Renaissance Firearms Instruction Recruits Revere’s Riders Instructors for 1,000yd Rifle Clinic

Aug. 16, 2025 – Mifflin County Sportsmen’s Association – Lewiston, Pennsylvania

Shooters zero rifles at 100 yards then build a dope chart by engaging steel all the way out to 1,040 yards!

Renaissance Firearms Instruction, the primary training activity of Frank & Barb Melloni – both contributing authors to publications such as Hook & Barrel, Guns & Ammo, NRA Family and American Rifleman – included Revere’s Riders Instructors Bruce “gopher” Williams and Bradley “slim” Settle as training staff at their Long Range Shooting Course held August 16th in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.

Finding a 1,000 yard range can be difficult – especially in the New York City area where Frank is originally from – so he and Barb moved to middle PA, guaranteeing they’d have one right down the road!

Finding instructors is an equally difficult task. Few ranges equals even fewer experienced shooters and fewer shooters equals fewer instructors. Revere’s Riders has never hosted a 1,000 yard clinic but has held numerous 500 yard events. In theory, the fundamentals at 500 are the same at 600, 700, etc. And, in practice, that proved to be true!

Gopher presents instructional points on using mils to range a target.

Revere’s Riders volunteers who’ve mastered Basic Rifle and moved on to shooting and instructing Known Distance clinics will find the RFI Long Range Shooting Course a natural extension of their existing skills. Participants of the Marty Brown Memorial™ Invitational will enjoy this clinic as a “next step” in preparation for hunting trips out west, shooting F-Class, or any other manner of longer distance shooting where atmosphere affects the bullet’s flight and a miss becomes possible due to conditions other than the shooter.

Steel Targets (sponsored by Champion Targets) arrayed out to 1,040 yards offer spotting practice as well.

Working in two-person teams afforded each attendee the opportunity to call shots for their partner and “speak” in mils or moa. Pairs worked together to guide the shooter onto target and gather valuable dope for each distance. Although wind was light during this clinic, shooters did get the chance to see wind flags moving – often in different directions! – at various distances. Mirage, bullet trace and spin drift were all personally witnessed as well. That’s a lot of bang for the buck!

And speaking of bucks, of course the deer walked right out onto the range during the live fire portion of the event. We called cease fire more than once for nature’s reminder to enjoy the beauty of the Pennsylvania mountainside. That same reminder was a good chance to reflect on things like time of flight and how sound carries through a warm, humid day. A burst of heavy rain descended upon us in the afternoon and we got to test all the internet theories of what actually happens to bullets when (if?) they hit raindrops. The bright sun backlit our targets for most of the class but we got to see the effect of dropping light and what it does to our sights. It was a hot one, but it was a downright pleasant day to be on the range.

A 10x or higher scoped rifle chambered in .223 (75gr or heavier bullets) or larger caliber is required for this course. A good spotting scope is recommended for staff.

Revere’s Riders volunteers of all skills and experience levels will benefit from attending this course. Plus, it’s just fun! Frank and Barb put on a good show and the shenanigans are just the icing on top. I hope you can join us next year!

For more information about this class and RFI, visit the Renaissance Firearms Instruction website.