Extreme long-range shooting rewards the competitor who makes the fewest mistakes over two long days, and at the 2026 Nightforce ELR Steel Challenge that competitor came in pairs. Kahl Harmon and Mitch Fitzpatrick combined for a 245.93 score to win the Team division, beating out more than 40 other teams.
The 11th annual running of the match took place June 5-6 at Tillard 55 Ranch, where 280 shooters worked through 20 stages and engaged more than 70 steel targets at distances reaching out to 2,100 yards. Heat and wind built through the weekend and turned an already difficult course into a test of patience and equipment management.
Fitzpatrick, who shot alongside a teammate carrying serious credentials, came away pleased with how the pair handled it.
“I had a blast shooting the Nightforce ELR Match with my teammate, Kahl Harmon of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit,” Fitzpatrick said. “The match was as challenging as ever, but we were dialed in and were able to put together the win. This year we faced higher winds and high heat that took their toll on Saturday. This is a game decided by who manages their rifle and ammo system the best, and for my ammo I rely on Berger bullets, Vihtavouri powder and Lapua brass.”
At these distances every component in the system gets stress-tested, and Fitzpatrick has settled on a specific recipe for his .300 Norma Magnum. He pairs Lapua brass with Vihtavuori N565 powder for its temperature stability, and he is blunt about why the brass matters.
“Lapua brass has proven to be the most reliable for this cartridge, eliminating the extraction issues I’ve seen with other brands—especially in hot, dusty conditions.”
The bullet on top of that load is one he refuses to swap out. Fitzpatrick said there is “no substitute” for the Berger .30 caliber 245-grain Long Range Hybrid Target bullet, and his reasoning comes down to repeatability shot after shot.
“The name of the game is consistency over time, and I can depend on the manufacturing tolerances of the Berger bullet to maintain the tightest precision possible while also delivering phenomenal drag consistency and low drag. This minimizes dispersion downrange and provides minimized, consistent wind holds.”
His teammate brought a professional pedigree to the firing line. Sgt. 1st Class Kahl Harmon is a competitive shooter and marksmanship instructor with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s Action Shooting Team, and the partnership paid off across a weekend that punished anyone whose setup was not buttoned up.
For Fitzpatrick, that reliability is the whole point of building a system he can trust when the clock is running and the targets are a mile-plus away.
“Your system is only as strong as its weakest link, so I’m not willing to compromise on any of the critical components when trying to hit targets on the clock at these distances. I lose enough points on my own—I don't need my ammo slipping up as well!”
Learn more about the 2026 Nightforce ELR Challenge and Berger Bullets.
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