A group of long-range shooting instructors have broken the world record for the longest rifle shot.
Prepare for an incredibly rewarding moment:
The previous world record was set at four miles and was shot in 2020.
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Scott Austin, Shepard Humphries, and a group of six others known as the Nomad Rifelman, had previously held the record of 3.06 miles shot earlier in 2020.
However, the very same group decided to return to the deserts of Wyoming, US on 13 September, 2022, in a bid to take back the crown.
The shooter - who wishes to stay anonymous, because he's 'a quiet, self-effacing guy and made us promise that if we got a hit, we would keep his name and identity private, so let’s call him ‘Winston',' the press release states - was chosen for his 'great trigger finger' and 'smart analytical business mind'.
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Winston shot at an eight inch bullseye and managed to overtake the group's previous world record by 0.4 miles, having shot from 4.4 miles away.
Humphries noted: "This was the most challenging, difficult, frustrating, time-consuming and yet rewarding professional project I have ever undertaken."
The 'one-of-a-kind' rifle Winston use to make the record-breaking shot was a custom-made gun with 'with custom parts coming in from Canada, New Zealand, Arkansas, South Dakota, Washington and elsewhere,' built by Scott Null and his sons, Meshac and Nehemia, of S&S Sporting in Idaho.
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The rifle took more than a year to construct.
And that wasn't it, as even with such a 'space-aged piece of beauty' the gun had to undergo months of testing.
"With this kind of shooting, nobody has yet figured out how to get first round hits. This isn’t the kind of thing where you buy a new rifle and some ammo right off of the gun store shelf and go get lucky," Shepard noted.
Multiple other people were required to conduct the impressive feat, such as a group of spotters to check the bullet actually hit the target.
The team decided to mainly rely on audio spotting as the 'splash' of the bullet would be hard to spot from such a range.
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The spotters still had to get as close to the target as possible, protected by thick steel bunkers they built, to listen out for the sound of the shot and 'triangulate the sounds'.
Starting at 7am when the wind was calmest, the team spent hours analysing each shot, how far off it was and checking in with the team of spotters as to what they'd heard and seen.
By the 69th go, the Nomad Rifelman hit bullseye - three inches and one eighth from the absolute centre.
Austin reflected: "Together, we’ve spent over 1500 hours in research, highs and lows, blood, sweat, excitement and tears, with dozens of amazingly gifted people and businesses personally invested in the goal.
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"This monumental task paid off yesterday with overwhelming satisfaction when we heard crackle over the radio: ‘We have our first target hit confirmed. HIT!’"
Featured Image Credit: Nomad Rifleman Extreme Long Range Shooting/YouTubeTopics: US News, World News, Guinness World Record