Add another major National Rifle Championship to the list of shooting events cancelled in 2020. We’ve lost the CMP matches at Camp Perry, and the NRA High Power and Smallbore Championships at Camp Attebury in Indiana. Now the 2020 NRA National Silhouette Championships in Pennsylvania have been cancelled due to Pandemic concerns. Here is the official statement from the NRA:

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the many ensuing federal and state safety regulations and mandates, the Ridgway Rifle Club has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 NRA National Silhouette Championships which was to be held July – August 2020 at the Ridgway Rifle Club in Ridgway, Pennsylvania.

The NRA and the Ridgway Rifle Club share your disappointment that these competitions had to be cancelled.

A decision regarding the 2021 NRA National Silhouette Championship dates and location(s) will be announced later this year. The NRA and the Ridgway Rifle Club wishes everyone good health and the best of luck. For more information please visit Competitions.nra.org.

Congratulations to John Mullins, the new 2019 NRA Smallbore Silhouette Hunter Rifle National Champion! Mullins tied for first place with fellow Lapua team member Dustin Flint. Then, in a dramatic shoot-off, Mullins shot 107/120 to edge out team-mate Flint. Notably, both men used Lapua .22 LR rimfire ammunition. Mullins’s ammo choice was Lapua Midas+.

The 2019 NRA National Silhouette Smallbore Championships took place August 4-6, in Ridgway, Pennsylvania. Matches consist of 3 x 120 round relays, all fired from the standing position. For each relay, shooters engage ten chickens at 40 meters, ten pigs at 60 meters, ten turkeys at 77 meters, and ten rams at 100 meters.

Champion Mullins Had Pre-tested His .22 LR Ammo at Lapua Test Center
When asked what was most critical to capturing the title, Mullins stated, “Lapua ammunition was the key factor in my success. I visited the Lapua Rimfire Test Center in Mesa, AZ and paired the most accurate ammunition with my rifle.” Mullins found that Lapua Midas+ outperformed all other options at 50 and 100 meters in the Lapua test tunnel, shown below.

Above is the Lapua Rimfire Testing Facility in Mesa, Arizona. This allows measurements at both 50m and 100m for the same shot. Later this fall Lapua will open a new Test Center in Marengo, Ohio with identical capabilities. For more information regarding ammo testing at Lapua’s USA Rimfire Test Centers, email Lapua here: rimfiretest [at] capstonepg.com