Clinton Jones Scores File ELR Air Rifle Shot at Whittington Heart

Clinton “Ton” Jones, identified to many as a actuality TV star, set a brand new excessive lengthy vary file for air rifle on Sunday, September tenth, 2023. What’s much more exceptional than a 2,058 yard (1.16 mile) hit from an air gun is that the try wasn’t even deliberate till the night time earlier than. Clinton Jones then went on to perform that very feat.

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Clinton Jones, a aggressive air rifle shootist, was available at a gun media occasion, Lucid Optics Ballistic Summit, to exhibit the newest wares from Speedy Air Worx and Airforce, topped by Lucid merchandise. The occasion is held yearly at NRA Whittington Heart in New Mexico. In 2022 and 2023, invited media attendees have been capable of get hands-on expertise and private tutelage from the superstar shooter.

For the previous 5 years, one of many leisure actions following work time on the Summit has been to collect on the high-power silhouette vary and take a whack at Whittington’s well-known white buffalo metal goal. It’s set at 1,123 yards and is concerning the dimension of the aspect profile of a Smartcar. The twist: shooters get 5 tries with a 9mm pistol. Till this yr, the buffalo has remained unscathed by 9mm, however that may be a subject for an upcoming evaluation of Rob Pincus’ Avidity Arms PD10. Clinton Jones is at all times up for a enjoyable time on the vary, and joined the enjoyable along with his air rifle, solely to make one of many two hits ever scored on this pleasant fundraiser/contest.

The sudden hit on the white buffalo hatched a brand new concept:  why not see what an air rifle would do on Whittington’s excessive lengthy vary (ELR). Plans have been already in place to move there the next morning with the wares of APF Armory and Correct Magazine anyway. Including an air rifle to the combo was each tantalizing and handy.

Not lengthy after daylight, distributors, together with Tyler Accomplice of Pyramid Air, one in all Jones’s sponsors, media reps, and Lucid Optics representatives arrange on the craggy level that’s Whittington’s ELR web site. Jones arrange his .308 caliber Airforce Airguns Texan on the lone capturing bench on this pretty austere vary. Priced at $971.95, it’s absolutely one of many least costly full rifles to grace that vary in current occasions. This gun is fitted with a 34-inch, 1:14 twist Shaw barrel, which by the way is identical twist price because the manufacturing facility Lothar Walther barrel.

The ammunition was a 155 grain slug from Mr Hole Level. Common estimates for its muzzle velocity are 880 toes per second, nevertheless with the lengthy barrel and better than common strain, this one was absolutely touring no less than a bit quicker. After all, there’s extra to the package deal, and that features a carbon fiber air bottle able to charging the Texan with as much as 3,625 psi. So as to add a little bit of context to this feat, 3,000 psi is what he normally runs for 100-yard photographs.

Optics are not any small a part of precision capturing. For this event, Ton mounted a Lucid Optics MLX 4.5-18×44 first focal airplane scope, on a riser rail, maxed out for elevation at 120 MOA. With the scope zeroed at what’s, looking back, 1,400-1,500 yards(!), Ton nonetheless needed to maintain over 65 mils, higher than midway down the X axis of the MLX’s reticle. This trigonometry accounted for a 300-foot drop of the projectile:  not precisely a big game-killer, but additionally not one thing I’d need touchdown on my noggin.

It was the fifth try on the distant metal that made it ring and rack up what’s, unofficially, the longest on-target air rifle shot on file. A mix of supreme ability on the a part of Jones, the group that referred to as photographs and developed the gear, in addition to a bit luck with a uncommon humid and comparatively windless morning in northern New Mexico made for the shot of a lifetime.

In Jones’s presentation to media attendees two evenings earlier than the file photographs, he extolled the virtues of recent air weapons. The gathering he introduced for show included the Texan plus extra frequent hunting-length-barreled rifles, and this yr there was the thrilling addition of a pistol caliber carbine air rifle, preferrred as a truck gun for farm/ranch use, with the benefit of being quiet with out the majority of a suppressor. It’ll ship no less than 4 on-target photographs earlier than strain loss makes level of influence much less predictable. Jason Wilson, proprietor of Lucid Optics, says he carries one as his personal truck gun. I queried him concerning how the carbine does within the wildly fluctuating temperatures of Wyoming, the place he resides. He replied that the carbine holds strain for no less than months at a time with no obvious results from local weather.

Jones and his Lucid Optics hosts did a wonderful job of proving various factors from his formal presentation. Air weapons have come a protracted, good distance from the Daisy BB fashions most of us knew in our youth. They’re absolutely succesful, and total rather more inexpensive, than rifles for goal capturing and looking. And, no less than for now whereas legislative warmth is concentrated on firearms, air weapons are unregulated in these 50 states, leaving the consumer with a large berth of selections.

Once more this yr I had the chance to fireplace one in all Jones’ Airforce airguns underneath his affected person tutelage. Whereas the expertise shares a lot with precision rifle capturing by way of figuring out DOPE and urgent the set off (by the way, this one was set at a whisper-light three ounces), some elements have been completely different. Jones advocates sitting at a relative proper angle to the gun moderately than straight behind it, and moderately than having a agency cheek weld, conserving the lightest doable bodily contact with the rifle.  It was enjoyable to get a glimpse into the world of aggressive airgun capturing within the mini-tournament he designed for us media of us. Congratulations and due to Ton Jones, Lucid Optics, and all different gear sponsors for the educational expertise and a shot that can absolutely stand as a file for a really very long time.

When you’d wish to see the file shot caught on video, test it out right here. 

Due to Tyler Patner of PyramidAir for offering many of the tech specs on this article.

Eve Flanigan

Eve Flanigan is a defensive capturing and armed safety practitioner/teacher who lives within the American Southwest. She is the creator of “Able to Defend: Ideas for Dwelling the Armed Life-style,” and is a contributor to quite a few gun-related blogs and print publications.