Shooting at Angles | Long-Range Rifle Shooting with Ryan Cleckner

[@bigpappa01ful]

I attended Army Sniper School in 2004, And this is the best explanation I have heard, and actually understood. Thank you.

[@Waboche]

Same for me

[@SRR1213]

2009. I agree.

[@toddjenest3212]

I kept falling asleep in class. (1988) It's like he was talking Greek to me. LOL

[@anthonyreid8957]

@@toddjenest3212 I was an instructor at the sniper school in 1988. We may have run into each other.

[@akbrakes9412]

He did explain really well but as soon as he mentioned trig and started drawing formulas..my brain shut off..i could never understand that shit

[@Sean-xm5sp]

This dude is UNBELIEVABLE! i cant seem to find the ten thumbs up icon? in my twenty plus years of shooting long range (and winging it) he has clarified all the mystery in about an hour. What an incredible instructor!

[@NightStalkerDNS]

Sean Allyn 8 months after your comment and I still can't find any better than this guy on KZbin. Brilliant, explains everything do well and simple to follow

[@Dreancaidi]

Sean Allyn 1 thumbs up will do ya! 🤣

[@akbrakes9412]

I just started watching this channel today and already learned alot..i like his cut through the bs and tries to explain things in layman’s terms so people can understand it

[@secretsquirrel6308]

Yes, this is a very good presentation.

[@keygun85]

​@@NightStalkerDNS😅zadaq😢😅t😊s

[@Haulinbassntrawlinass]

Better math teacher than i had in school

[@abobader4283]

😂😂😂

[@emiliochavez5121]

5:59 umm no I had a much better math teacher than this... the angles of a triangle add to 180• A right angle is 90• so the other two angles are equal to 90• supplementary.... therefore the two angles can’t be equal unless they are both 45• It doesn’t fuck up his theorem. But he was incorrect on that aspect.

[@randomvideos3026]

@@emiliochavez5121 no he was not.. He pointed to the adjacent corner

[@secretagentkay5670]

@@emiliochavez5121 He didn't say the 2 angles INSIDE the triangles were equal. He said the angle between the hypotenuse line and the imaginary line perpendicular to the opposite side is the same as the angle between the hypotenuse line and the adjacent line. Which is correct and there are better ways to prove it but the simplest is that the angles inside the triangle (in this case) are [40 degrees + 90 degrees + (90 degrees - 40 degrees)], which add up to 180 degrees. Now I apologize for my improper terminologies, cause I forgot all of them.

[@akbrakes9412]

Dont matter to me ive never understood this shit

[@jamesheath9385]

Your class brought back to me those classes I sat in as a Marine LCpl over 50 years ago. Thank you. Numbers don’t change.

[@mr59lespaul]

I learned more relevant math in this video than all my math classes in high school combined.

[@OminousPinapple]

+AJ Day Then, it's evident that either: You didn't listen, or, your schooling system failed you. lol

[@conorclimo8534]

@JKay11235 That's 19.77 feet (still generally close to 20)

[@conorclimo8534]

@JKay11235 a^2 + b^2 = c^2 If c = 20 ft (c being the ladder) and b = 3 ft (the base) then it goes: a^2 + 3^2 = 20^2 Then you subtract 3^2 from 20^2 and then square root to find a (which is 19.77 feet)

[@mikuhatsunegoshujin]

@JKay11235 Math and Science *can* be corrupted by a political agenda, have you heard of p-hacking? Also math is not facts and laws about the universe, it's merely a conceptual framework that may not even have to be related to reality at all, for example 4-D+ spacial dimensions. Science is *not* "facts and laws of the universe" although it makes an attempt at being so it can only be a _close approximation to it_ .

[@michaelmoslak2975]

I learned sines and cosines in HS about 35 years ago and even after all these years listening to this guy makes it all clearer than ever!! If only my teachers would have put it in shooting terms and real world situations it would have made so much more sense and made it interesting for everyone especially the guys!! They would have been eager to learn it then!! He really should make a video series for schools to use!!

[@harrymiles2906]

So glad I found this channel. I've been shooting for 45 years and this guy is the best I've ever seen explaining these concepts. This is a long way from years ago where you'd get to know your rifle and scope and guestimate hold over and angles.

[@ELDoro]

I just got out of the Army Infantry. If I were to stay in I would have showed my soldiers your videos. This is some very helpful information for anyone shooting at distances not just snipers. The Army never taught me these details of shooting. I had to research and figure it out on my own. The Army would greatly benefit it they signed this dude up for some educational videos. Not that their leaders and drill sergeants aren't good, its just that many are not taught themselves how to teach and train soldiers. This guy does a fantastic job of teaching.

[@Echo_5_Charlie]

He is a former US Army Scout/Sniper

[@lextalionis3754]

Bullshit! Your soldiers’ would not have understood most of what he said. He is teaching way above a typical person’s, let alone an infantryman’s, level of comprehension.

[@ELDoro]

@@lextalionis3754 lol I mean I understood what he was talking about. It isn't rocket science, its typical high school level math. The point though isnt putting an infantryman through a math class. It's giving them an idea what their rounds are doing outside of a flat range and why.

[@aubreylukebird7403]

By far this was the best vid I saw ...short n sweet ...crisp n brief ... awesome ...thank you mate

[@robriley8008]

Excellent teaching technique, clear ,concise, effective.

[@XFIT4LIFE]

also best explanation of mils/angles/wind etc I've seen yet.

[@HitTheX]

Ryan's videos are the best. He explains everything in such a logical and easy way to understand. I am new at long range and am so happy that I found these videos so I can start off the right way and not suffer too much while I am learning.

[@degorovi]

Now I have a true appreciation of Trigonometry. Great instruction.

[@Leadheadsam]

Thanks a million for explaining this perfectly 👍🎯

[@jwwasher]

Ryan, you really are a great instructor. I hope you write a book some day. I'd be happy to be a reviewer ;-) And, once again, thank you for your service to our country.

[@Echo_5_Charlie]

He's written a few👍

[@lycosa2000]

An inclinometer on your compass makes for a really quick angle reference. Remembering the cosine formula makes this pretty easy. Carrying a solar calculator as well can help a lot or at least a cheat sheet.

[@brandthalseth5855]

Just a fantastic video! You gained a subscriber and I’m sharing this with my my long range crew

[@TheNSSF]

Thank you for the amazing feedback!

[@Patriot41776]

Outstanding job Ryan! Whatever you’re being paid… you deserve a raise!

[@fourtwentytexas]

These are premium videos for free on KZbin. Please keep these up. Thanks.

[@barrsteve7347]

"I'll never use this trigonometry stuff again in my life!" , said everyone. How about now?

[@brockbah2048]

lol I'd prefer this 17 minute video to a year in math class

[@Lukecoenen]

Triggernometry

[@robertdonahue2600]

3 yrs of college, i coulda watch this guy and saved all that money

[@SurvivalHunting]

thank you sire your videos have been so helpful in my education!

[@twoscoops5197]

Outstanding! I couldn't imagine a way that this information could be put into a video any more effectively. Thank you very much!

[@FortunateSon]

Great explanation, feel like I just sat through a class. 2 things I’m not 100% clear on: 1. With the ranging using the mil reticle in the scope issue, you are saying that one would use the same cosign used in the bullet drop angle issue as to target size? And then just use/calculate it again for the bullet drop? 2. Good high-end laser rangefinders will have a setting that adjusts the yardage to true yardage based on the slope angle. If I have one of these and it gives me the reduced number, can I just treat that as accurate for shooting purposes? Problem solved?

[@jamiesloan5902]

Very thorough, and easy to understand explanation. I went up to a new spot today, to start coyote hunting. It's on the top of a huge hill, looking down into a field(lots of rabbits). I have an old range finder that shows its about 125 yards to the bottom, but it's a pretty steep angle down, I need to figure out what that angle is, and compensate for it. This video will help me a lot. Thanks! I don't have any fancy tools, but I think I can use a level, and a carpenters square, and figure it out pretty close. I'll sit my rifle on a table, point it at the bottom of the hill, place the level on my barrel, then use the square to figure out the angle. I'm thinking it's about 30-35 degrees.

[@shaynemcallister]

Ryan, you're a great teacher and great speaker. If my geometry teacher had taught us about bullet drop and milradians, I might have learned a lot more math.

[@zhukel_marimasko]

hands down, best video I've seen on the topic

[@zhukel_marimasko]

The fact that there are so many vets in the comments saying "you explain this better than the military ever did" makes me think you should be selling these videos lol

[@gooztala]

I have learned more from you than any other source ever. You should think about doing this professionally!

[@Godfryness]

This guys one heck of an instructor. Well done sir

[@TheStampeder]

I love this guy ... Best instructor ever 💙

[@guidogt9878]

Nothing that others haven't sayed already, but. This guy is amazing.

[@rubencarvajalcrusader2195]

Great instructional video on a subject that is not very common

[@thatguy5358]

my rangefinder (sig, least expensive one) has an option to adjust range for angle automatically. yay. that said, excellent explanation, perfectly well paced.

[@rolandogomez1308]

Best explanation to the angle shooting mystery ever..Thanks.

[@vieuxacadian9455]

Great vid . I have for decades used a surveyors pocket transit for finding angles . I also use the width and not height as You do for the exact reason . Having those practical cosigns make so much sense . Thank You Sir

[@willytheriot8439]

Great teacher. You rock.

[@judelarkin2883]

12 years old and still a great video.

[@raulmilani9473]

Ryan, Sir, thank´s a lot for this free videos on youtube, fantastic tips!

[@jeremymcclanahan2389]

Talk about the KISS principle...thanks for sharing this!

[@fishymacaroon6]

This perfectly explains why I had a higher hit on a deer than I expected. My range estimation was only a touch short, but I didn't consider the angle at all and hit almost 6 inches higher than I should have if my range was correct.

[@Wundrdawg1]

Fantastic Ryan, and Thanks. You truly have a gift for teaching. I'll bet you really love what you do brother.

[@Crakmonkey2647]

If you're shooting downhill can you just look at your barrel and guesstimate what angle it's tilted at in comparison to a straight imaginary line? Great video!

[@bogart6348]

Ryan, very informative video, like all your others. Clear and easy to understand. thanks

[@Crakmonkey2647]

Awesome! I hunt on hills sometimes so this could be very useful. I'm planning on getting a good grasp on angles soon. Thank you very much!

[@JRMny-nl4ut]

Very cool

[@tiger6912]

No need for angle measuring tools. Just use the width to get the range to the target because it doesn’t change on an incline. Then get the height of the target from that perspective and divide by the known height to get the cosine of the angle. E.g. you use the width and determine the target is 100 yards away, you then see the height of the target is 8.8 moa. At 100 yards that’s 9.2”, divide by the known target height of 12” gives you ~0.77, or arccos(40°). Therefore, the target is on a 40° incline.

[@503BikerDad]

Finally...I now know what Pithagoras was thinking about...Loove the guy!

[@mryan2010]

Really nice explanation.

[@thatoneguy-fv6vk]

Great instruction!

[@calebbright5560]

great videos wish i could have him as a personal tutor in long range shooting

[@639Beaver]

Ease of instruction Thank you.

[@dvdrwsor]

Very nice video. One thing tho... What about if I'm shooting uphill ? I understand from your logic that the bullet is being pull to earth harder so the true range is longer than the actual range. The question is : where can I find a chart with cosine for both uphill and downhill angles? I guess the cosine for uphill will start from 1.01 and beyond. I do have a rangefinder that has a built in inclineometer that shows the angle in degrees. Thank you for the videos and taking the time to respond.

[@mattchilders3123]

If I didn't already know trig pretty well, I'd want to learn it from Ryan.

[@Waboche]

Exactly what i was missing since my Sniper Course. You're an awesome teacher. Now i have to practice !

[@jeremylake5241]

Very well taught!

[@PRACERZ]

Your vids are fantastic, very clear and easy to understand. Thank you very much for making me better !

[@rumin8470]

Terrific video, i learned alot.. It occurred to me that the "distance" i get from my targets perceived height in the reticle divided into the "true" distance achieved from the width gives me the cosine; then the "true distance" times this value is the distance needed to adjust for drop, just a thought. Maybe american youth would learn trig better if they could use shooting examples.

[@huyked]

SO cool! I love how physics and math is incorporated in all this.

[@davisjustaboutkeith911]

Best video learned a lot

[@tomjjackson21]

This guys great. I haven't seen a new vid from him in a while though..

[@andreifedorov2108]

finally a clear explanation, thanks again

[@padiman1201]

What a great and informative tutorial. Thank you,

[@js1cowboy1]

Very awesome video great to use especially if your range finder is broken or doesn't account for angles. A range finder that has an archery mode it dose all this for you. But still 10 thumbs up great video!

[@atticusbrummitt4922]

This is AMAZING video. Thanks a lot.

[@jimc6481]

Absolutely excellent explanation, Thx Ryan!

[@Hutzpahh]

Another bit of the puzzle solved. Thanks

[@JimmyMeatwhistle]

great explanation 👍

[@enduser6996]

Am I the only one who’s addicted to watching this series??

[@cdnhelo68]

So Ryan, in shooting at an angle, with target downhill (in this example) are you saying you simply substitute your mil height with mil width in the "Mil Estimation" formula, right from the start and then what step would that allow you to skip, the "Angle Range" formula. I've tuned into your videos time and time again, you have an impressive ability in delivering concise and clear subject matter. Great videos.

[@Bobsonomatic]

It’s interesting how we instinctively recognize these rules in some situations, but not others. Anyone who ever threw a baseball or football to someone else who was waaaay down a huge hill knew instinctively that they only had to lob the ball without much effort to get it to the guy at the bottom.

[@scoutguy14]

wow, these videos help me a lot. thanks man, keep it up.

[@daaz1911]

Ryan, as with all of your videos great stuff, very informative. In the video you speak about using COS when shooting down a slope and how shooting directly down i.e. off a cliff you do not compensate in any way. What about shooting up a slope, do you use the same figure?

[@adammccollum8740]

Great explanation! Thanks

[@1234lukerr]

awesome video as always

[@SUPERCARSANDCLASSICCARS]

Better than any teacher i've ever had in school LOL Copy and paste cheat sheet if anyone wants it. 5°angle = 0.99 or 99% 10°angle = 0.98 or 98% 20°angle = 0.94 or 94% 30°angle = 0.87 or 87% 40°angle = 0.77 or 77% 50°angle = 0.64 or 64% 60°angle = 0.50 or 50% 70°angle = 0.34 or 34% 80°angle = 0.17 or 17% 90°angle = 0 or 0%

[@sethdecamp4919]

much better explanation than "hold balls" which is what we were basically taught

[@knightmare1015]

Thank you for the video, it's very useful & helpful. This was the last formula that I needed for calculating a long range shot that I didn't have.

[@lilwhiteexpresstruck7943]

I've been in the marine corps for 9 years and this is by far the best explanation I've ever heard regarding range vs elevation

[@missedshot9235]

thank you for your service Bo

[@russrad17]

Great video explained in layman's terms.

[@donaldmcdougall5903]

Hi, you said - Distance X cosine = Angle range and - Mil Range X cosine = Angle range Therefor - Distance X cosine = Mil Range X cosine Or - Distance = Mil Range So you can use Mil range for Distance directly - no problem. Note this is for vertical Mil range only not horizontal Mil ranges.

[@oberstpac]

I really needed this video, and you explained it really well. Now, how do you figure out the angle at which you are shooting?

[@losdog84]

You gotta carry a protractor in your pocket while doing whatever long range shooting activity you like 🤣 I was wondering about the same thing

[@shannonp4037]

@@losdog84 Amazon ohhunt High Accuracy Angle Cosine Indicator Kit and Bubble Level Fit

[@saviour514]

You are an amazing instructor !!

[@australianmade2659]

The better way to explain it is that the gravity is a vector which has a component of the force pulling the bullet along the flight path. This means it’s velocity is higher and bullet drop less.

[@Mau365PP]

it's fun to watch him dumb down trigonometry that much. I mean, dude I did go to school lol, but anyways great content!

[@Jester62D]

1 equation: milrange * cosine value^2 = angle range. If the animal is not standing perpendicularly to you, this would introduce another need to perform a cosign calculation. This poses an interesting scenario where the back haunches to the front shoulders are assumed to be flat.

[@nhicamientay06768]

Hi im sory i want to ask Airguns have to find a 180 degree point for the barrel

[@micahrockwell9615]

Man I started chuckling when you revealed the secret to measuring angles with mils. AH! so THAT's why you'd use left/right mil ranging! But i have a question: what happens when a known target size (deer) is at an angle down, but also angled away? so now but height and width sizes appear smaller? is this a "sorry bud, gotta find a new angle to shoot from" moment?

[@SermsukIndy]

You need to imagine a bit, try to make an image of dear that perfectly side way for you and measure that imaginary image inside your scope.

[@mikuhatsunegoshujin]

I was looking at a ballistic calculator of my chosen round and found that something is off. In the example if you had a total of 400 yards to the target and 308 yards is your "x-component" (tangent to the surface of the earth from you and the shooter). I'm having trouble with the conceptual understanding of it. The time of flight would be the same as if you are shooting level with the target at the same distance. so gravity is going to act on it for the same amount of time as if you were shooting level (in my case .53 seconds). Remember that gravity is 32 feet per second per second so in the level calculation my bullet will drop 54 inches (from true level, from the exit of the muzzle, assuming I fired it straight and not at an angle like all rifles do (this isn't from my zero, from my zero it's 24 inches)). Now I know for a fact that the bullet drop isn't the same in your example as if you were shooting at a target at 308 yards, because if you were shooting a target at 308 yards the time that it will be affected by gravity would be shorter than that angled shot. I think how reality works is that the bullet (being shot at an angle) now has gravity affected by an angle. This means we have to separate them into a "x and y" component (components that your scope can measure) so we can be able to hit the target. The factors causing the bullet to go down is the "y" component of the velocity of the bullet since you're aiming it down, and the "y" component of gravity. The "x" components causing your bullet to go towards the target is the full velocity of the bullet (since you're pointing it at the target, _mostly_) and the "x" component of gravity _accelerating towards your target_ (strangely the balistic calculator says it's the same flight time but _I think_ it's slightly shorter because of this, or maybe not air friction might cancel this factor just right in this case). I might've messed up with the reference frame a couple of times and I'm taking about two different 2-d planes but that's my general idea of how shooting a target at a 40 degree angle decline at 400 yards is completely different than shooting a target at 308 yards level. That said your process might very well work but conceptually it seems off (to me). The angle of the bullet to the center of gravity of earth is 40 degrees so the cosine of 40 by the normally 54 inch drop is about 41.6 inches. Now, it obviously didn't hit higher, you're shooting at an angle of decline so the path of the bullet is a lot more lower, the elevation from you to the target to be exact, but in relation to the "true level, from the exit of the muzzle" it will drop 41.6 inches. The 308 yard level shot may also have dropped about 41.6 inches but due to the different nature of shooting at a decline the bullet trajectories are completely different due to the the factors that I broke into components listed above. I would like to have feedback on your understanding of this physics and whether or not these actually are worth considering (or they are negligible). I believe that conceptually we should look at it as the forces acting on the bullet from the distance exiting the muzzle (at ~2700 feet per second) to impacting your target. practically it would be easier just to understand cosine angles and multiplying that by the distance from your target measured by the moa's in your scope and assumed 5ft height of the target. Since you already know your dope you're good to go. I saw you use the calculator for the cosines so I assume you don't know it in the field. What do you do if you do shoot out in the field(mountains) without a calculator?

[@mikuhatsunegoshujin]

eidt: you explain what you used in the field. that's pretty useful. an angle cosine indicator?

[@slappy1031]

paragraph breaks? jesus...

[@barrygrant2907]

Ryan: I don't want to confuse you here. Me: Too late.

[@dansbrega4007]

Great video.about a video on Bullet drop compensation on Nikon prostate 5 .thank you Ryan.

[@m.d.bishop1244]

Thank you for this video.

[@tanhvan1]

I hope this video will help in the next hunting season, i missed shooting an elk at 301yards at -29° I click 3.2MOA.... and missed 5 shot at the elk. I did this math is should be 263yards, and that's .7 MOA.🤔

[@stevelegend7867]

Cool

[@SlimShadySkip1]

this is good between Flat and 45 deg off Flat either up or down. But once you get past 45 deg you have other factors that come into play. Such as the fact that your Scope is not directly in line with your barrel It is infact aprox 2" above your barrel and therefore always angled a bit ""Down"" naturally. He mentioned that in nature you will not find many Angles greater than 30deg and this is true if your on a hill or mountain (without cliff) and aiming "Down" yet this is not the normal scenario we all experience this. Infact it is very normal for people to be aiming at small game or birds that are perched in a tree that you are various distance from. Therefore the angle can be much more than 45deg in alot of scenarios. This is where you need to know your first zero as well as 2nd zero and centerline diff between your scope and barrel. Gets very tricky after 45 deg, and this simple method is not nearly enough.

[@JohnKidd]

The width of the target doesn't change with your up/down perspective but does change if the target isn't broadside to you. If the, lets say, deer was 45 degrees off of broadside, the apparent width will be much smaller. I imagine seeing that through a scope at 500yds would be quite difficult but maybe I just need to buy a better scope... :)

[@kleinbottled79]

John Kidd Your right on with this point. The reason height is usually used in the first place is because width is rarely presented as 'squarely' as height tends to be. Using width hardly "solves all your problems."Good to have another option I guess. Honestly theres a fair amount of 'eyeballing' and 'guess-work' with this whole method of estimating range. If the animal your measuring is 20% larger or smaller than the average you are calculating from, its going to throw your range estimate off by 20%. At 500m you might still hit, at 800m thats enough to miss entirely.

[@RyanCleckner]

John Kidd If you just remember that you'll miss high when shooting at angles, you'll probably be just fine hunting.

[@slappy1031]

There is a thing called included angle where you measure both height and width and add them together and plug into this formula for ranging; D(KM)=H(M)/K, where K is the included angle. I think this method can comensate for the apparent foreshortening of an angled target

[@P_double_H]

Did you guys notice how a 60 degree angle (not 45 degrees) gives you a .5 Cosine.. I always though a 45 degree would give you half the distance. Glad to learn about these Cosines.

[@JACKBLACKTOSE]

Couldn’t you also calculate range values by determining your elevation and distance to target using the Pythagorean Theorem?

[@robertfatima81]

Yes, but to use Pythagorean Theorem, you need the length of 2 sides of the triangle. In most shooting scenarios you only have one length, the distance to the target. If you had a good topo map you could probably know how high/low you were from the target and then use the theorem. It would be easier and quicker to use an altimeter/determine angle and range and the cosine than counting all those contour lines :)

[@JACKBLACKTOSE]

@@robertfatima81 in retrospect it's pretty impossible to use the Pythagorean Theorem in this application. Even with a good GPS system it'd be near impossible to shoot an azimuth to your target, calculate their elevation, and make the adjustment. Initially I was only considering my elevation and failed to realize I would need to determine the targets elevation as well. That's a history major for ya!

[@riverbard8287]

That's some good learnin' Thanks! 🤠

[@1021tap78]

Great info ..

[@omnipubgmobile1615]

This had been one of the best series I have ever watched. Would have loved to had you as teacher. Thanks so much for such a thorough and simple presentation on a complex and dynamic concept ( shooting ).