King of 2 Miles in France
Ko2M is the top ELR (Extreme Long Range) competition held annually in the US. And this year in France - for the first time outside of America. And it was an event where not only the best ELR shooters from Europe came together but also some top shooters from the USA and Africa arrived...
This event took place at Easter in a military area in the mountains above the azure coast. And we also participated... ST8 even had four representatives in this top competition. Harry, Veronika, Lukas and Vladimira. We all regularly participate not only in tactical competitions but also in Long Range competitions and we already have some experience...
Due to the number of shooters in Europe with equipment suitable for shooting over 2 miles (ie 3218 meters) there were two categories. Except for the King of 2 Miles (Ko2M) - the Master of 2 Kilometers (Mo2Km) which was limited to .338 Lapua Magnum and its modified version as a strongest caliber. And that was also our category. Veronika even had a "weaker" 7mm Practical caliber otherwise we almost all had the .338 LM caliber in this category.
On the way to France we fortunately had the opportunity to test our guns so we honestly cleaned our rifles in the hotel located in the mountains near the venue. Weapon maintenance plays a really big role and preparation as such is the key to good results. I'm not sure if this romantic little hotel has experienced anything like that before...
Veronika was shooting at the beginning and we had no idea how the wind was blowing and how is the match developing. It was a shame because the target number 3 proved to be very tricky but we haven't had any idea yet... Veronika unfortunately got out on the third target but until then she had a full hits in very good time.
I was shooting very soon after and I also failed on target 3. But to be honest I had not great hits even before because my equipment was not yet well-tested so I was definitely not sure about my hits...
We were shooting from a raised position downward into an open area. The first shot (cold bore shot) was just a bonus. And only 6 shooters hit it. Then the qualifying targets. There were five shots on the first one and three shots on the other three targets. If the shooter did not hit one of the qualifying targets once - he ended. The total time was 9 minutes. In our Masters category two-thirds of the shooters dropped out on the target number 3. The wind was doing incredible things and was devious...
And so for me and Veronika the competition ended on the first day at the morning. Especially for her it was a shame because of all the shooters who dropped out on the third target she had the best rating and finished 19th overall.
And so we had enough time to see the sponsor's stands but also to talk to other shooters, discuss the equipment and shooting techniques and simply learn something new. And it was a lot to talk about and a lot to learn...
Very interesting system from the American company TACOMHQ...
Of course they had their Charlie Tarac on it - which is basically a periscope that allows you to add another elevation to the rifle scope - up to an incredible 250 MIL!!! For shooting at extreme distances the inner range of elevation in riflescopes is simply not enough. Our Vortex Razor II (the same as on this weapon) has a range of 28.5 MIL and can be used to say a maximum of 25 (with a large mounting rail slope and when using the full range)... But over two miles (3219m) is needed over 50 MIL!
Another interesting thing here was their "structured barrel". One-piece barrel with a large diameter has holes drilled nearly all the way to the chamber. It is of course lighter than if it was solid and cools better and is stronger. The main point however is that it should have no barrel whip and should be harmonically dead - so it is much easier to find the ideal load for it. Time will show how capable this project is...
Other weapons in Ko2M's final were classic designs. On this however is the exceptional riflescope March Genesis which has a usable elevation of 100 MIL!
Here is the rifle of Bruno Put in .375 SnipeTac.
In the foreground .50 BMG on the last table .338 LM of Lukas. In the final of the Ko2M the calibers were represented as follows:
4x .375 CheyTac
2x .408 CheyTac
1x .50 BMG
1x .416 Barrett
1x .375 SnipeTac (modified CheyTac case)
1x .338 Lapua Magnum (our "steampunk rifle")
And this is how it looked in the Ko2M category. Lukas also entered it because he wanted to shoot a little more. And in qualifying he was incredibly successful having hits not only on the first target (which eliminated many other shooters) but on the second as well. And so he managed to make it into the finals where are the top 10 shooters! This was not only unbelievable but also unexpected.
Ko2M was at a range other than Mo2Km. It was also downhill and the difference was even higher. But the fact is that the wind was behaving less chaotically here than at Mo2Km. The final was held on Sunday when qualifications were not completed at the second shooting range
As far as the wind is concerned it was mostly in the range of 10 m/s which is really a strong wind. And it wasn't constant but it changed the intensity...
Lukas had to prepare himself for his shooting because we found out that even with the maximum elevation of the riflescope and the use of the reticle together he just couldn't get the necessary roughly 35 MIL for the first target in the finals... So we found a a well identifiable point on the hill behind the target and he was aiming at that point. Of course we had to count the corrections well...
The first target was at a distance of 2430 meters and was about 100cm wide and 75cm high. And while shooting in the finals Lukas didn't even saw him. He saw only the forest above and nothing more. We had to rely on our calculations, estimates and observations...
The target was observed by us - an observer and a wind coach. When shooting at extreme distances it is always teamwork. In an ideal state when a shooter hits a target (or just very close) he tries to shoot again as quickly as possible before the wind changes. Which means he fires and loads a new round immediately and is ready to fire again when the team reports to him a hit and calls him the corrections. So the shooter himself does not observe the impact. Teamwork is really crucial...
Unfortunately we did not manage to hit the first target as the majority of shooters in the finals. The conditions were really difficult. So Lukas finished in a fantastic 10th place! Only one single shooter had hits on all targets in the finals and stood out above the others. Bruno Put (France) became the winner and King of the two Miles. As the fifth person in history hit a target two miles away in competition conditions (Ko2M has the same rules no matter where they shoot)...
Furthermore Lukas and Vladimira continued on Mo2Km. Given how Lukas was doing great at two miles we hoped to repeat the great performance here as well. But the conditions were much different and much more difficult so neither he nor Vladimira got through the cursed target 3...
So the Mo2Km finals was without our participation. Many great favorites also dropped out... But here too Bruno Put dominated us all and won this category. Of course with a rifle other than at Ko2M which was simply amazing... All the weapons in the finals were .338 Lapua Magnum and its variants.
And he became not only the King of Two Miles but also the Master of two Kilometers! Respect!
It was a life experience for Lukas and the rest of us that we got into Ko2M's finals. Participating in this world-class ELR event has been redeemed with a lot of work and effort, time and money. And it was worth it! We have learned a lot of new things and gained a great deal of new knowledge and also met new friends...
This picture (which is not ours - I found it on FB but I have to share it...) is absolutely telling everything about the friendly and cheerful atmosphere at the competition...
Paul Phillips performs some master level trolling... He shows a system that he shot at about 5.5 kilometers in the US. The weapon has not only Charlie Tarac periscope but also Delta Tarac periscope - which allows you to look along the barrel because with this tilt would not be possible to see through the muzzle brake. And poor Gineste Benjamin looks into the riflescope and says: "I can't see shit. How the fuck did you hit the 6,000 yard target???"
Notice where Paul's hand is...........
