Magpul Art of Precision Rifle DVD (Set of 5 discs)

Let me start off by saying I am a civilian with no military training in regards to long range precision shooting; that being said I have always been a fan of Chris Costa and Travis Haley and their Magpul Dynamics "Art of" series. Because I own all of the Magpul dynamics videos, when I saw this was available I jumped on it immediately.For those who don't know, Travis and Chris are not the instructors in this particular series but rather two of four students (the others being Steve Fisher and Mike Olivella) being taught by Precision Rifle Expert Todd Hodnett. Prior to seeing this video I had never heard the name Todd Hodnett but after seeing him in action I must say I am a true believer. This is a fairly numbers heavy training video, explaining nearly every variable applicable to long range shooting; including everything from caliber, action type, scopes, reticules, scope rings & mounts to wind, barometric pressure, elevation, altitude and hold over. As you watch these DVDs you will quickly become aware that they will require multiple viewings to fully understand.Chris and Travis do enjoy a fair amount of screen time, and are by far the most vocal of the four students, but the star of the show is Todd Hodnett. Todd seems to be a down to Earth, very reasonable and intelligent man. It is clear he knows precision shooting down to the most miniscule and complex elements. Where the other Magpul videos have always taught practical application, basic understanding and common sense weapons tactics under the entertaining yet knowledgeable instruction of Chris Costa & Travis Haley, this DVD seems to be more serious and no nonsense. If the other "Art of" DVDs were the high school diploma, this would be the bachelor's degree. If you enjoy long range shooting in any capacity and don't mind crunching the numbers, this DVD is a must. If you are more a fan of Chris Costa and Travis Haley, don't expect them to have the same high degree of screen time.Pros:1.) Todd Hodnett is very knowledgeable and teaches in a highly concise manner.2.) Interesting and understandable information that can be applied almost immediately.3.) Chris & Travis are present and vocal.4.) Good remote camera work; bullet hits are clearly visible - Also really cool to see bullets actually flying through the air.5.) Wide variety of weapons are covered.6.) Extra DVD sections such as Mindset, Gear, and USMC Sniper are great.7.) Ballistics programs are featured to a fair degree.Cons:1.) Ballistics programs are featured to a fair degree. While they are interesting and certainly require a massive amount of programming and knowledge to create, in my opinion they are boring to watch on screen. 2.) Fairly complex information is taught in a relatively quick manner. For those of you who have experience in precision shooting it will probably be business as usual; for those like me, it can be a lot to take in and will require multiple viewings. 3.) The producers of the DVD superimpose math equations on screen while the information is being conveyed vocally. The equations are not complex but don't seem to stay on screen long enough for you to fully read them - expect to pause a lot during the main course sections.In conclusion, Magpul dynamics once again delivers a quality product but you need to understand that this is the more technical entry to the series. There are great times to be had in this DVD but there are also a few times when you may feel you are back in high school or college, listening to your teacher go on about a complex subject that may not fully interest you. Rejoice at the release of "The Art of the Precision Rifle" but be forewarned; there just aren't as many Twinkies.

Good DVD but-It's hard to complain about to much information? Right? Well this DVD is chipped full of non stop terms that are being used over & over & well you get it,if that doesn't give you a headache the math in combination with the terms they use,technical data & math seems to go on to infinity. I love how they bombard you with technical data non stop only to add see it's not so complicated,it's easy. Yeah ok. But after watching it a few times it does start to click even for me. The DVD set is intense & as I put it very data technical. Let your brain rest between DVD's- no I'm NOT kidding! Let the info settle & soak it in,take your time with this one. One last thing- the products,equipment they use are high tech & very expensive,how they think an average guy could afford them is kinda ridiculous in my opinion. But it is good for what it's intended for.

I saw the review online and thought this would be a great tool to have. I decided to purchase it and it arrived at my house in a decent amount of time. The movie it's self was not what I was expecting, most of it required you to have a ballistic computer (which I do not) to take advantage of the skills they teach... The Accuracy 1st wind formula is the best thing that I got out of the video. I found the instructor to be knowledgeable but the pace was not enjoyable to watch. Most of the shooting techniques were not expanded on very much. They briefly covered a few things but not to my liking.The 5 disk set was not all instructive; 3 out of the 5 are instructive (with multiple chapters) the 4thd is an interview with a sniper describing the difference between LE and Military snipers. 5th is about gear they recommend....I am trying to justify my purchase through gaining he wind formula they teach on the video. If it was not that I would be dissatisfied with the product (I'm close but trying not to think about a poor decision).

The video is excellently produced. The content and material is presented in a logical progression. As with anything there has to be limits on the content, and when I finished, I NEED a Horus reticle and PDA with the ballistic program referenced in this video.I found it to be thoroughly entertaining.Of practical application is a rough rule of thumb about the number of mils to hold off for wind depending on the cartridge you are shooting given distance and windspeed after factoring in the value of the wind depending on the direction is is coming from.I enjoyed the video. I don't know that I would buy it for the content, which is good, as much as for the entertainment value.

Is it just me? After watching a few hours of this, I was left scratching my head over the avalanche of 5-star reviews. Doesn't anybody feel there are any shortcomings at all in this video set? Or maybe we are just afraid of not being one of the guys by making negative comments. Basically, IMHO, this is a very disjointed, disorganized hodge-podge of meandering thoughts about precision rifle shooting. It is like a day at the range just hanging out and shooting the bull with the guys--which can be a great thing to do but may not be the most efficient way to learn something serious. Maybe I have just been blessed with some absolutely top-notch instructors in the past who could clearly and concisely express their thoughts and work from an organized plan. This video is not a precision rifle approach to teaching but more like a cloud of birdshot from a deranged duck hunter. Hanging out on the tailgate of a truck full of very nice guns and expressing random thoughts and answering random questions about random topics makes for a very strange video. And can we just call it a rifle and not a "weapon system." I'm sure these guys can hit a gnat at 1000 meters but teaching skills and a teaching plan are in short supply.