Brandon Green, a multi-time long-range and service rifle national champion, recently won the Open Heavy division at the 2026 Best of the West Hunter match. Held March 6–8, 2026 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, the Best of the West Hunter competition had 20 simulated hunting stages with targets ranging from 200 yards to over 900 yards, with average target distance around 400 yards. The range was within a large horseshoe bend of Buck creek, giving a 360∘ course of fire over terrain with rolling, rocky bluffs, tall-grass hills, wooded draws, open valleys, and creek bottoms. On the range competitors engaged life‑size AR500 steel animal targets including wolf, bighorn sheep, moose, bear, whitetail deer, hog, coyote, mountain lion, bobcat, turkey, elk, antelope, mule deer, otter, raccoon, rock chuck, squirrel, lynx, prairie dog, and jackrabbit. Round count was 80-160, depending on a first round impact or second round impact.
Green, who has already secured three NRL Hunter match wins this season, credited both the match design and his equipment for the successful outing: “I find the NRL game has its unique challenges along with really fun courses of fire. Having confidence in your equipment and ammunition gives you the ability to focus on the task at hand and that’s the key to having a strong performance. My .260 Remington AI platform loaded with Berger 144 grain Long Range Hybrid Target bullets, Lapua cases, powered with Vihtavuori N160 has been one of the most consistent combinations I’ve ever seen. I’m very thankful these helped secure the Best of the West Hunter Championship.”
Key Details of the 2026 Best of the West Hunter Match
Winner: Brandon Green (Team Lapua).
Location: Bartlesville, Oklahoma, known for challenging, rugged terrain.
Format: 20 stages, 80-160 rounds, including hunting scenarios with simulated wildlife targets (e.g., elk, mule deer, bear). Match focuseson skill-building and practical hunting scenarios.
Rules: NRL Hunter regulations, requiring chamber flags and adhering to safety protocols.
Divisions: Open Heavy, Skills, Team, and Young Guns.
Best of West Match Elements Featured in This Video
About Lapua
Lapua produces high-quality small caliber cartridges and components for civilian and professional use. Lapua is imported by Capstone Precision Group, exclusive U.S. distributor for Berger, Lapua, Vihtavuori, and SK-Rimfire products. For more information, visit Lapua.com.
NRL Hunter is a popular series of competitions for all levels of hunters — both newcomers and experts. Matches that showcase hunting skills are hosted through the country with multi-distance, walk-around shooting courses similar to PRS/NRL, but limitations on weight and equipment cost make this more affordable and practical. These events provide a competitive format for new and seasoned hunters to learn about skills, gear, and local hunting terrains. To participate in matches, hunters must purchase a $100 Annual NRLH membership ($75.00 for Young Guns). For more information, visit NRLHunter.org.
In this video top NRL Hunter Pro division competitor Jon Pynch shows the gear he uses to win. He talks about gear used for spotting and ranging targets, building positions, and making shots. Jon also gives his tips on how to cope with broken down equipment and bad weather. Check out the video and try an NRL Hunter match in your state.
Here are upcoming NRL Hunter events slated for the next 8 weeks. CLICK HERE to visit the full NRL Hunter Match Calendar showing all 31 events scheduled in 2025. Registration is still available for most of these matches. You’ll need to become an NRL Hunter Member and then pay match fees which are typically $250-$275 Individual, $500-$550 Team, and $150-$185 Skills.
This is only partial listing. CLICK HERE for all 28 NRL Hunter 2025 events.
Here is the most recent NRL Hunter Podcast, released 1/29/2025. In this episode William Righter, Mike Lilly, Sarah Beard, and Nick Mowrer join Travis Ishida at the 2025 NRL Hunter PRO-AM held in Arizona last month. They review how NRL Hunter competitions run, and how to get the best results. CLICK HERE to visit the NRL Hunter Podcast page with dozens of other informative podcasts, all accessible at no cost to you.
With custom rifles growing more and more expensive each year it is great to see that factory-built “precision” rifles can be fully competitive in PRS/NRL competition.
A Savage ace recently won matches in both the NRL Hunter Series and the Precision Rifle Series (PRS). Team Savage shooter Matt Alwine kicked off March with a first-place triumph in the NRL Hunter Series at the Mason Valley Steel Hunter match. This marks the third consecutive win in the 2024 NRL Hunter Series for the team and Alwine. The following weekend, Matt Alwine obtained an additional first-place win at the Central Coast Chaos match in the Precision Rifle Series in California.
Alwine topped the field at the Mason Valley Steel Hunter match in Julian, California using a Savage 110 Ultralite Elite custom chambered in 25 Creedmoor. Alwine secured first in Open Heavy, and first overall in the Open Light division. At the Central Coast Chaos match in San Luis Obispo, California Alwine secured top marks with a 110 Elite Precision in 6mm Creedmoor, where Alwine placed first in Production Class.
The NRL Hunter Match Series challenges skilled marksmen and women, testing their ability in a variety of shooting scenarios. For future match dates and details on the NRLH Hunter Match Series visit nrlhunter.org/matches-2024. Additional match details, as well as up-to-date scoreboards upcoming matches, can be found at www.precisionrifleseries.com.
Video Reviews of the Savage 110 Elite Precision:
This Alabama Arsenal video shows the Savage 110 Elite Precision on PRS Match stages using bags, tripods, and bipods, firing from stone barriers, field frames, and wood platform supports. If you are in the market for a PRS rifle, this video, which now has 346,000 views, is well worth watching. It covers specific features including trigger, chassis, magazines, and Atlas attachment.
With these most recent wins, Team Savage continues to move through the 2024 shooting season triumphantly. Visit SavageArms.com for Savage Team updates and more information on Savage’s NRL/PRS chassis rifles.
The team from Applied Ballistics will offer ballistics services at major matches in 2024. The team will have its advanced Doppler Radar unit which can provide ultra-precise custom ballistic profiles.
Applied Ballistics (AB) has announced the initial deployment schedule for the Applied Ballistics Mobile Laboratory during the 2024 shooting season. The Applied Ballistics Crew will be driving the Mobile Lab Truck and Trailer to a number of important shooting events in 2024. At these events you can get a Personal Drag Model (PDM) for your rifle/load based on Doppler Radar testing. NOTE: You must be actually competing at one of the listed events in order to participate and get a PDM. The first listed deployment will be at the NRL Hunter match in Montana on May 17, 2024. Here is the initial 2024 schedule:
May 17, 2024: Belt, Montana – NRL Hunter
June 7, 2024: Casper, Wyoming – Nightforce ELR
September 11-12, 2024: Grand Junction, Colorado – IPRF World Championships
The Applied Ballistics Mobile Lab trailer carries a vast array of equipment including computers, sensors, and advanced Doppler Radar equipment. The Doppler Radar is employed to create custom ballistic profiles (aka “Personal Drag Models”) for shooters at major matches.
There will be a new NRL competition series in 2021 — NRL HUNTER (NRLH). This will complement the popular NRL tactical series and NRL22 rimfire series. For its inaugural (first-ever) 2021 season, NRL HUNTER will host nine regional hunting matches, followed by the NRL HUNTER Championship — the Grand Slam Finale. The Season Championship will take place August 2-8, 2021 at the Cameo Shooting Complex in Grand Junction, Colorado. The championship match will be directed by NRL HUNTER developer Scott Satterlee and the NRL’s Director of Match Operations.
NRL HUNTER 2021 Series Schedule (Ten Events):
1. Nehawka, Nebraska – February 19-21, 2021
2. Farmington, New Mexico – March 5-7, 2021
3. Arbuckle, California – March 26-28, 2021
4. Mount Pleasant, Tennessee – April 16-18, 2021
5. Laramie, Wyoming – April 23-25, 2021
6. Dupuyer, Montana – May 6-9, 2021
7.Hammett, Idaho – May 21-23, 2021
8. Dalton, New Hampshire – June 25-27, 2021
9. Price, Utah – July 23-25, 2021
10. NRL HUNTER Grand Slam Season Championship
Grand Junction, Colorado – August 2-8, 2021
The first-ever NRL HUNTER match will take place in Nebraska, February 19-21, 2021:
NRL HUNTER, a division of National Rifle League (NRL), is a series of competitions for hunters by hunters. It provides a competitive format for new and seasoned hunters to learn about their skills, gear, and local hunting terrains. To participate in matches, hunters must purchase a $100 Annual NRLH membership ($75.00 for Young Guns). For more information, visit NRLHUNTER.org.
There will be three gear-based Classes: Open Heavy, Open Light and Factory. In addition there will be separate Ladies and Young Guns divisions.
NRL HUNTER’s founders state: “Hunting isn’t merely a hobby or pastime; it is our way of life. For us, it is about community, education, and a strong foundation of ethical harvesting. It is the desire to be the most proficient hunter possible, it is the passion that has driven NRL to develop the NRL HUNTER series[.]”
Bushnell will be the Title Sponsor of the 2021 season of NRL HUNTER. “We are truly honored to have Bushnell on board as our Title Sponsor for the NRL HUNTER Series,” stated Travis Ishida, NRL President. “This is a terrific partnership in which both groups share the same vision and passion for the hunting community.” Since 1948, Bushnell has offered a full line of products for hunters. Bushnell now sells riflescopes, binoculars, rangefinders, spotting scopes, and trail cameras.
