Advanced
Build the position. Read the wind. Own the shot.
Advanced is where a solid prone shooter learns to solve the rest of the range. Over three days, you will build repeatable tripod and adaptive positions, sharpen your wind and ballistics process, and prove it all through scored known- and unknown-distance engagements. Every run creates a baseline. Every repeat shows you what changed.
- Level
- Advanced — the progression after Foundation
- Length
- 3 days
- Engagements
- Known & unknown distance, 300–1,200 yd
- Built for
- Foundation graduates or equivalent shooters
Foundation built. Time to leave prone.
Advanced is for Foundation graduates or shooters with an equivalent command of rifle setup, zero, data, and a repeatable prone shot process. We assume you can operate the rifle safely and keep your mechanics together while you solve a basic engagement.
This is the bridge from a clean prone hit to a complete field solution. The target may be unknown, the wind call is yours, and the terrain decides the position. We give you a process for each variable, then score the result.
Three days. One measured progression.
Advanced is built as a loop: establish the baseline, learn the system, apply it under pressure, then run the same standard again. The score makes the improvement visible — and makes the next weakness impossible to hide.
Start with an honest baseline
First we confirm zero, validate trajectory, and catch bad data or rifle issues before they follow you through the course. Then you shoot a five-target known-distance qualification with no wind help. The score is not a verdict — it is the entry point for your progression.
Understand and shrink the wobble zone
You will learn to see the reticle's movement as information. We separate lateral, horizontal, mechanical, and wind-induced wobble, identify the cause of each, and choose the right fix instead of muscling through an unstable position.
Build a tripod position anywhere
The HOLDS process — Height, Orientation, Length, Drag, Stance — gives you one repeatable way to set a tripod on unfamiliar ground. You will apply it from standing, high kneeling, low kneeling, and seated before carrying it to distance.
Adapt to the terrain in front of you
Tires, barricades, tank traps, rocks, fences, vehicles, and match props all ask a different question. You will learn balance-point technique, adaptive builds, and rear-support options so the process — not a memorized position — solves the prop.
Turn wind into a working process
Level 2 TREAD adds wind angles, gradients, mirage, and aerodynamic jump. You will calculate your personal Gun Number, make fast holds without a solver, and use TRACE to work backward from impacts until every honest observation becomes part of your wind database.
Prove the change against a standard
Day 3 is the Advanced Standards Card: rifle assembly and zero, tripod deployment, repeat KD and UKD courses, and a scored adaptive-position engagement. You finish by applying the same decision-making to introductory PRS and NRL Hunter stages.
The Level 2 curriculum.
The rifle, the position, the wind, and the target are treated as one connected system. Every classroom framework is followed by live repetitions and a scored application.
Wobble Zone & Benchmark Positions
- Acceptable wobble for the target and distance
- Lateral, horizontal, mechanical & wind-induced wobble
- Standing, high kneeling, low kneeling & seated
- Slow-fire refinement plus timed build-and-break reps
Tripod Setup — HOLDS
- Height for eye relief and spine alignment
- Orientation and leg length for terrain and position
- Head drag that supports without fighting the rifle
- Stance, tripod loading, clamps & attachment methods
Adaptive Positions & Rear Support
- Balance-point technique on unfamiliar props
- Low standing, mid-height kneeling & modified prone
- Tripod rear, bag rear & hybrid support systems
- Recoil management and spotting your own impacts
Wind Process — Level 2
- TREAD: Time, Read, Estimate, Arrive, Deliver
- Wind rose angles, true wind value & gradients
- Mirage as a speed and direction indicator
- Gun Number mental math and the TRACE drill
External Ballistics — Level 2
- Truing and trajectory-validation methodology
- Direction of fire and DSF
- Spin drift, Coriolis & aerodynamic jump
- Inputs that move impact — and those that do not
Scored Field Application
- Five-target Cadre Engagement and Scoring System
- Known and unknown distance with no wind assistance
- Mandated and shooter-selected multi-position courses
- Introductory PRS and NRL Hunter stage formats
How the course runs.
Three complete days, built in order. Day 1 creates the positional base. Day 2 compounds the wind, distance, and terrain. Day 3 measures what you can now do without help.
The tripod and the wobble zone
Validate the rifle, establish a scored baseline, then build the four benchmark tripod positions from the ground up.
- Live fire
Zero + Trajectory Validation
Confirm zero and trajectory from prone while instructors diagnose scope tracking, mounting, torque, ammunition consistency, and shooter mechanics. Your corrected truing inputs become the data for every engagement that follows.
- Assessment
Known Distance Qual 1 — Baseline
Five targets from 300 to 700 yards, scored on the 20-point Cadre system. No instructor wind calls. You own the range, read, calculation, and shot.
- Instruction
The Art of the Wobble Zone
Define, measure, and shrink the moving envelope of the reticle. Learn acceptable wobble, balance-point technique, and how to diagnose four different sources of movement.
- Instruction
Tripod Selection + the HOLDS Process
Understand tripod and head selection by application, then use Height, Orientation, Length, Drag, and Stance to remove guesswork from every build.
Read: Introduction to Tripod - Live fire
Four Benchmark Positions
Standing, high kneeling, low kneeling, and seated at 100 yards. Slow fire isolates inputs; build-and-break reps make the setup repeatable.
- Live fire
Tripod Open Range
Carry HOLDS and the Shooter's Checklist to real targets and real wind while instructors circulate, observe, and diagnose.
- Assessment
Tripod Known Distance 1
Five targets from 300 to 700 yards. Standing is mandated for targets one and two, high kneeling for three and four, and low kneeling or seated for target five.
Adaptive positions, wind & ballistics
Leave the benchmarks, solve unfamiliar props, support the rear of the rifle, and make faster wind decisions at distance.
- Instruction
Adaptive Positions
Use balance-point technique to build low standing, mid-height kneeling, and modified prone on barricades, tires, tank traps, rocks, fences, vehicles, and match props.
- Live fire
Adaptive Round Robin
Rotate through every prop under a clock. You cannot over-optimize one familiar build; the process has to carry the load.
- Instruction
Tripod Rear + Rear Support
Compare tripod rear, bag rear, and hybrid systems, then see how rear support changes wobble, recoil management, and your ability to spot impacts.
- Live fire
Rear-Support Practical Application
Engage at distance with tripod rear or rear support until the setup most shooters avoid becomes one they can build on demand.
- Instruction
Wind Process — Level 2
Expand TREAD with wind angles, true value, gradients, mirage, and aerodynamic jump. Calculate your personal Gun Number for a fast hold without a calculator.
Read: Gun Number - Live fire
Gun Number + TRACE Drills
Engage using Gun Number only, then reverse-engineer wind from observed impacts. Every rep becomes a useful entry in your personal wind database.
- Assessment
Tripod Unknown Distance 1
Five targets from 300 to 700 yards with a laser rangefinder and no wind assistance. Instructor-dictated order and a two-target maximum per position force at least three distinct builds.
- Instruction
External Ballistics — Level 2
Go deeper on trajectory validation, DSF, spin drift, Coriolis, and the environmental inputs that matter so you can recognize when the solver is wrong.
- Assessment
Prone Known Distance 2
Five targets from 600 to 1,200 yards. Prone removes the positional variable so the day's wind and ballistics work can be measured cleanly.
The Advanced Standards Card
Rebuild the rifle, repeat the scored courses, and test every position taught in the course before stepping into stage-style shooting.
- Assessment
Rifle Assembly + Zero
Disassemble and reassemble your rifle, then re-zero inside a fixed time and round count. Owning the rifle means being able to rebuild and confirm it under pressure.
- Assessment
100-Yard Tripod Deployment Drill
Deploy and engage the Cadre Positional Target from all four benchmarks. With wind and gravity largely removed, the score measures position quality, HOLDS, and checklist discipline.
- Assessment
Tripod Known Distance — Scored Repeat
Repeat the five-target, 300-to-700-yard mandated-position course and measure the result directly against your Day 1 run.
- Assessment
Tripod Unknown Distance — Scored Repeat
Repeat the UKD course with instructor-dictated engagement order and no more than two targets from any one position.
- Assessment
Adaptive Positions — Unknown Distance
Five targets, five required builds: low standing, mid kneeling, modified prone, tripod rear, and low kneeling or high prone. Every adaptive skill is tested once.
- Live fire
Intro to PRS-Style Stages
Learn stage briefs, par times, prop transitions, round management, and the decisions that keep a good stage from becoming a burned one.
- Live fire
Intro to NRL Hunter-Style Stages
Work through blind stage entry, unknown target location and distance, target acquisition, and position selection using RANGE ME as the framework.
A position for the problem. A process for the shot.
The goal is not a collection of tripod tricks. It is a shooter who can diagnose the movement, build against the terrain, make the wind call, and own the result.
- Diagnose zero, trajectory, scope, ammunition, and shooter-data problems before they compound
- Identify the source of a wobble zone and choose a correction that actually fits it
- Build a stable tripod with HOLDS on unfamiliar terrain without guessing
- Shoot standing, high kneeling, low kneeling, and seated benchmark positions
- Read a prop and create an adaptive position from its balance point
- Use tripod rear, bag rear, and hybrid support to control recoil and spot impacts
- Apply TREAD, Gun Number, and TRACE to make faster and more honest wind calls
- Validate Level 2 ballistic effects and know when a solver solution does not make sense
- Complete scored known- and unknown-distance engagements from multiple required positions
Show up ready to progress.
Complete Foundation first, or arrive with equivalent experience: safe rifle handling, a repeatable prone position, a confirmed zero, validated ballistic data, and the ability to build and deliver your own basic firing solution. You will receive the complete rifle, tripod, ammunition, support-gear, and sustainment list after registration.
The framework stays the same from the first tripod build to the last scored run: observe honestly, make a deliberate decision, and let the impact teach you.
Study the process before class.
Review tripod setup, Gun Number, positional shooting, and the rest of the Advanced library before you arrive. The more familiar the language is, the more range time we can spend on repetitions, diagnosis, and scored application.
Ready to find out what holds up?
Advanced runs at select host ranges throughout the year. Find a date and venue that work for you, then bring the process you built in Foundation into three days of positions, wind, and measured standards.