For decades, Steve and Shirley McGee have been competing in high-powered rifle marksmanship all over the world, and while they are on a team together, the couple also competes against each other for overall scores.
“She’s a great shooter and it’s always good competing with and against her,” Steve McGee said of his wife. “I have trouble beating her; she’s gotten pretty good. Most of the time, it’s about whichever one of us makes the mistake that will allow the other one to win.”
The McGees live in Ellsworth County between Brookville and Ellsworth. They were both educators in Salina at one time. Shirley taught special education at Oakdale Elementary and Steve taught auto mechanics at Salina Area Technical College. Both have been shooting for quite some time. Steve began when he was 14 years old as a member of the Sunflower Junior Rifle Club administered by the Saline County Sheriff and deputies. He competed in his first high power rifle match in 1976.
“We actually shot .22s in the basement of the Mowery Clinic in Salina,” he said.
Shirley began in 1988. She tagged along to her husband’s competitions and noticed women among the competitors. That was all she needed to give it a try, and it became a big part of their lives from there.
“We moved into Ellsworth County in 1999 so we could have a place to practice shooting,” Steve said. “What we like about competing is challenging ourselves to keep getting better and the camaraderie with shooters from all over the country and the world.”
On May 27 and 28, the couple traveled to the annual Minnesota Mid-Range Rifle Championships held at the Northstar Rifle Club in Red Wing, Minn. Over a two-day period, they shot in seven matches. Each consisted of 20 shots at 600 yards. Two were shot with telescopic sights while the rest were shot with aperture or open sights.
Adding to their many accolades, Steve became the state champion with a score of 1,387-76X out of a possible score of 1,400. Shirley fired a score of 1,372-62X to place fourth.
“Some of the greatest challenges are compensating for the constantly changing wind at longer distances,” Steve explained. “Sometimes you change your sight settings on the rifle almost every shot at 1,000 yards. You keep looking at wind flags that are placed downrange to help judge the strength and direction of the wind and look through a spotting scope to watch the mirage, which is actually an excellent wind indicator.”
While an amazing accomplishment, this is not their first by far. The couple is what you could call a power couple in the sport, each sporting a number of wins, not just in the United States, but abroad as well.
“Shirley and I are both firing members of the United States National Rifle Team and have shot in two World Long Range Championships, one being in Brisbane, Australia,” Steve said.
The McGees are members of the United States National Rifle Team, earning spots by shooting in tryouts in different parts of the country. From this team, they tried out for positions to shoot in the World Championships. The World Championships took the place of the Olympics in Long Range Shooting, and are held every four years in a different country.
“We were both fortunate to qualify to represent the U.S. in the 2011 Worlds,” he said. “We competed in both team and individual events. The team brought home the silver medals in the individual matches. I won the silver for the total of the 800-yard matches and was 30th overall out of the 386 competitors from six countries. Shirley was also doing well, but had to shoot one match in a blinding rain, which knocked her out of the running for the total.”
They have both been the Kansas State Champion more than once. Steve has been state champion in six other states as well. Both have won national titles in both individual and team competitions. They also tried out for the team going to the 2015 Worlds, which was to be held at Camp Perry, Ohio. Steve made it and assisted the U.S. team in winning the gold in the team matches, the first time a U.S. team has been world champions for many years. The team, made up of individuals ages 60 and older, competed against teams from Australia, Canada and Great Britain. The competition also helped him achieve the NRA International Distinguished Badge.
“Shirley was struggling with her vision, due to cataracts forming, and went along for support for the team,” Steve said.
While Shirley was at a visual disadvantage, nothing else has stood in the way of her marksmanship accomplish

ments. She, along with Steve, has achieved a highly-coveted honor —the Distinguished Rifleman Badge. It has to be shot with a civilian version of a military rifle and only the top 10 percent earn points in each match. Steve earned his in 1990 and Shirley earned hers in 2008.   
“The sport is very unique in that women are not at a disadvantage in competing. Some of the best rifle competitors in the U.S. are women,” Shirley said.  
She is a testament to that, as she won the prestigious Remington 1,000-yard trophy in 2017 and became the National Woman Long Range Champion.  
“The other thing is that age doesn’t take its toll as much as it does in other sports,” Steve said. “In many ways, it’s a ‘seeing contest.’”
The McGees are fortunate that Steve’s vision is correctable to 20-10 and Shirley’s is 20-15.  “Something else that sets it apart from other types of competitions is competitors’ willingness to help each other out of problems,” he said. “A lot of things can go wrong, and if someone’s rifle malfunctions, several other shooters always step up to loan rifles or ammunition or whatever’s needed.”
These are not accomplishments that have been gained overnight. The amount of commitment the McGees have dedicated to the sport goes beyond time — it involves money as well.
“It’s not for everyone. The support just isn’t there like it is in other sports,” Steve said. “We spent over $12,000 on the trip to Australia. The NRA paid for some of the expenses and a few bullet and powder manufacturers chipped in a little and we were fortunate the Central Kansas Gun Club in Hutchinson had a benefit match for us to help with expenses.”
Both of the McGees’ children have shot at the national level with them. Their daughter won High Collegiate and High Junior at nationals, and their son won High Junior and was the Kansas State Highpower Champion in 1996.
With their age, they are traveling less, but still hope to continue competing in the future. Despite being in their 70s, the duo say they hope to continue competing.
“We’re going to do this as long as our health will allow us and as long as we continue to enjoy it, because we really do love it,” Shirley said.