ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Texas Man Claims To Have Set 'World Record' For The Longest Sniper Shot

Texas Man Claims To Have Set 'World Record' For The Longest Sniper Shot

Bill Poor managed to hit a target a whopping three miles away but it won't be counted by the Guinness World Records

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

There's an old saying: Everything Is Bigger In Texas.

That couldn't apply more to Bill Poor who has just set a record for the world's longest sniper shot - in his own view, anyway.

The marksman casually managed to shoot a target three miles (5,280 yards, 4,837 metres) away with a .408 CheyTac.

Bill Poor/Facebook

Retired Navy SEAL Charles Melton held the previous record at 2.84 miles (5,000 yards, 4,572 metres) after firing 38 bullets at the target.

Bill did it in eight. But the West Texan's achievement isn't and, won't be, recognised by the Guinness World Records, so it can only be viewed as a world record in the opinion of Bill and his mates.

"They [Guinness World Records] do not recognise shots with optics," Poor told Dallas News. "Several guys have tried and sent them in everything, but for some reason they just don't want to take it."

The 41-year-old admittedly used a large scope on his rifle for the shot and the record keeping company says those devices vary significantly and it 'wants to keep the playing field level'.

Despite that, it's an extraordinary feat because it's not as if Bill just lined up the crosshairs with the target and pulled the trigger.

No, the precision shooter had to account for the curvature of the Earth (he had to sit on an elevated platform to account for this), the temperature and add that into the normal trajectory of a bullet's flight.

"We call it dope - how much elevation you have to put in your scope to be able to see that far," Poor said. "Getting a clear view is almost impossible."

Bill says it takes a whopping 14 seconds for the bullet to exit the chamber and hit the target. The spotters, who sit at the target, hear the gunshot 10 seconds after the trigger is pulled. His .408 CheyTac was modified slightly otherwise it would have been virtually impossible to master this skill.

Bill Poor/Facebook

Bill told Abilene Reporter News: "It would take a very special rifle like mine to be able to pull off a shot like that. It's not like any sniper or any long-range guy can shoot that far, because they don't have that much dope in their rifle."

If you're wondering about the record for the longest sniper rifle kill in the heat of battle, then we have you covered.

An unnamed Canadian soldier attached to the Joint Task Force 2, an elite special forces group, picked off a target during the Iraq Civil War last year from a distance of 3,871 yards (3,540 metres). There are three Canadians in the top five longest sniper kills. There must be something in the water.

Sources: Dallas News, Abilene Reporter News

Featured Image Credit: Bill Poor/Facebook

Topics: Awesome, Interesting, Community, Sniper