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SALT LAKE CITY — Saturday, a long-range rifle shooting competition will be held in Utah for the first time.
The annual Precision Rifle Series consists of several legs throughout the U.S. and allows the top precision shooters in the country to compete. SilencerCo. vice president of marketing Mike Aland said his company wanted to sponsor the event and bring it to Utah to give people the opportunity to see the beauty of Utah's backcountry.
"It’s a beautiful state with tons of different shooting opportunities,” Aland said. "It's gorgeous country, and a great way to host people from other states and bring the spotlight onto Utah and the shooting community here."
Seventy of the top long-range marksmen and women will compete Saturday and Sunday in a canyon east of Kamas. Aland said the competitors will shoot a variety of .308 and .250 caliber rifles at various targets and obstacles. The competitors will complete nine stages each day, shooting at targets ranging from 200 yards to 1,200 yards or farther.
"Each stage has a very specific course of fire," Aland said. "So they have to shoot a couple shots, move to a different position, shoot a couple more and then engage different targets in a different manner. There is some difficulty to it, not to mention that altitude and shooting in canyons with varied wind will create a greater challenge than normal."
Aland said several of the competitors have military and law enforcement backgrounds, and all of them have to train a large amount to prepare for the Precision Rifle Series. He said the shooters have to have a lot of analytical knowledge of how the wind can affect their shot at such long ranges.
The event will not be open to the public, but Aland said they are hoping to host the event again next year and make it available to spectators.
