u/0DSavior

MDS NSR Review

A buddy and I took the NSR Skill Progression class with Caylen at Modern Day Sniper in July, 2026. 

Information on the MDS/MDR site was a little sparse and there just 1-2 videos of the location on YouTube. So there was a bit of “trust me bro” involved with this experience at NSR. But Caylen’s reputation is stellar and MDS is well respected by several other training outfits, so that was enough for me to move forward.

The Property

Upon arrival to the ranch, you are immediately greeted by NSR staff and given a welcome packet with information regarding your stay, and information about safety and other briefs on what the agenda will be for the next 4 days was given that first night.

I’ll be honest, the idea that we stay on-site seemed a bit gimmicky at first, like perhaps a money-grab of sorts, but just after the first night - I got it. I’ve gone to other events, where the “after parties” were what made the class worthwhile, and that was not lacking here. Libations were available and we had an awesome group to hang out with. The idea that you stay on-site here isn’t just suggested, it totally makes sense. The time spent getting to a hotel and grabbing food and drinks is eliminated here and that’s more time you get to spend with your group and be ready for the next day.

The amenities here are better than any hotel anyway: bedding, drinks, freshly cooked (real) food - like no expense was spared. For summer months, water and liquid IV were on tap as well while we were outdoors.

In terms of shooting locations, you’ve got:

1. 100yd range for zero’ing and some drills
2. 300yd range for drills and PRS style instruction (lots of varied steel out there)
3. Shoot house #1 - I think it goes to like 1430yds (IIRC)
4. Shoot house #2 - Goes out to 1680yds
5. Canyon position #1 - Goes out to 1740yds
6. Canyon position #2 - Goes out to 2000yds

Regarding transport, the ranch is mostly dirt roads, you have to pass over an irrigation “brook” but it’s like 3-4” deep, so you can’t drive a slammed car here, but you also don’t need some heavy duty pickup either. (We had a Buick Enclave as a rental, it was perfect). We would travel to locations on the ranch in our own cars with our own gear.

The format and Instruction Quality

Caylen and the MDS crew don’t cut any corners and when he says 7:30am - 5:30pm - he means it, he’s giving quality and insightful instruction the entire time.

The format was on Day 1 (out of 4) we start off with some classroom instruction, going over the fundamentals, debunking common ballistic myths, and other topics are covered. But it’s not just what is covered, but more importantly, how they are covered. Caylen is absolutely amazing at explaining things in such a way that anyone can understand. Even to those crayon-eating Marines =)

Things that I have struggled to understand, no matter how many YouTube videos I’ve watched on the subject… (and I’ve watched a many) you just get it, the way he explains things. He gives insightful examples and if you still don’t get something, he finds analogies to explain them until you do. It was rather impressive to witness.

Days 2-3 had some theory sprinkled in and then we’d go apply what we’d learned that day. Day 3 was the big hike up the canyon and it’s fairly intensive (particularly if you are out of hiking/hunting shape like I was) my buddy went up and down with relative ease. FWIW.

Day 4 was a tiny bit of theory and then a hike and shoot. 

Between the quality of instruction and the shooting location, I can say with absolute conviction that there really isn’t anything else like this offered within the United States. There just isn’t. His teaching abilities, the 4 days, and this property combined make it an immersive experience that will never be forgotten. Sure, there is Day Mountain Ranch, sure there is Hat Creek and they have some of the elements, but not all.

Caylen watched over you while shooting and would make suggestions on your stance, your built positions, your gear and why some things may work better than others.

Never once did he say “this is the only way” to do something, he never pushed any products, at most, he made suggestions; mentioned alternatives and when appropriate told you to make your own conclusions on what works best for you. And that was refreshing.

After each day, we’d come together to do a AAR and in that debrief we covered what we considered to be positives and negatives of our day. What we ourselves felt we could have done better and Caylen would talk through each one and give suggestions where warranted.

Lastly, he was just present. I never wondered where he was, or wondered why he wasn’t out there talking to us. He was always around, always available and answered any question, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant - and with humility and patience.

Shooting Time

There wasn’t like a 2 days of classroom and 2 days of shooting type situation. Each of the 4 days we were shooting. Whether it was to re-zero, try our hand at PRS/NRL, long range, building positions, building difficult positions on unique terrain (which the ranch has in spades) it was all there. Theory, practice and stressors to find your weaknesses.

If you didn’t really care about LR, but instead PRS was your jam… he would spend more time with you on that portion but you had some portion being exposed to all of them, so you could decide for yourself what you enjoyed most and make the most of that session.

It was suggested that we bring 400 rounds to the class, but I only actually ended up shooting about 280 rounds over the 4 days. I guess I was being conservative. Next time - I won't be, and shoot all so that I had none to bring home.

What to bring

This is what I ended up using over the 4 days:

1. Rifle (6.5 creed somewhat preferred, but other calibers are fine too) w/bipod
2. Scope with at least 10x, 20x+ preferred IMO.
3. 400 rounds of ammo and shoot that shit until it's gone!
4. Rear bag (Armageddon gear seemed to be the norm from the group)
5. Tripod
6. Ear/Eye Protection
7. LRF (Ninos or Monocular, be sure it can reach out to 2k)
8. Kestrel
9. Camel Pack ( I left mine at home accidentally, had to carry water bottles instead)
10. Shooting mat (if local, if coming from afar borrow one from the ranch)
11. Knee-pads
12. Bino Harness
13. Ballistic solver, 4DOF/ABQ/Leupold-4DOF
14. Backpack that can carry a rifle/tripod (I used my Eberlestock Spectre, but there are many other options out there)
15. Small toolset (scope adjustment tools, cleaning brushes and jags)
16. Extra batteries, CR2, AA, CR2032 etc.
17. Sun shirts w/hoodie to protect from the sun.

Personal Notes

1. When we started to discuss shooting off a tripod, I quickly raised my hand as having difficulty shooting accurately off a tripod. Caylen stated “By the end of this class, you’ll be a tripod ninja” I chuckled and thought, well, I’d just be happy being able to stay on target, never mind being able to manage the wobble among other things. Well shit - I was hitting a steel IPSC plate at 2000yds via tripod, so I’ll be damned if he didn’t straighten me out after all. He watched me on the tripod and gave tips about my stance and my hold and after shooting off the tripod enough times, sure as shit - I have a really strong bridge to the tripod now. I walked away rather surprised because it’s something I’ve struggled a lot with in the past.
2. Suppressor state bans - I’m from a can ban state. Caylen graciously offered to swap my brake with one of his cans and I got to shoot suppressed throughout the class. Which was preferable for everyone around me =)
3. If you are from a sea-level area and heading out to NSR - be aware of the environmental difference. Sure, everyone knows it’s less humid there, but the heat works differently. It’s not unbearably humid or anything. But it will rob you of your hydration all the same. Next time, I’d bring chap stick for my lips and NOT forget my camel pack, it would have been much more efficient than carrying 4-5 water bottles with me.
4. Going up the canyon - it’s not a simple hike. If you are a seasoned hiker or hunter - you’ll be fine. But if you are a desk jockey like myself and don’t get exposed to hiking with a heavy pack uphill, do a little training before you get out there. I used a treadmill on its highest incline setting, but Caylen said I should have used stairs instead, which totally makes sense in retrospect. I’d simply recommend train a bit with your pack going up and down stairs to condition yourself for the canyon hike.
5. Traveling with rifles really wasn’t that bad. Thanks to folks who helped quell my anxiety on this front. I put tracking tags in my pelican hard case and when on the plane before the door closed I could see my case on the plane with me. Which was a huge relief. We live in a relatively anti-2A state, so going to the airport and declaring you have a firearm without knowing who will be behind you and looking - was daunting to say the least. But nobody cared and TSA didn’t ask to open the case at BOS nor PDX, so it ended up being mostly unwarranted anxiety on this front.

Negatives

I don’t like leaving all-positive reviews. There is always room for impovement. If I had to nitpick and find a negative, I think the only thing that comes to mind is that - when you travel 3000 miles away - you want to have shit buttoned up. Most things were covered by the MDS FAQ page, but a couple of trivial things required some back and forth to ensure everything was being taken care of (e.g. Laundry on site). That’s it, it’s the only negative I can actually come up with.

Price!
$3400 all inclusive. Someone said i should have put this in the post, so here it is. I didn't want it to be outdated information in case the price changed. But this includes the room, the amenities (sauna, pool table, all that the property has to offer) high quality food every day and of course the instruction.

Bottom Line

You'd be hard pressed to find something else like this in the United States and I’d venture to guess the world. The unique landscape, the instruction quality and finally - but perhaps most importantly - the environment that Caylen fosters for learning amongst the group of shooters really does open things up to their most optimal. And I think I can speak that for everyone in the class.

You will learn new things, you will be pushed to your limits in some ways, and you will be encouraged until you succeed. You will walk away with things to train on and skills to build upon and I can say 100% that you will walk away satisfied with this experience and I say that not caring how high your standards are.

What’s next for me in my journey?

My plan is to try and hit his wind walker class in 2027, rent a car or similar and go out to the multiple locations to get better at reading wind. We had this as part of our NSR Experience class, but the WW class goes to multiple locations with vastly different conditions to push you to your limits for reading wind.

Seekins Hit Pro M3, MRGG, JP LRP-07