How
to prepare for a scout rifle class
So you signed up for a
general/practical/scout rifle class or you're considering it and want to know
how to prepare for it. That's smart. Going in well prepared will
make your training more effective and you'll spend more time learning the
fundamentals than dealing with extraneous issues. I've taken 4 of
these classes so far and I've learned a number of things that might help you in
preparing for this.
Knowledge:
Buy a copy of Jeff Cooper's Art of
the Rifle. Read it cover to cover and then read it again.
Everything you're going to be taught will be coming directly from Cooper's
book. This is not to say that the book is a substitute for the
training. If you're familiar with the fundamentals ahead of time, you'll
get more out of the class. It is really cool to have Cooper's words come
alive in front of you. This is something I found to be true when taking
classes from Randy Cain and Tom Russell. These guys were there with Col
Cooper and having them demonstrating positional rifle shooting and helping me
to do the same really added a lot of value to the experience for
me.
Watch instructional shooting videos
but be careful which ones. There are a lot of idiots on YouTube. If
you want an illustration of how bad it can be, look up "hasty sling"
and see how many well intentioned guys have videos claiming this will help
you stabilize the rifle by just wrapping your hand around a standard
carry strap (it doesn't and can't). Watch Il Ling New from
Gunsite. Richard Mann has some great content, as does Lucky
Gunner.
Tom Russell has been doing something
unique lately as well. About 3 months before his 5.5 Day Scout Rifle
class, he conducts Zoom meetings every Thursday night to help potential
students prepare for the class. He goes over a lot of the things
I'm covering in this blog and video but also will help people understand
how to get into the 5 basic shooting positions.
Conditioning:
You don't need to be a 26 year old
cross fit champion to do well in a rifle class. I'm 52 and I have a bit
of a gut. I don't have a gym membership. Before my last Tom Russell
class, I decided I needed to be a bit better shape since the class is at
Whittington Center which is at 6500 feet elevation. Try waking up 20
minutes early. What you do for those 20 minutes is up to you but it
doesn't need to be overly strenuous. I spend a few minutes doing deep
knee bends, lunges, push-ups and some time on a rowing machine. It is
basic calisthenics plus one other feature I'll describe in a moment. The
point is to stretch your muscles and get your heart rate up.
Now for the last part. As part
of my morning exercise routine, I take my rifle and shooting mat and spend time
getting into shooting positions. I start with 5 repetitions into
squatting. Then 5 times into kneeling. Then 5 times into sitting
and finally, 5 times into prone. This will get your heart rate up.
It will also help you find out what does and doesn't work getting into and out
of these positions. It will also make you MUCH smoother by the time you
get to the class. In the class, you won't need this skill in the first
day or two. By the end however, you will be glad you prepared.
You'll melt into the positions because your body is so used to it. Even if you're unsure how these positions should feel, if you've read the Cooper book, you'll have a good idea. Just don't get too used to it. The instructors will correct any errors in positional shooting, but at least you'll be able to get into and out of them easier.
Equipment :
Zero your rifle before going to class. Don't show up with a gun and scope that you've never shot on paper before. If you don't know how to do this, look it up. You should be hitting 2" high at 100 yards. If you can't get to a 100 yard range before the class, find a 25 yard range and set it so you're dead-on at that range. If you don't, you'll spend the first hour or more of your valuable training time doing basic bench work that could have been done at home. Use the training time for training, not sighting in.
As for guns and scopes, run
what you are most likely to use in the field. If you're a hunter, bring
your hunting gun. If you're a prepper, bring your prepper gun.
You'll get more from the class with a bolt gun, but I don't think you'd be
unwelcome with a semi-auto (talk to the instructor of course). Optics are
the same thing. If you normally run a LPVO (low power variable optic like a 1.5-5 or 2-7 maximum), bring it. If you
normally use a scout scope, that's the one to bring. Randy Cain prefers
an LPVO to a scout scope and Tom Russell likes the scouts. The only thing
is, make sure the low end magnification is no more than 3X and preferably
lower. In all of these classes, you'll be doing some work from close up
(like 10 yards) and your longest shot will be 2-300 yards.
General/Practical/Scout classes are not long range classes and bulky optics are
not helpful.
Bring a real sling.
Every time I go to a class, I bring an extra sling because there is always a
guy who didn't understand what that meant until it was too late. A carry
strap isn't a sling. You need something that allows you to loop up around
your bicep that will hold the rifle in place from supported positions. If
you have 3 swivels, the Ching sling is the obvious choice. If you have
only two, then the Rhodesian style or the Galco Riflemann sling are the best choices.
The Galco Safari sling will work, but are not as well liked by the instructors
I've had.
How many magazines should you
bring? All of them. If all you can bring are the two that came with
your Steyr, you will survive, but you'll be at a disadvantage and might slow
down the class. You're going to be stuffing rounds in mags while standing
at the line with a rifle in your hand. You really need 4 five round
mags. If you can bring more, bring more. I prefer to have 50 rounds
loaded in magazines with me at the line, but that isn't realistic for some
people. Steyr mags are almost impossible to find right now and cost $50
each at this point. AICS mags are easier and I'd still try to bring 50
loaded rounds but would use 3 ten round mags and 4 five rounders.
How do you manage all that ammo?
First of all, you don't need to carry everything on your body at all
times. You need 20 to 25 rounds on your person but you can have an ammo
can or bag sitting at your feet with the rest of it. As you start shooting
through the loaded mags on your body, there will be pauses where you can switch
out the empties for fresh mags from the can without running back to the staging
area. Because the Steyr has a stock that carries one extra mag, I only
need to carry two more. I use the pouches from Wilderness Tactical that are sold by Steyr and I have one on either side of my belt buckle at the 2 and
10 position. I might put one more loaded mag in a cargo pocket and the
rest in a bag or ammo can behind me on the line. I did a class with a Sig
Cross which uses AICS mags and those were a little more difficult. I had
to move those to the 3 and 9 position so they wouldn't interfere with the
sitting or squatting position.
Next, you need a dump pouch.
I've tried a few different ideas here but a simple belt mounted one at about
the 8 position works best. If you put it at the 6, you'll find it in your
way for some positions. Work with it and you'll figure it out. You
need it though. These mags are too expensive to drop on the ground.
Speaking of which, mark your mags. If somebody has a similar rifle next
to you, you really don't want to have that awkward conversation about who's
magazine that is. Just a dot of paint or use a Sharpie to put your
initials. While you're at it, put your initials on your hearing
protection. It turns out everybody has Walker's Razor headphones.
What about the guys running hinged
floorplate guns? You actually have it easy. Grab a handful of
ammo and stuff it in the cargo pocket of your pants. You can get 20-25 in
there and then have another 20-30 in your ammo can at your feet and you're good
to go. I've seen guys with various pouches to hold loose ammo, but most
of them dumped ammo on the ground when shooting prone. If you find a
pouch that is secure enough for shooting prone but easy enough to grab 5 quick
rounds, go for it, but most will not.
Let's talk pants. I
have a strong preference for 5.11 pants, but not for the reason you might
think. The 5.11 pants have a pocket in the knee that accepts their
neoprene knee pads. These things are slick. They are unobtrusive
and people can't tell you have them on, but they will protect your knees when
going down into prone and kneeling. They also give your elbows a
better resting place when shooting from the sitting position. They also
don't look like SWAT gear.
The rest of it is just common
sense. Yes, bring a shooting mat. Yes, have rain gear handy.
Yes, well worn boots are preferred. Read the equipment page of your
instructor's website and if in doubt, call the instructor before the
class. Don't be afraid to ask questions. They've heard them
before.
Resources:
Lucky Gunner on becoming a practical
rifleman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtfmHKQmIoM
Il Ling New with a scout rifle: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=il+ling+new+ruger+gunsite+scout
Richard Mann's blog and
videos https://empty-cases.com/blog/
Tom Russell's web site and contact
info: https://americanfirearmsacademy.com/author/tom/
Randy Cain's web
site: https://www.guntactics.com/
Steyr
Academy https://www.steyr-arms.com/us/ssrc
Gunsite: https://www.gunsite.com/classes/270-rifle-class/
Art of the rifle
book: https://www.gunsitestore.com/product/library/books/the-art-of-the-rifle-by-jeff-cooper/
Rhodesian and Ching
Slings: https://www.andysleather.com/
My video on scout slings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf93qY1z7dE&t=167s
