Reach Out And Touch Someone
… from 4 miles away!
Paul Phillips and his team were able to successfully hit a target at a distance of 7070 yards.
Phillips said the four-mile shot, which was the equivalent of 7,070 yards, took 22 seconds to go from barrel to target and needed a Maximum Ordinate (the highest point in the trajectory of the bullet’s flight) of 2,300 feet above the ground.
The team hit the target on its 69th shot. Each member of the 13-man team had a specific job and they needed to work together to execute the shot.
Team GPG, of which Phillips was the captain, had three rotating shooters – Phillips, Derek Rodgers and James DeVoglaer. The two men not shooting at any given time had the tasks of wind coaching and ballistics, which ensures the gun is ready to fire and is doing so at top performance.
To help see where the shots were hitting and to recommend any necessary changes, two men – John Droelle of Midland and Mauro Del Mastro – were forward observers. To help have an eye on the target, the team used a camera since a four-mile range is too far for the naked eye to see. Alex Cordesman was on the camera.
David Parish and Dimitri Bogatirev served as safety and range officers. Joshua Mulligan and Eric McCampbell were on the team’s safety crew, and Guy Desbiens, Wes Karmazin and John Armstrong were special guests within the industry.
“I can’t take credit for everything myself because it really does take a team,” Phillips said. “If anyone does not do their job, you’re not going to be successful. It’s like launching a man to the moon — the head pilot can’t do it without all the support. It takes everyone hitting on all cylinders to be successful.”
DeVoglaer was the man behind the gun for the four-mile shot. Phillips was working the ballistics of the shot while Rodgers was working as the wind coach.
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Phillips said once current COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed, he plans to execute a 4.5-mile, or 8,000-yard, shot with the team. He said he and his team estimate a rifle could be shot up to 5.5 miles.
Read the rest of the article: https://www.ourmidland.com/sports/article/Midland-s-Paul-Phillips-nbsp-part-of-world-record-15406100.php