Max Michel Sets New Guinness World Record

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posted on January 10, 2017
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Team SIG Captain Max Michel has written himself into the history books by establishing a new Guinness World Record for action pistol shooting. The ultimate authority in record-breaking achievements, Guinness World Records recognizes Michel with the fastest speed for hitting six target plates with a 9mm handgun—which he did in 2.05 seconds.

"Since he began shooting at 5 years old, Max has won numerous world, national and regional titles in a variety of shooting sports disciplines," said Tom Taylor, chief marketing officer and executive vice president, Commercial Sales. "While Max's skill and proficiency with a pistol is well known in the shooting sports world, his latest performance transcends the competitive arena and places it squarely in the public domain. There are many great shooters out there, but a Guinness World Record title adds documented validity and notoriety, elevating Max's credentials to an even higher level of distinction."

To establish the new Guinness World Record, Michel used his personal full-size SIG Sauer P320 in 9mm topped with a ROMEO3 mini reflex sight and fueled by SIG Sauer Elite Performance Ammunition. In a feat never before accomplished, Michel successfully engaged an official Action Target plate rack consisting of six adjacent shooting plates measuring 8-inches in diameter at a distance of 7 meters. Under the guidelines of Guinness World Records, Michel was given three attempts in which to set the world record. Witnessed by an approved Guinness World Records judge and verified by two experienced timekeepers, Michel's attempt was also photographed and recorded on video (To watch Michel's world record performance, please visit RecoilTV). Michel completed the course of fire while shooting at the state-of-the-art SIG Sauer Academy in Epping, NH.

"Growing up, I remember seeing the Guinness Book of World Records and wanting to be a part of it," said Michel. "To receive its stamp of approval and to be recognized by your peers is one of the biggest honors I could imagine. Now, after finally having the chance to achieve a world record, I consider it to be one of the major highlights in my 25 years of competitive shooting."

Michel continued, "Perhaps one of the biggest joys I've experienced since setting the Guinness World Record has been the feedback I've received from my kids. For years I've been telling them about certain matches, how I performed and what it meant to me, but to see their reaction when I showed them the certificate from Guinness was truly unbelievable. I'm extremely blessed to have this opportunity and I look forward to seeing how my fellow competitors and recreational shooters respond to this new challenge. I hope it encourages them to set their own records as I will certainly be ready to match their performance whenever the time comes."

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