After reading through the posts in this area of the website, I've concluded (right or wrong) that for handgun training, the top 3 are Costa, Haley, and Magpul. Can someone educate me on the top 3 for Precision Rifle? There are dozens of training facilities in the US and it can be overwhelming calling each one for information and credentials, let alone schedules, just trying to narrow down my choices to the most popular, most respected trainers by my ARFCOM peers.

many thanks

My personal favorite for the long shot is Iron Brigade Armory.  Col Chandler knows his stuff and his adjunct instructors are top rate.

www.ironbrigadearmory.com

Other welll respected trainers/ schools:

GPS
Spartan Tactical - Jim Smith
Rifles Only
Magpul Dynamics - Caylen Wojcik

For my money, it is tough to beat Thunder Ranch (Clint & Heidi Smith).

Best does not equal who may be "popular" at the moment.   Just something to ponder.

Your post is vague.  Your background and your expectations would go a long way in pointing you at some good choices.

Rifles Only

Magpul Dynamics - Caylen Wojcik

Magpul
riflesonly
jim smith
storm mountian

if you can
todd hodnett

North Texas Rifle Precision and Rifles Only

I agree.  Best "Precision Rifle" training can mean a lot of things depending on your background, experience and expectations.  The "best" for someone with zero experience may or may not be the "best" for someone with an extensive background.

Thinking through your expectations will not only help you pick the best school for you, but will also allow you to get the most out of the school you do choose.

....I'd also have to undedrstand the background of anyone recommending their perceived "best".  Is their recommendation based on actually training with a broad spectrum of instructors?...or on one experience?...or on someone else's opinions from some internet forum?....or better yet from watching a DVD?

Rogers Shooting School doesn't make the list of best handgun??

Precision Applications, LLC

Run by a former USMC Scout/Sniper and SWAT Sniper/Sniper Instructor..........who happens to be me, so I'm a bit biased!  

Semper Fi!

PS:
I've attended Sniper Training at Thunder Ranch, Gunsite and Blackwater USA that were all top-notch.  I've heard some very, very good things from folks I trust about some great training at SigArms.  Heard good things about Rifles Only and Tiger Valley, but not from anyone that I know personally and can vouch for their word.  I haven't heard anything bad about any of the schools or Instructors that folks listed above me here.  I bet you'd be well-served and happy with any of 'em.

One thing I've learned in all my years of taking and teaching firearms classes is don't always go by how famous the Instructor's name is.  I took classes from folks like Ken Hackathorn, Lewis Awerbuck, Rob Leatham and more that were outstanding, everything I thought they were gonna be and more.  Then I took a 1911 Operators class from one of the biggest names in the business and felt he was one of the worst Instructors I have ever seen (military, LE and civilian).  I knew over half the students in the class and they felt the same way.

PPS:  
I've attended Bill Rogers' school more than once........outstanding handgun school.

I have attended precision rifle training and events at Thunder Ranch, Gunsite and Rifles Only, all top tier and were great experiences. Understand many training facilities promote their venue (ranges) as much as their training curriculum. I have been to others also, and would suggest even if you know or understand a topic being taught hearing the subject and training in a different way can also be educational. Sometimes you even walk away thinking well that is not the way to do something, educational also in its own way.

Yep!

http://www.professionalmarksmen.com/jon-weiler.php






 

Not a training company per se, but a great opportunity to come learn or practice precision rifle:

There's an excellent precision rifle clinic run at BoomerShoot in Idaho every year that you can get 3 good days of longer range shooting into if you haven't done it before, with explosive reactionary targets at the end of each day of the clinic, and all-day for the actual day of BoomerShoot...like 1400-1500 explosive targets.  The range is open hilly farmland with targets from 375yds out to 700yds, with very challenging weather conditions at higher elevation.  During the clinic, you spend most of the time on steel targets of varying types, to include 12" poppers at 375-400, 8" poppers, IPSC, & flaggers out to 700yds.  

The guy who runs the clinic ran 1st Special Forces Group's SOTIC Committee (Special Operations Target Interdiction Course, now called SF Sniper) for his last 3 years of service before retiring, and runs a lot of sniper and DMR training for the Stryker Brigades on Fort Lewis.

Assistant Instructors include one of Team Savage's internationally-ranked F-Class shooters, another F-Class and Hi-power guy, and me.  I spent time in 3 different Scout/Sniper Platoons, and received my formal training from guys in 1st SF Group who ran a SOTIC MTT for us when I was on the DMZ in Korea.  I have continued to pursue the skill set and compete in several international team-level sniper competitions, as well as precision rifle matches in the US.

BoomerShoot is a fun event to come learn long-distance shooting, or to test your precision rifle skills on small reactive targets at distance.

BoomerShoot

not sure about the big companies, but some of the better classes i've gone to have been military veterans and police department classes...really in the curriculum

This is great info, thanks for sharing!

My oncly concern now is traveling from Texas with my rifle/ammo with the political climate as it is..

If you take the route through Utah, you're good-to-go.  Biggest place you would have to worry is New Mexico, and I can think of at least 25 worse States than NM.

That's probably the best one line summation.   "really in the curriculum"

We have people drive up from Texas every year (we have one guy drive over from Virginia every year, too). Perhaps you could caravan?

We also have had people drop-ship ammo to themselves to make life easier.

This year was my first year at boomershoot. I attended the precision rifle clinic and highly recommend it. My background is a bit of high power, including a very good 3 day clinic, some precision rifle, mostly self-taught, and 3-gun. The wind calls are extremely tricky, very little foliage or mirage to help out. A unique aspect of the class is the questionnaire sent out in advance, you can specifically request areas for development. So the coaches can adjust their curriculum specifically for you, for instance I've got a good handle on trigger control and position and specifically requested help with wind doping. You don't need to spend a lot of time reviewing basic skills if you've already mastered them. They have a very good array of steel, from little plates and poppers at 400 yd on the berm to bigger silhouettes all the way out to 700.

 

+1 for Caylen.  

Super nice guy, great communicator, and not full of himself.  As an instructor, he was patient and thorough.  I had the pleasure of taking the SPR/DMR class several months ago and he was the instructor.  I'd have liked to have taken the Precision Rifle class but no way the agency was going to swing for both classes.

OP... don't be fooled into thinking "Big Name" equals "Best Training".  MANY of the tasks and instruction covered in Precision Rifle classes involve a lot of the SAME rehashed material... MILS are MILS and MOA is MOA... DOPE is DOPE and WIND is WIND.  I might get flamed for saying it that way, but that's how I look at it.    

While I enjoyed the SPR/DMR class... no real ground breaking information was obtained... but is WAS a great reminder of the basics and fundamentals.  While I realized my skills needed work (lol), it had nothing to do with class content or the abilities of the instructor.  

I'd save the travel money required to go away from home and seek out a trainer with GOOD SOLID feedback who is closer... spend the saved money on ammo and gear.

+1 for Caylen and also for Clint Smith (especially the high angle stuff)
Check out Haleys rooftop video from Iraq and then re-think that top 3 list, He is popular but I just don't see it.

I think it's absolutely silly for him to have listed them as the top 3 for pistol stuff, but at least for the Precision Rifle video, the Magpul guys (including Haley) were students, not instructors.  Todd Hodnett was the instructor.

to be honest, precision rifle training is in a pretty sad state at the moment.  Tons of fantastic training opportunities with carbine and pistol,  but the guys who really know what they're doing with a precision rifle AND can teach it aren't even holding one class / year.  certainly not offering regular classes.

my advice to people looking for basic rifle training is usually to find an appleseed or high power clinic.

Check on snipershide.com.  

I run a long range training company in Pennsylvania, http://BHTCorps.com and there are many excellent trainers posting and being discussed/reviewed there on a regular basis who don't necessarily have visibility here.  

Do your research.  Solicit reviews.  Ask questions.  

I totally agree that it's a small population that can both demonstrate expertise, AND teach it effectively.   We measure our success rate not by our own ability, but by how well our students are shooting after 2.5 days of training.  We use the USMC UKD Qual as that benchmark.  

/Fargo007

You might also want to look at http://www.tetatx.us.com

Another commonly overlooked consideration is what type of range does your instructor cadre have access to.

You can have world-class instruction, but if the range is limited to one basic field of fire, with a lot of restrictions, the training will be limited.  A great instructor can use creativity to make the best of such a range, but a more open, complex array of ranges is what I prefer.

This is why I'm such a huge fan of Utah.  Notice that Todd Hodnett does a lot of his training in Utah. The scenery and ELR options combined are truly exceptional.

West Texas also offers a lot of training ground with almost no chance of being near populated areas.  Rifles Only has a great facility in East Texas, with a collection of towers and other unique platforms to shoot from.

Sniper Country up here in Northern Utah offers a lot of high angle shooting opportunities that are very difficult to find, and the staff are solid long-gunners from different military sniping backgrounds, to include Army SF and USMC Force Reconnaissance.

Between the complex that Todd uses in Southern Utah, the one I use in Central Utah, and the one Deliberate Dynamics uses in Northern Utah, Utah is well-covered with what I would classify as world-class shooting facilities, and that isn't hype.


North Springs











Sniper Country