There are 10 RDR2 Sharpshooter challenges, and you have to finish them in order. Rewards add up to $75, 475 Dead Eye XP, and four pieces of Sharpshooter gear from the Trapper. Some ranks are easy. Others (looking at you, Sharpshooter 8) will eat your whole evening. Below you’ll find every challenge in one table and a quick breakdown of each rank.
What You’ll Read:
All 10 RDR2 Sharpshooter Challenges
Ranks unlock one after another, so you can’t skip ahead to an easy one.
| Rank | Objective | Reward | Best Weapon | Best Spot | Watch Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpshooter 1 | Kill 3 birds in flight | Bandolier unlock | Any gun | Herons in the swamps around Saint Denis | Birds must be flying |
| Sharpshooter 2 | Kill 2 different species in one Dead Eye | $5 + 25 XP | Any gun | Any area with mixed wildlife | One Dead Eye only. A bird counts as the second species |
| Sharpshooter 3 | Kill 5 birds in flight from a moving train | Holster unlock | Any gun (bring it aboard) | Billy Midnight duel or any train | The train must keep moving. Guards may react |
| Sharpshooter 4 | Kill an enemy with a thrown tomahawk from 80+ ft | $10 + 50 XP | Tomahawk | Hostile gang camp | The counter shows your longest throw, not a total |
| Sharpshooter 5 | Kill 6 animals with one weapon, no reload | $10 + 50 XP | Varmint Rifle or Lancaster | Clustered birds or livestock | Re-entering Dead Eye reloads your gun |
| Sharpshooter 6 | Kill a person from 660+ ft with a long-scoped rifle | $15 + 100 XP | Rolling Block or Carcano with a Long Scope | Hanging Dog Ranch from the river island | One shot must reach 660 ft. Distances don’t add up |
| Sharpshooter 7 | Land 7 headshots in a row | Off-Hand Holster unlock | Lancaster | Hogtied O’Driscolls at Hanging Dog Ranch | Aim at the head only |
| Sharpshooter 8 | Make 3 enemies drop their weapons, no reload or weapon swap | $15 + 100 XP | Varmint Rifle | Hanging Dog Ranch, Van Horn, or Shady Belle | Dead Eye can auto-reload and undo your progress |
| Sharpshooter 9 | Knock off 3 hats in one Dead Eye | $20 + 150 XP | Revolver, or shotgun from range | Valentine or Van Horn | Targets must survive. Direct headshots usually kill, but long-range shotgun head tags can work. |
| Sharpshooter 10 | Kill 3 flying birds with 3 successive long-scoped shots | Gun Belt unlock | Rolling Block or Carcano with a Long Scope | Herons north of Saint Denis | One miss resets it. Flying birds only |
Sharpshooter 1: Shoot Down 3 Birds in Flight
Head to the swamps north and west of Saint Denis and scare a heron into the air before you fire. The three kills don’t have to be back to back. You unlock the Bandolier at the Trapper ($20), which doubles your long-gun ammo capacity.
Sharpshooter 2: Kill 2 Different Animal Species in One Dead Eye
Find an area with mixed wildlife, tag two different animals, and fire both shots in one Dead Eye. Two of the same species won’t count. A bird works as your second species, and a slow animal like a turkey is easy to line up. You get $5 and 25 Dead Eye XP.
Sharpshooter 3: Kill 5 Birds in Flight From a Moving Train
Board a train with your gun already equipped and shoot five flying birds while it’s moving. After dueling Billy Midnight and taking his photo, you can stay on the train and shoot five flying birds. Your shots won’t draw a bounty until you step back onto the ground. You can split the five kills across separate rides. You unlock the Holster ($14.75), which slows weapon wear by 20%.
Sharpshooter 4: Kill an Enemy With a Tomahawk From 80 Feet
Buy a tomahawk from a Fence for $4 after Americans at Rest in Chapter 2. Then throw it at a hostile gang member from at least 80 feet. Hogtie a target in open ground to keep him still while you back up. You get $10 and 50 Dead Eye XP.
Sharpshooter 5: Kill 6 Animals With One Weapon, No Reloading
Pick a weapon and stay with it. Don’t skin or loot carcasses between kills, because that stows your gun. Don’t re-enter Dead Eye either, since it reloads your weapon. A Varmint Rifle works for birds, and a Lancaster gives you more ammo for bigger animals. Clustered ducks, geese, or livestock save you the running around. You get $10 and 50 Dead Eye XP.
Sharpshooter 6: Kill a Person From 660 Feet With a Long-Scoped Rifle
You need a Rolling Block or a Carcano with a Long Scope. Hanging Dog Ranch is a good spot. Stand south of Little Creek River, roughly above the first “e” in “Creek” on the map, then adjust your distance until you can land a kill from at least 660 feet. Check the distance record in your challenge menu to see how close you got. It has to be one kill at 660 feet or more. You get $15 and 100 Dead Eye XP.
Sharpshooter 7: Land 7 Successive Headshots
Hogtie a few O’Driscolls at Hanging Dog Ranch, line them up, and shoot them in the head with a Lancaster. Bring health items, because their friends will shoot back. Aim near the top of the scalp and avoid shotguns. Unlike ranks 5 and 8, there’s no reload rule here. You unlock the Off-Hand Holster ($14.75), which slows weapon wear by 10%.
Sharpshooter 8: Make 3 Enemies Drop Their Weapons
Use a low-damage gun like the Varmint Rifle and shoot an armed enemy’s hand, elbow, or weapon so he survives. Hanging Dog Ranch, Van Horn, and Shady Belle all work. Don’t reload, swap guns, or re-enter Dead Eye, because Dead Eye reloads your gun and resets you. Retreat on foot until the enemies calm down, then go back and repeat. You get $15 and 100 Dead Eye XP.
Sharpshooter 9: Knock Off 3 Hats in One Dead Eye
Fire manual shots at the hat brims, not the heads. Direct headshots usually kill the wearer and fail the challenge, but there’s an exception. From far enough away, shotgun pellets can knock off hats without killing the targets, even when you tag their heads in Dead Eye. Manual shots keep Dead Eye going once you’ve unlocked continued free fire in Chapter 4 (Urban Pleasures). Wide top hats in Saint Denis make easier targets. You get $20 and 150 Dead Eye XP.
Sharpshooter 10: Kill 3 Flying Birds With Long-Scoped Shots
Use a Rolling Block or a Carcano with a Long Scope, and go after the big herons north of Saint Denis. Aim before they take off and fire once they’re airborne. Three shots in a row have to kill three birds. You can move in and out of your scope between shots. Use Dead Eye to improve your aim, but don’t miss, or the streak resets. You unlock the Gun Belt ($18), which doubles your sidearm ammo. Buy all four pieces ($67.50 total) and the full set adds a Health bonus.
What to Unlock Before You Start
A few ranks need gear or Dead Eye abilities that only show up as the story goes on. Here’s what to grab and when.
| Unlock | How to Get It | Helps With |
|---|---|---|
| Tomahawk | $4 from a Fence after Americans at Rest (Chapter 2) | Sharpshooter 4 |
| Rolling Block Rifle | $187, bought during The Sheep and the Goats (Chapter 2). Add a Long Scope | Sharpshooters 6 and 10 |
| Manual Dead Eye tagging | Pouring Forth Oil IV (Chapter 2) | Sharpshooter 9 (shotgun method) |
| Continued free fire | Urban Pleasures (Chapter 4) | Sharpshooter 9 |
Why Your Sharpshooter Progress Isn’t Counting
Only the active rank counts. Anything you did before it unlocked is wasted, so open your challenge menu and check which one you’re on.
Dead Eye is usually the problem on ranks 5 and 8. Activating it again reloads your gun and resets your progress. Switching weapons does the same. On rank 8, don’t mount your horse. Stowing your long gun on the horse resets the counter, even if you draw the same weapon again. Stay on foot until all three disarms are complete.
On ranks 4 and 6, the number in the menu is your longest shot, not a running total. You need a single kill at the full distance. Rank 8 only pops a notification on the third disarm, so check the menu to see where you really are. On rank 3, the train has to be moving, and on rank 10, any miss starts you over.
That covers all 10 Red Dead Redemption 2 Sharpshooter challenges. Which rank almost made you quit? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll add your tips to the guide!
FAQ
Is there a Sharpshooter challenge in Red Dead Online?
No. Online has a Sharpshooter ability card that boosts your damage while scoped, but it’s a separate system. These 10 challenges exist only in Story Mode.
Can I miss the Sharpshooter challenges?
No. They’re not missable, so you can finish them anytime. Starting during the story just saves you the cleanup later.
