The recent Mimbres River Mile Shootout in New Mexico concluded last weekend, leaving competitors, range officers, and local fauna utterly bewildered. Touted as an extreme long-range (ELR) precision match, the event swiftly devolved into an unprecedented exhibition of unintentional dynamic target engagement, as the Mimbres River itself — surprisingly *not* bone dry for once — decided to play an active, uncooperative role.
Shooters, many running purpose-built ELR rigs like .375 CheyTacs pushing 360-grain Lost River J4 bullets at 3200 FPS from 30-inch Proof Research Sendero barrels, mounted with Nightforce ATACR 7-35x56 scopes featuring the Mil-XT reticle, arrived prepared for elevation shifts, tricky density altitude, and the notorious New Mexico crosswinds. What they weren't prepared for was the Stage 3 'River Drift' challenge, where 2 MOA steel plates, initially secured to seemingly robust igneous outcroppings, became unmoored mid-stage by an unforeseen surge in glacial melt runoff from the nearby Black Range.
Competitors, including several PRS National Champions, were observed attempting to apply complex lead formulas typically reserved for running deer or moving vehicles, struggling to account for both spin drift and a 1.2 MPH downstream target velocity. One shooter, running a .416 Barrett from a Defiance Rebel action, was overheard lamenting that his carefully trued DOPE card accounted for everything *except* fluvial displacement. Multiple cold bore shots, intended for 1760-yard plates, instead connected with various species of migrating waterfowl and a particularly resilient tumbleweed.
Match Director, Rex 'The River Rat' Sampson, issued a blanket statement suggesting that while scores were 'highly subjective,' competitors should consider their engagements with a startled family of muskrats as 'excellent practice for unforeseen battlefield contingencies.' The match, originally intended to test precise wind calls and ballistic solutions, ultimately pushed the boundaries of what constitutes an ethical engagement in ELR, prompting widespread debate on whether a moving target is still a target if it’s actively *swimming away*.
