A Visit with Colorado Precision Rifle

Professional precision rifle instruction is a sound investment and will dramatically improve your engagement of long range targets. It is a particularly valuable experience when this can be done at an iconic venue like the Blue Steel Ranch with a seasoned instructor such as Brian Whalen of Colorado Precision Rifle (CPR). In this episode, we discuss our four days of Precision Rifle training and adventure at the Blue Steel Ranch near Logan, New Mexico which is also home to the annual Steel Safari competition. Brian also shares his insights on instruction, coaching and precision rifle skill development. The 6.5 Guys also discuss their experience and takeaways from their time at the Blue Steel Ranch.

Brian brings a lifetime of shooting experience to his classes. He started shooting smallbore as a youth and shot some benchrest in his early 20’s. He got into long range when he moved to Colorado. In 2002 he joined the Army and qualified for Special Forces. While in the Army he got introduced to F Class, across the course shooting and IPSC (If you want to get good on the trigger, shoot some pistol he says). He also attended the International Sniper Competition. He started instructing in 2010 and is mostly focused on field type matches.

Class structure and training approach

Brian believes there are three main fundamentals shooters should focus on:

• Ability to squeeze the trigger and build positions
• Ability to manage data
• Ability to read and correct for the environment particularly wind

Accordingly, Brian structures his classes to reinforce those fundamentals:

• First he starts off with a class on ballistic software, how to use it and how to true ballistics. This includes creation of manual data cards
• Next he takes shooters out to the flat range to get a good zero, shoot some groups, make sure they maintain good control of the rifle and execute a number of fundamental positions (prone, barricade, tank trap and other props). Brian incorporates rimfire practice into his classes to help students hone these skills. Due to the dwell time of the bullet in the barrel, rimfire exacerbates any issues that a shooter might have. Rimfire also allows for a high round count at minimal cost while having a lot of fun. We had an opportunity to engage in some rimfire practice and came away grinning from ear to ear.
• Shooters then refine their wind doping skills across varied terrain
• Brian and his staff work with shooters to help them tie together fundamental skills through cumulative and individualized exercises

It’s important to note that Brian asks each shooter about their goals and tweaks the class accordingly. We found this approach refreshing as students were not rushed through a rigid curriculum. This allows each shooter to focus on a specific area of improvement. Brian also points out that the facilities at the Blue Steel Ranch are a real enabler in tailoring the class to each student. The terrain and wind conditions are so varied a shooter can find just the right conditions to exercise a particular skill while still under the watchful eye of an instructor.

Brian and his assistant Aaron offered a lot of individual coaching. For example, they suggested drills for individual shooters based on their observations. In Ed’s case, the coaching and drills around wind allowed him to make first round hits with his .308 out to a 1,000 yards on a two mile per hour wind target.

Training facilities

The Blue Steel Ranch has some of the best guest accommodations that we have experienced. The bunk house is climate controlled and offers full kitchen and bathroom facilities. You can literally roll out of bed and start your class while enjoying the breakfast that you just made. You can walk to the known distance range before your coffee gets cold and walk back to the kitchen for refills. If you’re not in the mood to cook, you can visit nearby Logan, NM.

Facilities include:

• 300 yard site in range
• Known distance range with targets out to one mile
• “The Rim” – acres and acres of undulating terrain with thirty firing positions. This is what makes the facilities at the Blue Steel Ranch so special. A big advantage of this terrain is a shooter can find just about any wind condition they want. If you want practice shooting from natural terrain, this is the place

Research and development

Brian has been working with Federal and JP Rifles on refinement of the .224 Valkyrie. He’s taken the cartridge out past 1,000 yards. The .224 Valkyrie provides the shooter with big gun ballistics in a very light and maneuverable firearm. You can even shoot a PRS match with it. We were very impressed with the performance of the .224 Valkyrie at ranges typically found at a PRS match.

Brian also demonstrated how the gas system can be tuned on JP Rifles. We’ve heard about tunable gas systems in the past, but never appreciated the full benefit until we got behind a tuned rifle. A tuned gas system reduces recoil considerably and eliminates gas blowback when using a suppressor.

Getting started and contact information

Classes at Colorado Precision rifles are divided by skill level (Level 1, 2 or 3). If you contact Brian, he’ll be more than happy to recommend a class based on your experience level. Training can be scheduled through Colorado Precision Rifle, JP Precision Rifles and Thunderbeast Arms. The Blue Steel Range is also open to other organizations to host classes or matches. For additional information, please contact Jesse or Dave at JP Rifles.

If you don’t have a rifle, Brian can provide one. All you have to do is show up with eye and ear protection as well as a notebook and Brian will take care of the rest. This allows a shooter to evaluate different equipment before making what can amount to a significant purchase. Brian recognizes that students are feeding from the proverbial firehose during the class, so he is more than happy to stay in touch with students to answer any follow-up questions that they might have.

Colorado Precision Rifle

JP Rifles

Thunderbeast Arms

Editor: Ed Mobley (ed@65guys.com)

Copyright 6.5 Guys LLC