Max Michel Sets New Guinness World Record

by
posted on January 10, 2017
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
max1.jpg

Team SIG Captain Max Michel has written himself into the history books by establishing a new Guinness World Record for action pistol shooting. The ultimate authority in record-breaking achievements, Guinness World Records recognizes Michel with the fastest speed for hitting six target plates with a 9mm handgunwhich he did in 2.05 seconds.

"Since he began shooting at 5 years old, Max has won numerous world, national and regional titles in a variety of shooting sports disciplines," said Tom Taylor, chief marketing officer and executive vice president, Commercial Sales. "While Max's skill and proficiency with a pistol is well known in the shooting sports world, his latest performance transcends the competitive arena and places it squarely in the public domain. There are many great shooters out there, but a Guinness World Record title adds documented validity and notoriety, elevating Max's credentials to an even higher level of distinction."

To establish the new Guinness World Record, Michel used his personal full-size SIG Sauer P320 in 9mm topped with a ROMEO3 mini reflex sight and fueled by SIG Sauer Elite Performance Ammunition. In a feat never before accomplished, Michel successfully engaged an official Action Target plate rack consisting of six adjacent shooting plates measuring 8-inches in diameter at a distance of 7 meters. Under the guidelines of Guinness World Records, Michel was given three attempts in which to set the world record. Witnessed by an approved Guinness World Records judge and verified by two experienced timekeepers, Michel's attempt was also photographed and recorded on video (To watch Michel's world record performance, please visit RecoilTV). Michel completed the course of fire while shooting at the state-of-the-art SIG Sauer Academy in Epping, NH.

"Growing up, I remember seeing the Guinness Book of World Records and wanting to be a part of it," said Michel. "To receive its stamp of approval and to be recognized by your peers is one of the biggest honors I could imagine. Now, after finally having the chance to achieve a world record, I consider it to be one of the major highlights in my 25 years of competitive shooting."

Michel continued, "Perhaps one of the biggest joys I've experienced since setting the Guinness World Record has been the feedback I've received from my kids. For years I've been telling them about certain matches, how I performed and what it meant to me, but to see their reaction when I showed them the certificate from Guinness was truly unbelievable. I'm extremely blessed to have this opportunity and I look forward to seeing how my fellow competitors and recreational shooters respond to this new challenge. I hope it encourages them to set their own records as I will certainly be ready to match their performance whenever the time comes."

Latest

2026 Gatorcupsportingclays 1A
2026 Gatorcupsportingclays 1A

Gator Cup Returns to Back Woods Quail Club with Beretta DT11 Giveaway

The 2026 Gator Cup at Back Woods Quail Club in South Carolina runs March 24-29, featuring eight events, guaranteed payouts and a Beretta DT11 giveaway.

New: Springfield Armory XD Mod.4 OSP

Springfield Armory’s XD Mod.4 OSP is a 9 mm striker-fired pistol with a factory-milled optics-ready slide, flat-face trigger and passive grip safety, shipping in 16-round and 10-round configurations at $399.

Mark The Milestone: Federal’s America 250th Commemorative Loads Have Arrived

Federal Ammunition’s America 250th commemorative line is shipping now with five loads across the American Eagle, Top Gun and Champion families, priced from $12.99 to $74.99.

West Virginia Claims NCAA Air Rifle Team Title With Record-Tying 2395

WVU matches NCAA air rifle team record with 2395, powered by three 599 scores from Lake, Muller and Kocher, to win discipline title by eight points.

NRA America’s Rifle Challenge: Kyle Lamb’s Guide to Zeroing Your Rifle for ARC

Kyle Lamb zeroes three rifles across ARC’s Stock, Limited and Open divisions, then demonstrates height-over-bore holds at 10 yards and mil-based elevation dials out to 384 yards.

Anderson Shares Singles Title After 450-Target Marathon at Southern Grand American

Weston Anderson and Ricky Marshall, Jr., declared Singles Co-Champions after breaking 450 consecutive targets at 2026 Southern Grand American.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.