Remembering When Michelle Gallagher Won Her 3rd Long Range Championship

by
posted on October 11, 2018
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
1-gallagher-throwbackarticle.jpg
Editor's note: The 2001 NRA National Long Range Championships at Camp Perry saw Michelle Gallagher successfully defend her title. On a roll, this was the third long range title the 20-year old shooting prodigy added to her collection. Here’s our coverage, as published in the November 2001 issue of Shooting Sports USA.

Michelle Gallagher, a Prescott, AZ, native and member of a high power family dynasty, successfully defended her NRA Long Range Rifle Championship against nearly 600 competitors. Her aggregate score of 1436-63X was enough—by a mere three Xs—to best the 1436-60X posted by second-place finisher Norman Crawford, of Fayetteville, NC, and the 1434-79X fired by Gallagher's mother, former NRA High Power Champion Nancy Tompkins-Gallagher. The win gave Gallagher the Tompkins Trophy, which is named for Nancy's husband and former NRA High Power Champion Middleton Tompkins.

"The biggest challenge was that I was shooting my [AR-based] space gun through half of it, so I didn't know how I was going to deal with it," said Gallagher afterward while humbly acknowledging, "I guess it turned out OK."

As expected, members of the U.S. Armed Forces also figured strongly at the 2001 Long Range competition. SFC Kevin McMahon, of the Fort Benning, GA-based U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, posted a score of 1395-40X to earn the title of NRA Long Range Service Rifle Champion.

The Long Range Championship aggregate includes scores for six selected matches—three consisting of 20 shots each at 600 yards, two consisting of 20 shots 

Latest

Vizzi 2026 ISSF WC March 1
Vizzi 2026 ISSF WC March 1

Dania Vizzi Earns Women’s Skeet Silver at 2026 ISSF World Cup Tangier

Dania Vizzi earns women’s skeet silver at 2026 ISSF World Cup Tangier, falling one target short of gold medalist Bethany Norton in Morocco.

Rebuilt Trap Fields To Greet Empire Satellite Grand American Competitors

The Amateur Trapshooting Association’s 22nd Annual Empire Satellite Grand American runs six days in Cicero, N.Y., with 15 events, cosmic night shooting and newly refurbished trap fields.

Eric Harvey Goes Back-to-Back at Gator Cup, Edmunds Takes Lady Crown

Eric Harvey wins his second consecutive Gator Cup Main Event HOA with 183/200. Desi Edmunds claims Lady HOA as Winchester and White Flyer competitors sweep top titles.

A Tornado, a Target Mix-Up and Triumphant Returns: 1992 National Matches

The 1992 National Matches at Camp Perry featured tornado evacuations, a historic target mix-up and dominant performances by Lozoya, Wigger and Bernosky.

Benelli’s ‘Art of Performance’ Series Goes Inside the Making of a Lupo Barrel

First video in Benelli USA’s new “Art of Performance” series showcases the three-step barrel engineering process in its Lupo bolt-action rifle.

Parcell, Powell Lead Team Remington’s Podium Run at 2026 Gator Cup

Brandon Powell finishes HOA runner-up and Turner Parcell takes third in the Main Event at the 2026 Gator Cup.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.