October 1, 2024 - URSA 3000 Yard Challenge (2025) - Announcement
If you want to shoot the 3K, please read all the way to the bottom of this announcement - online registration is required! Registration closes at 6 PM, Pacific, on Wednesday, April 23, 2025.
Event: URSA 3000 Yard Challenge (2025)
Date: Sunday, April 27, 2025 [Easter is April 20.]
Place: URSA’s NorCal venue (where we normally shoot - Upper Lake, CA area -
coordinates (39°14'21.0"N 122°50'50.0"W)
Objective: Provide an opportunity for the shooters who qualify (see below) to competitively engage steel at approximately, 2600 yards (1.359 MOA), 3311 yards (1.067 MOA), and possibly further (all based on same-day accomplishments) and win a small remembrance of their accomplishment.
Qualification: Shooters qualify who, during regular, monthly URSA event qualifications and competitions, from October 20, 2024 through March 16, 2025, score five (5) or more hits in 10 consecutive shots at 2000 or more yards. A final 3K qualification opportunity will be the day before the 3K, on Saturday, April 26.
Final 3K Qualification Opportunity, Saturday, April 26:
We will setup up one (1) target at 2147 yards (1.646 MOA), mostly in the dark, and start shooting as close as possible to sunrise. There will be no shooting beyond 2147 during this final qualification opportunity and no targets will be placed for 3K shooting on Sunday until after the close this final qualification opportunity (the close of live fire for the day). Further, since the best weather is in the early AM, and to maximize the opportunity for shooters NOT previously qualified to get qualify during this session, ONLY shooters not already qualified will be shooting. Finally, only one (1) qualification opportunity per shooter – bring your best rifle. Shooters already qualified are welcome to view this qualification session and get their “weather set up” dialed in…without shooting. All shots will be scored using IRIS hit-indicator lights, 2 per target. At least one light MUST flash for a hit to be recorded. Bounced-shot hits will NOT be counted (MD’s call as to whether a shot bounced into the target).
Course of Fire (CoF):
Seven (7) rounds “practice” for each shooter, then to the next shooter.
Three (3) more rounds “practice” followed immediately by ten (10) record rounds (for each shooter), then to the next shooter.
If the shooter gets 5 hits in 10 shots during either the 7+3 shot practice portion or during the 10-shot record portion, they qualify for the 3K on Sunday. Once qualified, such shooters are done shooting for the day.
Activities on Sunday, April 27, 2025:
The URSA 3000 Yard Challenge (2025)
We will setup up one (1) target each at 2600 yards and at 3311 yards on Saturday late daytime and do final light testing (mostly in the dark) Sunday morning. We will then start shooting the 3K as close as possible to sunrise. All shots will be scored using IRIS hit-indicator lights, 2 per target. At least one light MUST flash for a hit to be recorded. Bounced-shot hits will NOT be counted (MD’s call as to whether a shot bounced into the target). As always, the targets (all) are 37” round gongs. [See “target” definition
here.]
Course of Fire (CoF):
Three (3) “practice” shots (actually, 0-3 shots, shooter’s choice) at 2600 yards, immediately followed by ten (10) record shots (actually, 4-10 shots, shooter’s choice), each shooter, one after the other.
Shooters scoring at least 4 in 10 hits during the 10-round record round qualify to move on to engage the next-distance target, one shooter after another, repeating the above drill. Competition will ONLY proceed as long as there are at least two (2) shooters that have qualified to shoot each next-distance target.
NOTES for the 3K:
a. There is NO caliber limitation other than California legal (max .50 cal, i.e., .500 bore/.510 groove).
b. There are no shooting-position requirements other than it be deemed by the MD as “safe”. The MD’s call is final. [Shooters are welcome to shoot, for example, prone, off a bench, or off of a vehicle.]
c. There is NO rifle weight limitation, nor bipod requirement, nor type of trigger restriction (electric is AOK), basically run-what-you-brung
that is safe. You can get DQ’d for an unsafe firearm (slam fires, etc.), unsafe gun handling, firing out of turn, firing under “range cold” conditions, etc. The MD’s call is final.
d. We will not be able to determine the amount and height of vegetation between the shooting point and the targets until arriving on site. No land clearing will be done. So, if you plan on shooting prone, come prepared to raise your shooting position sufficiently to clearly see and engage the target. “Can’t see the target” is the shooter’s problem.
e. IF the shooter does not want to shoot the allowed 3 shots during any “practice”, the shooter MUST notify the Match Director/MD of that BEFORE taking their first “practice” shot at that distance, and the MD must confirm back to the shooter that “shooter is shooting only X practice shots.”
f. The shooter does NOT have to shoot all 10 record shots (e.g., they want to conserve ammo for a possible Sudden Death). IF that is the case, the shooter MUST notify the MD that they are through shooting at that distance, and the MD must confirm back to the shooter that “shooter has stopped shooting at (distance), unload and show clear (remove your bolt).”
g. No one is guaranteed to shoot at 3260, or beyond…for example, if you don’t qualify at the prior distance or there are not at least two (2) shooters qualified to shoot that distance.
h. The initial next-distance target will be at 3260 yards. IF we have two or more shooters who score at least 4 hits in 10 consecutive record-round shots at 3260, we will set a target at approx 3720 yards and shoot that distance – continuing to move out in distance until we fail to have at least two shooters scoring at least 4 in 10 at each prior distance. [Each new distance is approximately 500 yards further down range.]
i. Final distance “ties” will be settled by way of Sudden Death. If there is a tie for Winner, there will be a Sudden Death and the loser will be Runner-Up. If there is a Winner and a tie for Runner-Up, there will be a Sudden Death to decide Runner-Up.
j. Shooters are allowed one (1) spotter. Because of the limited parking, it is assumed that the spotter will travel to the event with the shooter. Spotters, of course, can also be shooters.
k. The ONLY non-shooter/non-spotter persons to be accommodated at the 3K (or the Saturday session) MUST be traveling with the shooter - again because of limited parking. And, PLEASE, nobody under 18 unless there is a non-shooter/non-spotter person to "watch" that individual (also traveling with the shooter). ALL attendees MUST sign the liability form.
l. Shooters qualifying on Saturday do not need to shoot the 3K with the rifle they qualified with – the shooter is qualified, not the shooter/rifle combo.
Remembrance of This Event
Everyone that qualifies for and actually shoots the 3K will receive an official URSA event t-shirt. These t-shirts will include the URSA logo and one of the following messages:
“I qualified for and shot the URSA 3000 Yard Challenge, April 27, 2025” (black logo and text on white)
“I was Runner-Up at the URSA 3000 Yard Challenge, April 27, 2025” (black logo and text on silver/gray)
“I Won the URSA 3000 Yard Challenge, April 27, 2025” (white text on bright orange – closest available to “gold”)
T-shirt size and “ship to” info will be recorded at the event and the t-shirts shipped accordingly.
There will be no “I was there” or other t-shirts provided or offered.
Conclusion:
If you've been looking for an incentive to shoot with us, this may be it. Hope you’ll give it a try.
If you don’t already know how to get there, please contact Southwest Regional Director, and Match Director, Lynn Dragoman at Rd-Southwest at unlimitedrange.org
Those unfamiliar with URSA are referred to
www.unlimitedrange.org
ALL shooters wanting to attempt to qualify for the 3K need to "register" using the link to the online form ("Online Liability Release and Build Sheet (form) for shooters") at the top of
https://www.unlimitedrange.org/activity event schedule.html Registration closes at 6 PM, Pacific, on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. There will be NO onsite registration. Thanks.
ALL other attendees (i.e., those allowed as noted above), need to "register" using the online form "Online Liability Release (form) for non-shooters", same page. In the "Status" field please identify whether you are a spotter or "other", in either case, note which shooter you are traveling with. Registration closes at 6 PM, Pacific, on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Again, NO onsite registration. Thanks.
