Selling to the long-range crowd can be a challenge because you’ll never have every little thing they want or need. All long-range shooters and hunters have a few things in common, however, and that presents opportunity.

Last October, I attended an Outdoor Solutions Level 2 shooting school at the Guitar Spur Ranch east of Lubbock, Texas. This was my second shooting school with the Outdoor Solutions team. The first was in northeast Utah a few years ago. In both instances our classes had a mix of veteran shooters, hunters, novices and flat-out rookies. One in Texas hadn’t shot more than 100 yards with a rifle.

In both classes, though, a solid recipe of clear instructions, hearty encouragement, congratulations for big hits and occasional ribbing all made for a great two days. Everyone learned something about themselves, their rifles and optics, abilities, and each other. For example, in Texas we learned to never underestimate anyone including a 17-year-old young woman who smoked everyone on the final “one shot and you’re out” competition out to 1,000 yards.

It also was cool to see, as a long-time hunter, what I could do with my long-range abilities and confidence while in the field. It’s one thing to look at a static target on a board at 200 yards, settle in and ring the center five times. Or at 400, or 700 even with a crosswind. It’s another to have a knee-knocking buck looking at you while you’re trying to quietly get into position, slow the surge of adrenaline and put the crosshairs or post on that one spot before pressing the trigger. 

Long-range shooters and hunters have a few things in common. They typically want quality products, the best optics they can afford, and total confidence about the relationship of the ammunition, optic and rifle. Any doubt can cause problems: a missed or wounded buck or elk, or a shot outside the center diamond or single hole being stacked.

Aside from special rifles and ammo, most of which is hand-loaded by long-range shooters, here are some products you can sell that cater to them. These are year-round sales possibilities, too. Shooters hit the range and contests all year. Hunters hit the range outside of the season.

Support Bags

Easy to haul around and use, support bags can be used as a prop for the front of the rifle, buttstock, on a bench, in a blind or on the ground. Larger bags can be used to fill space, such as between an arm and torso when sitting, or to lean against or lay on. Under the buttstock, they can be squeezed to gently raise or lower the rifle and then hold in position before a shot. Check out bags from MTD Defense, CrossTac, Armageddon, Wiebad and others. They make a great pillow for a nap, too.

Backpacks, Range Bags

Shooters and hunters need backpacks and range bags to carry everything from pens to mark targets, support bags, optic cleaner, extra clothing, hats and even lunch. While in Texas and Utah we had guys with traditional backpacks and range bags. There’s no “you must have this!” deal about this; it’s personal preference. One of our Texas guys had the 5.11 Tactical Rush 72, which has 55 liters of space. I was drooling a bit, as I have the downsized version. But, for just two days, my UTG Overbound pack worked perfectly (and has been with me around the world). ALPS OutdoorZ has an excellent wide-mouth bag, the DU Pit Blind, designed for waterfowl hunters that I’ve used at the range, as well.

Ammunition Boxes

Long-range shooters typically hand-load their ammunition and store it in special boxes. This keeps the ammo from clinking against each other. For a deer hunter, that might not be a big deal but for a competitive shooter, it is. Both can use the ammunition boxes from MTM Case-Guard, though, for everything from .22 to BMG cartridges. The cases are tough, durable, have a little lock-latch, and are stackable. They can be written on, too, like with a Sharpie, to note the caliber, date, etc.

Optics

While in Texas, I shot a lovely Christensen Arms Ridgeline in 6.5 Creedmoor topped with a Zeiss Conquest V4 6-24x50 scope. The scope had the ZBi reticle, adjustable parallax and external windage knob, and legendary Zeiss glass. We were shooting Barnes Precision Match 140-grain ammo, and my rifle had a suppressor. We also were using Zeiss spotting scopes and binoculars.

Until this trip, I’d never used any of that gear other than the Barnes ammo. It all performed flawlessly. I’m unsure why, but I was supremely confident from the moment I snugged into the Ridgeline and fired a few rounds at the 100-yard warmup target. I’d love to hunt with that setup. As a hunter, and while on the range, it’s good to have confidence in every bit of gear. If something isn’t right or wired tight, it’s a distraction.

Long-range shooters may ask you about scopes and binos. It’s not necessary to have products in the four-figure range, although keeping a good variety of price points on hand is a plus. A beginner may get into long-range with a $750 or $800 scope that could be just fine, too, for hunting season. As with any pursuit, if the passion grows then the budget also may grow. Having a selection of rangefinders is a solid idea, too.

Be sure to have good optical glass cleaner and microfiber cloths in stock, no matter what. If you’re selling optics, sell those. They’re good impulse buys near the register, too.

Bench Rests

Every long-range shooter is different, but they all want a solid rest for their rifles on the bench. In Texas at the Outdoor Solutions school, we used a Caldwell Rock BR rest. It’s designed for the front of the rifle and is easily adjustable. This gives the shooter more control over the rear of the rifle with the firmer sand or squishier mushy bags. They can position and squeeze the bag to specific heights, micromovements and comfort.

In the field during our second day in Texas, we were ranging life-size animal decoy targets out to 565 yards. The black bear at that distance was easy to find. The mule deer half-hidden by shadow and a tree limb at 300-something, not so much. But everyone found the targets while in prone or sitting positions, with a steel plate behind the target clanging with hits.

We used the BOG Deathgrip tripod while atop a mesa overlooking a canyon for the decoy targets. It’s lightweight, locks easily and securely to the rifle forearm (without scratching wood), and is wildly adjustable. Competition shooters may opt for this, or a front bipod like those from Caldwell, Spartan or others. Hunters who don’t use a Bog, monopod, shooting sticks, bags or other rest in the field don’t know what they’re missing.

Other Possibilities

Weather conditions are a huge, huge factor for long-range shooters, who repeatedly check their rifle and ammo DOPE against the weather. A change in wind speed, direction, humidity, altitude and temperature all can play a role in competition. Things can change from one hour to the next. At the Outdoor Solutions shooting school in Utah a couple years ago, we watched a storm blow in while atop the mountain at more than 8,500 feet. Checking our GeoBallistics app, which combined rifle and ammo data with weather conditions, we could easily see the changes in holdovers for different yardages.

The Kestrel 5700 Elite is a great wind-weather tool for shooters and hunters. It can stand alone, providing data to be used before a shot, or in concert with the GeoBallistics app. Another possibility for sales is the Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph, which gives shooters (and hunters) myriad data points for the rifle and ammunition. The Xero C1 Pro is a fantastic tool for any hunter or serious shooter.

Finally, don’t forget about stocking a great selection of cleaning supplies including solvents, patches, rods and brushes. Competitive shooters are sticklers about having clean bores and trying to minimize anything that helps them score better. Hunters, maybe not as much, but they, too, will need cleaning supplies. These are sure-fire items to make the cash register sing.