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

2025 Usashooting Pistolnationals 1A
2025 Usashooting Pistolnationals 1A

Klemp, Tobar Win Big At 2025 USA Shooting Pistol Nationals

Marcus Klemp and Nathalia Tobar emerged as champions in the men’s and women’s 10m air pistol events at the 2025 USA Shooting National Championships in Anniston, Ala.

Review: Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber

Precision meets speed: Ruger’s 10/22 Carbon Fiber raises the bar for rimfire competition, especially Steel Challenge.

Winstead-Severin Outlasts Field To Win 2025 Iron Man Silhouette Championship In Montana

Cathy Winstead-Severin clinches 2025 Iron Man Silhouette Regional Championship in Missoula, Montana, showcasing elite endurance and precision over two grueling days of competition.

A New Generation Rises At Close Of 1970s: 1979 National Matches

New champions emerge as legends endure in a defining year at Camp Perry.

NRA America’s Rifle Challenge Takes Center Stage On Shooting USA

Shooting USA heads to Camp Atterbury for a deep dive into the NRA’s latest action shooting format, designed for both new and seasoned AR-15 competitors.

Springfield Armory 1911 AOS Series Showdown

Springfield Armory’s modern 1911s—TRP AOS, Ronin AOS and Operator AOS—go head-to-head in a 1911 AOS series showdown.

Interests



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