Improving Shooting Skills – Essential Gear for the Modern Marksman

The sheer excitement of hitting the bull’s eye on the range or shooting a running deer down results from tremendous effort. Along with the right marksmanship skills, modern marksmen require assistance from multiple accessories. The world of precision shooting is constantly evolving, and so modern marksmen gear is required to stay competitive.

The Right Gear Keeps You Competitive

Let’s talk about the essential gear for the modern marksman that will boost their confidence and improve shooting skills. The gears include scopes, range finders, bipods, and other equipment to give you a clean shot from a very long range.

Besides, you will learn to use breath as an additional gear to be a true marksman. I will begin with the most important shooting gear.

Top 7 Modern Marksman Gear Choices

Scopes for long-range rifles are the first optical accessories required for precision shooting. Let me give you a better understanding of rifle scopes.

1. Scopes

Long-range shooting means the shooter has to consider factors like wind, gravity, bullet drop, and other ballistic factors. Targets about 600 meters or 660 yards away are considered long-range. To see a target properly, marksmen need scopes with enough magnification.

• 1x – 4x: Suitable for close-range shooting
• 5x – 8x: Suitable for mid-range shooting
• 9x – 12x: Suitable for long-range shooting

Marksmen must use scopes with a higher magnification to achieve accuracy in long-range shooting. But they should also be careful of over-magnification. With an extremely large scope, the shooter can miscalculate the height of the target.

If you have a good old 223 Remington, you can find the best scope for 223 Remington on Bang-Inc.

Factors to Consider About Scopes

Magnification isn’t the only factor when choosing scopes for long-range shooting. Consider the following, too.

• Variable Magnification: Scopes with fixed magnification, such as 6x or 8x, may be good but aren’t versatile. You should look for variable magnification scopes, such as 3x-9x or 6x-12x.
• Scope Clarity: Depending on the coating on the lens, the clarity of the scope can vary. Long-range shooters must have a scope with a high clarity.
• Reticle Type: Reticle is the crosshair pattern you see through the scope. Three common types of reticles are given below.
  • Duplex: Suitable for mid-range shooting and hunting
  • Mil-Dot: Good for long-range shooting as it shows bullet drops
  • BDC: It shows bullet drop, holdover, etc., so it is best for marksmen
• Focal Plane: Scopes with the first focal plane has increased reticles during magnification. Second focal planes have the same reticle size all the way through. So, scopes with first focal planes are better for long-range shooting.

You can find more factors in the Magnifying Patrol Rifle Scopes Market Survey Report by the Department of Homeland Security.

2. Range Finders

For a successful shooting, knowing the exact distance between you and the target is crucial. Two types of range finders are most commonly used: optical and laser.

• Optical Range Finders: They use the object size to calculate the estimated distance. These range finders are highly affordable but not that accurate.
• Laser Range Finders: These use laser beams to measure the distance of the target. As a result, they are much more accurate than traditional optical range finders. But they are a bit expensive. Still, I recommend investing in a good laser range finder to improve shooting skills.

3. Wind Meters

Wind speed and direction have a great impact on the bullet deviation, especially in marksmanship. So, long-range shooters should have good wind meters to take the wind speed and direction into account.

Traditional wind meters with lanyards are great for long-range shooting. Some modern wind meters can be combined with range finders, but they require a higher budget.

4. Rifle Supports

When shooting at a long range, marksmen must rest their rifles on proper support. It absorbs some of the recoil and makes shooting repeatedly easier for the shooter or hunter. Three types of support are most common.

• Sand Bags: Sturdy bags filled with sand can work great as supports. But they aren’t good enough to suit heavy-duty, long-range rifles.
• Bipods: For mid-range hunting or target practice, bipods provide enough support. But leveling the rifle may be a bit harder with bipods.
• Tripods: Even though the name is the same, they are different from tripods used with cameras. Tripods work as the best support for long-range shooters or marksmen.

5. Chronographs

Ballistic chronographs determine the bullet velocity. By determining the bullet velocity, you can calculate how much time the bullet is gonna take to reach the target. The bullet drop can also be calculated using this data. Even if it isn’t a mandatory gear for the modern marksman, I recommend having one.

The calculated correction with the help of bullet velocity will help shooters improve their skills.

6. Shooting Mats

Shooting mats slightly increase the comfort of the shooter. At the same time, it reduces the amount of dirt or moisture reaching the firearm. As a result, shooters have a better chance to take a more accurate shot.

7. Eye and Ear Protection

Long-range rifles usually have a higher noise than mid-range or low-range firearms. So, precision shooters must use eye and ear protection. Shooting glasses with UV protection are great for long shooting hours. Earplugs or earmuffs can suppress the noise. You must check the Noise Reduction Rating before buying earplugs or earmuffs.

Using Breath As An Additional Gear

Sgt. 1st Class John M. Buol Jr. is a seasoned marksman from the Army Reserve Marksman Team. It is a team of elite shooters in the army known for high-precision shooting. He showed how to hold your breath right before shooting the firearm to improve the shooting accuracy. You can improve your shooting skills with proper knowledge and practice of breath control.

Before we end our discussion of important gear, let’s talk about the necessity of shooting comfort and stability. A marksman spends much time outdoors, often in difficult terrain akin to what you’d find while trekking. This is where an informed footwear decision becomes critical. Choosing durable and comfortable hiking shoes is a smart choice that can help improve stability and endurance, especially during long shooting sessions.

Final Thoughts About Modern Marksmen Gear

Precision shooting demands making data-driven decisions based on target distance, magnification, windage, bullet velocity, and many other factors. So, using the right gear impacts the shooting result a lot. The essential gear for the modern marksman includes scopes, range finders, wind meters, rifle supports, etc.

Chronographs, shooting mats, eye and ear protection, etc., provide some additional benefits to boost confidence and improve shooting skills. Proper use of breath can also benefit long-range shooters to achieve precision.