Professional exhibition shooter Steve Gould shattered multiple long-distance clay target records using the Benelli ETHOS SuperSport A.I. shotgun and Federal ammunition, culminating in breaking a clay target at a certified 201 yards—the first shooter ever to accomplish this feat.
Team Krieghoff athletes won three event titles at the 2026 NSCA North Central Regional in Illinois, with Joe Pinchin capturing Preliminary Event HOA, Braxton Oliver winning 5-Stand HOA, and Turner Parcell taking the 20 Gauge title. Additional podium finishes included Kiersten Sales and Shelby Moon in Ladies categories, and juniors Jonathan Prince and Jacob Judson as runners-up.
Team Berger's James Fox won the Oregon State Highpower Championship at Douglas Ridge Rifle Club, claiming his ninth consecutive Oregon State High-Power Open Championship title and 11th overall state title. Fox swept the event with victories in Overall Championship, Standing, Sitting, Prone Rapid Fire aggregates, and the CMP EIC match.
Hornady sponsored shooters Sean Murphy and Greg Hamilton won the Wyoming Tactical Rifle Championship on July 11-12, 2026, near Weston, Wyoming. Murphy used Hornady 6mm 110 gr. A-Tip Match bullets in his 6mm Creedmoor, while Hamilton used Hornady 22 Cal. 73 gr. ELD Match bullets in his 223 Remington.
Nevyn Hengel of Sibley East High School (MN) won the male national championship, while Alexis Stupi of Aquinas High School (WI) claimed top female honors at the USA High School Clay Target League National Championship. Fall River High School (WI) captured the national team title with 485 points out of 500, with nearly 3,000 athletes from 469 high schools competing.
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Vincent Hancock set a new Men's Skeet world record by shooting a perfect 36 out of 36 targets in the finals at the ISSF World Cup Shotgun in Lonato, Italy, winning gold and defeating American Christian Elliott by one target.
Team Lapua's Nick Mowrer won the 2026 Lones Wigger Firecracker 4800 at the NRA Whittington Center with a score of 4792-385. The four-day competition, sponsored by Socorro Gun Club, featured all three podium finishers using Lapua rimfire ammunition, including second-place Deena McDorman and third-place Griffin Lake.
The NRA National Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) will return to Bentonville, Arkansas, July 19–26, 2026. Open to youth ages 8–18, this premier event features eight challenging competitions including shooting disciplines and responsibility-based activities conducted under realistic hunting conditions. Organizational sponsors include Arkansas Friends of NRA, Safari Club International, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and corporate partners like Federal, Remington, Henry Repeating Arms, and Bushnell.
Nearly 3,000 athletes from 469 high schools will compete at the USA High School Clay Target League National Championship July 8-12 in Mason, MI. The event features team and individual qualifying rounds culminating in championship matches, sponsored by organizations including Ducks Unlimited, Winchester, and the U.S. Army.
Steve Foster of Team Ruger won High Overall and first place in the Open division at the Michigan State Rimfire Challenge Championship, competing with a Ruger Mark IV pistol and 10/22 Carbon Fiber rifle across 10 stages. Sturm, Ruger & Company congratulated Foster on his exceptional performance and commitment to rimfire competition.
Beretta will return to the 2026 SASP and SCTP Nationals at Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio, July 11-18, featuring expanded product demonstrations, early access previews of new models, and on-site gunsmithing services. The company will showcase APX A1, 90 series, and 80X Cheetah pistols at SASP and latest shotgun innovations at SCTP.
SHIELD Sights celebrated strong performances at the European Handgun Championships 2026 in Crewkerne, England. Denny Rossetto successfully defended her Ladies Open European Championship title, while Miroslav Zapletal captured the Men's Senior Production Optics European Championship, showcasing exceptional skill among Team SHIELD competitors.
More than 300 athletes from 40 Iowa teams competed in the 2026 Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program Skeet and Five-Stand Championships at the Iowa State Trapshooting Homegrounds. The Underwood Youth Trap Club won Ladies Varsity Skeet, while Pella Christian Eagles achieved a first-ever perfect team score in Varsity Men's Skeet.
More than 270 athletes from 35 Iowa teams competed in the 2026 Iowa Scholastic Clay Target Program Sporting Clays Championships at Highland Hideaway. Blake Six of Pella Christian Eagles won Men's Varsity, Lily Jennings of Ankeny Centennial Jaguars Shooting Sports won Ladies Varsity, and Pella Christian Eagles claimed the Varsity Team title.
Team Ruger's Lauryl Akenhead won the Top Lady title at the 2026 Hornady Precision Rifle Challenge near Evanston, Wyoming, competing against 200 shooters with her Ruger American Rifle Gen II chambered in 6mm Creedmoor. Akenhead praised the rifle's reliability and accuracy, crediting it as a winning competition platform.
Team RAW shooter Aaron Hipp earned third place in the Precision Marksman Challenge at the 2026 Rocky Mountain Airgun Challenge, competing against 94 shooters with his RAW HM1000X. Hipp's podium finish earned him $5,000 from the event purse sponsored by Utah Airguns.
Team Blaser shooter Ed Smith won the 2026 NSSA US Open High Overall Championship with a near-perfect 399/400 score at the satellite shoot held across 18 host clubs. Smith also earned HAA Champion honors and Doubles Runner-up, while teammates Caile Bradham and Rachel Barringer achieved additional podium finishes.
Team Federal won three major sporting clay championships across Oklahoma, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Two-time Olympian Derrick Mein won Oklahoma's Main Event, Cameron Hicks claimed Virginia's title, and Gregg Wolf won Federal's Master Class Cup, with all victories occurring on June 28, 2026.
Berger's new 6mm 120 Grain Long Range Hybrid Target bullet claimed the top three positions at the 2026 Hornady Precision Rifle Challenge near Woodford, Utah. Team Berger's Austin Buschman won first place with a score of 181/202, followed by Mark Le in second and Kahl Harmon in third, demonstrating the bullet's exceptional performance in challenging conditions.
Team USA rifle and pistol athletes delivered outstanding performances at the 2026 ISSF Junior World Championship in Suhl, Germany, securing multiple podium finishes and two World Junior Records. Griffin Lake, Braden Peiser, and Tyler Wee won gold in the Junior Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Team event, while Walther Arms USA supported several top-performing athletes including Elizabeth Probst and Marcus Klemp.