The Long Stretch sends Franklin, Lamar and Stretch into a deal at the recycling plant that turns into an ambush. Gold requires controlled shooting as well as a quick escape: ten headshot kills, at least 60% accuracy, minimal damage and a finish within 10:30. Keep the team together throughout the mission.
Step-by-step walkthrough
-
Buy the Pump Shotgun and flashlight
Leave the house with Lamar and Stretch and drive to Ammu-Nation. At the counter, select the Pump Shotgun and purchase its flashlight attachment. Check that the attachment objective has cleared before walking out. Browse optional upgrades on a different visit if you are attempting the time medal.
-
Meet the contact inside the recycling plant
Drive to the marked plant in La Puerta. Park behind the building, use the entrance near the dumpsters and follow your companions upstairs. Stay with them until the meeting scene begins. Their deaths or abandonment can fail the mission, so this is not a section to explore alone.
-
Fight through the ambush from cover
Use the crates, walls and doorways as cover while the group works towards the exit. Aim before firing and move only after the immediate route is clear. For headshots, settle the reticle on the enemy’s head rather than repeatedly firing at torso height. Reload behind cover so you do not reach the next doorway with an empty weapon. Keep moving with the group as the building catches fire.
Franklin takes cover during the recycling plant ambush. Illustration. -
Leave the yard with Lamar and Stretch
Outside, deal with the police helicopter if it has a clear firing line on you. A carefully aimed shot at the pilot is more useful than spraying rounds into the aircraft. Follow Lamar and Stretch along the escape route over the rooftops and down to the street. Find a vehicle with room for all three and wait for your companions to board.
-
Break police contact and return home
Leave the search area using side roads and turns that break the police line of sight. Franklin’s driving ability helps with tight gaps and corners, but does not automatically remove the wanted level. Watch the search cones, stay out of sight until the stars disappear, then take Lamar and Stretch back to Franklin’s house.
Gold medal checklist
- Accuracy: Finish with at least 60% shooting accuracy. Avoid speculative shots at distant or obscured targets.
- Headshots: Kill at least ten enemies with headshots. Line up opportunities during the indoor fight.
- Unmarked: Complete with minimal damage to health and armour. Use cover and avoid lingering in the helicopter’s line of fire.
- Time: Finish within 10:30. Skip cutscenes on a replay and focus on a clean police escape.
Common questions
Do I have to use the shotgun for every kill?
The purchase and flashlight are mission objectives. The medal checklist measures headshots, accuracy, damage and time; it does not require all kills to use one weapon.
Why won’t the wanted level clear?
A pursuer may still have a view of your vehicle. Break sight first, then avoid the search cones. Driving straight back to Franklin’s house while wanted does not complete the escape.
What happens next
The starting marker belongs to Franklin. If it is absent, finish his earlier Chop and Father/Son progression and check the other available early jobs, including Friend Request. The order of available character missions can vary.