Yesterday I’d never shot more than a sporting clay. Today I shot a metal target from 700 yards away in the heart of Texas hill country as a student of the FTW Ranch SAAM Course.
Yep, 700 yards away. And that’s only part of what I learned how to do in my first day as a student in the FTW Ranch SAAM (Sportsman’s All-Weather All-Terrain Marksmanship) course.
I also learned ballistics, how to sight in a scope and how to properly clean a rifle all in between delicious meals and thoughtful conversation with classmates and coaches.
This all takes place in the Precision/Hunt Combo course, which consists of four days of coursework, shooting practice and hunting on the ranch. There are two groups of six people, which allows for one-on-one instruction and attention, and certainly a camaraderie amongst classmates. I’ll admit, as someone attending by herself and with my level of inexperience, I was nervous about fitting in with the group and being able to keep up with an intense program.
Learning to clean rifles at FTW Ranch
It was only two minutes into our first class session and all my nerves subsided. We were all on the same playing field— all there to sharpen our skills and learn things we didn’t know before. During our gun-cleaning lesson, I was chatting with a fellow classmate of mine, Paul, who has been shooting guns for more than 57 years, including in Vietnam. He said, “I learned things today that I never knew before,” like the importance of using the proper ammunition for your rifle and how that can affect the accuracy of your shot or how to calculate the “drag and deflection” of your bullet when affected by wind and elevation.
Our day began with breakfast at 7 a.m. and we met in our small groups in the classroom at 8 a.m. where we were given a helpful manual to guide our lessons, a shoulder pad, hearing protection and some sporty FTW gear. Around 11 a.m., we put our lesson into practice. We went to the first range to learn and correct our prone positioning and were taught the most important steps to take before pulling the trigger. This included proper breathing techniques, trigger control and sight focus that set you up for a successful, clean first shot. After lunch, we loaded our gear into the Jeeps to drive to another range where we spent more than two hours shooting targets at different distances from 100 yards up to 700 yards, adjusting our sights for each distance. By 5 p.m. I felt like a pro, and had bonded with the HS Precision 6.5 Creedmoor rifle, a gun I had never heard of just this morning.
Another classmate said to me, “You’re lucky you’re starting off early in this course because you don’t have any bad habits you have to break.” He’s right. I truly feel like I’m being taught by the best of the best—after all, the FTW Ranch also serves as a practice range for our military snipers— and that’s setting me up for success right from the start.
Combine that with comfortable accommodations, your requested drink delivered to your door as your morning wake-up call, breath-taking views of Texas canyons and wildlife and you’ve got the full FTW experience. All you’d need then is a game of cornhole and a beer—and they have that too!
After my first day, I am already more confident in my abilities as a sportswoman and shooter and know I will be bringing a great deal of useful knowledge back with me to South Carolina next week. I will be posting daily for the rest of the trip, so stay tuned. I’m already looking forward to another day of learning and shooting tomorrow, and perfecting my technique with the guidance of great coaches and the support of great classmates.
In this book, firearms expert Terry Wieland explores the history of big-bore rifles for dangerous game, covers rifles and ammunition available today, examines controversies about killing power, and explains the nuances of big rifles and how to use them.
The first edition of Dangerous-Game Rifles appeared in 2006, sold out quickly, was reprinted and sold out again. Since it publication, there have been significant developments in the world of big-bore rifles and ammunition. This revised and expanded second edition includes additional chapters on the making of big rifles, practice and usage, updated information on available rifles and ammunitions and more than 100 new photographs, many in color. Buy Now
