Watch this and KILL your fear of PRS competition

Whether you're brand new to PRS or chasing podium finishes, this episode is packed with practical advice you can use immediately.

2024 Rimfire Golden Bullet winner and 2026 PRS Pro Series match winner Shane Ward joins the show to break down the training habits, mindset, and match strategies that have helped him compete at the highest level.

We dive into why most new shooters try to go too fast, how slowing down can instantly improve your scores, the value of rimfire practice, reading wind, spotting impacts, and what it really takes to become a more consistent precision rifle shooter.

In this episode:

• Why slowing down helps you shoot faster overall
• How top PRS shooters practice with purpose
• The biggest mistakes new competitors make
• Rimfire vs. centerfire training
• Reading wind and spotting impacts
• Training drills that actually improve match performance
• What to expect at Gravestone and the PRS World Championship
• Shane Ward's advice for shooters at every skill level

If you're looking to improve your PRS performance, this conversation is full of insights you can apply at your very next match.

Subscribe for more conversations with the top shooters, match directors, and industry leaders in precision rifle shooting.

#PRS #PrecisionRifle #LongRangeShooting #PrecisionRifleSeries #Rimfire #LongRange #CompetitionShooting #ShaneWard

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey, thanks for tuning into the podcast today. Here was Shane Ward, 2024 Rimfire Golden Bolt winner, uh, and uh 2026 Pro Series match winner. We got some great topics to go over to help you shoot better.

SPEAKER_02 0:12

I'm gonna tell you how to slow down and what to look for. Thanks for tuning in.

unknown 0:19

You're ready.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

All right, welcome back to another PRS podcast here with our friend Shane Ward. Uh good to see you again, buddy.

SPEAKER_02 0:34

Good to see you, man.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Heck yeah. Heck yeah. What have you been up to uh since we talked last? I think we we had well, we had you on the show after you won Clay's match, right?

SPEAKER_02 0:45

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_01 0:46

Um and you and I didn't we record a podcast maybe I don't know, six months before then, probably.

SPEAKER_02 0:53

Uh yeah, sure did.

SPEAKER_01 0:55

Yeah, sure did. So uh yeah, what have you been up to? What's keeping you busy this now?

SPEAKER_02 1:01

Just uh damage control, trying to stay with it with these these points. Uh you just looked and saw that I dropped out of the top 20. So I gotta I got some work to do there in the next couple weeks. I would hardly call that damage control, but well, I it it's uh everybody, I think I'm just staying where I'm at, and everybody just keeps getting better.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Sure. Well, I mean, let's take a look at the top 20 here. And this we're recording this mid-June 2026. Uh Kale first to 300, uh, which actually happened pretty quick. I'm surprised that we don't have more there at 300, but Bushman right at 299, Noel there in third place, Organe, Jeff Geary, Rudisel, Beck, Warren, Piper, Kitalik, Morgan King. I uh I mean, there's a lot of guys in the that are top 10 shooters that aren't in the top 10 right now.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

Yeah, Morgan King and 11th, golly, he really is stuffing up.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Yeah, yeah. Uh Francis Zinkun, Joseph Six, Ben Gossett, Keith Baker, David Hoff, Dale Rhodes, Gage Capels, Joe Thielen, Shane Ward, 21st. There's a lot of really good shooters between you and and in the top top spot, buddy.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

Thanks for reminding me.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Well, seriously, you know. Um, you know, we were kind of joking that uh, you know, it's the new scoring system keeping you out of the top 20, right?

SPEAKER_02 2:33

For sure. Yeah. Uh easily third. If you if you take this back to the old scoring system, I'm easily third.

SPEAKER_01 2:39

Yeah, tied for third and a 10-way tie, you know. Um, what's interesting is, you know, and I would call at this point the points are maturing fairly well in the in the PRS season. And you're there at 21st with 292, right? Which I would say that I mean that's attributed to the new scoring system. Um, you probably would have more points, right? Um with the old, you know, I don't remember.

SPEAKER_02 3:09

Um, I think I I was trying to think. Um, I think I had two, I never won one last year. Um, I had a second place, third place, I think. Um bunch of top fives, seems like. Um, I want to say I had 295 or 296 going into uh the finale last year. So um sure.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

It's uh taking a look here, your scores, uh your top three. Obviously, Clay's winning that, uh, which was a qualifier. That's perfect. That's what you needed. Um, Oki Showdown, you were fifth, you got 90 almost 97 there. Uh Cole Canyon there in Raton, you got fifth, 90, 95, 96 points there.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

Yeah, just stop there. Don't look at the rest of us.

SPEAKER_01 3:57

Yeah, don't look at the rest of them. Yeah, what happened there at Gravestone in January? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

Man. I don't even want to. Yeah, I don't want to talk about it. I don't see the gravestone anymore.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Right. Yeah. Yeah. All right, we're gonna take a brief break in the show to give a shout-out to one of our partners, Masterpiece Arms, the official chassis of the Precision Rifle Series and Precision Rifle Series Rimfire. Give them a look if you're building a competition center fire or rim fire rig, or just buy a complete rifle from them. Their ESR Rimfire Rifle and PMR center fire rifles are competition ready, right out of the box. Go check them out, masterpiecearms.com. Now back to the show. Yeah, I mean, it's it's it's fun to do this sort of season update, right? Um, what uh what do you got left for for matches this year? Like and and hopefully we get this produced and podcast, you know, released here pretty quick, so that's pretty relevant. But what are you planning?

SPEAKER_02 4:51

I am shooting the next one uh for sure is Scorcher. Um I plan to shoot, um, but obviously because of the finale uh being there, but I plan to shoot both of the Arkansas matches. Um I love shooting there, love the guys. Um matter of fact, I'm wearing a hat right now. Love that uh just uh I love shooting at range. Um it's you know it's a five-hour drive for us. That's not so bad. Yeah, yeah, it's not bad. And um I generally feel like I shoot well there. Um it's uh it's a it's not I wouldn't call it a square range, but it is a square range, and it's uh it kind of lends to my my shooting style. It's uh read the mirage and go kind of kind of range.

SPEAKER_01 5:39

Um so going back to you say your shooting style. Um how would you describe your shooting style? I mean, you you kind of cue this up there, read the mirage and and go, right?

SPEAKER_02 5:54

Yeah, I mean I I don't know. Um I think I said that trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about, but I just like I just like to shoot there. Um I guess my I'm I actually like um I like heavy positional uh matches. Um I prefer to shoot positional over just prone. Um I mean then I want to do that. Yeah, which is 50-50. Right, right. So it but you know, I feel like majority of matches um you only have a handful of prone stages. So 50-50 is pretty heavy prone, in my in my opinion. I would agree with that.

SPEAKER_01 6:41

I would agree with you.

SPEAKER_02 6:42

Um, but I like uh I just I like shooting there at twisted barrel. Like, you know, going back to you were talking about the score of gravestone. Um yeah, gravestone is my home range. Um I don't think that anybody has an advantage um with gravestone being their home range. You know, the worlds are coming up there. Um I don't care if you shoot there every single day, you're not you're not learning anything other than where the targets are. Okay. Because uh three minutes from now, if you shot three minutes from now, it's a completely different ball game. It is uh you if you I always joke about you know shooting out there. If you hit center, you better do something different.

SPEAKER_01 7:33

Okay, it's yeah, it's like that. Yep. But uh well so it's your home range. It is it's Morgan King's home range.

SPEAKER_02 7:44

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

Uh obviously Jake Graves' home range. Anybody who who else notable there? Uh um especially any world shooters.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

I guess you would call it. I'm so sorry, there's uh my phone is on silent, but my iPad I guess isn't. Um so I guess she would kind of call it um even though he's quite a ways away, uh you almost call it Reagan Salmers home range. Okay. Um let's see, Caruso, I guess you would call it his home range.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

Um close by, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:20

Yeah, he's actually, you know, Caruso lives five minutes from me and Jake.

SPEAKER_01 8:26

You know, so um right on.

SPEAKER_02 8:28

Yeah, um you know, he doesn't shoot a whole lot of regional stuff. Um so he's not I know he's out there from time to time, but he's not out there a lot. But I don't think uh who else uh and we got an outstanding group of of guys here that that are basically out there weekly and and shooting.

SPEAKER_01 8:51

Um but I'm off the top of my head, I can't think of anybody else that's uh it's a that's a pretty stacked field of shooters, you know, all sure all located in one little one little area. Yeah, you know. What all right, so if nobody has a particular advantage um at at Gravestone, um you know, if it's not, you know, because I think a lot of folks, you know, probably are thinking like, well, man, it that's Morgan's territory. He shoots there. Um he's gonna be competing in a world there, it deals right into his hand, right? Or no?

SPEAKER_02 9:30

Yeah, I mean, uh I know that everybody's thinking that. Um but I'm here to tell you, I mean, Morgan shoots there and and Morgan shoots and wins there, sorry, a lot. Um but it's I it's my opinion, that range is not one of those. Jake changes it so much. You're shooting something different all the time. Um we rarely ever shoot the same stage um twice. Um and the wind is so unpredictable there that I don't think you really nuances that you find um shooting at that range that you're like gonna pick up on and go, oh well, I know that you know, yeah. I I don't know if that makes sense or not, but it I just don't feel that shooting there at that range um weekly or or once a month or anything like that gives anybody an advantage over someone that comes from across the pond to shoot.

SPEAKER_01 10:36

Okay. What how often do you train out there?

SPEAKER_02 10:42

I I go out there every week.

SPEAKER_01 10:44

Um every week, okay.

SPEAKER_02 10:45

Yeah, there's times I just go out there and kind of mess around and not really shoot. Um, but I try to their first part of the year, I was trying to shoot as much as possible out there um just to kind of get your scores reflect that at Gravestone at your 50th place there. But um I try to what I try to do now is uh I try to load 100 or 200 rounds um and go shoot 50 or 60 rounds with a purpose, if that makes sense. Um I go out there on I usually go out there on Fridays and then and it's kind of just to kind of be out and and be out there for you know first off, uh but then um I run the the Rimfire uh matches out there and I'll I'll mess with setup for that and and that kind of stuff. But uh I try to make uh I try to shoot 100 to 200 purpose driven rounds out there a month, and that's not not a lot in my opinion.

SPEAKER_00 11:52

Um yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:55

I could uh if I could if I had it my way, I'd go shoot 100 rounds every Friday, you know, or 150 rounds every Friday.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

But that's a long day, too, because I'm assuming you don't, I mean you don't want to scorch your equipment too, right?

SPEAKER_02 12:11

No, exactly. That's that's the other thing too, is is loading for all that and then trying to keep a gun alive, you know. Uh you don't want to go shoot your best barrels and um and just shoot 10 rounds. And and when it's hot here in Texas, like right now, you shoot 10 rounds in a row. Um, man, that barrel needs a good 30 30 minutes minimum, um, because it's hot, you know. Right. Um, and once you uh that's one reason I don't serve coat my barrels anymore, is I feel like it um it keeps the heat in, you know, in my opinion. But um yeah, yeah, it's it's a long day if you shoot 10 rounds and then yeah, you gotta wait 20, 30 minutes or something like that before you shoot again.

SPEAKER_01 12:58

Like yeah, yeah, that's a while.

SPEAKER_02 13:00

That's why rim fire is you can get a lot of work done with a rim fire. And I have been uh I picked my rim fire up here lately and and started playing with it again. Um man, it's a lot of fun, and you don't have to you don't have to be in this room uh working all week. Uh yeah, it's I don't know that it's any cheaper, um, but it is a little.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

Uh but if you value your time at all, uh oh, then it's yeah, it's off the charts. Yeah. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:31

And you can uh we have a mover out there, and I'll I'll sit and shoot the mover a lot, um, especially with a rim fire.

SPEAKER_03 13:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:39

And I think you get all of you get everything except for recoil management um with a rim fire.

SPEAKER_01 13:45

Okay. So if if um you were to talk to a new shooter, and I well, you and I'm sure you have this conversation a lot out there, right? You know, but somebody who who's maybe in their first year, maybe it's shooting rim fire, maybe it's shooting center fire, um what what type of advice would you give them, right? Um, you know, just getting into it, they're full of fire, they want to they want to they want to get good quick. You know, what what do you tell those guys when you're out there?

SPEAKER_02 14:16

Well, I uh I think a lot I try to steer a lot of the guys towards rim fire. I I know that I don't know if that's the question you're asking me, but I try to steer a lot of the guys towards rim fire first off because you can get a whole lot more rounds downrange. Um and it lets you know most most news shooters they struggle just building a position um and breaking a good clean wobble-free shot. Um telling guys to go home and dry fire is guys don't do it. Um they just there's nothing fun happening about you know with with dry fire.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

You gotta be really disappointed to dry fire like you need to.

SPEAKER_02 15:03

Exactly. Um, and I do, um, but it is few and far between here lately. But I think uh pushing a shooter towards rim fire um is a smart way to go. You get a you get a if even if you just take the uh cheapest ammo you can buy and go shoot, and you and can shoot it more places too, with 50 yards. Um you can shoot paper and build different positions and shoot a rim fire and actually get an instant feedback. You can shoot for groups and and see that you're actually you know getting somewhere. And uh I think I I feel like I don't I didn't answer your question at all, but I um if part of it, I mean getting more reps, right?

SPEAKER_01 15:54

Exactly, yeah, is what is what you're saying, and you can do that a lot more with rim fire, right? Especially if it's you know if you're fighting conditions outside and whatnot, if it's hot, right? Like you can you can go send a lot of rim fire rounds, right? Um Joseph Six, one of the names that I had mentioned earlier, that's in the top 20. That's you know, he lives in Germany and they're restricted differently there, right? So just picking up a center fire rifle and trying to do what we do isn't really possible in a lot of a lot of cases. Uh so that's how he trained, you know, and and does it rim fire.

SPEAKER_02 16:29

Somebody somebody was telling me just the other day that they um not too long ago that they had talked to Joseph about that. And I think the guy shoots 20, 30,000 rim fire rounds a year. And I mean, look at his look at the guy's uh score. Uh it it obviously works. So it's proof proof that it works.

SPEAKER_01 16:50

Yep, everything but the recoil. Yeah, just being in so you mentioned you know 50 or 60 rounds a week, and you're intentional with how you do it. What are some of the intentional things you're working on?

SPEAKER_02 17:05

So I've my biggest thing. Um, and this is gonna go ahead, this is gonna open the internet up for everybody to to laugh, but you may or may not know this, but I'm I'm partially blind.

SPEAKER_01 17:19

Um so I'll I'll send this to Steiner as soon as uh catch it.

SPEAKER_02 17:27

Uh no, my biggest thing I work on is building a good solid position, shooting and trying to spot where I you know uh see where I'm impacting uh the target. That is uh when you miss the target, hit the dirt, it's usually pretty easy to measure and put it over on the plate. But yeah, what I struggle with is when I hit the plate, being able to exact, you know, see uh you know where I hit it. One of the things I like to do um if I'm training a new shooter or if I have someone that's around close to me and and while I'm training is love to take and put mask and tape over somebody's um windage knob and basically lay a rifle up on a barricade and have someone come up, you know, look your head away and put two or three tents one way or the other on on uh windage and shoot at a target and have someone on glass behind you, and you and then basically you confirm where you hit where it went. And I think that really that really uh forces you to slow down, pay attention to to what's going on. That's that's the kind of drills that I like to do.

SPEAKER_01 18:41

Okay. Who uh it's uh you mentioned training partner, who do you have the opportunity to shoot with while you're there? Like, do you do you get that quite a bit where you you know text somebody on I'm heading to the range, see you there?

SPEAKER_02 18:54

Well, I used to shoot with uh with my gunsmith, Caleb, a lot, but he stays so busy now that don't dad never I don't think he he shot this past weekend. I think it's the first time in several months. But um me and Jake will shoot together um once every couple weeks. He'll load an extra 50, 60 rounds and we'll shoot. Believe it or not, you know, he owns he owns that range out there and uh hardly shoots. Yeah, he never he really never shoots. I don't think really don't think he shoots hardly ever unless I talk him in to come shooting. I think you know, Morgan, Morgan and a couple of guys get together, I think, on Mondays out there and shoot, and I think Jake will shoot with them sometimes, um, you know, 10, 20 rounds. But um the guy doesn't shoot um and he's he's I'm I won't tell him this, but he's he's pretty decent.

SPEAKER_00 19:54

So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:57

Do you um I know how I operate, and if I had somebody here locally that is like, hey, we're meeting every Friday and we're gonna do this as uh accountability, right? To somebody else, like that would that would drive me to to to do more practice and compete more. Do you do you feel that it helps with you? Or do you can you are you the kind of guy that's like no man, it is Friday at two o'clock? I'm heading to the range.

SPEAKER_02 20:27

Um, so yes and no. Um I go to the range on Friday just uh that's my release from from working all week. Um so I'm out there no matter right. I'm I'm out there anyway.

SPEAKER_01 20:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 20:45

But having someone to practice with does hold me accountable and makes me get out there and actually go through it, you know. But uh I also use um I use the regional matches. Um I used like when I first started shooting the pro stuff there was some guys that shot you know a lot of the two-day matches, and and I um they're talking circles here. Um I lost for all I was gonna say. Where where I was going with this is I look at now the regional matches as just practice. That's what I that's what I do. And and when I first started shooting the two-day matches, guy there was pros that would show up to the regional matches like, oh, this is just practice. We don't care about our score or anything on that. And I used to look at those guys like, yeah, right, yeah, y'all care about it, you know. But now I'm at the point where I I'm that's the way I am. You know, if I shoot a regional match, I don't really care where I finish. I want to go out and perform um so that I'm actually gaining something from it. But I use that time to try to bring new people into sport. um try to you know help new new shooters along and and uh um that's it's so it it serves a different purpose now i'm i'm I shoot regional stuff as as training and and growth if that makes sense okay when you're helping news shooters what's what's something common that you you typically help correct right or like you know what's uh what's one of the most common things that you're uh continue you you know time after time news shooter let me show you how to my biggest thing with news shooters is making them slow down okay um you get every now and then you'll get a new shooter that is super methodical and you have to speed them up but nine out of ten news shooters they will watch me or or somebody else shoot and the way we just kind of flow through the stage and they think you know well you know great stone for example's two minute stages there's not hardly anything out there that you can't finish in one thirty or minute you know 45 um so they see us pros do that um sounds crazy having to call myself a pro. But they see they see that happen and then so they just wildly want to get up there and shoot and and it takes it takes them longer to build a position so they're they're wasting time there and then they want to shoot and they have no idea where it went and they're running the bolt and trying to move to the next position um my biggest thing that I preach is slowing down. Yeah slow down process everything um that round whether you hit the target or not if you don't really know where it went yeah all bets are off for the next shot. That's right. Yeah yeah so my biggest thing is is making people slow down process everything that goes on. So uh we had Justin Watts on a show uh or on a podcast here not not that long ago and one of his things is pin it to win it right yeah and that's that that's exactly what you're talking about right like follow through with that trigger 100% make sure you know exactly where that shot went and then proceed right that's right um and that is something that is hard harder than you would think it'd be to teach someone it's okay but if you can catch them early um before they build the before they build all the bad habits um that's man if you're new to this um the best money you can spend is getting with someone that enjoys training and someone that understands you know the ins and outs of this and before you build all the bad habits have someone teach you the right way um it's the best money you can spend honestly yeah yeah what's some of the bad habits that you uh you had early on that maybe that challenged trying to eliminate from your game well for sure one of the bad habits I had was was going too fast um I still still to this day um you get into a switchy win situation where you dump one off a plate and you hastily measure and send that other around um uh I I was just telling somebody this the other day uh I I actually I was talking to Reagan Stommer on the phone.

SPEAKER_00 25:44

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 25:45

Um we sh I shot one Morgan and uh Ratone and um I watched him I I always give him a hard time and say he's the luckiest wind shooter in the world. It is always seems like uh and now now people joke with me about that but I always tell uh Morgan he's the luckiest you know guy in the world the wind will just stay and and you know holds for him I ran it three tents the whole time but um it's it's me just giving him a hard time but I yeah I'd never seen him really struggle other than that first time I'd ever seen him struggle was at Raton. Um and a couple weeks ago yeah just just short yeah and so one of the things I really took away from that is um I watched him and he'd send a shot and he'd miss and he would completely stop didn't even touch the bolt just as he's staring through the scope and he's processing everything. Maybe he didn't see it you know but I I caught myself watching him several times where that's he just completely stopped like in a trance for what seems like an eternity.

SPEAKER_01 27:07

Yeah yeah it's probably two three seconds right which is kind of a long time to sit there and wait.

SPEAKER_02 27:12

Yeah but I'm thinking probably closer to four or five seconds even you know which okay and he's just stopped and more often than not he go back and run the bolt and and hit the hit the target on the next one you know but it just took him that long to you know I don't know if he's playing any mini money mo in his head which way to go but obviously he's not but um so that's something that really that's something that I learned from watching Morgan is even though I preach slow down I really need to slow down more myself. Okay you know so I think that's uh I think that's some that's something that I didn't do in the beginning.

SPEAKER_01 27:54

Yeah. All right we're gonna take a brief break in the show to give a shout out to one of our partners Masterpiece Arms the official chassis of the Precision Rifle series and Precision Rifle Series Rimfire. Give them a look if you're building a competition center fire rim fire rig or just buy a complete rifle from them. Their ESR Rimfire rifle and PMR center fire rifles are competition ready right out of the box. Go check them out masterpiecearms.com now back to the show you know another example of that um yeah as you're talking about watching Morgan there I clearly remember watching Austin Bushman do that at the finale last year and um so the finale was at uh War Rifles in a in the stage um and I didn't shoot the finale so like I you know I don't have all the stages ingrained in my head but the stage that I was watching uh I think involved a fire hydrant and a mailbox yeah I remember that yeah some other stuff I don't remember all it and I think it was shooting left and it was shooting right and I had watched you know squad 19 and 20 go through before squad one right and I I was there for a state or squad maybe two squads you know before you guys all rolled in um I'd watched a lot of people take like three out of 10 four out of 10 I I think it was 10 it may have been 12 points I don't know but some really low scores and I was like okay this should be interesting like this is a very difficult stage let's see how the best shooters do and of course there were a few in squad one that you know did not shoot it well but I remember watching Bushman in particular send a shot and just sit there frozen you know and whether he hit it or not he would just sit there and I'm like man he is like you know is he questioning where that went you know what are you like what is happening and then he would take the uh follow-up shot or and get oh and I think it was uh big to small that was involved in it too um yeah and you know that first shot on the big he I mean he just sat there frozen and then after the one on the medium sized one he actually had a pretty decent follow up but I you know my takeaway is like wow he saw exactly where that bolt went made a correction and then probably told himself before he even sent that next shot like if the plate moves like this I know my correction is perfect send another one right away on the third so he was thinking two shots down the down the line and game planning between shots like okay perfect correction this is what's gonna happen you know I've never had that conversation with him but I I was just shocked at how long he sat there and observed but he didn't miss a whole lot during the finale either you know he won the match no yeah I think Morgan you know takes time slow down the process Bushman probably like I said doing the any mini money mo which way do I go yeah no it so that I mean that right there just to reiterate what I'm saying um slow down process um that's one of one of the things that I try to make myself do.

SPEAKER_02 31:16

Even you know I told you when I practice 50 60 rounds here and there um that's I'm trying to process exactly see everything. That's not I really feel like that's the only thing I I struggle with now is just seeing shots on plate you know. Yep um building positions you know comes to easy tripod rear you know uh yeah all of that's cruise control now it's just uh and I've I think uh I have a really good grasp of making an initial win call um and well I tell people this too even if you can't make an initial win call that great yeah if you can see exactly where you hit on the plate and you let's say you missed your first shot of every stage but you saw exactly where it went and then you hit every shot after that dropping 10 shots at most of these matches that I like to go to yeah you won anyway.

SPEAKER_01 32:21

You know so yeah um so you don't have to yeah that initial win call is isn't critical.

SPEAKER_02 32:28

Yeah I mean it helps both counts yeah it helps yeah and if you just guessed you're gonna you're still gonna hit the first one on a few stages you know yeah exactly the most important part is is seeing and reading the play and and keeping that bullet on the plate.

SPEAKER_01 32:44

You know that's it's interesting too because there's you know obviously there was a little bit of drama and some discussion earlier this year on sharing wind and that type of thing but that's a small piece of it. I mean it helps you win right but if if you know but if you even if you didn't share any wind and you made a a terrible call as long as you see where it goes you know now if you're shooting in the tall grass or something strange it you might be SOL but that's not everything. Like making that initial win call is part of it but really seeing where things go is everything.

SPEAKER_02 33:20

It wouldn't change I don't think it would change the top 20 um you know I don't think it'd take you'd change the top 20 in points whatsoever. Okay. Your mid-pack shooters would definitely struggle there's there's guys that probably can't process uh how to how you know I'm not gonna say they wouldn't get to where we are but it wouldn't get let me just back up I don't think I think it's only gonna hurt the mid-pack shooters. I don't think it would hurt the top shooters the the the to be honest with you the top guys if you shoot in front of me and you tell me hey it was six tenths left unless what I am seeing is six tenths left I'm not shooting what you tell me anyway even if you just clean it. Yeah if you just clean the stage I'm I'm shooting my own my own win call you know and I think um I might ask you hey what do you I'm thinking this and you know I'm thinking six tenths here and four tenths over here what do you think you know what do you think about that yeah and that's me just making sure that I'm on the yeah in the right ballpark right um but your top guys aren't listening to other people's win calls um it's not gonna change the game right it's only gonna hurt the guys that are throwing a fit about it anyway.

SPEAKER_01 34:48

Yeah right right so so let's start rimfire for a second here um I'm assuming the same advice you're go out get sound round sound range do it with a tent watch where they go you know for practice 100% how all right so how how how much are you watching with rimfire uh as you're shooting and what and and do you see it differently yes okay um so shooting center fire as much as I do now when I pick up a rim fire rifle um if the lighting and everything is right I feel like I can almost watch the bullet come out of the end of the barrel.

SPEAKER_00 35:37

Uh out of the end of the barrel. Yeah I mean it's right from go.

SPEAKER_02 35:41

Right. If the lighting is right if you know it takes it takes there's a certain day you see it more than in others but uh you actually uh give away a little rim fire tidbit I actually zoom out on a rim fire scope most of the time. Okay what do you what do you shoot your center fire powered at uh depending on the stage um as low as 12 power sometimes but most of the time 18 power 15 to 18 power okay um i I play around a lot and lighting conditions really um I think really uh plays a role in that you know me where having to wear glasses I'm completely blind without these glasses on so I think adding an extra layer in there um the the lighting needs to be right for me to to really see there's days where I see center fire really really good yeah um there's days where I'm like I have no idea with a rim fire uh man if you build a really strong position you know sound position and break the trigger correctly so like I can see it you know half the bullet flat okay and with a rim fire more than anything you really gotta be making those little minute corrections and uh yep and keeping it on keeping it on the plate.

SPEAKER_01 37:15

Yep I mean what's crazy on rimfire to me is that you know almost every rim fire match I've shot is has done this too that somewhere between 50 and 90 yards there's gonna be a TYL rack. You know it starts with a a very generous like inch and a half plate and ends it ends with the quarter inch bar you know that has you know no bulb at the bottom it is just a straight quarter inch bar and I feel like you know what it especially being able to see your bullet like that first win call has to be pretty good but you're given a generous point but you need to see exactly where it hits on point make a tiny adjustment and you're refining your adjustment all the way down with a hope that the conditions stay perfect for that last shot right because you should be able to see it within a bullet width right that's what we're talking about.

SPEAKER_02 38:07

That last plate is basically the width of the bullet yeah yeah it's uh and it where you have a a lot of center fire you have a uh at four or five hundred yards you might have three miles an hour of wind uh budget to stay on that that plate and rim fire you have 0.3 mile an hour with some of these targets you know so depending on the direction it's coming from and how far away it is uh I I again I I we've talked about this before but shooting shooting rim fire will make you a very good wind reader and um the yeah I mean it does it does everything except for recoil management. Something's better I think okay well what's better what do you mean well it's something's better like shooting records well like yeah it'll make you a better a better wind shooter or better uh wind reader you have to be to shoot at the very very top level of rim fire you have to be really good with wind um you also have to be really really good at dialing parallax yes that's true too true too yeah which I mean with center fire you almost never you know set it and forget it basically after the zero board yep yep set at five six hundred yards or whatever and it's gonna be pretty close but rim fire it feels like I mean if you're shooting a troop line that starts at 30 yards and goes out to 200 like oh you're dial on parallax otherwise you for sure yeah that's seeing the far or seeing the close yeah yeah you know I never I've honestly never thought about it like that but it is something that you end up doing with rim fire that you don't really have to worry about a center fire match. Mm-hmm I have I uh I shoot that march scope and what's cool about it the parallax knob is is ridable so there's no marking right yep and um so on my rim fire I actually have a little permanent marker I have a little dash and I've got 50 on it 100 150 200 and it's actually set to my eye and so I can roll to roll to those different positions and it's pretty close usually close enough. Yeah yep so it's certainly better than being off by a hundred yards you know yeah exactly yeah yep that does help i i found myself you know occasionally on rim fire it's like I grab the knob and I always spin it the wrong direction and go nope that's getting worse worse worse and then spin it all the way back and then it's like it clears up for half a second and then it's bad again I'm like nope come back just okay close enough send the shot you know yeah yeah so what's what's harder at gravestone your home range what's harder there shooting rim fire or shooting center fire oh center fire hands down center fire for sure oh yeah okay why do you why do you think that is is it just downrange conditions yeah downrange conditions um you know you've you've been there you've seen it uh I don't know how much uh how much uh how close attention you pay to where a lot of the where the targets are but there's just there's always wind there um rarely do you get a calm a really really calm day there and it's the way the lanes are cut through those through those uh trees is man it gets swirling and it switching and and it always seems like you're shooting kind of a a headwind and it's just rim fire can be very very tough and tricky there no doubt but centifire is tougher.

SPEAKER_01 42:08

Yeah the and I'm trying to remember from when you and I drove around there but most of the rimfire stuff was downrange to the right yeah at the T go to the right go to the right and and I think probably the one of the bigger differences there is that rimfire is going to be closer engagements so you just don't have a lot of the wind opportunity where it you know can be variable along the length of your shot right yeah I mean it it still switches for you on the rim fire but when it switches you you're only shooting out the 200 yards 99% of the time so when you when there's a change you'll fill it right at the shooter but you know you're shooting out six seven eight hundred yards um it could change down down there and you're you still have it it's never felt it right never you never felt anything and uh unless you could see it in the mirage um it's it's tough man it's everything's gotta go unless you're lucky like Morgan everything's gotta go right to win out there he's just lucky okay that's that's it so outside of outside of being lucky if you had a conversation with one of these uh international shooters that's gonna represent their country and come here for the worlds in uh couple months here what do you tell those guys what do you tell them to be prepared for like well how do they how do they successfully navigate this is it you know it's is it seeing something downrange it's you know what you feel what you see in the trees what advice do you have man there again we've already we've already covered this I think three different ways of just you gotta if anything at that range you've got to slow down and read everything

SPEAKER_02 44:00

Every single shot because it's gonna change. If you hit center, do something different.

SPEAKER_04 44:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:10

Be preemptive. Um the only thing shooting there um that I really see. Um there's this is so I'm giving away the only secret I really know of gravestone. Um one of the long range stages. So they call it Charlie. The center fire range is Charlie, and you shoot kind of all different directions at Charlie. Um if you come in from the from the main office to that T, and you take a right, that's Bravo, which is the the rim fire range, and then you go all the way down to the right, there's a uh a thousand-yard static range called Alpha.

SPEAKER_04 44:52

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 44:52

You remember that. Yeah, so at one place from Charlie, you actually shoot on to Alpha at a kind of a weird angle.

SPEAKER_00 45:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 45:04

Uh remember this. And so if you shoot long distance there on that on the troop line where you're actually shooting onto alpha, you're you're kind of protected all the way out to six, seven, oh probably 700 yards, you're protected through the trees, down a hallway trees.

SPEAKER_01 45:22

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 45:22

Through the trees.

SPEAKER_01 45:23

Now it is a little bit hilly there too, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 45:25

It is, yeah. You kind of shoot in the valley and then back up out the valley, out of the valley.

SPEAKER_01 45:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 45:30

So if you're looking from the stage you're shooting on, the long range, uh, long range stages, if you're looking, you know, through binoculars, you're like, well, it all looks the same all the way out. Well, at 700 yards, I think it's 700 yards. Um, between seven and eight hundred yards, it opens into alpha. So you have from the other side, you'll get exactly. And you can't see it from where you're at. So you could send four tenths left at 700 yards, and that'd be dead center. And you go, okay, well, I'm gonna go to 800. I need five tenths left. Well, you needed nine tenths because uh it'll come yeah, it'll funnel through there that bad. Yeah, so there's times where it does that. So there you go, international shooters. That's your that's your one uh one secret.

SPEAKER_01 46:19

And that's if that's if that's it's blowing down alpha. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And yeah, I mean, there's a chance that might not be included in the course of fire. It may be and it may not be. Who knows?

SPEAKER_02 46:31

Yeah, yeah, who knows?

SPEAKER_01 46:33

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's pretty wild. It one of the things that surprised me um about driving around there with you is that it's that there's actually a decent amount of terrain, right? I mean, like actual earth earth features, hills, valleys, etc., that run through that property. Um, and then you have um what is it? It's like mesquite trees.

SPEAKER_02 46:57

Yeah, there's a there's a lot of oak. Okay, oak, yeah. And uh cedar, um, and then mesquite trees, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 47:06

Um the only thing he tries to save, you know, they're constant, them guys are they work their butts off out there, constantly upgrading and and you know, yeah. The only the only tree he tries to save are the oak trees. Um whenever cutting new lanes, making new new paths and stuff, you know, seems like non-stop. Um, but they're trying to save trying to save the oak trees, obviously.

SPEAKER_01 47:33

And yeah, they take to grow and yeah, mature and do all the things, yeah. Provide a lot of shade and all that too. Yeah. Yeah. Any any other advice for international shooters coming over or what to expect? Um, you know, it could be a little dusty out there, right? So um rifle maintenance for sure. Don't come out. Do you run a super oily gun there or do you try to keep things dry?

SPEAKER_02 48:01

I never do. Um I try to keep everything dry. Um it can be really, really dusty there if it's if it's you know, if we don't have any rain. Uh rifle covers, keep it, keep it covered up the best you can. Um man, really, I think I don't know that there's really any other tricks to it. Um, I think I think it's gonna be awesome. It's gonna be cool that it's here in my own backyard, and I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna RO it, help as much as I can.

SPEAKER_01 48:35

Um put the blind guy watching watching Impact C glass. I love it. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 48:41

Yeah, maybe maybe they'll just let me run their iPad.

SPEAKER_00 48:46

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 48:48

I think it's gonna be a cool deal.

SPEAKER_00 48:50

Heck yeah.

SPEAKER_02 48:51

I'm looking forward to to seeing a lot of these guys and and meeting some new people.

SPEAKER_01 48:56

Yep, yep. Man, so you got you got your qualifier in, you got a hundred points there. Uh you plan on going up to Twisted, obviously competing there. Um, any other matches this fall, you know, or I guess second half of summer here. It feels like we're already through it, you know. Um, you know, before getting into the fall in the finale time, friend.

SPEAKER_02 49:18

Man, I'm gonna shoot both of the uh twisted barrel matches. Sure. Um gonna try to make Tate and JK's uh match. Um yeah, and then uh supposed to go shoot uh one of the one of the young guys that works out of gravestone. Um gonna try to shoot. Um if I could squeeze all these matches in, I'm gonna try to shoot um gap grind with him.

SPEAKER_01 49:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 49:47

So I'm looking forward to that. It's gonna be a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01 49:50

Yeah. And that uh, I mean, gap grind is right up your shooting style, right? I mean, you gotta be you gotta be perfect. But there's a lot of barricade action, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, perfect.

SPEAKER_02 50:04

Yeah, I've never I've never gone and shot good there. Um this year's the this this is gonna be the year.

SPEAKER_01 50:11

This is it. I love it. This is it. I love it. Yeah, I uh I'll see you at a couple of those. Uh we're planning to go to Impact Foundation.

SPEAKER_00 50:19

Cool.

SPEAKER_01 50:20

Um and we'll I always go to the Gap Grind. Gap Grind is a I don't know. I just I love that event. I love the the coaching with the amateurs, um you know, and then sort of the give back nature of it. A lot of our partners are there. Um, it's just a all-around, a very well-executed event that is is more about you know growing the sport than it is about just having a you know a a rifle match.

SPEAKER_02 50:46

So yeah, it it's a lot of work as a shooter to be there. Um, but it is awesome.

SPEAKER_01 50:51

It's it goes by fast too. I can't yeah, it's it's crazy to think you got 20-man squads, and I mean you're moving through the day fast.

SPEAKER_04 51:02

No doubt.

SPEAKER_02 51:03

No doubt.

SPEAKER_01 51:04

Yeah. Um, you already uh I don't think registration has opened for the grind yet. You haven't registered for yet, have you?

SPEAKER_02 51:13

No, not yet.

SPEAKER_01 51:14

No, I don't think we I have either, but um, yeah, maybe we see if we can squat up there and um get to shoot together, it would be fun.

SPEAKER_02 51:21

Are you uh are you gonna shoot a t-shirt?

SPEAKER_01 51:23

Yeah, I've shot the last five years, six years.

SPEAKER_02 51:27

Okay, all right.

SPEAKER_01 51:28

Yep, yep.

SPEAKER_02 51:29

Do you have anybody in mind you're shooting with?

SPEAKER_01 51:31

I there's a there's a guy that I used to work out with quite a bit here. I haven't worked out since I you know had to have my knee scope last year. Um, but I've taken him to a few different rifle matches. Um and uh I've had a lot of fun watching him develop, you know, like at the regional regional level. Um last year I took a took a neighbor to the gap grind that I'd shot at the regional level with a couple times. Yeah, I got a bunch of extra rifles, so it's like, hey, come on, come on, shoot with me, you know, and you gotta come try this. And it was an absolutely awesome experience getting him to KM. Um, and then like everybody showing up and like it becoming a huge event, and it's just awesome to see it through his eyes, you know. Yeah, this is unreal, you know. Yeah, so uh I'm looking forward to that this year. That uh my buddy Colin, I think hopefully he can make it with me. And um yeah, I it's just it's just a awesome experience to expose somebody to this community, to a pro series match, to the grind itself. Um, you know, it's just there's so much going on, and it's it's it's done so well. It's it's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 52:44

But yeah, absolutely. I I think anytime um and you know, all of these, all most every one of these top shooters, given the opportunity or the chance, they're trying to give back to the community and and help bring new shooters, you know, in. And uh man, I know like when I help someone and I see a new shooter, you know, uh clean their first stage, or even just even just you know get an eight on a stage and and hit, you know, uh have it be a really tough stage. And just seeing their eyes light up when they start to to it all all starts to come together. Yeah it's uh it's usually uh payment enough, you know. I exactly I try to get excited with them and and it does it, I mean it does excite me.

SPEAKER_04 53:42

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 53:42

Um I remember what it was like when I started and and started finally putting pieces of the puzzle together, and it's it's super, super cool. Yeah, and it's uh something that really attracts me to this sport and and the people involved in it.

SPEAKER_01 53:57

So heck yeah. Heck yeah. That's awesome, man. Shane, I appreciate you coming on, giving some uh giving some advice there, talking about the the future, uh the rest of this year. Um it's always awesome talking with you, dude. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 54:12

I appreciate you.

SPEAKER_01 54:13

Heck yeah.