Video: Watch Shooter Set Open-Sights Long-Range World Record with $99 Rifle
Proof positive that you don't need a high-end rifle, or even a rilfescope, to hit a target from more than a mile away
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To be clear right off the bat, this video isn’t new. The clip was taken, and the world record was set, back in 2015 in Price, Utah. But I came across it again the other day and am sharing it here because it answers a question I’m often asked: “How much do I have to spend to shoot at long range?” The answer is, not much.
In this video, Ernie Jimenez sets a Guiness world distance record for the longest shot and hit with an open-sighted rifle using a stock K31 Swiss, straight-pull, bolt-action rifle chambered for the 7.5×55 Swiss cartridge. He paid $99 for the rifle, which is equipped with a tangent-rear and protected-post front sight. Though it took several boxes of handloaded ammunition, he managed to obtain four hits on a 36-inch buffalo target at 2,240 yards (1.27 miles).
As surprising as the price of the rifle is that fact Jimenez has broken his neck twice. Because of this, the only way he can shoot a high-powered rifle is off a Lead Sled; if he shoots without one his right arm goes numb. Jimenez doesn’t use the sled as a rest—he places his support hand under the forend of the rifle when he shoots—but relies on it to dampen recoil.
There are a couple important take-aways from Jimenez’s accomplishment. The first is that you don’t need a rifle costing several thousands of dollars, or a 6.5 Creedmoor, or even a riflescope to get hits on targets that are more than a mile away. You just need to be able to shoot, really well. Clearly, Jimenez has that covered. Another amazing fact is that when his bullets were striking that buffalo, they were traveling well below the speed of sound, likely at less than 700 fps. This means that bullet lost about 1 foot-per-second of velocity for every 3 feet it traveled in route to the target, which also means J had to account for a whole lot of drop. Maybe the most impressive thing about this feat is the man’s eyesight, to even aim at a target more than a mile away with the unaided eye. I would not Ernie Jimenez shooting at me at any distance with any kind of rifle, Lead Sled or not.
