A Great Way to Go Home

posted on June 20, 2013
** 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. **
rackley2015_fs.jpg (3)

By Paul Rackley

This season’s Top Shot continues to be all about the shooting at the range, rather than the drama in the house, or in Colby’s words: “All star, all skill season.” That’s fine with me, and pretty much everyone I’ve spoken to about Top Shot recently agrees. Who cares about how these people get along? Just show me some really cool firearms and make the competitors take some crazy shots.

This week’s episode started with the longbow, a Black Widow longbow to be exact. Competitors had to hit a 30-foot target at 100 yards, with each circle in the bullseye representing different amounts of points. I was surprised at how poorly the group did as a whole. Only four shooters out of 13 broke 100 points, and only Gary surpassed 200 points. There were even two competitors—William and Kyle—who couldn’t even hit the target. As expected, both were sent to the Proving Ground, along with Alex and Jamie, to test their bullseye skills with a Steyr SSG 08 at 200 yards. With the two furthest shots from the bullseye, Kyle and Jamie went to the Elimination Challenge to battle it out with a gun that almost every shooter would like to try at least once—the Gatling Gun.

American Rifleman contributor Garry James was the expert for this challenge, sharing his expertise with both shooters, who had to mow down three poles with this iconic firearm to stay in the quest to become History’s Top Shot. While Kyle seems like he would be a nice guy to get to know, Jamie, an Elimination Challenge veteran, handily defeated him by being consistent in his motions and steady in his aim.

Top Shot is now down to 12 shooters vying for the $100,000 and Bass Pro Shops speedboat, and as long as the show continues the current format, I think we’ve got a great season going.

Latest

French Charleville Ihtog 1
French Charleville Ihtog 1

I Have This Old Gun: The French Charleville Musket

One of the most important military arms ever made, the French Charleville musket saw use in the American Revolution and armed French troops throughout the Napoleonic Wars.

CVA Endura Series: The Modernized Muzzleloader Of 2025

CVA built on the success of its Paramount muzzleloader to create the Endura, a design that the company calls "the most advanced muzzleloader series CVA has ever built."

Review: FN 15 Guardian

FN America has sought to bring its legendary quality and reliability to an AR-15 that lists for just $999, and we believe that it has done this well with its 15 Guardian carbine.

Springfield Armory Hellcat Now Available In .380 ACP

Despite the extensive number of Hellcat models in its lineup, Springfield Armory has only offered the pistol in one chambering, 9 mm Luger, until now. The .380 ACP model offers similar capabilities with softer recoil.

Arms Of The Mail Guard Marines

While difficult to imagine today, brazen armed thefts of the U.S. Mail in the 1920s became all too common and beyond the abilities of mail personnel to handle. Enter the U.S. Marines—armed to the teeth.

The Armed Citizen® Oct. 13, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.