Going Long

Shooting records—especially trick-shot records—are nothing new. Ever since the invention of the gun, people have been putting it, and their skills, to the test.

But, it wasn’t until 1885 when a woman named Annie Oakley came on the scene that exhibition shooting and trick shots grabbed hold of our fascination. Oakley wasn't alone. Doc Carver and Ad Topperwein, along with his wife Elizabeth, were also legendary exhibition shooters. But Oakley remains the best known and still occupies a place in American pop culture.

Oakley spent 17 years showcasing her shooting skills in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show where she wowed audiences by shooting over the shoulder using a mirror, and shooting coins out of the air.

That trick-shooting showmanship has continued through the 19th century with the likes of Ed McGivern, Herb Parsons, Bob Munden, Tom Knapp, Jerry Miculek (of course), among others.

Each has set a record or three in their time. And over time some of those records have fallen, with more to follow as new shooters take their place atop the trick-shooting heap.

This week a new record was set. It wasn’t one of speed, and it didn’t involve mirrors, coins, balloons or aspirin. It was a record of distance.

On Tuesday, Benelli posted a video of Steve Gould of Target Focused Life breaking a clay target at an extreme distance.

How extreme? Using a production Benelli ETHOS SuperSport A.I. shotgun, Gould broke targets from just under 110 yards during warm up before stepping out to 130 yards, then 160 yards, and out to 181.5 yards.

All of this recorded and independently verified using survey-grade equipment. It was also captured from multiple camera angles, so doubting the distance isn’t really an option.

But, Gould didn’t stop at 181.5 yards.

Pushing the limit, and at times fighting the wind and the orientation of his target thrower, Gould went for a 200 yard shot.

Here’s the thing about a target at 200 yards—you can barely see it, let alone hit it. Plus, it’s moving. But mostly, who thinks that using a shotgun to shoot a target two football fields away makes any sense?

Well, this is where the Benelli of it all comes into play.

Spoiler alert, Gould made the shot, breaking the target at a measured 201 yards to establish a new record. To do so, Gould had to use a Federal Heavyweight TSS #7 12ga load. He used a target load at 130 (Federal All-American #7.5) but moved to heavier game loads as the distance increased.

You can watch the video here on YouTube, and I encourage you to because it’s too easy to dismiss distance claims. Seeing is believing, especially when they explain how the distance was measured.

But getting back to the Benelli….

In order to break a target at an extreme distance requires that the shot column holds together and has the velocity to effectively reach the distance. The reason Gould used the Benelli ETHOS SuperSport A.I. is because of the ‘A.I.’ in its name.

Benelli's Advanced Impact (A.I.) System isn't simply a new barrel or a different choke tube. It's a patented barrel-and-choke design engineered as a complete system, with every component working together to improve pattern consistency, pellet energy, and overall downrange performance—like breaking a target at 201 yards.

Most shotgun barrels maintain a relatively consistent bore diameter until the shot charge reaches the choke. The A.I. barrel takes an entirely different approach.

Its internal bore profile changes as the shot travels down the barrel, gradually managing the shot column instead of forcing an abrupt transition at the muzzle. The concept is straightforward: reduce pellet deformation so more pellets remain round, fly truer, and arrive on target where they're supposed to.

That redesigned bore works in conjunction with Benelli's Advanced Impact CRIO choke tubes. These aren't simply longer choke tubes. They were engineered specifically for the A.I. barrel, with revised tapers and internal geometry designed to complement the barrel's variable bore profile.

Rather than treating the barrel and choke as separate components, Benelli developed them as a single ballistic system, allowing the shot charge to make a smoother, more controlled exit from the muzzle.

The system also builds on Benelli's CRIO technology. Both the barrel and choke undergo cryogenic treatment to relieve manufacturing stresses and create a smoother internal surface. The result is reduced friction and fouling, along with more consistent performance over extended shooting sessions.

This total barrel system design delivers improved performance across today's most common hunting loads—including lead, steel, bismuth, and tungsten—without requiring specialized ammunition. Which Gould proved while setting the new record.

He also demonstrated that Benelli's approach of treating the barrel, bore geometry, choke and metallurgy as one integrated system—instead of a collection of individual components—can extract every bit of performance possible from a shotgun shell.

Benelli built the system. In setting the distance record, Steve Gould proved what it is capable of. And that’s why every hunting and competition shotgunner should take note.

– Paul Erhardt, Managing Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network