About NorthShadow
Shoot. Train.
Explore.
Be Better.
Practical education for the range, the backcountry, and everything beyond.
Founded and taught by Ryan M. Cleckner, former Army Ranger sniper and longtime precision rifle instructor.
The Mission
What NorthShadow Is
NorthShadow is practical education for the range, the backcountry, and everything beyond. The mission is simple: share useful knowledge, help people build real skills, and encourage a higher standard.
That means clear instruction you can take outside and use. Fundamentals first, then the decisions that matter, then how to apply them.
01Shoot
Marksmanship, ballistics, and equipment, explained for real-world use.
02Train
Practice with a purpose. Online courses and live training are coming soon.
03Explore
Map and compass, land navigation, the backcountry, hunting, and fieldcraft.
04Be Better
Discipline, leadership, and a higher standard, on the range and off it.
The Founder
Who’s Teaching You
Ryan M. Cleckner is a former Army Ranger sniper and longtime precision rifle instructor. Here’s the background behind what you learn on NorthShadow.
Service
Ryan enlisted in the Army after high school and earned his way into the 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, through airborne school and the Ranger Indoctrination Program. He served as a special operations sniper and sniper team leader, graduated from the Special Operations Target Interdiction Course (SOTIC), and deployed to Afghanistan twice.
Teaching
After the Army, he spent years teaching military and police snipers. He also taught land navigation, backpacking, and rock climbing at Glendale Community College, and appeared on the History Channel’s Top Shot as a featured sniper expert.
Writing
He put that instruction into the Long Range Shooting Handbook, an Amazon #1 Bestseller for 9 years straight with over 220,000 copies sold. Advanced Long Range Shooting is the follow-on, and the Land Navigation Handbook is next.
Ryan is also an attorney specializing in firearms law and a firearms industry executive. His full bio lives on his personal site.
Full Bio at RyanCleckner.com
In Their Words
What Experts Say
“Cleckner has a gift for teaching. I have repeatedly seen contestants on Top Shot and guests at Texas Triggers excel under his instruction. He explains seemingly complex topics in a tangible way that just makes sense.”
“Cleckner’s beginner-friendly approach to long range shooting instruction is what makes him so successful. His work is the baseline for all shooters when it comes to precision rifle mechanics – no matter where you go or what level of shooter they are, Cleckner’s books are in their library. They are one of the foundations to all great shooting and a must-read for all great shooters.”
“Some instructors hand you steps to follow. Cleckner gives you the pieces that let the shot make sense in your own sights. He leads with calm clarity and trusts you to take it farther—no ego, no mystique, just the kind of education that turns understanding into hits long after the last page.”
Field Notes
Useful Things Worth Knowing.
New articles, books, training opportunities, and lessons from the field.