Competition

Kaleb Klein of Team Ruger won multiple titles at the 2026 Area 5 Steel Challenge Championship in Terre Haute, IN, claiming first place in Optical Sight Revolver, Iron Sight Revolver, Rimfire Revolver Optics, and Rimfire Revolver Iron divisions using Ruger's Super GP100 and GP100 revolvers. Abbey Clary, Ruger's Director of Media, Advertising and Public Relations, praised Klein's outstanding performance and highlighted the reliability of Ruger firearms.

Kahl Harmon and Mitch Fitzpatrick won the Team Division at the 11th annual Nightforce Extreme Long Range Steel Challenge using Lapua 300 Norma Magnum cases. The two-day match featured over 40 teams competing across 20 stages at distances up to 2,100 yards in Wyoming's challenging conditions.

Walther athlete Braden Peiser qualified 5th and finished 6th in the Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions final at the 2026 ISSF World Cup in Munich, marking his first senior World Cup final appearance. The University of Kentucky competitor and 2026 NCAA individual smallbore champion recently joined the Walther World Team.

Kahl Harmon and Mitch Fitzpatrick won the Team Division at the 2026 Nightforce ELR Steel Challenge in Glenrock, WY, outscoring over 40 teams with a score of 245.93. Fitzpatrick credited Berger bullets, Vihtavuori powder, and Lapua brass for their success across 20 stages at distances up to 2,100 yards.

The 2026 Minnesota State High School Clay Target League Trap Shooting Championship is underway in Alexandria, Minnesota, featuring 7,724 student athletes from 340 high school teams competing across nine days. Presented by Alexandria Technical & Community College with sponsors including Do-All Outdoors, Ducks Unlimited, Federal Premium Ammunition, and the NRA Foundation, the event is possibly the world's largest shooting sport competition by participation.

Team Vihtavuori member Kim Rowe earned top honors at the 2026 NRA National High Power Mid-Range Prone Championships and the 2026 NRA National High Power Long Range Championships, capturing the Patriot Minuteman Trophy and multiple podium finishes. Rowe credited her success to premium components including Vihtavuori powder, Berger bullets, and Lapua brass.

Sturm, Ruger & Company congratulates Team Ruger's Lauryl Akenhead on achieving High Lady and finishing fourth overall at the 2026 Colemans Creek Hunter Match in Ellerbe, NC. Competing against 96 shooters across 17 stages, Akenhead used her Ruger American Gen II rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor to score 97 in the Open Heavy division.

Keith Trapp of Team Lapua won the 2026 NSSC NRA Long Range Regional at Camp Butner in North Carolina with a 981-32X aggregate. Competing in the F-T/R category, Trapp topped all divisions using Berger bullets, Vihtavuori powder, and Lapua cases.

Team Ruger's James McGinty earned second place overall and first place in the Enhanced Service Pistol division at the 2026 Pennsylvania State IDPA Championship, scoring 192.63 with his Ruger RXM pistol at the Lawrence County Sportsman's Association in Wampum, PA.

Kahr Firearms Group announces that professional shooter Danyela D'Angelo and her father Danny D'Angelo have been invited to represent Team USA at the fifth IPSC Shotgun World Shoot in Corinth, Greece, September 24-27, 2026. This marks their third invitation to represent the nation internationally.

Team Beretta achieved multiple podium finishes at the NSCA Southeast Regional Championship in Okeechobee, FL, with Zachary Kienbaum, Desirae Edmunds, and Connor Daniel earning top-three placements across Main, Lady, and Junior divisions using Beretta DT11 and A400 L Sporting shotguns.

Team Lapua's Erich Mietenkorte won the 2026 Iron Man Silhouette Championships for an unprecedented fifth time, tying the all-time record set by Cathy Winstead-Severin. Competing at Deep Creek Range in Missoula, Montana, Mietenkorte won all four individual titles in Smallbore and High-Power disciplines using Lapua ammunition and components.

SHIELD Sights competitors achieved outstanding results at the French Open 2026, with Team SHIELD securing four of the top five positions in Production Optics Division. Robin Grauffel, Luis Ehrhardt, Dylan Keppel, and Morgan Denoyelles demonstrated the performance of the RMSx competition optic at the international event.

Berger's new 6mm 120 Grain Long Range Hybrid Target bullet powered Erich Mietenkorte to victory at the 2026 Iron Man Metallic Silhouette Championship, where he tied the all-time aggregate record and completed the Bull River Ultra Slam with 20 consecutive Rams.

Hornady employee Joe Thielen won the Open Division at the Northern Lights Classic PRS match using Hornady 25 cal. 138 gr. A-Tip Match bullets. Sponsored shooter Clay Blacketter placed second, while teammate Lauryl Akenhead won both the Lady and Suppressor Divisions.

Sally Talbott earned High Woman honors at the 2026 CMP Bianchi Cup, also winning Open .22 Champion and finishing 2nd overall in the Open Division. Walther Arms partnered with A Girl & A Gun to award Talbott a Walther Patriot Q5 Match, recognizing her outstanding performance at the prestigious action pistol competition.

Team Ruger's Lauryl Akenhead won Top Lady, Top Suppressor, and placed eighth overall at the 2026 Bullet Central Northern Lights Classic in Aneta, North Dakota, competing against 86 shooters with her Ruger American Gen II rifle in 6mm GT across 19 challenging stages.

Remington Ammunition's Brandon Powell won his second consecutive NSCA regional championship at the 2026 Southeast Regional in Florida, while Madison Sharpe claimed Lady Champion honors. The event featured 706 shooters at Quail Creek Sporting Ranch, with additional Team Remington members including Braxton Oliver, Todd Hitch, and Michael Luongo earning top finishes.

Shell Shock Technologies sponsored shooter John Vlieger won first place in the Carry Optics Division and second overall at the 2026 Ohio State Buckeye Blast, earning 96.74% of available points using Shell Shock Technologies' NAS³ cases. Vlieger will compete next at the 2026 Bluegrass State Championship in Kentucky.

The Scholastic Action Shooting Program held its Iowa State Championship May 30-31 at Big Springs Shooting Complex, with 195 entries from 79 athletes across nine disciplines. Champions included Brady Droste and Gwen Wical from Steel Shooters of Traer, Wyatt Grimm from Montezuma Shooting Sports Club, and Porter Snyder from Carroll Action Shooting Sports.