presented by World's Longest Shot Challenge
November 30-December 1st, 2018
It’s a short one-and-a-half-hour drive from San Antonio, but Valdina Ranch offers a vacation style getaway for ELR shooters. With a huge lodge, full kitchen, and a BBQ pit it certainly is the place to be on a brisk weekend. Plus, they have targets out to 3 miles and they are easily accessible by truck on a dirt road. Outfitted with Target Hit Indicators from Magnetospeed LLC, and cameras from TARGETVISION, this is Extreme Long Range shooting country!
The morning starts with breakfast and a range brief, then shooters make their way over to the “High House” up on the hill to begin setting up for the match. There, on the lovely lawn behind this hilltop home, lies a beautiful view of the Texas Landscape, strewn with 36” steel plates of course!
The game of ELR shooting is a tough one. They shoot 36” steel targets for High Power and 12” steel for Smallbore at all distances. So not only does the distance increase but the relative size of the target decreases the further out they shoot. 5 shots at each plate are scored as distance times the order of impact. For instance, if you hit the 2000 yard target on your first shot, you score a 10,000 for that hit, then its 2000 times 4 for a second round impact, 2000 times 3 for a third round impact and so on.
The match started off as a struggle as shooters worked to verify their dope given the new temperature and environment with the heavy fog. Day one consisted of 1760 yard (I mile), 2000 yards, 2200 yards, and 2400 yards. The top five finalists at the end of the day would shoot the finale on day two, which featured targets out to 4900 yards.
Day 2 consisted of not only the High Power finals, but also the .22 ELR match! This .22 match features 12” plates staggered from 200 to almost 600 yards! With a wind peaking at over 20 mph, we estimated over 40 MOA of windage needed to connect at that distance. With the wind it was a tough match and there were very few hits past 300 yards.
It’s a tough sport, at the pinnacle of technology and ballistics science. Still, it’s a lot of luck that the elements cooperate with your shot! A special shout out to David Mann on Team McMillan Fiberglass Stocks who won the .375 division with his McMillan Beast stock, and Ryan Cheney who one the .338 division with his A3-5 stock. And to everyone else who shot and participated, good shooting, and see ya next time!
David Mann
.375 ELR Champion
McMillan Beast stock
Bat EX action
Bartlein Barrels, Inc barrel
NightforceUSA 7X35 scope
Warner Tool Company adj base 0-120 moa
Warner .375 400gr flatline bullets
Ryan Cheney
.338 ELR Champion
338 Rogue, which is a 338 Lapua improved with a 37 degree shoulder.
Defiance Machine Deviant action
Bartlein 30" 9.5 twist barrel
Allen Precision Shooting Painkiller muzzle brake
McMillan A3-5 stock
SWFA.com 5-20HD scope
Badlands 250gr SICBM projectiles.
Phoenix Bipod It was built by Derrick Dornbush of D2 Precision in Garden Plain Kansas.
I use Strelok for my solution, with custom drag curve I came up with.
Total weight with bipod is just under 20 lbs.
Travis Walla
.22 ELR Champion
Vudoo Gun Works 22”
Xlr envy chassis
Athlon Optics Optics Ares ETR 4.5-30X56 scope
B&T Industries Atlas bipod
Timney Triggers Calvin Elite
November 30-December 1st, 2018
It’s a short one-and-a-half-hour drive from San Antonio, but Valdina Ranch offers a vacation style getaway for ELR shooters. With a huge lodge, full kitchen, and a BBQ pit it certainly is the place to be on a brisk weekend. Plus, they have targets out to 3 miles and they are easily accessible by truck on a dirt road. Outfitted with Target Hit Indicators from Magnetospeed LLC, and cameras from TARGETVISION, this is Extreme Long Range shooting country!
The morning starts with breakfast and a range brief, then shooters make their way over to the “High House” up on the hill to begin setting up for the match. There, on the lovely lawn behind this hilltop home, lies a beautiful view of the Texas Landscape, strewn with 36” steel plates of course!
The game of ELR shooting is a tough one. They shoot 36” steel targets for High Power and 12” steel for Smallbore at all distances. So not only does the distance increase but the relative size of the target decreases the further out they shoot. 5 shots at each plate are scored as distance times the order of impact. For instance, if you hit the 2000 yard target on your first shot, you score a 10,000 for that hit, then its 2000 times 4 for a second round impact, 2000 times 3 for a third round impact and so on.
The match started off as a struggle as shooters worked to verify their dope given the new temperature and environment with the heavy fog. Day one consisted of 1760 yard (I mile), 2000 yards, 2200 yards, and 2400 yards. The top five finalists at the end of the day would shoot the finale on day two, which featured targets out to 4900 yards.
Day 2 consisted of not only the High Power finals, but also the .22 ELR match! This .22 match features 12” plates staggered from 200 to almost 600 yards! With a wind peaking at over 20 mph, we estimated over 40 MOA of windage needed to connect at that distance. With the wind it was a tough match and there were very few hits past 300 yards.
It’s a tough sport, at the pinnacle of technology and ballistics science. Still, it’s a lot of luck that the elements cooperate with your shot! A special shout out to David Mann on Team McMillan Fiberglass Stocks who won the .375 division with his McMillan Beast stock, and Ryan Cheney who one the .338 division with his A3-5 stock. And to everyone else who shot and participated, good shooting, and see ya next time!
David Mann
.375 ELR Champion
McMillan Beast stock
Bat EX action
Bartlein Barrels, Inc barrel
NightforceUSA 7X35 scope
Warner Tool Company adj base 0-120 moa
Warner .375 400gr flatline bullets
Ryan Cheney
.338 ELR Champion
338 Rogue, which is a 338 Lapua improved with a 37 degree shoulder.
Defiance Machine Deviant action
Bartlein 30" 9.5 twist barrel
Allen Precision Shooting Painkiller muzzle brake
McMillan A3-5 stock
SWFA.com 5-20HD scope
Badlands 250gr SICBM projectiles.
Phoenix Bipod It was built by Derrick Dornbush of D2 Precision in Garden Plain Kansas.
I use Strelok for my solution, with custom drag curve I came up with.
Total weight with bipod is just under 20 lbs.
Travis Walla
.22 ELR Champion
Vudoo Gun Works 22”
Xlr envy chassis
Athlon Optics Optics Ares ETR 4.5-30X56 scope
B&T Industries Atlas bipod
Timney Triggers Calvin Elite
