FIX IT DON'T FIGHT IT

In the game of NRL Hunter, low-scoring stages are twice as hard. A shooter will work harder for half the points. This creates uncertainty before a stage that adds up over a two-day match. If you find yourself with inconsistent scores across a Hunter match, there is something flawed in the strategy if that strategy cannot be executed successfully in every stage.

FINDING TARGETS

The faster, the better; this frees up bandwidth for the next steps. That's great, but how do I do it? Identify prominent terrain features within the range fan before observing through an optic. Occasionally, a placard or a target will become apparent, but if not, you will have a better mental range card after this. I assign a terrain feature just outside the left and right limits for a visual indicator that tells me I've gone too far.

Observe in and around the identified terrain features through optics. 90% of targets will be located in these areas. Look hard into shadows and adjust focus often. Understanding the principles of camouflage and training your eye to pick up on hard edges, shine, and contrast to the background will make the targets pop!

HIGH CONFIDENCE DISTANCE

Take care to range from a stable position and know where the "splash" of the laser is aligned with the reticle to avoid picking up vegetation or topography in front of or behind the target. If you can see the base of the target stand, that's a great place to range. Consider ranging the target your "first shot". The better you know your laser, the more targets you'll impact. How to find your laser: Most of us don't have access to night vision devices to see the infrared laser, but don't worry - there is a daylight solution. I use a tall, isolated object like a telephone pole inside 500 yards. I start above the pole, ranging into the sky. The display should read dashed lines or otherwise indicate that a range is not being established. I then slowly lower the reticle until a return on distance is displayed as it gets nearer to the pole. Once the bottom of the laser is found in relation to the reticle, I then move left and right to establish the width. It's a good idea to record the hot spot of your laser range finder with a piece of tape on the side of the device in case it needs to be passed off to another user.

DATA MANAGEMENT

Record the elevation data in an organized and simple-to-understand way. I prefer a physical data card instead of relying on an elevation and windage to populate in an LRF. Here is an example of my method implemented in a quarterback sleeve.

• Organizing the distances in 0.2 mils increments, I can infer the data not listed if a target most closely aligns with a missing yard line. In practice, I number the yard line with a dry erase or grease pencil on the protective cover to display target order.

• If you anticipate a wide range in elevation (more than 1,000' or a large temperature swing, create multiple data cards that can be swapped while off the clock as the conditions dictate.

TERRAIN FEATURES, GUIDE RAILS AND BACKSTOPS

Before firing, I take a moment to observe each target with the naked eye and binoculars to ensure I understand where each target is in relation to the next. A guide rail is a terrain feature that, if you follow it, the guide rail will lead you to where you want to go. An example of this would be a road, a creek, a cliff, a tree line, or a fence. Slightly beyond the target, establish a backstop along the guide rail that will indicate you have gone too far.

KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID

Any stage that I can shoot Prone, I will. There are no points for creativity. Each position adds a layer of complexity. Natural Point of Aim is a non-negotiable for accurate shooting. While NPA is achievable in all of these positions, I have arranged the categories in a hierarchy that works for me and detailed some notes on the pros and cons.

• Prone: High Stability, High Familiarity, Fast setup, Potentially limited FOV.

• Tripod: High Stability, High Familiarity, Slower Setup than Prone, Potentially difficult in varied terrain.

• Barricade - Natural or Man Made Feature: Medium to High Stability, Medium to Low Familiarity, Potentially Faster Setup than tripod.

• Tripod Rear: High Stability or can stabilize an otherwise medium stability barricade; requires high familiarity (practice); setup can derail an entire stage if not executed properly.

• Triple Pull Above Prone: Medium Stability, requires high familiarity, and setup can derail an entire stage if not executed properly.

• A combination of triple pull above prone and tripod rear: This advanced position requires practice off the clock before it should be implemented on the clock or in a hunting scenario.

HIGH CONFIDENCE WIND

The more the above is rehearsed in training, the easier these tasks will become. This leads us to a critical variable. Wind. NRL Hunter is essentially what's known as an OSOK drill among military snipers.

Accuracy of your first shot is rewarded, whereas follow-up shots are limited in both amounts and in points. Understanding and mastering wind is the variable that will send you climbing the leaderboard once the above tasks can be executed consistently for every scenario. I break down wind into three values:

Distance to target tells me a wind constant known as Gun Number.

• Your gun number is the full value wind speed in miles per hour (spindrift not included) that results in a best-fit line that closely matches the distances in yards.

• Example: 300y: 0.3mils, 400y: 0.4mils, 500y: 0.5mils, 600y: 0.6mils. If a full-value six mph wind best aligns with this matrix, you have a six mph gun number. This best-fit line typically breaks down around 800y, and a more precise calculation is required.

• Note: Gun Number can change with a change in elevation.

The next value is actual Wind Speed.

• I do my best to measure the wind speed every chance I get and keep a running count of the highs, averages, and lows. If the wind is at full value (left to right or right to left) and it happens to be moving at six mph, your wind is solved!

• Example: Target distance is 500y, and a six mph wind blows from 3 o'clock = 0.5 mils RIGHT.

• Rarely does Mother Nature fit neatly into our plans. If the wind is twice as much (12mph), double your hold. If it's three times as much, triple your hold. You can multiply your gun number by any whole or fraction (to a point) to reliably predict the needed hold.

The last value is Direction.

• Let's assign values to clock positions where the target is always at 12 o'clock, and wind from 12 o'clock will result in a zero-value wind (hold center).

• One o'clock is a 50% value, 1:30 is a 70% value, 2 o'clock is an 87% value (for easier mental math, I use 90%), and 3 o'clock is a 100% value. With target distance, actual wind speed, and the effect of that actual wind speed calculated, multiply the appropriate angle value to decrease the needed hold.

• Example: Gun Number is six mph

  • Distance is 500y; I’m immediately thinking 0.5mils

  • The actual wind speed is six mph. Still at 0.5mils

  • Wind direction is from 1:30 (70%)

  • 70% of 0.5 mils = 0.35mils RIGHT

This is my process, and I've rehearsed it over thousands of rounds, both on and off the clock. Give it a try.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aaron Martin is a former U.S. Marine Corps Scout-Sniper and Reconnaissance Marine with multiple combat tours. Aaron works as an engineer, design consultant, and Instructor with Modern Day Sniper and competes in the NRL Hunter and PRS Series as a member of Team Ruger. When he's not instructing, he resides in Southern Indiana with his family, where he enjoys hunting, fishing, and working on the farm alongside his wife and daughter. Aaron is also the founder of Targeting Solution, his latest venture. You can connect with him on Instagram: @TENSECONDPRECISION.