CAMEO (AGirlandAGun.org) — A Girl & A Gun welcomed 12 women who traveled to Grand Junction, CO, for the inaugural Sniper School event. The AG&AG Sniper School, made up of rifle and field techniques instructional blocks, utilized various areas of the Cameo Shooting and Educational Complex that served as the perfect backdrop for learning internal and external ballistics, wind, mirage, concealment , movement, angles and more. Sniper/spotter teams engaged targets up to 2,000 yards and beyond in mountainous desert terrain.
“It’s common to see military and law enforcement working in these conditions, but A Girl & A Gun was proud to offer this experience to ordinary women,” says Robyn Sandoval, Executive Director of AG & AG. “Some of our participants had never recorded DOPE before or had the thrill of ringing a steel target that was more than a mile away. The ladies came a long way in a matter of days and gained a solid long-range shooting foundation. I am very proud of their successes!”
Savage Arms donated ten custom 110 rifles chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor with Savage Arms stock, donated MDT stock and camo dips provided by Veil. Primary Arms donated ten Athena lenses that allowed the ladies to accurately judge distance and prey. Stag Arms donated two AR-10 rifles in Flat Dark Land and Vortex Optics donated two Razor Gen II scopes and carbon tripods. Voodoo Tactical provided shooting mats, Rite in the Rain provided waterproof DOPE books, and Daniel Defense contributed Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition.
“We’ve never had a lady in any of our Snipercraft or Sniper School courses, but when 12 from AG & AG showed up, we knew it was going to be an epic experience,” said Adam Winch, lead instructor for Defenders USA, whose team of instructors presented the course material. Firearms instructors Russell Anthon and Hank Ownbey were assisted by Myles Standish, who served as an infantry sniper in the US Army with multiple deployments to the Middle East.
Anthon worked with the students to gain a clear understanding of the ballistic and atmospheric factors that affect the trajectory of the bullet. He provided calculations to help ladies score faster and register accurate DOPE for known and unknown distance targets. Standish led discussions on camouflage and oversaw the construction of participants’ ghillie suits. He was on the glass trying to find our student snipers while the ladies reconnoitered from their hasty hiding places on the ground.
Winch said: “The ladies worked like crazy, pushing themselves, their team and our instructors, learning a lot and showing increased competence and skill throughout the tough course. They came away with lessons that apply far beyond the training itself, with memories of a lifetime, a bond between them that deepened through the challenging shared experience, and they grew as individuals. Send it ladies!
About a girl and a gun
For more information on the A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League, or to find out how to join, visit AGirlandAGun.org. Follow AG & AG on Facebook, Instagram, TwitterYouTube and Pinterest for social networks and corporate news.