Longest Shot with a Shotgun: New World Record!

Shotguns are generally short-range tools, but what is possible for breaking clays at long range? Our old record was 180 yards, and honestly, we thought that was the limit of what was possible. Then Benelli handed us an Ethos Supersport Advanced Impact and dared us to prove ourselves wrong. So we set up a trap machine and started walking backward to see if we could push the limits and go where no man has before.

The Challenge

A few years ago, Benelli released a barrel they called Advanced Impact, or A.I. for short. The claim was simple: more energy downrange than a conventional barrel.

We were skeptical. In fact, we made a video about it, and the takeaway was that Advanced Impact was a good product but we still were not sure it performed the way Benelli's marketing said it did.

This spring, Benelli invited us to Italy to go behind the scenes and see the work that goes into building their products. The trip was fun, and what we saw was impressive. More on that in a future video. But we still were not one hundred percent convinced. So Benelli decided to challenge us.

They knew our history. They knew we had pushed shotguns to distances most people would call impossible. The idea was simple: if the A.I. barrel really does carry more energy downrange, then it should be able to stretch the range farther than we ever have.

The Setup

We put a trap machine out at the range and started at 100 yards. The plan was to work backward, load by load, and see where the wall was.

Verifying the distance turned out to be the hard part. A clay crests, then slides backward as it falls, so the moment you break it on the way down it is farther away than where you ranged it.

That meant every single shot had to be verified after the fact, not guessed at. More on how we did that below.

Target Loads

We wanted to start with something nobody had done. Plenty of people have broken clays at 100 yards. Almost nobody has stretched a standard target load well past it.

Running the Federal All-American 7 1/2 shot, 1 1/8 ounce, through the Ethos Super Sport A.I., we worked from 100, then 110, then kept pushing.

Then it happened. A standard target load, 130 plus yards, smoked. That is the furthest we have ever seen a clay broken with a target load by a long shot. Maybe there was something to these Advanced Impact barrels after all.

Pheasant Loads

Moving further back, it was time to change ammo. We stepped back and measured precisely 160 yards, then loaded Federal Prairie Storm #5s.

To be honest, there was a real struggle at 160 yards. The biggest challenge is not knowing what the issue is. Do we not have enough energy? Is the wind moving the shot more than we think? Is the lead we are giving it accurate? There are many variables and almost no feedback other than not seeing the clay break. Verified 160 yards with a number 5 pheasant load. As far as we know, nobody had ever done that before.

As frustration and hunger set in, it was time for a break. My enthusiasm for the possibility of setting a new world record was a bit shaken. But there is one thing I have learned over the years of attempting to pull off impossible shots and that is sometimes a little break can make all the difference. When we got out to the range after the break, we had decided that I would shoot just one more box of ammo at 160.

Then we got back to shooting, and within a few shots, it happened. Moments after pulling the trigger, the clay broke, and the excitement was real. Shooting 160 yards with a shotgun is no small feat, but this was just a stepping stone before we went to what could be called insane distances.

TSS at 181 Yards: Breaking the Old Record

Number 5 pheasant loads were not going to touch 180 yards and even if they did, that load would not have enough energy to break a clay pigeon. So we switched to Federal Heavyweight TSS #9s. The pellet count was there and we believed the energy was there. The question was whether we could hold a pattern that far out.

We set up at about 185 from where the last clay broke, and with less than 15 shots, we connected.

The total station read 181 yards. Our old record was 180. We only beat it by a single yard, but when I set the record back in 2021 it was with Federal TSS #7s. This gave me confidence that we could move back much further and still have enough energy to break a clay.

201 Yards: The New World Record

The logical next step would have been 190. We were feeling good, so we skipped it.

We moved back to 200 yards and switched to TSS #7s. Fewer pellets, but each one carrying more energy. The Ethos Supersport A.I. had been connecting all day and everything was working.

We only had 35 rounds of the #7s, so the pressure was on.  Five shots in, and nothing. Ten shots in, no connection. We were fighting wind, trying to figure out how much to hedge right when the shot was pushing left, and recalculating the drop from 15 yards farther back. Then the wind died and things felt right, and we went for it with shot number 11 connecting with the clay. The first thought was Did that just happen? Unbelievable!

We went to the footage, found the exact break point, marked it, and measured. The clay had actually fallen an extra yard past the 200. Verified: 201 yards.

Honestly, we're glad it was not exactly 200. That would have been lame.

The Gun: Benelli Ethos Super Sport A.I.

The whole day ran on one gun, and it never hiccuped. We put a lot of rounds through it, warming up, and it ran flawlessly, start to finish.

• MSRP: $3,199
• Operation: Inertia Driven
• Available Gauges: 12 gauge and 20 gauge
• Barrel Length Options: 30 inches
• Chamber Size: 3 inch
• Weight: 6lbs 11oz
• Length of Pull: Adjustable to 13 7/8, 14 3/8, or 14 3/4 inches with Comfort Tech 3 Recoil Pads
• Stock: Shim-adjustable drop and cast
• Chokes: Advanced Impact Crio chokes (C, IC, M, IM, F)
• Extras: Advanced Impact barrel, carbon fiber finish, ComforTech 3 recoil reduction, nickel-plated receiver, red anodized Briley bolt handle, bolt release, and weighted forend cap

How We Verified the Distance

This is the part that matters. A record you cannot prove is just a story.

We used a Trimble total station, which is a survey-grade measuring instrument. Inside 500 feet it is guaranteed to an eighth of an inch, and we were reading to a sixteenth. That is more accurate than any rangefinder on the market.

We also ran a side camera with markers laid out downrange. When a clay broke, we could go back to the footage, find exactly where it was, put a physical mark on that spot, and measure from the shooting position to the mark.

No estimates. No "about 201 yards." A real, verified number.

Come Try It Yourself

Benelli is bringing the Advanced Impact Challenge to Shotgun Fest in Alexandria, Minnesota on July 25th. You will be able to get behind the Ethos SuperSport A.I. and test your skill at long range.

Shoot a clay at 60, 70, and 80 yards and you'll be in it to win a Benelli Ethos SuperSport A.I.

Tickets are available here.

Final Thoughts

It was a long day in the sun, pulling triggers, trying to do something nobody has done. Was it because of some unique skill? No, not at all. It was tenacity and the willingness to keep going after the misses.

We started the day skeptical that we could push past 180 yards. We started the day skeptical that Benelli's Advanced Impact barrel made as much of a difference as they said.

We finished the day watching a clay break at 201 yards. Let us just say we are a little more of a believer now.

We appreciate Benelli taking the chance, taking the risk, and investing in Target Focused Life to see if we could go where no one has gone before.

What do you think about the Benelli Ethos Super Sport A.I. and the 201 yard record? Share your thoughts in the TFL COMMUNITY!

Whether our targets in the field or our targets in life, we'll only hit what we're focused on, live the #targetfocusedlife