Earlier this year I had a trip out west booked to shoot two fantastic schools in two different states. I was up at 4am and headed out the door for Memphis, Tennessee to catch an early flight to Salt Lake City, Utah. I arrived in Salt Lake around 10 am and got my rental truck and started exploring the city a little bit before grabbing a hotel in Provo, Utah. The next morning I headed out to Redmond, Utah to meet up with Fierce firearms owner John Mogle and the national sales director Joey Silva. I arrived into Redmond around lunch and headed to the Fierce factory to meet up with the guys and then to lunch. After lunch John gave me a tour of the factory and some of the new launches coming in the future for the company. After the tour we set out to the Fierce Mogle Ranch where the lodge is located.
Pulling up to the lodge you realize that John Mogle takes the hospitality business quiet seriously. The lodge is a beautiful log home nestled on 600 acres in the valley, surrounded by mountains, a large outdoor kitchen, massive firepit, 300 yard range, and a 5 stand clays range. The inside of the home is plushed out with trophy mounts, a grand kitchen, and a feel that embraces the mountain life of Utah. While waiting on the other guests to arrive we headed out to the 5 stand to shoot, ate some pizza, and then toured the land the lodge was on. John explained his vision on the place, how it came to be, and where it was headed in the future. As we pulled back up to the lodge the other guest has started to arrive and we went to make introductions. We all spent the rest of the evening around the firepit getting to know each other and then headed to our rooms to get ready for the next day.
The next morning I woke up to the smell of coffee, food, and the eager voices of the other guests. I get dressed and head to the kitchen to meet Johns brother Matt and his wife. Matt and his wife handle the cooking for the guests and they do an amazing job at both cooking and entertaining. After breakfast we started class in the living room with John and Joey. We spend the next couple of hours on learning the basics of long range shooting and then we headed out back to zero our rifles before lunch then heading to the actual range. Once we get zeroed we head to the Fierce factory for a group tour, and then to the Fierce range.
Out the back door of the Fierce headquarters lies the Fierce range, and it is nothing short of impressive. The Fierce crew had the shooting deck lined with pop up tents, shooting benches, shooter mats, and spotting scopes all the way down the line. The wind callers consisted of John, Gage Mogle, Joey, and Fisher (Fish), and they were on point the entire time. I must say that I found Fish to be the "man in demand" if you will. Fish is real life shot caller and can call wind with best in the business. The range itself was quiet impressive, boasting targets from 100 yards all the way out to one mile. The targets consisted of steel targets, steel targets with swingers, and "Know Your Limits" stands. The beautiful mountains of Redmond, Utah serenaded the back drop and made for quiet the view. Each target stand had ribbons tied so we could reference the ribbon to the mirage and learn how to read the wind properly in the field. The rest of the afternoon consisted of a lot of shooting and building shooter confidence. The range went cold around 4:30 or 5pm and then it was back to the lodge for ribeyes, relaxation, and fellowship.
Day two kicked off in much of the same way as day one, but this time lunch was at a Mexican restaurant and John had some ideas for the afternoon shoot. When we got back to the Fierce range he told us we were going up on the mountains and getting some real world shooting scenarios. We drove up on the mountain and then started hiking and spent several hours on the mountains taking shots out to 1400 yards in the different terrains and shooting positions. John then told us we were headed back to the range and have a little competition between the shooters. The competition featured timed shooting from various positions and yardages including off hand. We finished up day two with the crew showing us the preferred cleaning method of Fierce Firearms. We then headed back to the lodge for another fantastic meal from Matt and his wife. After dinner we all sat around and talked for awhile before turning in for the night. Morning came early as my alarm went off at 4am and I was headed for the airport to continue my western adventure.
My final thoughts of the Fierce LRS is that it is a fantastic school to teach long range principles and build shooter confidence. I put my demo Fierce Rage LR 7PRC through the paces at that school and liked it so much I purchased the rifle and had them send it to Mississippi. What John Mogle is doing at Fierce is impressive on so many levels and the growth they are experiencing is out of this world. While touring the factory he told us they are producing 12,000 guns per year and I believe that is due to their commitment to the culture. We are seeing extreme growth in lightweight, accurate, long distance hunting rifles and Fierce is embracing it. When you match that with the hospitality business he has built to compliment Fierce, you get an experience that everyone should try at least once in their life. Will I be back?????? ABSOLUTELY.
If you would like to attend the Fierce LRS with Mogle and the crew, stop in and let us know. We can get you set up and booked for once heck of a trip.