The shooting game of LONG GONG has grown tremendously since its inception in 2016. Here is what I have learned after a season of running a match series.

When I first heard of the game of LONG GONG, I was instantly interested. I had just started becoming involved in the world of Rimfire Precision Shooting, having dipped my toes in the water of the NRL 22 series. I was spending my time practicing at shooting tiny targets off of multiple barricades and learning the sensitivity of the 22lr round with distance, wind and temperature. It was tough to be consistent at those matches, where the distances were mostly all within 100 yards or closer.

One day I was pouring over all the Facebook pages I could find that were 22LR precision related, gleaning all I could on becoming a better shooter. It was there I discovered that a group of shooters from Maine were playing a new game of long-range shooting with a 22lr rifle, shooting progressively shrinking targets at 300 yards! Now, as new as I was to the 22-precision world, I recognized that there wasn’t a lot of competitions that would stretch this little round out that far. I was intrigued and wanted to know more.

It isn’t unheard of for 22LR precision shooters to stretch the limits of the round, and shooters have been attempting to hit targets at 300 plus yards pretty much since the creation of the cartridge back in 1887. It is claimed that the travel distance of the round is just over 1700 yards, and you can find a few YouTube videos showing target impacts at and beyond 1000 yards, although the targets are often quite large at that distance. I couldn’t find an official world record distance for this round but there are a few claiming the title and they varied in length. There are a number of recorded instances where a few impressive shots have been made in the 700–800-yard range on targets as small as a soda can! Because of the limited projectile and case size/powder amount, the speed of the projectile and the addition of a scientific principle called the sonic barrier or transonic region, the round reaches the limits of consistency between 300 and 400 yards. Subsonic ammunition is the most consistent for distance shooting with the 22LR round because of the transonic region creates unstable flight when the speed of a supersonic projectile drops below 1116.4 ft per second. Subsonic rounds by nature, stay under that transonic region, therein remaining stable throughout the life of their flight.

Beyond 400 yards the 22LR will start to become less consistent from a standard rifle and scope setup, and begins to require optics, scope mounts and other gadgets to make it possible to see the target in your scope. Personally, I maxed out my optic/ring setup at 600 yards, the furthest shot I have taken and confirmed impact. (I won’t tell you how many shots it took me to hit my target, which was a 24” gong target!) There is a lot more I could say about the ballistics of the 22LR and the science behind shooting this round far and consistently, but it isn’t necessary for this little blog… Rather, it is sufficient to say that 300 yards is the beginning distance for the 22LR to become quite a bit more unpredictable, and more than fair to agree that the word “Long” belongs in the description of “LONG GONG”!

THE CREATION OF LONG GONG

*The Godfather of LONG GONG Robert Duhaime (front row, center) and some of the Surry, Maine LONG GONG gang*
(from **Long Gong** facebook page)

So, what is LONG GONG and how did it begin?

It started with good times, good friends, and probably a few good drinks. Robert Duhaime, a carpenter and ship builder from Surry, Maine is the most likely individual to be hailed the “Godfather of LONG GONG”, although in his humble way he will quickly give credit to those with whom he shoots in little friendly get-togethers at his personal range. From his Facebook page, he gave a brief description of how it all came about. Here is his story.

” After my 300yd range was completed in 2016, it quickly became THE place to shoot for me and my friends (a group that continues to grow to this day). With a shared passion for 22lr, and the competitive nature of many of us, a 300yd challenge quickly developed. Bobby McKay, one of my oldest friends, can be held accountable for this as much as anyone. The fun thing was that none of us knew anything about what we were getting into. At first the challenge was simply hitting a 10” gong. It took me quite a while before I managed to go 10/10 on it, of course back then I was shooting a Savage Mark II with a Simmons optic. We all had real basic setups, which kept the competition fairly tight. We would draw numbers and using a bracket format, we would shoot against each other going best of 10 shots on the 10” gong. This was an awful lot of fun, and word started getting out about what we were doing. It wasn’t long before we replaced the 10” gong with an 8” gong as we all improved our game, creating a bit more challenge. We would gather once a month with no regular schedule, fellowship, shoot, and have a good time.
By the time Scott Bryson brought down the 8”-6”-4” gong set, several of the regulars had upgraded to Ruger RPR’s or even CZ 457’s, with better optics. We set up that rack, and have never looked back. The basic rules of the game were hashed out almost immediately, with some finer details being worked out over time. The name Long Gong didn’t evolve until months later, and I’ll take full credit for that. The very first match was only 3 rounds, because we weren’t sure how long it would take, but the match the following month we realized 5 rounds was the way. 5 rounds of 10 shots each worked out perfectly to one box of ammunition, and this satisfied everyone.
The first match was attended by myself, Randy (a friend of Matt’s), Mike Vignaly, Alex McMann (and his wife), Bobby McKay, Matthew M Daigle, Ryan Nyer, and Chris Leland. The scores weren’t spectacular, but my win with 30 points in 3 rounds set things in motion. We all agreed that this was something special we had found, and soon settled on getting together on the third Sunday of the month, every month. Through rain and snow, extreme heat and blistering cold, calm days and wind sideways, we have gathered at my range and shot since then. I’ve got the perfect record for attendance, by the way, and we are getting close to 3 years without canceling a match.
It has been amazing to watch this game grow, not just here in Maine but across the globe. I think the simplicity and inclusiveness of the game will continue to draw in new shooters, while the challenge of the game will test the ability of the world’s best shooters. The potential for this game to become the next big thing is certainly there, and only time will tell. If you’re ever in my neighborhood, give me a shout and we can go try it out.”

Robert Duhaime

The Range

A range in Price, UT, well beyond the 300 yards necessary for LONG GONG. “Shes a beaut’ Clark!”

For the game to be played as designed, it is necessary to have a 300-yard range. This is the most basic part of the game of LONG GONG and sets the stage for everything else. Probably the most important thing I learned in running long gong matches at 300 yards is THE BACKSTOP.

When we first started setting up the course of fire for LONG GONG, we simply placed our ascending targets of 8”, 6”, and 4” at 300 yards on our range and let ‘er rip. Unfortunately, we immediately began struggling with impacts. We didn’t have a dirt backstop at 300 yards at our 385-yard shooting range, so naturally we just placed our targets in the open space and began shooting. It became obvious almost immediately as the first magazine in our rifles hit empty that we couldn’t see our misses, couldn’t diagnosis our wind holds, and couldn’t correctly adjust for the next round. Not having a berm at 300 yards and not sure how to ask the public range if they could put one out there for us, we attempted a couple of alternative backstops. The first was a sheet of OSB plywood, painted white to show our misses, mounted behind our targets and held in place by metal fence T-posts. If our optic was clear enough, we could see our misses, but as the light diminished on the day, the misses became less and less apparent. With two shooters hammering away at the targets, it also became increasingly hard to see and decipher our most recent shot from all the others that had missed before. We also realized that we didn’t have a puff of dust blowing away from the backstop as the waferboard refused to give up the wind’s secrets.

The next attempt was a metal sheet of 1/8” thick mild steel painted white, attached to our previous plywood and mounted by the same metal fence posts. This time, we hoped that the impacts would be more visible and with the added sensation of a dull metal thud, we would have a solution to our problems.

Wrong again.

Although the misses were a little bit more visible, and we had the added sound of the sheet metal backstop, we had the same issues as before. Too many misses on the backstop made it harder and harder to recognize our most recent shot. Because the rounds that impacted the backstop splattered, we did have a little bit of dust puffing up off the ground in front of our metal sheet, but they confused us at times with the splatter of the rounds that impacted the targets. Finally, we realized that there was really only one proper way to do this. The game required a dirt berm/backstop. It was the only way to get the corrections necessary to make repeatable shots on target. I reached out to a board member for our local range and asked if we could add a dirt backstop at 300 yards. He took it to the committee and they whole heartly approved, as it improved the safety of our range and added another dimension to the rifle range. Shortly thereafter, a local contractor and fellow match shooter brought his skid steer, and we made short work of a dirt berm, 3 ft tall and 12 feet wide. The difference was immediately recognized as the dirt around and behind our targets began revealing all we needed to know: Where we were missing, impacting, and how to read the wind. The scores we put up more than doubled, and so did our fun. We didn’t even need to chew on doublemint gum. (Some of you older readers may get that reference, and now the old jingle is stuck in your head… you’re welcome!)

The Targets

***Atlas Target Works*** stake stands, gong targets of 8”-6”-4” and target locking bolts…. Must have been windy that day, the 4” remained unscathed!

The second important thing for the game to be played correctly is the targets that you will shoot. The game requires three gong style targets. (Hence the name!) The targets used by those already taking part in the game of LONG GONG seem to vary in style but hold true to the round shape and size of 8-inch, 6-inch, and 4-inch diameters. Because the 22LR round has very little ft pounds of energy at 300 yards, the type and hardness of the targets doesn’t have to be 7 gauge AR400 or AR500 steel. Many shooters are having success with shooting gongs of mild steel. The biggest difference and the biggest reason to use AR400 or AR500 steel is the sound!

At 300 yards, the time it takes for your round to get there, impact the target and travel back to your ears is more than instantaneous. It takes at least a second or two for the sound to process and helps tremendously when you are not sure if the wind slightly wiggled your target, or the round actually impacted. The “PANG!” sound that reverberates back is very recognizable with AR400/500 targets and is part of the addiction that feeds your senses when you impact targets at that distance. The sound becomes the sensation that you will crave the most as your score climbs shot by shot!

Besides the type of steel, round shape and size, the last thing I would mention is the style of target. There seems to be 3 styles that are the most frequently used in LONG GONG. Solid stem spinners, chain or strap hangers, and single hook and stake.

Solid stem targets that spin or rock front to back when impacted are a popular choice for long gong. They are great for picking up impacts, even slight ones by the spotters and shooters. They are often evenly spaced and mounted together on the same rack ( think KYL targets.) Depending on the brand, they can be a few inches off the ground to a couple of feet. Set up is quick and easy. These types of targets are a fantastic choice if you are looking to purchase a set of gongs for your own. The biggest downside to these targets is in how you set them up. If they are off the ground too far, you will need a taller backstop to cover the entire area behind and to the sides of the target. They also have to be spaced snug enough to reduce return wobble ( the jerky, side to side wobble as they slowly swing to a stop) but not too tight that they don’t freely rock back to front. The stems are often thin and more than a few inches long, and react very similar when hit as the target, the sound of the impact the most obvious clue that the stem was impacted. This in almost all competitions would be acknowledged as an impact though, so it isn’t really an issue.

Surry Maines LONG GONG “KYL” target setup (from Facebook)

Chain or strap hangers are gong targets tied, bolted, or hung from chains or rubber and or nylon straps. These targets dangle from a crossbar or from the tops of a left and right t-post. They too can show the slightest movement on soft impacts, but probaly have the most downsides to the three styles mentioned. The first would be with the chains or straps, as they become an extension of the target that is attached to them. This can be problematic for spotters as they can show movement if they are hit, making a miss appear to be an impact. Many matches would consider hitting the chain or strap a miss. The more items around the targets the less clear it becomes for the shooter and the spotter. This goes for setups that use a left and right mounting t-post, because this may require 6 posts to hang all your targets. 6 posts and 6 chains in the way of clean hits. Although not usually a problem with rimfire impacts, at times the chain hung gongs can flip around and not reset straight, causing the shooters to stop and the target to be reset.

The last style and the one that we use in our matches, are the single hook and stake. The targets are attached to a single vertical stake by a eyelet on the top of the target and a single hook on the target stake. They can be hung near the ground or a foot or two above the ground. The eyelet is often times very short, so it doesn’t add much to the surface area of the target. With the gong hooked and dangling from the post hook, it can move front to back, as well as left to right, depending on how the gong eyelet shape is cut. If the eyelet is round, it may move or swing longer before coming to a stop. if the eyelet is diamond shaped or tear dropped, the movement of an impacted target may wind down quickly, allowing for a faster follow up shot. The post is often thin, and is pounded into the ground, giving a firm anchor that stays put. Sometimes the post is impacted instead of the target, leaving the shooter and spotter to guess if the target was slightly impacted, rather than the post. often this will be decided by the spotter if it was a hit or a miss.

This particular set of gong targets that we use was made by Atlas Target Works. They are short off the ground, which has played well with our short in stature backdrop and close enough to the ground to give good feedback from the impact splashes or the ill received miss. The sound is clear as well, giving a nice “pank” sound on impacts. They also have a built-in locking bolt that locks the round shaped hook closed, assuring that the target will stay on the hanger, regardless how hard it is hit.

The Rifles, Optics and Ammunition

*Local shooter and Portneuf Precision Rimfire member Josh Hughes and his LONG GONG capable SAVAGE B SERIES PRECISION RIFLE.*

Oh, the choices are many and the combinations numerous, but the criteria for rifles, optics and ammunition can be narrowed down to a few must haves.

Let’s start with the rifles… In the matches that we ran, and in the series as a whole, the rifles that won in individual stages, whole matches, and series champions were all different. We have had custom Rim-X ,Vudoo, PCP air rifles, CZ 457’s with custom parts, Bergara b-14 stock and factory configurations, and even a factory Bergara BMR and a Savage precision factory rifle win stages and matches. We have competitors who have shot with AR Style rifles and semi autos (think 10/22). For those who are looking to get started and are not sure which rifle to use, here are some suggestions.

Get a bolt action rifle with a detachable magazine that holds 10 or more rounds. It is the best option for shooting long distance for a host of reasons, but the most basic would be the simplicity and accuracy that a bolt gun offers. There is a reason why most precision 22LR shooters choose the bolt action, and why very few top shooters run semi autos when given the choice between the two. Usually more reliable when it comes to feeding and extracting rounds, the bolt gun also gives you better lock up when the round is chambered, helping lower extreme spreads between round velocities. Custom rifle builders provide barrels, chassis, triggers and more to increase the accuracy of the 22 rifle. As a metric for accuracy, it would be best if your rifle and ammo can shoot at least 3/4 of an inch or smaller at 50 yards.

Lever guns, tube feeders, single shots, and pump action rifles can all be used in Long Gong, but for the sake of time, it helps to move the match along and these rifles should be avoided as they take time to load, fire, or sometime lacks the accuracy that you will need to compete against the modern options. Open sites are only for bad asses that have a gift from Zeus on Olympus or fight crime with the Avengers. If anyone can consistently hit an 8'‘gong or smaller with a 22LR outfitted with open sights at 300 yards, then who am I to tell you what to do? You are incredible and I would love to shake your hand!

OPTICS

Optics are a personal choice as well, but necessary to compete and contend with the top shooters in the match. In an effort to avoid going down the long and winding road of what optic is best, look for these features…

Good glass— When shooting long range with a 22LR, it helps to be able to see your target clearly, as well as your hits and misses. I won’t tell you what constitutes good glass by quoting coatings or country of origin but find an optic that looks clear edge to edge with very little to no darkness on the edges of the reticle when looking through your eyepiece.

Holdover reticles— This isn’t a deal breaker, but holdover dashes or dots allow the shooter to stay on the reticle after the shot and see where the shot lands, and make the necessary adjustments with the reticle, instead of adjusting the elevation and or windage turrets. The wind will constantly be changing, and adjusting the windage turret can cause you to over adjust as the wind shifts. Once your elevation turret is dialed and your rifle is doped for 300 yards, you shouldn’t have to adjust it either. Just make the adjustments with the reticle holdovers.

Magnification— Not necessary to have a ton of magnification, but many shooters choose to run higher magnification optics when competing in Long Gong because it can be helpful when taking aim at the 4” gong. any optic that has a magnification range of 10x will work well, but it may be helpful to run 18x or higher.

Optic mounting— Although it should go without saying, having an optic that is level with your rifle can make a huge difference at 300 yards. Scope mounts or rings that don’t hold true to the rifle will hold your accuracy back and can cost you a match. Mount your optic with quality rings or mounts from a manufacture with a good reputation. If possible, Wish.com and amazon rings should be avoided at all costs!

Turrets— Competition scope turrets are an important piece of a good optic. Capped turrets with dials that need to be adjusted with a tool or coin are not the best to use if you need to make on the fly adjustments during a match.

Ammunition….

Another rabbit hole of epic proportions, this topic will vary tremendously by shooter as to what rimfire ammo is the best. But in all reality, the question of what ammo is best really comes down to two things: What shoots best in your particular rifle, and how much do you want to spend.

The competitors at our matches are no different than the ones found throughout the world shooting LONG GONG. We have serious competition shooters, shooters out to have a good time, those with inexpensive rifles and optics, base rifles, custom over the top “no expense spared” rifles, and good ‘ol boys with classics that will shoot anything you feed it. Outside of the classic" “ ‘ol boy” rifles, every rifle on the firing line shoots different ammo differently down their barrel and down the range. In my experience, the only way to know what your rifle can shoot and what it is capable of is to get as many types as possible of ammunition you can, and simply shoot it. It is helpful to do this in the conditions that are most consistent at your range, with as little wind as possible. I like to zero at 50 yards with 3 to 5 shot groups, three groups at a time per ammo choice with “fouler” shots between ammo choices. As the groups average out, I choose the two or three top performers and then shot 10 shot groups, again at 50 yards, one or two per ammunition choice. I then take the same ammunition to 100 yards and measure the accuracy between them. Regardless of whether or not you choose my method, developing one of you own for finding the right ammo for your rifle will save you money, time and frustration as you get to know your rifle.

After I find the best grouping ammo, it is helpful to shoot it though a chronograph with the ability to give you the muzzle velocity, extreme spread, and standard deviation or S.D. This will help you get the data you need to build an ammo and rifle profile that will help you find your dope and get your rifle set up to hit targets at 300 yards. This should be more helpful than assuming that an ammunition will work for you because it worked for someone else.

That being said, high end 22LR ammunition companies like SK, RWS, ELEY, and LAPUA that make “match grade ammo” aren’t doing it just to be able to sell it at higher prices… They have put a lot of research into building the most accurate 22LR ammunition they can. In my experience, those efforts have paid off with lower SDs, tighter extreme spreads and more consistent velocities on average than lower cost bulk ammunition. It shows up on the target as well, providing better groups at zero and beyond. The biggest downside to these match grade rounds is cost and availability. They are extremely pricey in many cases, and that isn’t helped by low availability which drives the price higher with more demand.

In short, get the ammunition you can reasonably find and spend what you are willing to afford. Then, shoot it and find the best one for your rifle. Your shooting pals will have ideas and experience to help you get to a starting point. The rest is up to you and your rifle.

Scoring

The game has a very simple scoring structure, developed rather quickly and then improved by Rob and his buddies as LONG GONG evolved. 10 shots per string, 5 strings per game— 50 shots total for the match. From the LONG GONG page’s official rules:

Scoring is kept rather effortlessly, and Rob has even developed a scoring sheet that is available on his Facebook page. If you love details and information about the string, round or match, he has provided all the necessary space to add the match date, location, starting time/temp, finish time/temp and weather conditions for the day. Each round records the shooters every individual shot for the string, and the total string score with a spot for round carry-over. It’s a great way to keep score and match details for comparison with future matches.

We started with this system, but due to time constraints with our match, club, and range, we needed a way to speed up the game and still keep score. We ended up changing the time clock per round from 3 minutes to 90 seconds, keeping the shooter on the glass and moving the match along. Next, we stopped recording each individual shot, rather the spotter verbally and audibly tallied the score as the shooter moved through his string like this:

(As shooter takes his first shot at the 8” target worth 1 point) Impact, one! (As shooter moved to the 6” target worth 2 points) Impact, three! (As shooter moved to the 4” target worth 3 points) Impact, six! etc.

This would be done throughout the string, only audibly calling hits, and staying silent on misses until the string was completed. We required each shooter to load their magazines with ten rounds only so that the spotter wouldn’t have to count rounds and could focus on impacts. Most spotters got the hang of the simple quick math, and these calls were recorded by a RO (Range Officer) on a score sheet that was shortened to the shooters name and match round score. After round one, the second and proceeding rounds started with the carry-over score from the last round, and the carry-over and current round were added together, then written down at the start of the next round. This sped up our match, made it easier on the spotter and RO and kept the scoring simple. The match took very little time, and our largest match of 14 shooters was over in less than 1 hour, allowing shooters to have a little bit more of their weekend with the family or other activities. This is a huge benefit to the game of LONG GONG, because it is easily modified to fit the time appropriated for the match. We also added a second target group so that we could run two shooters at the same time, saving time in the overall match session.

Play the Game!

LONG GONG is taking off for a reason. Although there isn’t an official organization yet that anchors the movement, there is a Facebook page run by the Godfather himself that serves as the “official headquarters” of the LONG GONG world. I’ve talked to Rob many times in texts, emails and phone calls throughout the infancy of my LONG GONG journey as I have tried to establish a competitive series at the local range. He is an easy-going guy and is excited with the growth and success of LONG GONG. He has mentioned many times the thrill that comes from watching this game grow, and is amazed at how it has started a life of its own, growing across the US and Canada, and is now popping up across the globe. Give him a follow and add your own experiences to the page! Feel free to add any comments below and share your experiences!

What To Know About LONG GONG

BASE CLASS OPTICS