Michelle Chestnut rocks the big iron.

Watch out boys, she might be tiny, but she's still strong and mighty!

Not just another cute girl holding a gun for a photo, Michelle Chestnut is a two time world champion, having shot a record high score of 291 at the FCSA World Championship Match in 2011. Since she was only 17 at the time, had she been listed as an adult in the match she would have won 3 more separate categories because she out shot many of the older competitors. Her shooting skill and prowess have earned her the nickname “The Iron Maiden".

She is capable of 1,000 yard shots and is sponsored by Barrett and other companies. Considering the Barrett rifles she uses tips the scales in at a little over 30 lbs without optics, it weighs 1/3 of her own body weight.


A little more info on Michelle, via the Barrett blog website:

Barrett rifles helped take home eight awards at the Fifty Caliber Shooter’s Association 2013 World Championships, including two 1st place trophies.  The shooters were Jeff Burch, Darik Bollig, Eduardo de Fontcuberta and Michelle Chestnut.  The event was held July 4-6 at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico.

Out of 22 shooters in the 600 Yard Practical event, Barrett shooters captured three of the top five spots.  Burch earned 1st place with a score of 146 and 6x, Bollig placed 3rd scoring 139 and 3x, and Eduardo de Fontcuberta took 5th place tallying 134 and 4x.  In this event the shooters could use either a semi-auto or bolt gun.  Both Burch and Bolig selected a Model 99 with Leupold Mark 8, while de Fontcuberta chose the M107A1 with Leupold Mark 4.

In the 600 Yard Semi-Auto class, Barrett shooters took 2 of the top five positions.  While firing the M107A1 with a Leupold Mark 4, de Fontcuberta earned 1st with 137 and 2x, and Chestnut placed 5th scoring 107 and 0x.

Chestnut was also awarded the Iron Maiden trophy for shooting in all 4 events – a feat in itself due to spending an entire day shouldering .50 cal recoil.

Finally, Michelle via her Facebook page, looking cool.