The author feels that 95% of shooting is mental - only 5% is physical. (Photo: David M. Fortier)

To become proficient with a rifle is relatively simple, yet quite hard. It starts with you, the shooter, and a conscious decision to learn how to effectively wield a rifle. That's the easy part.

The hard part is having the strength of character to actually drive on when it becomes more like hard work than fun. This is what separates the wheat from the chaff - the ability to overcome hardship to attain your goal.

Make no mistake: Any bump on the log can be a man with a rifle. To become a rifleman takes hard work, dedication and perseverance. However, if it's something that you hunger for, you can attain it.

I wish I could tell you everything you need to know to become an expert rifleman in this series of short articles. Unfortunately I can't. What I can do, though, is exhort you to get started and give you an outline of points to follow. If you follow these points you'll be well on your way to becoming a rifleman.

What's your job? Well, you'll need to supply the desire, drive and willingness to put in the hard work to actually improve your skills.

Let me preface this first article with this statement: Learning to be a marksman is much different than learning how to fight with a rifle. My focus here is simply on developing your marksmanship skills.

Please keep in mind that just because you're a crack shot doesn't mean you know anything about fighting with a rifle. Camp Perry is overrun with riflemen who can consistently hit a man-sized target at 600 yards with an iron-sighted M16A2. Very few of them know how to actually fight with a rifle though.

The reverse is also true. I've trained US Army soldiers who were combat vets and who were deadly at CQB. But their basic marksmanship skills were severely lacking past 200 to 250 yards. In their hands, an M4 carbine was little more useful than a submachine gun.

Your goal should be to learn how to not only properly and effectively employ a rifle, but also how to fight with it.

Mental Attitude

Probably 95% of shooting is mental, while only 5% is physical. It's therefore most important to have the right mental attitude. This should include being safety conscious, focused on the task at hand, and in possession of a positive 'can-do' attitude.

Push your limits by getting out of your comfort zone when training. Shoot in the cold, rain, snow and against riflemen with a higher skill level. (Photo: David M. Fortier)

Learn To Focus

When it comes to shooting, you need to be able to focus to make each and every shot. This requires being able to block out, or ignore, distractions that would ordinarily take your mind off of it.

It's this ability to calmly estimate range and wind deflection, then hold, aim, squeeze and follow through, no matter what's going on around you, that separates the good from the great.

It doesn't matter how tired, sore, hungry, thirsty, angry, nervous or scared you are. Your focus needs to be on making the shot. If you can't focus on what you're doing you can't expect to get the job done.

Consider this: Simo Hayha, the highest-scoring sniper of all time, was shot through the face with an explosive bullet by a Soviet sniper. Did he give up and die? No, he ignored the pain, got back behind his rifle and killed the man. He went on to live to a ripe old age - a hero of his country.

Dealing With Stress

How can you learn how to deal with stress while shooting? The first step is not to run from it, but face it. You need to push yourself and get out of your comfort zone.

Many only shoot in nice weather when it's comfortable. Don't be like them: Practice in all types of weather. Shoot in the rain, snow, cold of winter and heat of summer. Don't be put off by extremely windy days.

Many only feel comfortable shooting alongside lesser riflemen, but if you're better than your partners, you'll learn little from them. So shoot in competition against better riflemen. Losing in competition isn't important. What's important is learning as you go - feeling nervous on the line with your heart beating and having to control it.

Mistakes, if you're willing to learn from them, can teach you quite a bit.

Big-game hunting can also teach you important lessons, as you're facing a living, breathing adversary rather than a static cardboard or steel target on a range.

Believe In Yourself

Also very important to shooting is self-confidence. You need to believe in yourself, and your ability to make a shot. Remember, if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will either.

Most importantly, you need to do this when the pressure's on, or after you just botched a shot. If you don't think you can make the shot, guess what, you probably won't.

Any champion rifleman, like Shawn McKenna, will tell you riflemen aren't born - they're forged from hard work, sweat and dedication. (Photo: David M. Fortier)

Keep An Open Mind

At the same time, especially when you're starting out, you need to be open to constructive criticism. Riflemen aren't born - they're forged from hard work, sweat and dedication. You may think you're pretty good with a rifle, but there's always more to learn.

So understand, there are times to talk, and there are times to listen to someone who knows more than you. I've met many pudgy, gray-haired men who'd spent decades behind a rifle and forgotten more about marksmanship then I'll ever know.

Knowledge is where you find it. Having a self-confident attitude is good, but having an ego which makes you unteachable will get you nowhere. Many older and wiser shooters are happy to offer you advice and share their knowledge, if you have a good attitude. But they're not going to share squat with someone who has a bad attitude.

Becoming a rifleman is a journey that has no end. There's always more to learn. So keep an open mind, and learn as much as you can from those around you.

The opinions contained in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of TacticalGunFan or its staff.