Photo of GPS Defense speaking to the Commandant of the Marine Corps at a private reception and parade honoring President Bush. This event was held at the Commandant’s residence in Washington, DC

Below is a picture of a GPS Defense trained Pentagon Sniper on duty on a corner of the Pentagon on September 11, 2008

We have been many requests for these scopes and we are now offering them as Special Order items in our store.  Please check out these scopes in the Tactical Scope Section of our Sniper Gear Store.

Mark 4 4.5-14×50mm LR/T M1 Illum. Matte

60000 Illum.TMR MSRP $1,599.99        Our price $1,195.00

Mark 4 6.5-20×50mm LR/T M1 Illum. Matte

60075 Illum.TMR MSRP $1,664.99        Our price $1,235.00

Mark 4 8.5-25×50mm LR/T M1 Illum. Matte

60065 Illum.TMR MSRP $1,724.99        Our price $1,330.00

New slots have been added to the Sept/Oct Warfighter Sniper Course!

The course is already 75% full… Enroll today to ensure your slot!

SEPT 29 - OCT 10 WARFIGHTER COURSE

If you’ve ever fired an AR15 - this is for you!

SPR Course - October 17-19

Click HERE to view the SPR Course Page

About SPR’s:
Special Purpose Rifles are basically accurized AR15 rifles with a sniper style scope mounted on flattop rail systems. The accuracy comes from a 1/7 or 1/8 twist match barrel which is able to properly stabilize the heavier 77 grain ammunition complimented with a match grade trigger.

The Green Berets, SEALs, Rangers and even the Marines now use the accurized rifles since there is such an easy transition from the standard M4 or AR15 style rifle that everyone is so familiar with. This same weapon platform carries many names: Marines call them SAM-Rs, Special Forces and Rangers call them SPRs, Navy SEALs call them Mark-12s or Recon Rifles, and you may know them simply as accurized AR-15s. In order for an accurized AR-15 to be considered an SPR, the rifle needs to have a free-floated barrel with a tight twist (1:7 or 1:8), a tactical long-range scope (2.5-8x or 3-10x) on a flat top receiver, and preferably a match grade trigger. Our students consistently shoot these rifles accurately well past 900 yards. With less recoil students can really focus on marksmanship fundamentals and learn more in a shorter period of time. Then they can easily transition to up-close targets, engaging multiple targets from 5 yards or clearing corners and doorways with the same rifle!

Marines using an SPR to engage targets

Since the original September and October courses sold out so fast, we decided to add a new set of September sniper courses! 

Sign up now for these Sniper and Advanced Sniper courses before they sell out too!

We now have six identical Remington 700 .308 sniper rifles and six identical SPR sniper rifles for rent!

Above all else, we here at GPS Defense want to train snipers how to do their job to the best of their ability. We have spent much time and energy crafting our curriculum so that the correct information is relayed to the sniper in order to make the sniper more effective. Unfortunately, the availability of appropriate equipment can hinder a sniper’s ability to learn.

We can control what goes on at our school. We can not, however, control the budget of military and police units and of individual citizens. To help solve this problem and allow ALL students to learn at our school, we provide 6 identical bolt action sniper rifles and 6 identical semi-automatic sniper rifles for rent. This allows students to learn on quality equipment as well as provide back-up weapons for student’s rifles that may break during the course of training.

The rifles pictured to the left are 6 identical Remington 700 .308 sniper rifles with 20″ Barrels. They are fitted with match grade bases and rings and Mark 4 Leupold scopes (all are available for purchase through our online sniper gear store).  The rifle pictured below is one of our six custom built rifles from DPMS.  These rifles are also equiped with match grade rings and Mark 4 Leupold Scopes.  All of our school rifles are capable of engaging targets past 900yds and maintain at least 1 minute of angle.

Those that have been through one of our sniper courses or warfighter sniper courses understand that we take teaching seriously. We do not believe that a school with a high attrition rate is a good school. A school is meant to teach, not to test. Therefore, providing these rifles for rent is just one more step we at GPS Defense Sniper School can take to ensure that our students learn the most they can from their experience with us.

We fail if a student doesn’t learn because of budget preventing them from having a rifle. We fail if a student can not complete the course if their equipment breaks. We are doing what we can to make you a better sniper… are you? Enroll today

We are extremely proud to announce our 10 year anniversary! We have been teaching snipers, military government and citizen, for 10 years now!

For our anniversary we are giving away a FREE T-Shirt to every student who has ever been in one of our courses! This includes ALL courses taught by GPS Defense for the past 10 years…. even those while HS Precision and McMillan were our sponsors. CLICK HERE TO CLAIM YOUR FREE T-SHIRT

We thank you for your business and look forward to providing all of your sniper training needs in the future!

Back in 2002 during the infamous Washington area shootings, USA Today wrote an article about the skills of the shooter(s) involved. USA Today looked to EXPERTS in the field to draw conclusions about the skill level of the sniper(s).

When needing professional advice, USA Today turned to the same company that many turn to for accurate sniper information… GPS Defense. In the article, you can find information from GPS Defense’s owner, Bill Graves as he answers questions form USA Today about information pertaining to snipers.

See the article on USA Today’s Website

Experts: Sniper may not be highly trained

By Toni Locy and John Ritter, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Firearms experts say the sniper who is stalking the Washington area may not be a highly trained marksman because of the choice of ammunition and shooting distance.

Experts say the shooter has proved to be proficient, having killed nine people and wounded two others.

But the choice of the .223-caliber cartridge may be a clue that the sniper is not the military- or law enforcement- trained shooter who was initially portrayed.

The .223-caliber ammunition is popular because it has little recoil. It is light, fast and accurate at relatively short distances. It is a favorite among small-game hunters and target shooters.

As a result, “there are hundreds of thousands of people in the country” who could’ve pulled off the attacks that have terrorized the area since Oct. 2, says Ernie Clarke, president of the Anne Arundel Fish and Game Association in Annapolis, Md.

And that “literally opens up the pool” of potential suspects, says Paul Erhardt, director of public relations for the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Even so, experts say the sniper probably went to a range, a farm or open field to align the weapon’s sights accurately. They say the shooter could be using the gun’s open sights or a scope.

The sniper is said to have fired from about as far away as 150 yards.

At those distances, wind and temperature — which along with distance are the biggest variables in long-range shooting — have little impact on a bullet’s trajectory.

But at longer distances, 500 or more yards, wind and temperature can alter a bullet’s course substantially and adjusting to those changes requires sophisticated equipment and training.

Investigators have not revealed what kind of rifle is being used.

Experts say it could be a semiautomatic rifle, such as the Colt AR-15, the civilian version of the M-16, or a bolt-action rifle that must be reloaded manually after each shot.

Many guns use .223-caliber ammunition, which, when stripped of its casing, leaves a projectile no bigger than a .22-caliber bullet, one of the smallest made. The .223-caliber cartridge starts out fast but loses its speed after about 300 yards. It also loses its accuracy as gravity and the air affect its trajectory. Wind also can throw it off.

According to experts, the .223-caliber round travels at about 3,300 feet per second as it explodes out of a rifle’s muzzle. After 300 yards, the speed drops to 1,900 feet per second.

William Graves, a sniper instructor at GPS Llc, a private marksmanship school in Phoenix, says professionally trained snipers prefer the heavier, more accurate .308-caliber cartridge because it is not as affected by distance, wind and temperature as .223-caliber ammunition.

Graves says trained snipers also aim for the head.

The Washington sniper has hit some victims in the head, but others have been shot in the upper body.

“I can take someone in the morning and by lunch have them shooting as well as this guy,” Graves says.

“Shooting at 100 yards is not that big a deal with practice and proper training,” he said.

We at GPS Defense Sniper School believe in training snipers for real world scenarios. Although we love seeing great shot groups on a flat range just like anybody else, actual sniper deployments don’t tend to happen on flat known distance ranges… they happen in the real world. The real world has curbs, tires, and other obstacles that often prevent the strictly prone style of shooting that some schools are so fond of.

To prepare for these real world scenarios, our students are taught a rapid deployment drill that allows them to engage a face size target from 100 yds from three different sling supported positions. This allows them to quickly drop into position, and transition lower if the situation allows for it rather than diving to the prone only to realize that they can not see the target.

Our standard is to complete two shots from each of the three positions with a mandatory reload in 60 seconds or less. Watch the videos and even try it for yourself… when you are ready to get better at it, sign up for one of our courses!

The July 7-11 and 14-18 Warfighter class is filling up fast!

We just put the class on the calendar yesterday and it is already 50% full!  If you want in, you better act fast!

You can enroll by contacting us through our ONLINE CONTACT FORM or by enrolling through our ONLINE STORE.

Another great month with two great Warfighter classes! We are proud that our government chooses us to train snipers so much that we have to overlap classes just to keep up with the demand!

In one of these pictures, you can see Government snipers engaging high angle targets while additional training is being conducted in the background at one of our two flat ranges!

In the other picture, you can see SOCOM snipers engaging camouflaged 9×15″ unknown distance targets past 600yds! This group is learning a valuable lesson as they try to effectively find and engage targets while they face into the sun. It is harder than it looks!

GPS Defense Sniper School staff taught three separate and overlapping 10-day Warfighter Sniper courses to two separate SOCOM units and a group of Government contractors.

This allowed us to test the logistics of using our new additional range facilities and staff.

The photo below shows a SOCOM unit in week 2 of our Warfighter Sniper Course briefing before heading out on stalk while Government contractors in week 1 of our Warfighter Sniper Course engage unknown distance targets to 600+ yards.

Our Sniper Training facilities provide an impressive amount of training opportunities. Our facilities offer true 360 degree range fans in an inclusive training environment that allows for unit seclusion while maintaining a practical distance from Phoenix. Our location offers a perfect balance of remote training and proximity to urban amenities.

Our Sniper Training facilities are also set up to allow unique training scenarios as each class may require without removing structure. Anyone can go out, park in the desert, and shoot. Our shooting ranges are actually carefully planned and laid out sections of land that allow us to train from multiple locations around our property, including established and covered firing lines within steps of our air conditioned classroom for our multiple unknown distance steel target ranges.

Our Sniper Training facilities are separated into two major sections. The “back side” of the property allows for a 100 and 200 yard range, “Iraqi” village, moving targets, multiple unknown steel target ranges, high angle shooting, numerous stalk lanes, and urban training in any one of many houses. Our new “front side” allows for a 100, 200, and 300 yard range, a multiple room shoot house, a 25 yard pistol/carbine bay, high angle shooting, moving targets, and more! Many of the functions of both sides of the property are similar, this is based on our need to train multiple military and government units at the same time due our popular training program.

GSA awards open government contracts to registered contractors who can provide documentation of the government’s need for their service. In order for a contractor to be on the GSA schedule, the contractor must:

1. Provide a minimum of 12 awarded government/military contracts that were won through the open bid process.

2. Provide contacts from each agency customer for a 10 part PPE (Past Performance Evaluation). Each agency is then contacted by Duns & Bradstreet and the contractor must earn an 80% or better score. (click here to see our rating)

3. Provide all financial records to prove these contacts were customers under actual paid contracts. The contractor must show both sufficient income and assets in their own name to finance future government contracts.

4. Provide the years in business and all staff member’s experience, resumes and certification must be documented for verification.

When you are looking for an established organization with a long history of documented service, this may be a good standard to help you choose.  View our GSA info HERE.

We have been so busy training snipers out on the range, we haven’t had much time to update the photo gallery. Class pictures for the past 7 classes have been added. Click Here to view the Sniper Training Gallery.

Adam Viniatari, four time Super Bowl champion, came out for a private sniper training experience on Super Bowl weekend with his brother.

In one afternoon, they were both able to hit out to 550 yards on a half size IPSC target, and out to 920 yards on a full size IPSC target. Note the difference in size between the half size IPSC target they shot and the Military Standard E-Type Silhouette.

One of Leupold’s most sought after scopes, the Mark 4 Dark Earth with M2 dials, are back in stock! Hurry to the Sniper Gear Store and get yours today!

As far as problems go, ours is a good one to have.  Our courses have been filling up so fast, we have to keep adding more!  We are not only excited about how good this is for business, we are also pleased to know that our quality of instruction and courses warrant such a demand!

The two new course blocks are:

May 2008
Sniper/Counter Sniper 12-15
Advanced Sniper 18-19
Sniper Instructor 20-21
 
Oct 2008
Sniper/CounterSniper 06-10
Advanced Sniper 12-13
Sniper Instructor 14-15

Did you know that GPS Defense’s Sniper School Staff and Students were featured in Major John Plater’s book, The Ultimate Sniper? A picture of one of our students appeared on the cover of the book!

Besides being featured on the cover, information about our school and other pictures were featured among the content inside.

John Plaster’s book was re-published 3 years ago in 2005, yet another testament to GPS Defense’s history of training the sniper community.

We are very excited to announce Badger Ordnance products being offered in our Sniper Gear Store! The following products are coming very soon, so check our store often!

Badger Ordnance Maximized 30mm Rings .823″ Retail $165 Our Price $139
Badger Scope Rings are machined from steel barstock as serialized matched pairs. This assures that both rings are identical and eliminates the damaging effects of mismatched mass produced rings.
Maximized rings are designed to fit MIL STD 1913 (also called Picatinny) optical rails and are finished with Mil Spec Black Oxide.

Badger Ordnance Maximized Base 20 MOA, Remington SA Retail $150 Our Price $125
This “Picatinny” spec. one piece mount is machined from 4142 prehardened (28-32Rc) steel. With its integral recoil lug, a Mil-Std-1913 slot pattern for more mounting options and a 20 MOA. Forward cant for extended range. Uses Badger’s Maximized rings or any “Picatinny” compatible ring. Mil. Spec. Black Parkerizing.

The Badger Bone
This is a Sand Sock taken to the next level, its bone shape design was the result of input form over a dozen Snipers, Police marksman and match shooters. The Bone can be used in several different configurations and has and ingenious filler neck so the Bones volume can tailored to the individual shooters need. Bones can be stacked and locked together for more stability. Bones are made from heavy duty cloth material and come filled with stable non-absorbent material for years of service.

Now you may enroll in and pay for Sniper Training Courses through our Sniper School Gear Store!

Be sure to check out the course description page to learn more about the sniper training classes available and read the registration requirements before attempting to enroll.

Only a few spots are left in these remaining classes.  Click on a course below in order to be taken to the course’s section in the store:

• March 17-28 Warfighter Course
• March 31-April 04 Sniper/Counter Sniper
• April 06-07 Advanced Sniper
• April 08-09 Instructor Development

There are only two in the store, so they are going to go quick!  If you want a GREAT deal on a Springfield M1A synthetic stock rifle, you may purchase one of them in the Sniper School Gear Store HERE. A semi-auto .308 at only$1310.00 is too good of a deal to pass up!  Hurry and get yours before they are gone.

We even have a few extra magazines for these rifles HERE.

We are wrapping up this year with our 17th course! It has been an exciting year for us at GPS Defense and we have seen many steps of progress within 2007! New training areas, new ranges, new design, new store and new staff all with the same dedication to bringing you the absolutely best sniper training possible.

As we are entering our 8th year, we are looking forward to meeting the growing demand for our sniper courses.  In order to keep up with the momentum, we added 7 new courses for 2008 and 5 of them are already completely sold out and  a sixth is almost full!

If you are thinking about enrolling in one of our classes, you need to do it now before all of the classes are sold out!

Another end to a great Sniper Training Course! Students are pictured below trying to find their classmates during a Sniper Concealment Exercise.

Another end to a great Sniper Training Course! Students from this course seen here engaging targets on our unknown distance range.

Another end to a great Sniper Training Course! SOCOM snipers seen shooting here in the rain during their course.

The SniperSchool.com Gear Shop is now open for business!

Currently, the store offers the best deals you can find on Leupold Tactical Scopes, Leupold Mark 4 Mounting Hardware, and Black Hills Match Grade ammunition. Stay tuned for the addition of other essential sniper gear!

If there is any gear that you need for one of our courses, or perhaps a piece of gear that you found helpful during your course that you think other students would benefit from, please feel free to contact the store manager HERE

Check out the store and start shopping by clicking HERE or the ‘Store’ link above.

We are excited about our move to SniperSchool.com!

You may notice a few changes to our site over the past few weeks. These changes are all part of our commitment to bringing you the best access to sniper training available! Feel free to browse around the new layout, find a course date to the left that will fit your schedule, and enroll in a sniper class today! We welcome you to visit the Sniper Gear Store and purchase your gear at the best prices anywhere, but we ask you to remember that if you truly want to become a better shooter, the best money you can spend is on training!

Please be sure to update your bookmarks to our new address.

SOCOM Snipers during a Warfighter Sniper Course.