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Tactical Life Shooting Sports Blog
June 22, 2023
NRA World Shooting Championships Set for April 2024
One of the rare, large cash payout matches is back! The National Rifle Association announced the return of the NRA World Shooting Championship, presented by Walther Arms. Back on the docket for April 4-6, 2024, the event resumes at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. And if you want to shoot this match, you would be advised to jump all over the registration. The NRA World Shooting Championship promises cash and prizes totaling more than $250,000. Better still, the champion takes home $25,000!
“NRA’s storied history of organizing and executing premier shooting competitions will continue next spring as top shooters convene in Indiana for the NRA World Shooting Championship,” said Joseph P. DeBergalis, Jr., executive director of NRA General Operations. “Competitors of every background and skill level, whether a professional or amateur shooter, will be challenged through a variety of shooting disciplines with the goal of being declared the ‘World’s Greatest Shooter.’ NRA is excited for the return of this highly popular championship, and we are grateful for the support from Walther Arms and our partners in the state of Indiana.”
Indiana’s first lady, Janet Holcomb, will help kick-off this historic event. She will be joined by executives from Walther Arms, NRA officials and board members, and Indiana State Rifle and Pistol Association President Charlie Hiltunen.
Big Support in Return Match
“The NRA World Shooting Championship is the ultimate challenge for competitors in any shooting discipline, and I was absolutely thrilled to learn that Indiana will play host in 2024,” said Janet Holcomb, the First Lady of the State of Indiana. “Camp Atterbury continues to expand its facilities and capacity for events of this nature, making it the perfect location for this elite competition. I know for certain that spectators, and competitors from around the globe, will be greeted with two things; an immensely challenging course of fire, and the Hoosier Hospitality that is the trademark of our great state.”
“The Indiana State Rifle and Pistol Association is proud to be a part of the NRA World Shooting Championship, which is one of the greatest competitive shooting events in the world,” said Charlie Hiltunen, Indiana State Rifle & Pistol Association president and NRA board member. “NRA and ISRPA, the state affiliate of the NRA, working with the state of Indiana, Indiana National Guard, and our amazing shooting competition and youth shooting sports community are laying the foundation for establishing Indiana as the Shooting Sports Capital of the World!”
“Walther is involved in a wide array of competitive shooting sports, and we are thrilled to support this event and the range of competitions which it represents,” said Rob McCanna, president and CEO of Walther Arms, INC. “Support for the shooting community and support for the NRA go hand-in-hand and we look forward to the return of this one-of-a-kind competition.”
Format & Registration
The match format provides all firearms, optics and ammunition to the competitors. This format levels the field while also highlighting key match supporters and sponsors. Competitors will compete in 12 stages of fire spanning multiple shooting sport disciplines. But know this, 3-Gunners dominated this competition in the past, and we fully expect that to continue.
Registration opens Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023 at 1 PM ET; the portal will then go live at https://competitor.nra.org. In the meantime, contact Steve Kupcha, managing director of NRA Corporate Partnerships, for more information, at SKupcha@nrahq.org.
Bruce Piatt Wins Inaugural CMP Bianchi Cup, 7th Bianchi Title Overall
During the 2023 Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) Bianchi Cup International Pistol Tournament, Bruce Piatt, 62, of Damascus, PA, made history as he earned the overall National Champion title and his seventh Bianchi Cup – 30 years after he earned his first. His 2023 victory marked Piatt as the competitor with the most wins in the Bianchi Cup’s existence, though surpassed by Practical Open Event winner Douglas Koenig, 54, of Deland, FL, who holds 19 wins in his career.
The CMP Bianchi Cup International Pistol Tournament, the second longest running pistol championship in the world, was held May 23-26, 2023, at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club in Missouri. Though the CMP Bianchi Cup has been an annual event since 1979, this year was the first time the match was hosted by the CMP.
Title sponsor MidwayUSA and many other generous sponsors provided tremendous support as over 135 individuals participated in the CMP Bianchi Cup, including several international competitors from Australia, Barbados, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland.
“The 2023 CMP Bianchi Cup went great!” said CMP pistol coordinator, Jim Henderson. “It was my privilege to be part of the behind-the-scenes workings for this awesome event! Darren Maher and all the Green Valley R&P staff were the best crew I’ve had the pleasure to work with in a long time. Pat Cooper and her army of volunteers did an absolutely fantastic job, and this event would not have happened if it weren’t for those two groups of amazing people.”
CMP Bianchi Cup Match Format
The CMP Bianchi Cup is comprised of four events: the Practical Event, Moving Target (Mover) Event, Barricade Event, and the Falling Plates Event. Competitors shoot from both standing and prone positions and are also required to shoot with strong and weak hands at various stages. There are no makeup shots in the CMP Bianchi Cup, adding to its difficulty. Competitors fire in Open, Metallic, Production and Production Optic classes within each event.
Mark Blake, 52, traveled across the world from Australia’s Huon Creek to win the Open Championship title while obtaining the overall win in the Moving Target event. Special congratulations also goes to Roman Hauber, 57, who traveled from Regensburg, Germany, to claim the Mover Metallic win. U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s (USAMU) SFC Ryan Franks, 35, of Ellerslie, GA, won the Metallic category in the Practical and Barricade events.
Leading the Production class was USAMU teammate SSG Christopher Hudock, 33, of Columbus, GA, who earned wins in all four events, while fellow teammate SSG Anthony Heinauer, 26, of Fort Benning, GA, earned the Production Optic title. Through their talented athletes (SSG Hudock, SFC Franks, SSG Heinauer and SSG Walter Johnson), the USAMU claimed the 4-Man team match.
More Top Performers
Benito Martinez, 44, of Albuquerque, NM, brought home the Open win in the Falling Plates match. Meanwhile the Production Optic classes were led by Simon Golob, 48, of Kearney, MO (Practical), SSG Heinauer (Mover) and Seiichi Ishikawa, 52, of Montebello, CA (Barricade).
“I’d like to thank all the competitors for coming to the 2023 CMP Bianchi Cup,” Henderson added. “I know there are a few small things we can polish for next year, and I very much appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we move forward into a new era for this historic event. I can safely say that the CMP and I are very much looking forward to many more years of this great championship!”
Other top athletes at the 2023 CMP Bianchi Cup included SFC Sally Talbott, 46, of Columbia, SC. She won the Overall Woman Championship. Troy Mattheyer, 60, of Ellis, KS, earned the John Cameron Memorial Senior title. Finally, Vance Schmid, 72, of Marion, IL, won the Grand Senior Champion.
Overall Winners of the 2023 CMP Bianchi Cup:
Practical Results:
- Open: Douglas Koenig, 54, Deland, FL – 480-47X
- Metallic: SFC Ryan Franks, 35, Ellerslie, GA – 480-34X
- Production: SSG Christopher Hudock, 33, Columbus, GA – 469-26X
- Production Optic: Simon Golob, 48, Kearney, MO – 480-33X
Mover Results:
- Open: Mark Blake, 52, Huon Creek, Australia – 480-39X
- Metallic: Roman Hauber, 57, Regensburg, Germany – 476-27X
- Production: SSG Christopher Hudock, 33, Columbus, GA – 478-23X
- Production Optic: SSG Anthony Heinauer, 26, Fort Benning, GA – 480-32X
Barricade Results:
- 1st: SSG Walter Johnson, 29, of Pine Mountain, GA – 480-48X
- 2nd: Brett Foster, 46, Bundabert, Queensland, Australia – 480-48X
- 3rd: Stephen Stewart, 50, Carlock, IL – 480-48X
Falling Plates Results:
- 1st: Benito Martinez, 44, Albuquerque, NM – 480-48X
- 2nd: SSG Walter Johnson, 29, of Pine Mountain, GA – 480-48X
- 3rd: SSG Anthony Heinauer, 26, of Fort Benning, GA – 480-48X
2-Man Team:
- Metallic: BDMP – 1848-121X
- Production Optic: Team DHS – 1887-118X
- International Team: Pistol Australia 1 – 1920-180X
4-Man Team:
- USAMU Blue (SSG Christopher Hudock, SFC Ryan Franks, SSG Anthony Heinauer, SSG Walter Johnson) – 1916-143X
Special Categories:
- Military Veteran Champion – Mark Blake, 1920-178X
- Law Enforcement Champion – Bruce Piatt, 1920-178X
- Active Service Champion – SSG Walter Johnson, 1918-172X
- Revolver Champion – Steve Weathersby, 1914-154X
- International Champion – Mark Blake, 1920-178X
International Championship Awards:
- Grand Senior Champion: Vance Schmid, 1918-157X
- John Cameron Memorial Senior Champion: Troy Mattheyer, 1916-154X
- Roger E. Hawkins Memorial Junior National Champion: Malcolm Itzstein, 1892-142X
- Woman National Champion: Sally Talbot, 1889-152X
- Metallic National Champion: SFC Ryan Franks, USA, 1914-141X
- Production National Champion: SSG Christopher Hudock, USA, 1901-128X
- Production Optic National Champion: SSG Anthony Heinauer, 1916-146X
Open National National Champion:
- Mark Blake, 1920-178X
National Action Pistol Championships National Champion:
- Bruce Piatt, 1920-178X
– story by Ashley Dugan, CMP Writer
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