Rusty Newton Goes 5-for-5 at 3,119 Yards

[shanneba]

RATON, N.M. — The steel at 3,119 yards sat in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, nearly 1.8 miles from the firing line at the NRA Whittington Center. Rusty Newton fired five rounds at it, and all five hit.

That string sealed the 2026 King of 2 Miles Global Finals, held Sept. 25-27. It also capped a comeback season for a shooter who had spent more than three years away from extreme long-range (ELR) competition.

The final moved everything farther back. Shooters faced steel at 2,729, 3,119 and 3,524 yards. The last target sat just past the 2-mile mark. Each target required at least five rounds and a hit before the shooter could advance, and all three sat 5 to 6 degrees uphill from the line. Both Linenbach and Congdon hit the 2-mile target, but that couldn’t make up for Newton’s five-for-five at 3,119.

An NRA Shooting Sports Journal | Rusty Newton Goes 5-for-5 at 3,119 Yards to Win King of 2 Miles

Rusty Newton cleaned a 3,119-yard target to win the 2026 King of 2 Miles Global Finals at the NRA Whittington Center, capping his ELR comeback.

www.ssusa.org

 

[Talyn]

Rusty looks a bit "crusty" in that pic.

I wonder if it's because he had to wear that questionable crown.

 

[Shibadog]

Amazing shooting!

 

[TEXASforLIFE]

using quick target program (2,500 meters is max) i've done some testing using cartridges from 338 to 510 with all sorts of weights and brands. with barrel lengths of 40-50" all go subsonic just passed 1 mile to about 1.25 miles and drops hare horrid! however with 1 cartridge and weight bullet that was modified it was still going 1,400fps @ 2,500 meters which could still be super at 2 miles? hoping to test that 1 day. plus i'm not sure what max length some of the elr peeps use? my guess it's usually no longer than 40"?