A gun doesn’t always shoot straight. The bullet starts to drop as soon as it leaves the barrel. Knowing that, in order to hit a target one needs to shoot high. Sights help to make the adjustment, but it’s the shooter who has to “sight-in” the gun for the right distance.
For an Elgin man, he put his skills to the test against world class shooters at a competition held recently in Utah.
Bruce Baum was one of 25 of the best shooters in the western U.S., plus from a number of other locations who converged on North Springs Shooting Range in May for the International Milk Jug Challenge, sponsored by the Long Range Shooters of Utah. Baum was successful, hitting the milk jug target from 1,000 and 1,200 yards, earning stickers in recognition of his effort.
At one mile and 1,500 yards, Baum hit the sign but not the milk jug target.
So what does it take to shoot accurately at 1,000 yards and further? Competitors like Baum understand it’s a number of factors: type and quality of gun, type and quality of the sight (scopes specifically designed for long range shooting — being able to adjust up and down, left and right.
There are other factors such as outside temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, elevation of the range that can determine success or failure. Then there’s the shooter (cartridges, how clean the barrel is, etc.).
Other participants came from Australia, California, Michigan,
