-range precision shooting.