ELR Central Establishes Extreme Long Range Record Standards
The King of 2 Miles event, and other Extreme Long Range (ELR) competitions, have spurred great interest in ultra-long-range shooting. The challenge of making the “longest shot ever” can be compelling. Some shooters have recently claimed World Records for mind-blowingly extreme distances. But you can’t have meaningful records without uniform, accepted standards. If you take 100 shots to hit a target at 3 miles, is that really a record — or just dumb luck? And if you hit the target just once after trying for hours — it that really worth bragging about?
ELR Central, an organization founded by Bryan Litz and his Applied Ballistics Team, hopes to promulgate new standards under which an ELR World Record can be established. Multiple hits will be required, with a uniform 36″x 36″ target size. No longer will shooters be able to claim a world record if they hit a barn door with a single shot. Under ELR Central’s proposed standards, in order to set a World Record, the shooter must place three consecutive rounds on a 36″ target with no sighters. As Kelly McMillan notes: “Now THAT is a record people can aspire to break.” On Facebook, one wag asked: “You mean we can’t walk in a hit with 32 sighters and claim it?” To which Kelly replied: “Though that seems pretty common — NO!”
ELR Central explains: “ELR shooting is the pinnacle of small arms precision shooting and so it’s natural that record setting is a big part of ELR shooting. Historically, world records for ‘longest shots’ have not been formally defined. As of 2017, ELR Central has published a set of guidelines and standards by which official world records can be established.”
CLICK HERE for ELR World Record Competition Rules »
Coming Soon: ELR Record Competition in Nevada, 1/21/2018
To help establish its new standards for ELR World Records, ELR Central will host a competitive ELR World Record Event on January 21, 2018 at the Front Sight Firearms Training Facility near Pahrump, Nevada.
Next month, ELR Central will host its first-ever ELR World Record Event. ELR shooters can showcase their skills in an organized, 3 for 3, on-the-record competition. Targets will be placed from 1500 to 2500+ yards. Shooters will have 3 shots, starting from a cold bore to attempt a World Record. This event is open to the public, and free to spectators. Registration is $50 per shooter. Contact Kathy.Barnhart [at] appliedballisticsllc.com for more information.
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Tags: Bryan Litz, CheyTac, ELR Central, ELR Rules, ELR World Record, Front Sight, Las Vegas, Pahrump, Paul Phillips
Shooting 3 in 3 without sighters is the main thing that sets an ELRC record apart from the “one-shot records” heavily “promoted” on the web at distances approaching 5000 yards. Starting from a “cold” bore is debatable – see event rule #3, “…except for a 100-yard confirm zero.” Realistically, the need for a “cold” bore is itself debatable. The no sighters, however, is critical. As point of note, the ELRC record criteria was established last March. With this event, that criteria has been updated to (replaced by) the event rules. There have been no ELRC records set in the interim.
Other ELRC record “criteria and standards” are also debatable – the 50# rifle limitation, not allowing shooting from a bench, and no mechanical rests are three that stand out. Those effectively make the ELRC record a “Tactical – or sniper’s – ELR” record. There are other groups, in particular the Unlimited Range Shooters Association/URSA, that have none of those “requirements”. In fact, the ONLY rifle limitation that URSA has is that it be “locally legal”, i.e., that it be legal to shoot where an event is held. URSA starts shooting at 2000 yards, ELRC at 1500 with accommodation for shorter distances as part of the course of fire. More info on URSA at http://www.unlimitedrange.org.
I think we are falling foul of Internet democracy in the development of this discipline. The numbers are too small, the costs too high, and the personalities too extreme, to have mass market appeal, and that is going to affect the sport into the future.
I also have to question the slavish addiction to hitting metal. Paper targets offer a group and score alternative that would be more satisfying (and tell you more about accuracy AND precision). The Match Rifle guys in the UK and Australia could show you a few things about pushing the envelope as they use the 308 beyond normal distances.
Anyway, it is the new frontier and I love it. Looking forward to having the time and space to chase the ultimate shot.
ok lets take away the rangefinders, and cell phones lets just take a target out set it up then you shoot best guess then you can test your skill lol
And what about a 100m confirm zero? If official rules don’t allow that, a lot of shooters are going to be fucked up.
Not really liking that Applied Ballistics AKA Extreme Long Range Central is trying to own the “rules”.
Like “assessment tests” in school where teachers skills and promotions are evaluated based on the test results, they teach to the test not to the future.
If the “rules” are codified by a commercial entity the shooters will shoot to the rules and what the commercial entity dictates not to the future.
We should shoot to what we shoot, not what someone else says are the “rules”.
I am for some format that can be repeated.
I prefer 2 rules owned by everyone.
1) 36″ by 36″ square target
2) 3 consecutive hits with no “sighters” within 30 minutes. Followed by 3 consecutive hits after a 15 minute no fire period.
This mimics speed records that must be repeated either both ways on something like Bonneville Salt Flats or within a time window on a drag strip.
The problem with a non-circular target is that one of the most “popular” means of expressing achievement, group MOA, is not supported. How do you get a group MOA from a non-round target?
AB initially said that the idea was to use whatever steel might be available with max dimensions (supposedly rather than doing something special). They even said they would provide targets at no cost. Then why standardize on a square target when you (AB) certainly have the wherewithal to provide round targets?
As for why not paper targets, please note that the URSA target is 37″ round – the same size – intentionally – as the outer ring of IBS and NBRSA 1000 yard paper targets – so groups interested in shooting paper have a home AND targets already available from multiple suppliers. BTW, we currently use steel because our current method of scoring hits is to see the flash of an “attached” light. The gear to support identification of a hit on a paper target is not where we went BUT is certainly viable (target cameras, drones with cameras, etc.) – thus the 37″ “requirement” (regardless of distance shot). More info about URSA at http://www.unlimitedrange.org
I think we are seeing all the elements of why this current round of discipline development will fail. If you want a competition (and therefore something reportable) then there has to be consistency and skills transfer from other disciplines.
Metres work better than yards. Berms at 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 metres on paper targets and a safety butt would work a lot more effectively than all this steel.
The emotion needs to be removed and there should be a more global approach that goes beyond the US attempts at domination.
AB hijacking the whole ELR record thing and basicaly reducing it to valid only if shot at our event outing that puts most for the shooting world at a disadvantage.
Fred: 3 out of 3 hits are one more than your speed record that requires only two .Way higher standard.
In any case this will be top dollar stuff only , Rifle being the least expensive part of it all.
Recall that a box-stock Barrett 99 came in second at the 2017 Ko2M and that 6 shooters had their first three rounds hit at 1543 (AND only 1 of them was an AB team member)…but only 4 shooters hit the “cold bore” gong at 16xx (NONE of those in the 3-hits group). [The gong shot preceded the 1500 target.] In my opinion, there “could” be 2-3 shooters that get 3 in 3 records IF they select the correct distance to shoot at – shooter’s call at what distance to shoot. Hopefully not all at the same distance or they will be “shared” record holders for well into ’18 and AB runs another event.
The AB team has to adhere to the same rules as everyone else and therefore have ZERO ADVANTAGE.
I love the idea of a cold bore hit.
I’ve shot too many tiny groups to give a crap anymore and the only shots I am really proud of nowadays are my cold bore hits on small targets (moa or less) at the longer ranges.
Good for you AB.
110% support your standards.
I have been brooding over this and I know why the format is not working for most people. We are socialised to think in terms of group and score. 1000 yard BR sets up this nicely, and one mile BR uses the same elements.
Until there are regular matches run (same as the battle we had to standardise 1000 yard BR) and they meet the emotional needs of the shooting public then all this talk is just that.
This is an very expensive sub-discipline of and sub-discipline. Until the exceedingly loose coalition of competing individuals understand this and start working for a serious outcome, the ELR game will remain less than relevant.
I’m not advocating turning this into a slamfest but I think that AB is considered to be ‘the elephant in the room’ right now.
However:
“AB hijacking the whole ELR record thing and basicaly reducing it to valid only if shot at our event outing that puts most for the shooting world at a disadvantage.”
But:
“The following rules have been established to standardize the requirements for a recognized ELR Central World Record attempt, while managing 50 shooters in an efficient manner.”
I think if you read the introduction above, you will understand that they are trying to establish the rules under and for ELR Central competitions only. This allows for other organizations to write and establish their own rules and guidelines for what they determine to be their style of competition. Some could compare this IBS and NBRSA.
Guys – this is a new discipline and if someone doesn’t take hold of it, it will never get off the ground.
Personally, I applaud ELRC and hope the this catches on with a regular World Championships.
If you don’t like it – fine, it’s not compulsory!
I wouldn’t say AB hijacked anything. Making a club and establishing rules legitimatizes the sport.
Comparing a shooter that takes two days, firing hundreds of rounds to hit a 3500 yard target is not IMHO a test of skill as a long range shooter. That’s just practice and some luck.
Giving parameters regardless of what they are is a great start.
I love the free market. We may all host competitions, use the rules we want, the distances we want, the target material we want and the guns we want.
I am grateful for the competition in the market, many of us do not “enjoy” punching holes in paper, and many of my friends don’t enjoy steel.
We can macho stuff up, and say that “real shooters” don’t use a scope, Kestrel, a brand new primer etc … but oh well, unhappy people are gonna be unhappy. Some people take walks, some hike, some climb rocks, some sprint and some trek.
Long range shooting is fun, and I love that we all have different preferences and that the market is providing solutions.