Barnhardt Wins 3-Position Smallbore Championship at Camp Perry
Sergeant Shane M. Barnhart of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) based in Fort Benning, Georgia, won his third National Smallbore Rifle NRA Three-Position Championship with a score of 2267-74X. Sgt. Barnhart also won this championship in 2005, and his current win occurred during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first National Matches held at Camp Perry, Ohio.
Weather conditions played a big part in the overall competition this year. Scores were down slightly due to heavy rain during the Metallic Championships and strong winds during the Any Sight Championships. However, many of the competitors said the always-changing conditions make the National Matches one of the most enjoyable championships in all of the shooting sports.
Commenting about the weather conditions, Sgt. Barnhart said, “It wouldn’t be Camp Perry if it were not for the weather. The wind got to be very hectic during the Any Sight Championships, but I did better that day than during the Metallic Championships. I had a better day because I was allowed to use a scope. The scope helped me because I felt just a little more comfortable shooting with the scope than when I was using metallic sights.” Sgt. Barnhart also won in the Service Champion category.
