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

Crcatop20 Oct27 2026 1
Crcatop20 Oct27 2026 1

Collegiate Rifle: West Virginia Holds No. 1 in CRCA Top 20 Through Oct. 25

West Virginia holds No. 1 in the CRCA Top 20, while Navy stays unbeaten and Akron jumps into the top 10.

New: Smith & Wesson Model 22 of 1917 Classic and Model 22 Classic Revolvers

Smith & Wesson’s new Model 22 of 1917 Classic and Model 22 Classic revolvers revive its World War I-era .45 N-frame.

25 Schools Competing at 2026 USA College Clay Target League National Championship

Clay target shooters from 25 colleges will meet at Brittany Shooting Park in Illinois Oct. 30-Nov. 1 to decide USACCTL individual and team national titles.

New: Remington Rechargeable Mini-Dehumidifier

Remington’s new 5-in-1 Rechargeable Mini-Dehumidifier keeps safes up to 333 cubic feet dry for 60 days per charge. MSRP is $99.99.

New: Warne Universal Receiver Red Dot Mount

The Warne Universal Receiver Red Dot Mount provides a streamlined way to add a red-dot sight without unnecessary bulk.

Hudson Farm Foundation Leads Record MidwayUSA Hometown Challenge

The MidwayUSA Foundation’s record 2026 Hometown Challenge raised more than $1 million, nearly $2 million with matching funds, for youth shooting teams.



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