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

Heckler IPRF 2
Heckler IPRF 2

Chad Heckler Wins Limited Title at 2026 IPRF World Championship

Chad Heckler hit 171 of 200 shots to edge JC Robertson by two impacts and win the IPRF Limited world championship.

New: Springfield Armory Echelon Pro 9 mm Pistols

Springfield Armory’s Echelon Pro Comp brings an integral compensator, laser-sculpted grip texture and a steel magazine well to the 9 mm Echelon.

2026 IPSC Shotgun World Shoot: U.S. Women’s Results

Lanny Barnes and Lena Miculek each won three world titles while Dianna Muller took silver at the 2026 IPSC Shotgun World Shoot.

Kentucky’s Braden Peiser Goes Perfect, and the NCAA Rifle Streak Rolls On

Kentucky’s Braden Peiser fired a perfect 600-53X in air rifle against Murray State, the sixth 600 of the young NCAA season.

Hillsdale College Freshman Orientation Moves to the Range

Hillsdale College swapped its freshman campus tour for a Halter Center visit built around safety instruction, live fire and team building.

How One Postal Match Bridged U.S. and Australian Smallbore Competition

SSAA’s postal match sparked the Hands Across the Sea match during the 2026 NRA Smallbore Nationals, and a U.S. team will compete in Australia in 2027.

Interests



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