EVANSTON, WY – The NRL Bighorn Steel Classic, held this past weekend amidst the notoriously unpredictable high-desert winds and 7,200 ft density altitude, became the proving ground for Mc3 Stocks' radically innovative 'Dynamic Polymer Target System.' In a move that sent shockwaves through the precision rifle community, every steel plate across the 18-stage course was replaced with a proprietary Mc3 Comp Safari stock, meticulously secured at various distances from 300 to 1,200 yards.
Competitors, accustomed to the satisfying clang of a 6mm Dasher or 6GT on hardened steel, instead reported a muted thud and the disconcerting sight of their projectiles either embedding, deflecting, or cleanly punching through the polymer. Feedback from impact was often ambiguous, with some shooters struggling to call hits on the non-ringing targets, while others noted unpredictable ballistic deflection patterns affecting follow-up shots. Truing data for velocity nodes became an exercise in futility, as the BC of a 108gr ELD-M proved less relevant than the polymer’s elastic modulus.
Mc3 Stocks representatives, on site to monitor the groundbreaking experiment, praised the event as a monumental step forward for competitive shooting. “We're collecting invaluable data on polymer resilience and energy transfer at distance,” stated lead R&D engineer, Dr. Elias Thorne, his face beaming as a 6.5 Creedmoor round obliterated a cheekpiece at 800 yards. “The scoring, while important for competitor morale, is secondary to understanding the dynamic interaction between modern projectile designs and our advanced composite structures. Plus, our targets are 100% biodegradable, a true win for environmental stewardship.”
Final scores were, predictably, anomalous, with top shooters struggling to maintain their typical hit percentages. The match ultimately highlighted not who could read the 15mph wind best, but who could most accurately predict the structural integrity of a molded plastic rifle stock at extreme ranges. The future of precision rifle competition, it seems, may now hinge on material science rather than ballistics.
