A Girl & A Gun (AG & AG) hosted 13 women at its annual Sniper School that took place August 20-24, 2024, on the breathtaking long range of the Cameo Shooting and Education Complex near Grand Junction, CO. The location was the perfect backdrop for the riflecraft, fieldcraft, and snipercraft instruction blocks presented by instructors from Defenders USA. Students were able to engage known and unknown distance targets from 100 yards to 2,003 yards (1.138 miles). Savage Arms, Ruger, Stag Arms, Primary Arms, and Vortex equipped the participants with scoped rifles and spotting scopes to use at the event.
During the event, students learned marksmanship, scope manipulations, internal and external ballistics, wind, mirage, concealment, transitions, and more. Sniper/spotter teams engaged targets up to and beyond 2,000 yards in the mountainous desert terrain. Participants turned BDUs into ghillie suits, and then half the team applied concealment principles to take up hasty hides in the terrain while the other half topped a nearby ridge with binoculars. Despite the stalkers’ best efforts, the sniper students successfully remained hidden.
Sniper School students proudly display their 2,000 Yard certificates from Cameo. These 8 ladies put in the work to collect DOPE and make wind calls to successfully hit the 2,003-yard target.
“This group of everyday women came together to experience something commonly reserved for military and law enforcement,” said AG & AG COO Sandra Woodruff. “Most of these ladies had never shot targets beyond a few hundred yards or recorded DOPE. Watching them learn the concepts, apply techniques and hit steel targets well over a mile away was a thrilling experience. These ladies now have a solid foundation to continue in the sport of long-range precision shooting, and many are excited to shop for their own long-range precision rifles, scopes and gear.”
The top-notch instructor team consisted of Russell Anthon, Hank Ownbey and Myles Standish of Defenders USA. These instructors worked with the students to have a clear understanding of ballistics and atmospheric factors that affect bullet trajectory, provided calculations to help ladies dial in faster and record accurate DOPE for known and unknown-distance targets. They led discussions on camouflage and oversaw the construction of participants’ ghillie suits and the overwatch exercise.
New AG & AG member, Marsha Lapid said, “This was the best experience ever! It’s a different type of women’s retreat. You hear about this organization being a ‘sisterhood’ but when you’re new and you see all these unfamiliar faces, you’re just not sure. Then you attend an event like this and get to experience it – just wow! I had great instructors, and everyone was so willing to help me.”
Lapid continued, “I had a goal to shoot at least 300 yards since previously, my furthest shot was 200 yards. Not only did I achieve that goal, but I far exceeded it! I was so content when I reached 1,500 yards, but the team of amazing instructors and ladies encouraged and helped me ring steel at 2,003 yards! I can’t wait to do this again!”
The ladies came away with lessons that apply far beyond the training itself, created memories that will last a lifetime, and walked away with new friendships that were formed over the four-day event. “The camaraderie among the ladies was fantastic,” said Woodruff, “Hearing them cheer for each other as they impacted the targets at 1,754 and 2,003 yards was heartwarming. I loved watching these ladies live their best lives!”
The next AG & AG Sniper School is scheduled for August 19-22, 2025. For more information, go to AGirlandAGun.org/sniper.
About A Girl & A Gun
A Girl & A Gun (AG & AG) is a membership organization whose events are successful stepping stones for thousands of women entering the shooting community by fostering their love of shooting with caring and qualified instructors who coach them. AG & AG breaks barriers for women and girls in self-defense, and in pistol, rifle, and shotgun shooting sports by welcoming beginners to learn the basics of safe and accurate shooting and providing experienced shooters with advanced-level opportunities. The club has members in all 50 states and hosts recurring Girl’s Nights Out at more than 200 ranges throughout the United States.
For more information about A Girl & A Gun, or to learn how to join, please visit AGirlandAGun.org. Follow AG & AG on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and Pinterest for social media and corporate news.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
