SSO Shooting Page

Hunting Rifle Seminar

Hello, I am Shane Scott your Shane Scott Outfitting Firearms Instructor. I have been a law enforcement handgun, shotgun and rifle instructor for 13 years.

I am an avid hunter and rifleman. I took the knowledge and experience from teaching students in the law enforcement field and molded it to fit most big game hunters with standard equipment. Most hunters have standard equipment consisting of a flat shooting rifle and a 3X9 or 4X12 scope. I have created a system for the hunter with a standard rifle to become extremely accurate out to 500 and 600 yards depending on their equipment and skills.

At Shane Scott Outfitting we have created a private seminar. The cost is $50.00 per person plus sales tax, and must be paid at the beginning of the seminar. A t-shirt and Hunting Rifle Seminar Booklet are included.

When a "SEMINAR HOST" contacts us we will set up the following:

The seminar runs 3 to 4 hours depending on the students needs at the conclusion. During the seminar we will go over rifles, scopes, bullets, ballistic coefficient, sectional density, bullet flight, reloading todays centerfire rifle cartridges, shooting rests, and touch on minute of angle adjustments for long range shooting. I will instruct each student on how to work up charts for their rifle. They will learn how to work up velocity, bullet drop, wind drift and energy charts. We will overview how the atmosphere effects bullet flight.

Todays hunting rifles are extremely accurate. With a little knowledge the hunter can increase their chance of making that first shot count on a trophy of a lifetime.

I instructed a resident of Richfield, Utah in 2005. He had a drawn West Desert Vernon limited entry rifle deer tag in Utah. After instruction and shooting training he harvested a 26 inch 185 class mule deer. He fired two shots. The first at 515 yards hitting the deer and the second at 505 yards putting the deer down. When they first spotted the deer he believed the deer was to far away for a shot. His son ranged the deer at 515 and with his confidence after training at 500 yards he told his son he could make the shot. He was using a Ruger M77 .270 Winchester, a 3X9 Leupold scope (with no tactical features), Federal Premium Ammunition loaded with 140 grain Nosler Accubond bullets and Leica 1200 rangefinder. His success was all in his pre hunt preparation and the solid rest he used.

I will never forget the excitement in his voice when he called me with the news of his success. His first words to me were "SHANE, 505 YARDS!"

At the conclusion of the seminar the students will understand the capabilities of their personal hunting rifle. SSO 2015

Extreme Rifleman Course

Hello, I am Shane Scott your Shane Scott Outfitting Firearms Instructor. I have been a law enforcement handgun, shotgun and rifle instructor for 13 years. I am and avid hunter and outdoorsman. I have taken my training and experience from training law enforcement officers and adapted it to my passion of hunting.

This is the Shane Scott Outfitting Extreme Rifleman Course. Here in the Rocky Mountains of Utah we encounter hunting situations that may require special equipment and skills to shoot a greater distance.

This is not a bench rest course for experienced long range shooters.

This course is for the beginner or novice long range shooter that desires to learn more and improve their personal shooting skills in a hunting environment.

The Extreme Rifleman course is for the big game hunter getting into tactical shooting from a hunters perspective.

If you are in one of these categories this course is for you:

 

 

The cost for the Course is $250.00 plus sales tax for a one student course. Cost is $400.00 plus sales tax for a pair of students. Payment is to be received in cash prior to the class beginning.

I will not teach more than 2 students at a time. This course is 8 hours long. I prefer to teach the course by appointment from March 1 to June 30 each year. There will be some classroom taught at the range. A tee shirt and training packet is included.

I will teach an Advanced 3 Day Extreme Rifleman Course for $750.00 plus sales tax. This will be by special appointment only, Advanced is a One Student Course. The Advanced Extreme Rifleman Course is a 21 hour course.

You will not be bored during this course. This is a fast moving course. It will be a lot of fun. You will have a lot of different shooting situations. We will be doing a lot of shooting.

 

The student will need to have the following:

 

I will do a pre training consultation by phone to prepare the student for class.

This course is taught in Richfield, Utah on I-70 at exit #40. We are 2.5 hours from Salt Lake City, Utah and 2 hours from St. George, Utah. We are the home of the world famous Piute ATV Trail System. We have several nice hotels in town.

In this course we will cover the Long Range Shooting in hunting conditions. We will discuss ethical decision making according to your skills.

I recommend taking the Extreme Rifleman with a hunting buddy. It will pay off in the field.

My goal as a instructor is to give the student knowledge to help them improve their skills. I want the student to be able to make a shot that may seem impossible to most hunters. To the student it will be nothing more that a little pre calculated math, adjustment and a good shot.

Thank You for your interest in Shane Scott Outfitting services.

I hope to see you on the range. Shane Scott

Hunting Rifle Training Course

Shane Scott Outfitting Staff want our big game clients to arrive on their hunt prepared to shoot with confidence. I have been a law enforcement firearms and Rifle instructor for 14 years. Using what I have learned from classes and my own experience I want to go through some simple steps to make you a better hunter using your rifle in the field. This particular process is designed for hunters using a hunting rifle with muzzle velocity ranging from 2700-3800 feet per second used for hunting big game in the Western United States.

The majority of the hunters in the field today have a good flat shooting bolt action rifle with a scope. Todays bolt action hunting rifles with good factory ammunition are extremely accurate out of the box.

Growing up in Utah I quickly realized that the 200 yard shot doesn't happen very often in our mountains. The trophy animals are educated. One of todays best hunting techniques is to spot and stalk. Put the animal to bed, then sneak within shooting distance. Wait until the animal gets up again to feed and make the shot count. The canyons are deep and it may be necessary to take a longer shot than 300 or 400 yards. I have developed a system for the big game hunter to become extremely accurate with their big game hunting rifle.

1- First, we must make sure your equipment is ready. Make sure the scope mounts are tight. Look over the Scope lenses. Make sure they are clear of condensation or scratches. I recommend having flip up scope lense covers.

2- Next choose a hunting load for your upcoming hunt. Maximize the rifles performance. Choose a bullet with a high ballistic coefficient to improve down range energy. Also choose a bullet with core strength suitable for the game you are hunting. Bullet Sectional Density also comes into effect during this process. You can email me at higSSOpoutfitters@hotmail.com if you need assistance choosing a hunting load for your upcoming hunt. I will do my best to go over all of your options with you.

3-Determine your preferred zero on your gun. For western big game I allow my bullet to rise up to 4 inches above the line of sight. You choose how you want to sight in your gun. Then run a ballistic chart to the yardage you prefer. I run a chart to 700 yards for most flat shooting hunting rifles.

4- During "Sight In" start at 100 yards. Make sure your gun is grouping the bullets to your satisfaction. In most cases a gun should have no more than a 1.5 inch group at 100 yards. The group may be larger on Semi Automatics, Lever Action and Pump Action rifles. For any shots over 300 yard I highly recommend a bolt action rifle.

5- Once you get your gun where you want the bullet impact to be at 100 yards move to 300 yards. Fine Tune the bullet impact. Remember on a standard 1/4 minute angle scope each click is 3/4 inch at 300 yards.

6- Once you have the bullet in the area of desired 300 yard impact we are half way there. Now move to 400, 500 and 600 yards. Using a point of aim at all distances make sure your drop chart is accurate. With most guns your bullet may elevate or drift 1-3 inches as you increase distances. Example: If your gun shoots a one inch group at 100 yards, It shoots a 5 inch group at 500 yards. If your group at distance is not consistent with your 100 yard group you will have to determine the cause. Human error, wind, environment etc need to be evaluated.

Once your 300 yards target is completed to your satisfaction do not adjust the scope further. The only exception may be if your gun is consitently off target in the same direction at further distances. Make sure wind is not a factor during this part of the process.

Remember that 1 click on a 1/4 minute scope at 100 yards is equal to 1 inch at 400 yards.

Now we have our gun ready to go hunting. You know how your gun is performing. You know what type of a distance shot you are confident with. I am going to give you some simple rules to follow in the field. For all of the following information the hunter MUST have an accurate rangefinder and spotter in the field. The hunters practice, confidence and hunting ethics become key factors.

Game Size Rule: A typical mule deer as a rule in the west will be 18 inches from top to bottom. A Bull Elk will be 30 inches from top to bottom. Military snipers can use vehicle rims and other fixed objects in the field when shooting distance.

In order to make these type distance shots the following are important considerations:

1- Time must be on the hunters side, the animal needs to be undisturbed in a feeding or bedded position. 2- You must know the distance to the animal with an acccurate rangefinder reading. 3- You must know the drop of your bullet at the distance you intend to shoot. 4- You must know that your bullet will have enough retained energy to harvest the animal at the distance you intend to shoot. 6- If possible you should have a prone rest with all parts of your body impacting the ground to minimize any shooter movement. 7- Your spotter must be ready when you shoot to give you an accurate report of shot placement. 8- Using your rangefinder calculate the distance to target. Using the drop chart calculate your bullet drop. Using the size rule above determine point of aim on the animal you intend to take. Spotters ready, squeeze, then quickly reload and aquire the target again. Rely on your spotters to tell you what the shot results were. Adjust and shoot again if necessary. 9- Shoot until your intended target appears to be unable to escape. Don't move until you are 100 percent certain the animal has been harvested.

Follow up shots need to be made confidently.

Use your GPS to mark your shooting location. Distance shots can disorient you when you begin to look for your game. Leave the hunter or spotter at the shot location with a communication device to help locate the animal.

Ethics And Considerations: On shots over 400 yards heavy wind must be considered. I encourage hunters to practice on the range in all conditions. Only take shots that you are confident you can make.

Steep angles "up or down" will reduce bullet drop. The bullet will drop the distance it travels over gravity at a parallel line. The bullet will not drop the same as rangefinder reading on a steep angle.

As you progress through distance shooting you will want to read all you can. Shoot all you can.

Most of all, realize that what you are doing is simply amazing. I have been influenced by a lot of people. Shooting is 100 percent mental preparation and discipline.

Anticipation Drill: At the moment you sit behind the trigger with target in the crosshairs you will know if you are mentally prepared. If your gun goes off and there is no anticipation, no flinching, then you are tuned in. If you question yourself then have someone take your gun. Tell them to give it back to you without knowledge of whether or not the gun is loaded. Set up a digital video camera on a tripod filming yourself when you pull the trigger. Get the whole picture gun and all. Do this multiple times.

You will find out just how tuned in, or out, you are.

You will learn a lot about yourself when you watch the video later. This exercise can be some great entertainment as well. If the shooter someone has a new large caliber magnum rifle or a just a new gun they might get "scoped".

It makes great video. Put the video in slow motion later to see the shooters anticipation factor. If the shooter gets scoped the anticipation factor goes off the charts. If there is forehead blood the video can become rated "R" in a hurry.

If you have an anticipation problem I would encourage consultation with a Shooting Trainer. There are several options to correct the problem. If you don't correct the problem you will anticipate with every gun you shoot. No matter what the gun may be. It is a mental problem at that point you have to train yourself out of. With time you can get back on track. Perfect practice makes perfect.

Your equipment, mental preparation and practice will carry you to success in the field.

Using the principles I teach, I was able to harvest a my Utah bull elk in 2007 (see picture at the top of the page). I was using the flat shooting 257 Weatherby Magnum pictured above. I handloaded my ammunition. My hunting rifle has a standard scope 6X-24X-44mm.(No tactical Adjustment) I was able to get in a prone position with my rifle and body solid on the ground comfortably. We had utilized the spot and stalk method so I had time to set up and anticipate the shot for a couple of hours.

At 563 yards I knew what my bullet would drop. I had practiced shooting out to 600 yards prior to my hunt. My friend Ryan Proctor was spotting for me. Shane Scott Outfitting Guide Lance Scott was running the camera. Using a 120 grain Nosler Partition, compensating for 30 inches of bullet drop I made a good shot on the bull putting him down. I hope this information will be helpful to you in the field.

If you ever have a question or need some help don't hesitate to email me at shanescottoutfitting@hotmail.com. If I don't know the answer to your problem, I will refer you to someone who will./

Outfitter Shane Scott. SSO

Shane Scott Outfitting Hunting Load Consultation

Hello, I am Shane Scott your Shane Scott Outfitting Firearms Instructor. I have been a law enforcement handgun, shotgun and rifle instructor for 14 years. I am an avid hunter and sportsman.

It is my goal to help you maximize your rifles performance with minimal cost to you. Before spending a lot of money on a new rifle contact me by email or phone and lets see what we can do for your hunting rifle's performance. I want you to be successful and have confidence in your equipment.

I understand how caliber, velocity, bullet weight, bullet flight, the environment and bullet construction influence your hunting load. Your rifle performance can be increased significantly by choosing the right hunting load for the game and evironment you will be hunting in. Your rifle preparation begins with the hunting load. The hunting load you choose is just as important as the gun itself. It is also important to properly sight your gun in prior to the hunt.

There is a wide variety of factory loads available. There is also a wide variety of hunting bullets available. For handloaders rifle performance can be increased with the right hand load. Todays bullets all fly different and respond differently upon impact.

It can be confusing to look at all the choices available.

At Shane Scott Outfitting we know how important it is when you finally draw the big game tag of your dreams. The last thing you want is to be unprepared or have regrets because of a missed opportunity at a trophy animal. Preparation and confidence can be the difference in your hunt if the right situation presents itself.

I thank you for your interest in our Shane Scott Outfitting Services. I thank all of the clients, affiliates, and students I have been able to teach in the past 13 years. Few things thrill me more than hearing the success stories at the conclusion of a dream hunt. Our products and training are proven, they work and I would enjoy speaking to you about your hunting rifle and future big game hunts.