Magpul Experience: Wyoming or Bust!

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We all know Magpul makes a lot of cool products, but did you know it’s their passion for shooting that drives them to continually innovate?

We got a glimpse for ourselves at the High Bar Homeland, a ranch in Wyoming, where Magpul magic happens — hanging out with the crew and doing some shooting.

So keep reading to see what our experience with Magpul was like!

Go West!

Getting back to the mountains after a couple of years in Texas was a real treat for me. To be fair, where we were located in northeast Wyoming, there weren’t any mountains, more like foothills, but the terrain felt like returning home.

Cramped up in the hustle and bustle of Austin, it’s easy to forget there are incredibly wide-open spaces, where livestock and wildlife roam free and people are scarce.

High Bar Homeland is an impressive range spread across a ranch, replete with 24 ranges of anything from pistol to extreme long distance, various elevations, roughly 1,400 steel targets, and over 8 miles of roads.

The Cadre

A small group had been invited to this trip: an impressive cadre of special forces, military, police, and tactical competitors filled out the ranks. These guys were all impressive shooters with diverse backgrounds.

There are only a couple of perspectives you can take when faced with shooting in a group that outclasses you. One is being intimidated and not subjecting yourself to the embarrassment you know is coming.

The other is stepping up and trying your best, trusting that competing with people that much better than you will elevate your game. This is the philosophy I preach, so it is the path I chose.

Level of Training

On our first activity, the tactical competitors wanted us to get a taste of what they do, so a course of fire was designed to get us moving and shooting. We ran short distances between barrels and shot steel targets for time.

I exercise regularly but don’t incorporate my shooting skills into my regimen, so this was new to me. The young, fit guys ran back and forth with a frenetic pace, making steel ring at each stop.

My approach was slower and methodical. I took my time getting between shooting stations but didn’t focus on my grip and had trouble keeping up with my dot as a result.

I was slow but didn’t have any misses, and was thankful for learning about the gap in my performance.

Next, a timed competition was held where everyone had to run greater distances downrange before returning to the firing line and shooting rifles and pistols. Again, this was far afield from my normal routines, but I welcomed the challenge.

I was slow and steady but still appreciated the difficulty of hitting steel while trying to get my breathing and heart rate back to a reasonable level.

Later, the group moved to a short shooting course where teams had to shoot, move, and communicate while addressing steel targets. This was fun, but novel to the tactical competitors in our group.

This course served to prepare us for something called Johnny’s Bone Yard, named for the late John Noveske.

Here again, we moved in teams, communicating as we recognized and addressed targets, but the distances were often greater, so rifles were employed as well.

Without a doubt, this was a lot of fun. We worked our way up through a ravine and called out targets at various distances and elevations before shooting.

As you might imagine, the weapons we used were decked out in the very best Magpul had to offer. Everything from MOE stocks and grips, rail covers, and slings adorned our rifles.

Mile+ Shot

Sometime later, we were briefed by Matt Gibson on long-range shooting. Matt has 23 years in shooting and firearms instruction between the Marine Corps and the Department of Energy.

He’s a long-distance connoisseur, an expert in a field I have relatively little experience with, so I listened closely.

Many cool tips were shared; one was using a sweet optics mounting tool from Badger Ordnance, but my eyes began to glaze over when programming the Kestrel was covered.

Later, we went to the long-range, which featured distances as far as 2,000 yards. Here again, Magpul products featured heavily with bipods and comfortable furniture prominently serving crucial roles.

We shot various rifles, working out to varied distances, with spotters giving us wind reads. With the equipment provided and excellent calls, everything up to 1,000 yards was pretty easy to hit.

Out past that, things got more interesting. The furthest targets were elevated, but working with Matt, I was able to slowly stretch out and keep getting hits.

It’s thrilling to find the solution when you are shooting an elevated target over a mile away. Multiple wind readings applied to the bullet’s flight path, but Matt still got me on, and I scored a hit at 1,860 yards.

Still later, we perched at various shooting stations high up on the side of a valley. An array of targets lay across that valley on the other side, some high, some low, at unknown distances.

Our challenge was working out the shooting solution for the different rifles we were using. Some were chambered in 5.56, while others were much larger.

Final Thoughts

All in, the whole Magpul experience was impressive for a number of reasons. First off, there was a great sense of camaraderie. Whether we were shooting skeet, running up a drainage, or joking by the fireside, many like-minded shooters had convened to enjoy a great time in an amazing setting.

Secondly, passion and expertise were both evident as driving forces in what Magpul stands for. Drake Clark, owner of the High Bar, is a Magpul employee and ex-officio historian.

His shooting knowledge was only surpassed by his hospitality. Everyone there truly wanted us to learn and have a memorable experience, but it was evident they were all committed to the continued understanding and development of shooting at all levels.

I sincerely appreciate Magpul having us out to the High Bar; it was an amazing experience I’ll not forget. I also want to thank the fine group of shooters who elevated my game by simply showing up, but also by sharing tips and lending expertise.

How do you feel about Magpul products? Let us know in the comments below. And check out Eric’s review of High Bar Homestead: Ultimate Shooting Lodge!