2026 Cold Bore Challenge

[ztc92]

Calling my MER 500 yards this year, as I went 0/2 last year at 600.

Rifle is a Tikka 243 with a 16.5” barrel, US OG suppressor, RokStok and a SWFA 3-9. The ammo is hand loaded 103 ELDX and H4350 with a velocity of about 2750 FPS. I plan to switch to TMK’s this year for hunting season but the rifle shoots these ELDX really well so it makes for good practice ammo.

The initial spot I wanted to shoot should have been vacant but turns out the state had a bunch of people in there spraying noxious weeds before the road opens next week. I was only set up to hang the gong from a tree so I had to improvise and made my own stand with down trees and paracord. Redneck but effective!




Day 1: HIT. There was a little wind from 3 o’clock ranging from a light breeze to gusts around 10 MPH. Shot prone off a pack with bino harness as a rear support. Target is the red circle, you can see the white gong if you zoom in. You can see the trace of the bullet in the video so that’s fun.

Hold for Day 2.

 

[Bado20]

Calling my MER at 600 again this year. While I've never shot that far at an animal in the field that is the maximum range I'd consider shooting in ideal conditions.

The rifle is a custom built off a KS Arms SAR3L with a 20 inch IBI carbon barrel in 6.5 CM, MDT HNT26, Triggertech Special, wearing a NF NXS 2.5-10x42. For ammunition I'm shooting handloads with the 143 ELD-X going right around 2700 fps.

Day 1:

There was about a 6-7mph wind going from pretty much straight behind me towards the target. Forgot my bino harness so shot it off of my bipod with my arm as a rear rest. Actual distance was 604 yards. Temp was 19.4 celcius, humidity 58%.



Went with a no call for wind, dialed 3.8 MIL and held straight up. Call break felt good, saw the impact was a bit right.

Result: Miss. Ended up impacting about 3/4 inch to the right, elevation was good.






Hold for Shot 2

 

[WoolyBugger]

My MER is 450 yards shooting this off tall bipod and tripod rear support, shot my last deer late season with this exact setup and position at 400.

Rifle is a bergara Hmr 6.5cm dropped in a manners prs1. Nx8 4-32x50 milxt, area419 match rings and arca rail, mdt triple pull, TT diamond, reaper suppressor with brake. Two vets recon inverted tripod in the rear. Yes, I do hunt late season white tails with this setup in Iowa and did hike a 6 day elk hunt with it (minus bipod and a different tripod) in Colorado last year, I never claimed I was smart.

Target is a 10” shoot n see stuck on cardboard at 450 yards


Shooting position is triple pull front tripod rear. Hard to find a place to shoot prone in the summer in Iowa with corn and grass, but it is hard to find prone hunting too.

Shooting video shot with drone at target, can see impact in center red slightly high.

Day 1: Hit. Winds were at my back around 4 mph, dialed 2.4 held straight up. 72 degrees humid as all get out.

 

[JohnB]

Rifle: Tikka T3x .270win RS1.2 scope, Sports match rings
Spotter: Swaro STM65 with Ollin phonescope
MER: 450 yards, but may push it a bit further on the second shot or shoot sitting off sticks.

Day 1:
Shot: Prone off of pack for rear rest & LSWild for a front bag off of a convenient rock.
Distance: 450 yards.
Wind: None
Position photo:

Pretty easy shot all in all, maybe .2 or .3 mil wobble and I probably could have build my position a bit better but kind of half assed it like I would hunting.

Result: Hit! These custom plywood targets don't give much of an obvious sign of being hit. I was convinced I missed until I got within 5 yards of the target!
Video: still slowly uploading to YouTube.
Target photo:

Day 2: TBD

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

MER: 550 yards
Rifle: Tikka T3X, 6CM, 22" Ace Barrel, Rokstok, RS1.2 in UM Rings, OG Can

Day 1 - 06/12/26 at 8:12 PM - Shot prone off pack with Molinator and puffy rear rest. Miss. DOPE was 2.8 U and 0.4 L.

Even with the benefit of reading the wind while painting the target I couldn't call it correctly. Plugged 5mph from 270* into the Revic. Very tricky in this canyon. Usually left to right even when it seems dead calm. It was nothing to about ~6mph on the Kestrel at target and shooting position but with gusts I didn't read. Direction inconsistent. I wasn't confident in holding the "full value" wind hold so I essentially split the 10" circle with the dot and 0.5 hash. Should have held at least 0.5 at center.

Didn't love the built position either. Puffy wouldn't compress enough so I think I may have forced it a bit which, combined with the bad wind call and aiming error probably contributed to the miss. I left the jellyfish bag at home that I usually have for rear rest because H had the molinator and don't typically carry two bags.

Day 2 - 06/12/26 at 5:52 AM - Shot prone off Spartan bipod with a different puffy rear rest. Hit. DOPE was 2.8 U and 0.2 L.

No wind detectable wind this morning, but I still held on the left edge of target. Might actually have been no wind. Also held a bit low since my shot yesterday looked a tad high. POA and POI were pretty much the same.

Lessons learned

• Trust the dang kestrel and hold the real wind call.
• Practice more off pack and try to identify MER's for different positions.
• Decide on whether I'm going to carry the Molinator, Jellyfish, or both. Stick with it and practice with that setup. Too much fiddling with gear...
• I'm still way more comfortable/confident with the bipod than off pack. I have the cheapo twist adjust Spartan and wanted to upgrade before deciding I would try to shoot off pack more. I will probably look again at upgrading it.
• I suck at shooting (still).

Thanks to Justin, the other mods who help run this, and all the sponsors! My heart always races a little more when I know I'm filming a shot to upload for all the great shooters here to see. It's a great challenge, wish it was more than once a year!

 

[TheCougar]

Going for a 650 MER from a seated position, tripod in the front and trekking poles in the rear.

Rifle:
7mm Tikka, 162 Precision Hunter, Rokstok, Scythe Ti, Bushnell LRHS, UM rings, chopped barrel. Using some CostCo trekking poles with the Quik Stix adaptor from Wiser, I think.


Day 1 qualifying shot: HIT. Full Disclosure, this target is at 545. There are no targets between the 545 and 650, based on how they have the range set up. So it’s qualify at 545 and then bump out to 650, or don’t qualify at all. It was… windy. It seems like every day I go out to shoot, it’s super windy lately. I keep getting my clock cleaned. I do have the benefit of using the range routinely, and there are other shooters, so I have a decent idea of what the wind is doing, after getting my ass kicked all winter and spring. At the shooting position, I had a near direct crosswind of 10G20. It’s supposed to be like this all weekend, too. Yaaaay.

 

[MissScarlett]

This is my @TheCougar ’s daughter. She is going for a 550 MER from a seated position, tripod in the front and trekking poles in the rear.

Rifle:
7mm Tikka, 162 Precision Hunter, Rokstok, Scythe Ti, Bushnell LRHS, UM rings, chopped barrel. Using some CostCo trekking poles with the Quik Stix adaptor from Wiser, I think.


Day 1 qualifying shot: 545 yards, HIT. At the shooting position, it was a near direct crosswind of 10G20. She is not fast a setup, so we are trying a lot of getting the tripod and trekking poles set as quickly as possible. She has a Wyoming elk hunt this year.