Milking all of the ballistic potential out of a rifle has a certain attraction, for obvious reasons.
Connecting with targets exceeding the 1,000-yard range is both an analytic and physical challenge. The mental side demands the ability to quantify environmental factors then apply them to dial in the shot. Physically, breath and body control are paramount in the bullet reaching its target.
Those assets and abilities must have been on full display in April at Whittington U’s School of Extreme Long Range. In the school’s inaugural Masters Course a handful of shooters pulled off what can only be described as incredible shots.
Braving wind and snow during the three days of instruction at the Whittington Center outside Raton, N.M., five students established breathtaking benchmarks for the course using a variety of precision rifles:
- Billy Carter: .375 Cheytac. Carter achieved back-to-back confirmed impacts on a 1 MOA Target (36 inch by 36 inches) at 2.07 Miles in a 9 round shooting iteration!
- George Costello: .338 SnipeTac. Costello achieved one confirmed impact a 2.07 miles.
- James Elmore: .375 Cheytac. Elmore achieved two confirmed impacts at 2.07 miles in two separate Measured Courses of Fire.
- Gerald Guzman: .416 Barrett. Guzman achieved two confirmed impacts at 2.07 miles in two separate 5 round Measured Courses of Fire on a 4 MOA Target (12 feet by 10 feet).
- Bruce Mansur: .375 Cheytac. Mansur achieved one confirmed impact at 2.07 miles in a six round shooting iteration.
Shooters utilized a non-typical range to accomplish their breathtaking marksmanship – the Whittington Center's Backcountry Training Area. The range is situated in the hill and canyon country surrounding the center and boasts three ranges: 2,000-yard known distance range, 2,800-yard high angle and unknown distance range and a 3,650-yard unknown distance range.
The Master Course is a continuation of Whittington’s School of Extreme Long Range, which previously had three courses. The original course included introductory instruction on long-range shooting, shooting from different positions, high-angle shooting, shooting at unknown distances and other long-range shooting concepts.
Gun Digest Book of Long-Range Shooting, 2nd Edition
