Kiyly Elledge

A Wilkes County seventh-grader, Kiyly Elledge, recently became the youngest female sharpshooter to hit a target a mile away.
Kiyly, the 13-year-old daughter of Chuck and Regina Elledge of North Wilkesboro, accomplished the feat Sunday, Jan. 6 (five days before her 13th birthday), in Kimbolton, Ohio, the site of the closest one-mile shooting range to Wilkes County. She made two clean hits on the 16”X16” target despite freezing temperatures, sustained winds of 10 mph and gusts up to 25 mph, and 8 inches of snow on the ground.
Dave Lauck, the owner of the Small Arms Training Academy (SATA) in Arizona and the founder of the One Mile Club (OMC), agreed to make Kiyly an honorary member of the OMC.
Previously the youngest woman to have hit the target at that distance was 40. The record for a male was also set by a 12-year-old.
Kiyly warmed up on the 1,000-yard range with multiple rifles to set her sights to adjust for the wind. Her father has a remote weather station to measure wind speed, but the two had to do some guesswork when the station malfunctioned.
One at the one-mile range, Kiyly took two practice shots and then made four “official” shots, hitting the target on the third and fourth attempts.
“The wind was affecting the flight of the bullets, so I had to change the sights several times,” she said. “Every time we got it dialed in, the wind would change, and we would have to adjust again. It was also very cold (27 degrees), and I was shooting from a prone position.”
It didn’t take long for Kiyly to know that the shots had hit the target. With a muzzle speed of over 2,600 feet per second, the bullets (hand-loaded by her father) reached the target in two seconds, or 2.5 times the speed of sound. Elledge was watching the target through a high-powered spotting scope and told his daughter she had been on target.
“When my dad told me I had hit the target, and then when I heard the sound of the bullet hitting the metal, I was on my feet and jumping around,” she said. “It was a great feeling.”
The 16”X16” target, she said, “looked like it was about 1”X1” at that distance,” said Kiyly. “The scope on the rifle was set at 25 power magnification, but the target still looked very small.”
According to Kiyly, “The first shot was dedicated to my father, and the second was for my family. They have all been very supportive.”
Elledge said he contacted the publishers of “Guinness World Records” about including the feat, “but they wanted about $600 to publish it,” he said. “We decided against it.”
Shooting since the age of 7
Kiyly has been shooting since the age of 7.
“I had always seen my father working with his guns and hand-loading the ammo,” she said. “One day I watched him dialing in his scope, and I knew then that was wanted to try my hand at shooting.”
Her dad noted that shooting was only a part of the training.
“Responsible gun ownership starts with safety, and that has been woven into my daughters since the beginning.”
“The idea of shooting a mile came to me about four years ago, but I only started working on it about two months ago,” she added. “I asked my dad about it. When he said that I could, then I knew that I could finally show my parents what I could do with a gun.”
The rifle used for the one-mile shot was a custom-made 338 Lapua Magnum built by Steve Roe. All the rounds were hand-loaded by her father.
Kiyly trained for the attempt in Iredell County at the facility of Ray and Shannon Lowman. The Lowmans have a range with targets up to 1,000 yards. Kiyly initially made these shots from a bench, but transitioned to shooting prone.
“Kiyly is like a machine when she shoots,” said her dad. “Her mechanics are very good, and they are exactly the same every time she prepares to shoot.”
What does future hold?
So where does Kiyly want to go with her shooting success?
“I’d like to get a scholarship for a college shooting team,” she said. “My second dream is to become one of the best female shooters to ever live. I want to take this to another level because I enjoy it so much.”
Darrell Buell, the captain of the USA F/TR (long-range shooting) Team is encouraging Kiyly to shoot in this disciple. She will start that completion this year.
Though she may be well known some day, she is keeping a low profile now.
“I don’t share my shooting experiences with my friends at school,” she said. “I take this very personally. I don’t want anyone to laugh about it. Also, even talk of guns scares some young people, and I don’t want anyone to be scared.”
Kiyly has been deer hunting with her dad several times but has yet to take a shot.
“My dad likes to say I’m picky, and he’s right,” she said. “I’m not going to shoot the first thing I see. I’m waiting for a big one before I take that first shot.”
Younger sister next?
There’s another young marksman in the Elledge family.
Kiyly’s sister, Makayla, is 11, and began shooting a year after her sister started. She is now interested in shooting a mile, but there are no plans for her to break her sister’s mark. Instead, she hopes to match it...exactly.
“If Makayla were to beat her sister’s mark, it would be World War III here in the house,” said Elledge. So if Makayla wants to try for the mark, we we’ll go back to the range in Ohio Feb. 10, 2014, five days before Makayla’s 13th birthday. Kiyly hit her shot at 1:16 p.m., so that’s when Makayla will shoot next year so that everything will be exactly the same.”

— Charles S. Williams, "Teenage sharpshooter". Wilkes Journal-Patriot, Wednesday, January 16, 2013.

Kiyly Elledge

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	A Wilkes County seventh-grader, Kiyly Elledge, recently became the youngest female sharpshooter to hit a target a mile away. Kiyly, the 13-year-old daughter of Chuck and Regina Elledge of North Wilkesboro, accomplished the feat Sunday, Jan. 6 (five days before her 13th birthday), in Kimbolton, Ohio, the site of the closest one-mile shooting range to Wilkes County. She made two clean hits on the 16”X16” target despite freezing temperatures, sustained winds of 10 mph and gusts up to 25 mph, and 8 inches of snow on the ground. Dave Lauck, the owner of the Small Arms Training Academy (SATA) in Arizona and the founder of the One Mile Club (OMC), agreed to make Kiyly an honorary member of the OMC. Previously the youngest woman to have hit the target at that distance was 40. The record for a male was also set by a 12-year-old. Kiyly warmed up on the 1,000-yard range with multiple rifles to set her sights to adjust for the wind. Her father has a remote weather station to measure wind speed, but the two had to do some guesswork when the station malfunctioned. One at the one-mile range, Kiyly took two practice shots and then made four “official” shots, hitting the target on the third and fourth attempts. “The wind was affecting the flight of the bullets, so I had to change the sights several times,” she said. “Every time we got it dialed in, the wind would change, and we would have to adjust again. It was also very cold (27 degrees), and I was shooting from a prone position.” It didn’t take long for Kiyly to know that the shots had hit the target. With a muzzle speed of over 2,600 feet per second, the bullets (hand-loaded by her father) reached the target in two seconds, or 2.5 times the speed of sound. Elledge was watching the target through a high-powered spotting scope and told his daughter she had been on target. “When my dad told me I had hit the target, and then when I heard the sound of the bullet hitting the metal, I was on my feet and jumping around,” she said. “It was a great feeling.” The 16”X16” target, she said, “looked like it was about 1”X1” at that distance,” said Kiyly. “The scope on the rifle was set at 25 power magnification, but the target still looked very small.” According to Kiyly, “The first shot was dedicated to my father, and the second was for my family. They have all been very supportive.” Elledge said he contacted the publishers of “Guinness World Records” about including the feat, “but they wanted about $600 to publish it,” he said. “We decided against it.” Shooting since the age of 7 Kiyly has been shooting since the age of 7. “I had always seen my father working with his guns and hand-loading the ammo,” she said. “One day I watched him dialing in his scope, and I knew then that was wanted to try my hand at shooting.” Her dad noted that shooting was only a part of the training. “Responsible gun ownership starts with safety, and that has been woven into my daughters since the beginning.” “The idea of shooting a mile came to me about four years ago, but I only started working on it about two months ago,” she added. “I asked my dad about it. When he said that I could, then I knew that I could finally show my parents what I could do with a gun.” The rifle used for the one-mile shot was a custom-made 338 Lapua Magnum built by Steve Roe. All the rounds were hand-loaded by her father. Kiyly trained for the attempt in Iredell County at the facility of Ray and Shannon Lowman. The Lowmans have a range with targets up to 1,000 yards. Kiyly initially made these shots from a bench, but transitioned to shooting prone. “Kiyly is like a machine when she shoots,” said her dad. “Her mechanics are very good, and they are exactly the same every time she prepares to shoot.” What does future hold? So where does Kiyly want to go with her shooting success? “I’d like to get a scholarship for a college shooting team,” she said. “My second dream is to become one of the best female shooters to ever live. I want to take this to another level because I enjoy it so much.” Darrell Buell, the captain of the USA F/TR (long-range shooting) Team is encouraging Kiyly to shoot in this disciple. She will start that completion this year. Though she may be well known some day, she is keeping a low profile now. “I don’t share my shooting experiences with my friends at school,” she said. “I take this very personally. I don’t want anyone to laugh about it. Also, even talk of guns scares some young people, and I don’t want anyone to be scared.” Kiyly has been deer hunting with her dad several times but has yet to take a shot. “My dad likes to say I’m picky, and he’s right,” she said. “I’m not going to shoot the first thing I see. I’m waiting for a big one before I take that first shot.” Younger sister next? There’s another young marksman in the Elledge family. Kiyly’s sister, Makayla, is 11, and began shooting a year after her sister started. She is now interested in shooting a mile, but there are no plans for her to break her sister’s mark. Instead, she hopes to match it...exactly. “If Makayla were to beat her sister’s mark, it would be World War III here in the house,” said Elledge. So if Makayla wants to try for the mark, we we’ll go back to the range in Ohio Feb. 10, 2014, five days before Makayla’s 13th birthday. Kiyly hit her shot at 1:16 p.m., so that’s when Makayla will shoot next year so that everything will be exactly the same.”
— Charles S. Williams, "Teenage sharpshooter". Wilkes Journal-Patriot, Wednesday, January 16, 2013.