Extreme long range shooting: What is it and what’s the appeal?

By Jacki Billings

Jim Spinella pings a target 4,549 yards, or 2.58 miles, with an Extreme Long Range Tactical rifle chambered in 375 Cheytac. (Photo: Hill Country Rifles)
Long distance shooting has always appealed to many dedicated shooters, but a new contender has emerged and is stealthily gaining a fan base — extreme long range shooting. Though not a huge disparity in terms of style, shooting out to extreme distances demands skilled shooting and upgraded gear.
Why are gun owners, then, going beyond long distance to take on extreme long range?
Extreme long range shooting, or ELR as its affectionately known, comes down to pushing limits and seeing how a rifle’s performance matches with the skills of the shooter pull the trigger.
“I think it is a natural extension for people that have been shooting for a long time at ‘normal’ ranges and just want to push the envelope and try something new,” Matt Bettersworth, general manager for Hill Country Rifles, told Guns.com in an email. “It is just addicting.”
By most accounts, ELR constitutes shooting past the 1,500 yard mark with groups like Hill Country testing the capabilities of their setups out past 2 miles. At those ranges, a myriad of factors go into the success or

Source: Guns.com