NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
Incorporated 1871
11250 Waples Mill Road - Fairfax, VA 22030
| March 12, 2007 |
Contact:Dan Feldbusch
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Phone: (703) 267-1595
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NRA National Action Pistol Championship
Returning to Columbia, MO
FAIRFAX, Va. – Over 200 of the world’s best pistol marksmen are expected to take part in the 29th NRA National Action Pistol Championship—also known as the NRA Bianchi Cup—from May 23 to 26 at the Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club’s Chapman Academy Range outside Columbia, MO. The competitors represent the United States and as many as a dozen other nations. Substantial cash and merchandise awards make this one of the richest shooting tournaments in the world.
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Bruce Piatt of Montvale, N.J., won NRA's 2006 National Action Pistol Shooting Championship.
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Action pistol differs from conventional bullseye shooting in a number of ways, several of which make the match appealing to spectators. Firing is done with both hands, within short time limits, and competitors must start with the gun holstered. In the course of the matches, participants fire at turning, cardboard silhouette targets; moving targets; and steel plates that must be knocked down to count as a hit.
The defending champion is Bruce Piatt, a police officer from Montvale, NJ, who unseated nine-time champ Doug Koenig, of Alburtis, PA last year. Piatt, Koenig, Mickey Fowler, Rob Leatham and John Pride are other familiar faces in the top of this competition.
On the final day of shooting, an invitational match called the Bianchi International Speed Event will be held. The top-shooting competitors in the open championship, plus the top-scoring four women, junior, and senior competitors, are invited to an elimination contest to see who can draw, fire on, and knock down five steel silhouettes in the shortest time.
The Bianchi Cup is a traditionally festive event, and the tournament will include a host of demonstrations and shooting events for spectators, plus a commercial arcade that will interest the sportsman/shopper. For more information, call 703-267-1478 or email bianchicup@nrahq.org.
