In 2017, TFB reported that a new world record shot of 5,000 Yards (2.84 Miles) had been set by former Navy Seal Sniper Charlie Melton. Using a wildcat cartridge called “408 Tejas”, he was able to break the previous record of 4,604 Yards (2.61 Miles).  Only a few years later, and another group of shooters has once again broken this record. This time, landing a shot past three miles.

The Shot

Adding 1,000 yards to the previous record, shooter Paul Phillips, of Global Precision Group, had his work cut out for him. However, he’s no stranger to long-range shooting. This year alone he has both broken the world record in May, and later went on to win the King of 2 Miles Competition.

What makes Paul’s world record shot even more interesting is the caliber he chose; 416 Barrett.  For years now American Teams like Hill Country Rifles (and others) have used 375 or 408 CheyTac chambered rifles. Known for their superb performance at long range, CheyTac cartridges (and their variants) have been the benchmark for what you need to break a long-range record. This trend may be about to change. As you’ll see in the video below, it looks like Paul’s decision to deviate from the norm paid off.

It takes a village to land a shot like this.  Shots at extreme distances require multiple spotters.  One from the shooter’s location and another downrange.  From both locations, they help get the rifle on target and provide impact data to the shooter.  Communication is key during all of this, as that round is in flight for seventeen seconds.  I like that they also took it a step further, and had a 3rd party present to confirm the hit.

At this time there is no governing body that is keeping track of these long-range rifle word records. While it is annoying, I think it’s admirable in its own right.  These guys aren’t doing this for a trophy or some cash prize (although that never hurt).  No, it’s simply because records are made to be broken.