Blue Steel Ranch

Brian Whalen built Blue Steel Ranch with serious credentials: 10 years active duty Special Forces, 2 combat deployments to Iraq, 1 to Afghanistan, and 3 years teaching the SOTIC (Special Operations Target Interdiction Course) at Levels I and II. He's also a Level I SOTIC graduate himself. The guy knows what long-range shooting actually demands.

• •Precision Rifle 1 is the foundation course. Covers equipment setup, optics selection, ballistic software, reticle techniques, basic wind doping, and data card building out to 1,000 yards. Designed for shooters with basic firearms knowledge but little long-range experience. Three days (Friday-Sunday, 8am-5pm). About 100 rounds per day. $1,095 tuition.

• •Precision Rifle 2 is intermediate—assumes you finished PR-1 or equivalent. Takes you to 1,350 yards with advanced optics work, compromised position shooting on canyon rims, scanning and target detection, and wind management. Heavy use of .22LR trainer rifles to save centerfire barrels and ammo costs. Three days, ~125 rounds per day. Same $1,095 tuition.

• •Precision Rifle 3 is for competition prep. NRL/PRS-style field matches, advanced wind reading, time management, strategy, and self-analysis. Nearly all field-based instruction on canyon terrain. Prerequisites: you need to have completed PR-1 and PR-2 (or equivalent). Three days, ~100 rounds per day. $1,095.

• •Designated Marksman focuses on carbine accuracy from 50 to 750 yards—built for 3-Gun competitors, police, military. Covers wind management, time pressure, natural terrain shooting around trees and rocks, barrier shooting, and data management. Three days (Friday-Sunday), ~600 rounds. $1,095 tuition.

• •Hunter's Series/Steel Safari Prep is a field-focused version of PR-3. Three days entirely on canyon terrain. Blind stage competition format—find targets with rangefinder, build positions, manage data, correct for wind, engage for perfect score. Heavy on target detection, advanced positional shooting, and team training if you bring a partner. Same $1,095.

All classes cap at 12 students (10 for PR-3) with 6:1 student-to-instructor ratio. Lodging is $200 for the on-site BSR bunkhouse (Thursday/Friday through Sunday morning). Classes run Friday-Sunday, 8am-5pm (Sunday ends at 3:30pm for Designated Marksman).

Equipment requirements: - Rifles: .223/5.56 minimum, .300 Win Mag maximum. Manual or semi-auto accepted. - Optics: Variable power scope with 1-3x minimum magnification and subtended reticle. Bring a printout of your reticle. - Ammo: Match grade recommended (77gr .223 preferred) but not mandatory.

Flying cross-country? You're limited to about 11 pounds of ammo on commercial flights—not enough for a three-day course. Ship to:

BSR C/O Scott Milakovich Attn: Your Name 32125 Hwy 54 Logan, NM 88426

Rules: Use UPS or FedEx ground only (not USPS for ammunition). Mark packages ORMD if they contain ammo. Pack tight—assume worst-case handling. Reloaded ammo must go in plastic ammo containers, taped shut, then double-boxed.

If you're shipping a firearm, it must go to an FFL in Logan (contact Blue Steel Ranch for the dealer). They recommend flying with your rifle instead.

Sign up for any course and get: guaranteed delivery of JP rifles ordered in advance, plus 10% off any JP rifle you order for the course (discount is void if you later cancel).

100% payment required to reserve a seat—non-refundable. But they do offer rescheduling:

• •Cancel 60+ days out: reschedule free (one-time courtesy)
• •Cancel 30-60 days out: reschedule but pay 50% surcharge per student
• •Cancel less than 30 days: no changes, tuition forfeited

Rescheduled date must be within 12 months, and you can only reschedule once.

Brian Whalen's track record: Four NRA National F-Class Records. 1st place at the 2008 International Sniper Competition (Service Class). Multiple top-3 finishes in Steel Safari, USASOC competitions, and NRA sporting rifle matches. His past students include Denver SWAT Sniper Team, Special Forces 10th Group, 4th Infantry Division snipers, and international special forces from Senegal and Jordan.

Email: [email protected] Phone: 910-257-0848 Allow 1-2 days for response.

All courses signed up through Colorado Precision Rifle online or directly through Blue Steel Ranch.