The nation’s top pistoleros are headed to Missouri this week to compete in the 2016 NRA Bianchi Cup, the most prestigious action pistol match of the year. The 2016 Bianchi Cup event, also known as the National Action Pistol Championship, will be held May 24-28, 2016 in Columbia, Missouri at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club.
Something is new this year — a second “Championship” Round. There will be no multi-gun aggregate match. Instead, the 2016 NRA Bianchi Cup will feature a new format to determine the overall champion. After completion of the match’s 192-shot, 1920-point aggregate, the top 36 competitors will fire an additional 192-shot Championship Round. Scores from the Championship Round will combined into an overall Aggregate to determine each category’s champions.
Check out this “Sizzle Reel” from the 2013 NRA Bianchi Cup:
About the Bianchi Cup
The Bianchi Cup is the NRA National Action Pistol Championship, a major tournament held every May in Columbia, Missouri. The premier action pistol championship, the Bianchi Cup boasts the largest purse of any tournament on the action pistol calendar. The Bianchi Cup is the only major shooting tournament that has retained its original Course of Fire since its inception. The Course of Fire consists of four separate matches:
The Practical Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at distances from 10 yards to 50 yards under varying time limits.
The Barricade Event: From within shooting boxes and behind barricades, a shooter fires at targets on either side of the barricade at different distances and under varying time limits.
The Falling Plate Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at 8 inch round steel plates arranged in banks of six at distances from 10 to 25 yards under varying time limits.
The Moving Target Event: From within shooting boxes at distances ranging from 10 to 25 yards, the shooter fires at a target moving from left to right with the target being exposed for only 6 seconds.
Due to the high accuracy required in each stage of the Bianchi Cup, the tournament is widely considered one of the most difficult handgun championships on the planet.
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Story based on report by Kyle Jillson forNRABlog.com.
Doug Koenig secured his 16th NRA Action Pistol title this week at the 2015 NRA Bianchi Cup in Columbia, Missouri. Koenig’s final score was a perfect 1920 with 180 tie-breaking Xs. Koenig needed all those Xs to win — runner-up Jeremy Newell (1920-166X) also racked up a perfect 1920 score, but with 14 fewer Xs. Carl Bernosky, a ten-time NRA High Power Rifle Champion, placed third overall with 1918-180X. Australian shooter Anita Mackiewicz set a new record for a female shooter with a 1916-166X.
Koenig’s success at the Bianchi Cup is unparalleled. Doug’s 16 titles account for nearly half of the 37 total Bianchi championships held. Bruce Piatt has the next best career Bianchi Cup record, with five Bianchi titles, less than one-third of Koenig’s total.
Tonight, American Rifleman TV features the Bianchi Cup, one of the oldest, richest, and most prestigious pistol competitions on the planet. In 2014 over $500,000 in cash and prizes was up for grabs. That stellar pay-out (and the prestige of winning) attracts the world’s top pistoleros.
This Bianchi Cup event was founded in 1979 by former police officer and holster maker John Bianchi. Success in the Bianchi Cup requires a perfect balance of speed and accuracy. The 192-shot championship allows a maximum aggregate of 1920 points across four timed events: Practical, Barricade, Moving Target and Falling Plate. In addition to being grouped by age, gender, and shooting skill, competitors may opt to shoot in the Open, Metallic, or Production divisions.
Watch Preview of July 30 Episode of American Rifleman TV
This week’s episode also features a vintage Vickers belt-fed machine gun from World War I. You can view interesting segments from past American Rifleman TV episodes, along with “Gun of the Week” video reviews at AmericanRifleman.org/Videos:
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The Bianchi Cup is underway. A record-setting 295 competitors are competing in the 35th anniversary of the NRA Bianchi Cup, which runs May 21-24 at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club outside Columbia, Missouri. The first day at the 2014 MidwayUSA & NRA Bianchi Cup has just wrapped up and there’s plenty of shooting left. Scores are low and it’s still – theoretically – anyone’s game.
Story based on report by Kyle Jillson forNRABlog.com.
The richest and most prestigious handgun shooting tournament in the world, the NRA Bianchi Cup draws skilled pistol shooters from all over the globe. They come for glory… and the loot. This year there will be $500,000 worth of cash and prizes up for grabs.
This event was founded in 1979 by former police officer and holster maker John Bianchi. Success in the Bianchi Cup requires a perfect balance of speed and accuracy. The 192-shot championship allows a maximum aggregate of 1920 points across four timed events: Practical, Barricade, Moving Target and Falling Plate. In addition to being grouped by age, gender, and shooting skill, competitors may opt to shoot in the Open, Metallic, or Production divisions.
Last year’s Open champion, Doug Koenig, is looking to notch his 16th Overall Title and his strong start at the Practical Event is a good first step. Among the other defending champions, past Ladies champion Jessie Duff (photos below) is eyeing a fourth title. National Police Shooting Championship legend Robert Vadasz hopes to earn a sixth Bianchi Cup title in the Metallic Sight Division.
Special Prizes for First-Time Bianchi Competitors
Shooters making their first appearance at the Bianchi Cup will be eligible for a special award from title sponsor MidwayUSA. The top three first-time men, women, and juniors will receive cash prizes of $2,500 for first place, $1,500 for second, and $750 for third.
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Report based on story by Lars Dalseide forNRABlog.
The NRA Bianchi Cup Championship was held May 22-25 in Columbia, Missouri. One of the premier pistol-shooting competitions on the planet, the Bianchi Cup attracts top handgunners from around the globe. From a spectator’s standpoint, one of the most exciting phases of the competition is the Colt Speed Event, where dueling duos of shooters draw and fire in under four seconds.
Nothing calls for a greater combination of agility and accuracy than the MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup’s Colt Speed Event. One of four separate stages in the Bianchi Cup Championships, the Colt Speed event begins with two shooters on the firing line. When the horn sounds, they draw and fire at six plates. The fastest finish wins. Win two out of three and you advance to the next round. Watch the video to see how it works.
Colt Speed Event at 2013 Bianchi Cup Championships
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The 2013 MidwayUSA NRA Bianchi Cup is in the books. Congrats to the Top Guns of the men’s division: Doug Koenig First Place (center), Carl Bernosky Second Place (left), and Bruce Piatt Third Place (right). Though Koenig finished on top, we have to credit Carl for his versatility. Bernosky is the reigning (and 10-Time) NRA High Power Rifle National Champion. Few humans can rival Carl’s skills with a rifle, and he’s just proven that he is one of the very best with a pistol as well.
The 2013 35th Annual NRA Bianchi Cup National Championship kicks off today, May 22nd in Columbia, Missouri, and runs through May 25th. This prestigious event draws shooters from all over the world. Along with the USA, competitors have come from Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, and Switzerland.
Categories include: Open Division, Metallic Sights, Service Pistol, and Revolver. In addition there be awards for the top shooters in specific classes: Law enforcement, Women, Junior, International, Newcomer, Senior, Grand Senior. One of the favorites in the Women’s Division this year is Jessie Duff, shown competing with one of her Bianchi Cup custom rigs. Jessie’s pistol sports special brackets to help steady the gun during barricade shots.
Bianchi Cup — Classic Four-Stage Course of Fire
The MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup is a combination of Speed and Accuracy. Competitors shoot from both standing and prone positions and are also required to shoot with both strong and weak hands at various stages. Stages may combine stationary and moving targets. As conceived by former police officer and holster-maker John Bianchi, the Bianchi Cup originated in 1979 as a Law Enforcement Training match. The Course of Fire consists of four separate matches:
The Practical Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at distances from 10 yards to 50 yards under varying time limits.
The Barricade Event: From within shooting boxes and behind barricades, a shooter fires at targets on either side of the barricade at different distances and under varying time limits.
The Falling Plate Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at 8 inch round steel plates arranged in banks of six at distances from 10 to 25 yards under varying time limits.
The Moving Target Event: From within shooting boxes at distances ranging from 10 to 25 yards, the shooter fires at a target moving from left to right with the target being exposed for only 6 seconds.
The 35th Annual Bianchi Cup is happening soon. The 2013 MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup Championship will take place in Columbia, MO, May 22-25. This major event draws shooters from all over the world. Along with the USA, competitors have come from Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, and Switzerland. Firearm categories include: Open Division, Metallic Sights, Service Pistol, and Revolver. In addition there be awards for the top shooters in specific classes: Law enforcement, Women, Junior, International, Newcomer, Senior, Grand Senior.
One of the favorites this year is Jessie Duff, shown below competing with one of her Bianchi Cup custom rigs. Jessie’s pistol sports special brackets to help align and steady the gun during the barricade shots.
Slick Modified 9mm Model 1911 for Jessie
If you’re curious about the hardware used by top shooters in other action pistol events, here is Jessie Duff’s new Taurus PT1911 9mm single-stack, set up for Open Division. Note the extended, tri-port compensator attached up-front, and the large cut-out on top of the forward part of the slide. That cut-out is for weight reduction and improved balance. Interestingly, the rear of the slide is milled flat where the rear sight would be on a conventional model 1911. Jessie relies on her Leupold DeltaPoint red dot sight to get on target, so the pistol doesn’t need front or rear iron sights.
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Two familiar names topped the Open Division at the 8th NRA World Action Pistol Championship in Phillipsburg, Germany, which concluded September 16th. Doug Koenig won the Mens Open Division with a 1916-184 tally, finishing ahead of fellow Americans Kevin Angstadt (1916-171), and Bruce Piatt (1916-167). Among lady shooters, Jessie Duff scored an impressive come-from-behind victory to capture the Womens Open title with a 1900-151 score, edging USA team-mate Helen Jeavons (1899-131) by one point. Team USA’s Troy Mattheyer won the Metallic Division.
The host German Team also did well, winning titles in the Open Modified, Production, and Revolver Divisions. In fact, Germany’s Christoph Geppert (1912-159), Roman Hauber (1897-148), and Frank Reiche (1896-124) finished 1-2-3 among the wheelgunners.
Jessie Wins Ladies’ Open Title Jessie explained how she pulled out a gritty, come-from-behind win: “Dropping 12 points in the Practical event and being four points behind the leader, I was feeling rather defeated right out of the gate. I still had another event to shoot that day. After a short time to gather my thoughts, I decided I didn’t come to Germany to give up, and would give the rest of the match everything I had! My next two events were plates and barricade, and approached them with a clear mind and positive attitude, and cleaned them both.”
The last day of the event Jessie, sponsored by Taurus, was still four points behind the leader. With the “Mover” still to shoot, she knew she had to turn in her best performance to stay in the hunt for the championship. “I realized, I had given it everything I had, and that’s what I asked of myself. I couldn’t change anything now, and whichever way the title goes, I would be happy. When they brought our targets over to be scored officially, is when I realized I had pulled ahead by one point and won the Bianchi World Cup!”
USA ‘A-Team’ Wins Team Event
Team USA A, composed of Kevin Angstadt, Jerrold Della Bella, Doug Koenig, and Bruce Piatt, won the Team Open title with a combined score of 7652-658. Germany’s Team BDMP finished second with 7614-607. USA Team B (shown below) scored 7573-566 to finish third. In the two-person team comps, Rob Leatham and Kyle Schmidt combined for a Mens’ Production division win, while Americans Helen Jeavons and Vera Koo won the Ladies’ Team Event.
Photos courtesy Julie Golob, D. Brandenburger, and Jessie Duff.
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The Bianchi Cup pistol competition concluded yesterday. Officially, the annual competition in Columbia, Missouri is known as the National Championship of NRA Action Pistol. But to everybody it’s the Bianchi Cup — the richest handgun tournament in the world. Overall and Men’s Champion was Doug Koenig. Team S&W Captain Julie Golob fought off a strong challenge from Jessie Rabb to win the Ladies’ Division. Robert Vadasz, a Border Patrol Agent, was crowned Metallic Champ, while Adam Lennert took home the Senior Champion Title. There were a number of skilled Junior shooters this year. The best of the lot was young Tiffany Piper.
Joyce Rubino, Larry and Brenda Potterfield, Junior Champion Tiffany Piper, Metallic Champion Robert Vadasz, Bianchi Cup Champion Doug Koenig, Women’s Champion Julie Golob, Senior Champion Adam Lennert and Production Champion Vance Schmid.
Bianchi Cup — Classic Four-Stage Course of Fire
The MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup is a combination of Speed and Accuracy. Competitors shoot from both standing and prone positions and are also required to shoot with both strong and weak hands at various stages. Stages may combine stationary and moving targets. As conceived by former police officer and holster-maker John Bianchi, the Bianchi Cup originated in 1979 as a Law Enforcement Training match. The Course of Fire consists of four separate matches:
The Practical Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at distances from 10 yards to 50 yards under varying time limits.
The Barricade Event: From within shooting boxes and behind barricades, a shooter fires at targets on either side of the barricade at different distances and under varying time limits.
The Falling Plate Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at 8 inch round steel plates arranged in banks of six at distances from 10 to 25 yards under varying time limits.
The Moving Target Event: From within shooting boxes at distances ranging from 10 to 25 yards, the shooter fires at a target moving from left to right with the target being exposed for only 6 seconds.
This week’s edition of Shooting USA, which airs Wednesday, March 21st, features the 2011 Bianchi Cup. This competition is one of the most prestigious and popular events in the world of handgun shooting. Officially, the annual competition in Columbia, Missouri is known as the National Championship of NRA Action Pistol. But to everybody, world-wide, it’s the Bianchi Cup, the trophy named for one of the founders, John Bianchi. In the past 30 years the match has become the richest handgun tournament in the world, with cash and prizes for the best scores on four stages of fire. Shooting USA will spotlight top male and female Bianchi Cup competitors in both wheelgun and and semi-auto pistol divisions. Along with North American shooters, the Bianchi Cup draws top handgun competitors from around the globe. Shooting USA airs Wednesday Nights, on the Outdoor Channel, at 3:00 pm, 8:00 pm, and 12:00 midnight (Eastern Time).
Bianchi Cup — Classic Course of Fire
The MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup is a combination of Speed and Accuracy. Competitors shoot from both standing and prone positions and are also required to shoot with both strong and weak hands at various stages. Stages may combine stationary and moving targets. As conceived by former police officer and holster-maker John Bianchi, the Bianchi Cup originated in 1979 as a Law Enforcement Training match. The Course of Fire consists of four separate matches:
The Practical Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at distances from 10 yards to 50 yards under varying time limits.
The Barricade Event: From within shooting boxes and behind barricades, a shooter fires at targets on either side of the barricade at different distances and under varying time limits.
The Falling Plate Event: From the appropriate shooting line, the shooter fires at 8 inch round steel plates arranged in banks of six at distances from 10 to 25 yards under varying time limits.
The Moving Target Event: From within shooting boxes at distances ranging from 10 to 25 yards, the shooter fires at a target moving from left to right with the target being exposed for only 6 seconds.
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The October issue of Shooting Sports USA is now available. The October issue features complete coverage of the 2011 National Rifle and Pistol Championships at Camp Perry in an extended 42-page issue. The Smallbore, High Power, and Long Range phases of the National Rifle Championships are all covered in this issue, as well as the National Defense Match. You’ll find links to videos describing the National Trophies. There’s even a special note on how to stay in one of the historic huts on the Camp Perry base.
Shooting Sports USA Editor Chip Lohman interviews Philip Hemphill, the 10-time National Police Pistol Combat Champion. Hemphill won his first National Pistol Championship at Camp Perry this summer.
The October issue also features the second installment of a three-part series on how to deal with the pressure of competition. This segment features expert advice from top shooters such as Bianchi Cup Ladies Champions Jessie Harrison and Julie Golob.
Report based on story by Lars Dalseide for 
The 2013 35th Annual NRA Bianchi Cup National Championship kicks off today, May 22nd in Columbia, Missouri, and runs through May 25th. This prestigious event draws shooters from all over the world. Along with the USA, competitors have come from Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, and Switzerland.
Categories include: Open Division, Metallic Sights, Service Pistol, and Revolver. In addition there be awards for the top shooters in specific classes: Law enforcement, Women, Junior, International, Newcomer, Senior, Grand Senior. One of the favorites in the Women’s Division this year is Jessie Duff, shown competing with one of her Bianchi Cup custom rigs. Jessie’s pistol sports special brackets to help steady the gun during barricade shots.
Two familiar names topped the Open Division at the 8th NRA World Action Pistol Championship in Phillipsburg, Germany, which concluded September 16th. Doug Koenig won the Mens Open Division with a 1916-184 tally, finishing ahead of fellow Americans Kevin Angstadt (1916-171), and Bruce Piatt (1916-167). Among lady shooters, Jessie Duff scored an impressive come-from-behind victory to capture the Womens Open title with a 1900-151 score, edging USA team-mate Helen Jeavons (1899-131) by one point. Team USA’s Troy Mattheyer won the Metallic Division.
Jessie explained how she pulled out a gritty, come-from-behind win: “Dropping 12 points in the Practical event and being four points behind the leader, I was feeling rather defeated right out of the gate. I still had another event to shoot that day. After a short time to gather my thoughts, I decided I didn’t come to Germany to give up, and would give the rest of the match everything I had! My next two events were plates and barricade, and approached them with a clear mind and positive attitude, and cleaned them both.”
This week’s edition of 
The October issue of 
