TEMPE, AZ – The Arizona Canal System sustained its fourth significant structural breach this year following a particularly ambitious cold bore shot during the inaugural 'Desert Serpent' ELR Challenge last Saturday. Local officials confirmed that a segment of the Grand Canal, vital for regional agriculture, experienced catastrophic failure after a 0.375 CheyTac projectile, launched by competitor Kyle 'Canal Killer' Jenkins from a 2-mile target, impacted a primary floodwall.
Jenkins, running a GA Precision Templar V3 action bedded in a Manners MCS-T7A stock with a 32-inch Bartlein gain-twist barrel, was reportedly zeroed at 100 yards and confirmed out to 1500 before attempting the record-setting shot. Sources indicate his DOPE card for the 370-grain Lehigh Defense Controlled Chaos projectile at an estimated 3100 FPS showed a staggering 140.5 MRAD of elevation and 12.3 MRAD of windage for a full-value 12 MPH crosswind, compounded by a density altitude of 6,500 feet. The target, a 36-inch steel plate, was positioned directly across the canal, necessitating a precision shot over the waterway itself.
Match Director Rick 'Rifleman' Reynolds expressed a mixture of awe and exasperation. 'His wind call was impeccable,' Reynolds stated, surveying the newly formed desert stream. 'The Coriolis and spin drift compensation were spot on. Just... the target was slightly offset from the canal's structural integrity point.' The projectile, instead of striking the plate, reportedly impacted the canal wall with sufficient energy to propagate a three-foot fissure, rapidly escalating into a full breach.
This incident marks the third time a regional waterway has been compromised by 'over-penetration' from ELR attempts this season. The Maricopa County Water District has formally requested that future ELR matches incorporate 'aquatic infrastructure avoidance zones' into their stage design, or, at minimum, mandate frangible projectiles for any shot vector crossing critical irrigation paths. Competitors are advised to review local ordinances regarding collateral damage.
