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In virtually any hobby, competition format, or other human endeavors, there will always be an element of participants and enthusiasts who look to push the limits. Shooting is no different. Speed, accuracy, scoring, distance, volume, and more – shooters are continually looking for more. Precision long-range shooting is one sector of shooting sports that tends to attract a lot of participants with this mindset. There are good reasons for this, too – after all, who wouldn’t be impressed by a one-quarter MOA 10-round group achieved at a range of 1000 yards?
The custom precision rifle that Cheney used to accurately send his 300-grain .338-caliber Hornady projectile across the span of more than three dozen football fields. Incredible.
Now, if 1000 yards sounds like a long way to connect with a target, how about more than quadruple that range? 4134 yards, or over 12,400 feet, was the distance between competitive ELR (Extreme Long Range) shooter Ryan Cheney and the six-foot by six-foot steel square serving as his target at a competition in Kansas last month. Cheney’s custom rifle sent his record-breaking Hornady .338-caliber round flying at 3,165 feet per second. While this is certainly quick, the massive 2.35-mile distance still took the 300-grain A-Tip bullet full 9.4 seconds in flight to reach the target (edit: and the hit came on his fourth shot at the 4134-yard plate). Cheney used a GA Precision Custom rifle with a Defiance Deviant Tactical action set in a Manners F-Class stock and built for a 33XC cartridge, with a Triggertech Diamond Two-Stage trigger and a 35-inch Bartlein 9.5 twist barrel. This fine firearm was supported by a Phoenix bipod and topped by a Nightforce ATACR 7-35×56 scope with a Mil-C reticle. The following is Hornady’s press release on the historic shot.
This is a man who clearly knows what he’s doing behind a long-distance gun like this, with a solid team to back him up.
April 6, 2021ELR Shooter Ryan Cheney hits 2.35-mile shot using Hornady® A-TIP® Bullet
Grand Island, NE — Hornady® congratulates Ryan Cheney on his record 2.35 mile shot on March 27 at the Spearpoint Ranch in Barnard, Kansas.
Cheney’s shot is the longest impact ever shot and recorded in competition.
Cheney was shooting Hornady .338 cal. 300 gr. A-TIP® bullets in his custom-built GA Precision rifle chambered in 33 XC.
“Half the battle in ELR is seeing your impacts and correcting” said Cheney. “These bullets have incredible splash and in 20+ mph winds, A-TIP bullets performed phenomenally,” added Cheney.
Cheney, a 41-year-old competitive ELR shooter from Conway Springs, Kansas was able to hit a plate at 3,592 yards – which itself was a record hit for a .33 caliber projectile, but then managed to drop a shot on a piece of 6-foot-by 6-foot steel at 4,134 yards, which is 2.35 miles.
A-Tip® Match bullets feature an aluminum tip that’s precision machined and longer than polymer tips, that moves the center of gravity and enhances inflight stability, resulting in tighter groups and reduced drag variability. In addition, A-Tip bullets are sequentially packaged for the ultimate in consistent performance.
