Competitors across the Precision Rifle Series circuit are grappling with the implications following last Tuesday’s incident in downtown Topeka, where local long-range shooter Chad “Dope Card” McMillan, 34, was apprehended attempting to engage an armored car. Authorities confirmed McMillan’s primary implement was a highly tuned 6mm Dasher, built on a Defiance Machine Ruckus action bedded into an MPA Comp chassis, topped with a Kahles K525i in a Spuhr mount. His stated intent, according to the arrest report, was to "precision-disable" the driver's side door hinge at approximately 18 yards, accounting for a 3-MPH crosswind from the north-northeast and a calculated 0.007 MRAD spin drift for the 105gr Hornady BTHP.
McMillan’s meticulous stage planning, evident from a hastily discarded DOPE card, factored in a density altitude of 2,100 feet and a 1.2 mil hold for the target’s specific grade of hardened steel. Witnesses reported McMillan, adopting a modified tank-trap prone position from behind a public waste receptacle, executed a textbook cold bore shot procedure, complete with a dry fire and breath control sequence. The subsequent projectile, however, merely produced a localized, 0.25-inch cosmetic abrasion on the armored vehicle, failing to induce even a measurable displacement node in the hinge assembly. Investigators noted McMillan's 10-round string displayed an SD of 2.1 FPS, indicating phenomenal velocity consistency, albeit against an entirely unsuitable target.
The Topeka Police Department confirmed the confiscated rifle, a Bartlein M24 contour chambered by Patriot Valley Arms, remains in excellent mechanical condition. McMillan is reportedly bewildered, stating, "My ballistic calculator showed a 0.05 MOA impact shift given the target’s specific gravity and my trueing data. This makes no sense." The incident has prompted PRS organizers to clarify rules regarding ‘non-sanctioned targets’ and the appropriate application of advanced ballistics, reminding competitors that while a 6mm Dasher is a phenomenal tool for ringing steel at 1,000 yards, its terminal performance against a Brinks armored vehicle's 500 BHN hardened steel is, predictably, suboptimal.
