Tactical Life Shooting Sports Blog: Lena Miculek Defends World Title

Welcome to the Tactical Life Shooting Sports Blog, where you’ll find regular updates on all things competition shooting. We’ll look at the guns, the athletes and the competitions that define the shooting sports. From new pieces of gear to record-breaking performances, you’ll find it all right here. The Tactical Life Shooting Sports Blog has its sights set on dominating the shooting sports!

Tactical Life Shooting Sports Blog

Lena Miculek Defends IPSC Shotgun World Title

Lena Miculek successfully defended her IPSC Shotgun World title at the 2023 IPSC Shotgun World Shoot IV in Thailand recently. The win marked Miculek’s fourth consecutive world shotgun championship, maintaining her claim as the only woman in the world to hold the title in the event’s history. Miculek previously won world championships in 2012 (Hungary), 2015 (Italy) and 2018 (France).

This time around, Miculek took top honors among females along with a 13th-overall finish in Standard (both men and women). The Mossberg and SIG Sauer shooter became the first woman to ever break into the top 20 overall at an IPSC Shotgun World Shoot.

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“Lena has established herself as one of the top professional shooters, and in a relatively short period of time,” said John MacLellan, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Her drive, determination, and commitment are admirable and she is the epitome of role models for our industry and the shooting sports. From everyone at Mossberg, congratulations to four-time World Champion, Lena Miculek!”

“The competition Lena put together at the World Shoot was a remarkable performance and we are all incredibly proud of her amazing achievements,” said Tom Taylor Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales, SIG SAUER, Inc. “Lena’s success in Thailand is a direct result of her hard work and dedication to her training and commitment to her craft. In addition to defending her title she set a series of lofty goals for herself; she crushed them all and once again raised the bar for females in professional shooting. It’s an honor to have Lena as a member of Team SIG and a representation of the SIG SAUER brand to the world.”

On December 3, 2023, Tactical Life reported:

Springfield Armory Sponsors Hillsdale Collect Action Shooting Team

Springfield Armory sponsors Hillsdale College Action Shooting Team.

American commercial firearms manufacturer Springfield Armory recently agreed to a four-year commitment to fund remitted scholarships for members of the Hillsdale College Action Shooting Team. The company also supplies the team with all of their firearms, which includes their XD-M Elites and Prodigy firearms.

“Our action shooting sports team is only a few years old. To date, most of our athletes have been walk-ons, and we have been very successful,” Head Coach Adam Burlew said. “Now, with Springfield’s help, we can recruit high school shooting sports athletes who want to help us win more championships, take advantage of Hillsdale’s rigorous academic offerings, and grow in heart and mind.”

The Hillsdale Action Shooting Team began as a club in 2017, before reaching varsity status in 2021. Members of the team shoot 9mm handguns at steel targets in a test of speed and accuracy. Last March, the team won its second consecutive national championship at the Scholastic Action Shooting Program’s College Nationals. The team currently has eleven members.

Shooting Team Access to the GOAT

Springfield Armory has also supported the team by providing access to world-renowned competitive shooter Rob Leatham. “It has been my distinct pleasure to work with the Hillsdale College Pistol Team,” said Leatham. “Having been in the firearms training industry for so many years I have seen it all. From beginners to winners, I’ve trained the most talented and dedicated shooters throughout the world. None have been more satisfying for me to work with than these young people.”

Last year, the college announced the construction of the Ailes Action Shooting Range, which features four 30-yard pistol bays, a 40-yard pistol bay, and a 100-yard rifle range. “Over the last several years, the Hillsdale College Halter Center has become a major hub for the shooting sports — especially the shotgun sports,” Rich Péwé, Hillsdale College’s chief administrative officer, said. “Now, with our new Ailes Action Shooting Range and with Springfield Armory’s support, I think people will begin to see the Halter Center as a home to the pistol sports, as well. We are very grateful for Springfield’s support of our work.”

On August 17, 2023, Tactical Life reported:

Team SIG Shooters Dominate USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals

Horner and Miculek dominate Multi-Gun Nationals.

Team SIG professional shooters Daniel Horner and Lena Miculek turned in dominating performances to win their respective divisions at USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals recently. Horner took home the title in the newly created Modern Division. Meanwhile, Miculek defended her High Lady title while becoming the first female to break into the top five finishers within the overall Tactical Division.

“The performances by Daniel and Lena throughout this match were thrilling and their victories incredibly impressive,” said Tom Taylor Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales, SIG SAUER, Inc. “Leading up to this nationals Daniel and Lena trained together putting themselves through an exhaustive daily regiment to be match-ready; it was great to see this dedication and hard work pay off with the championship finishes for each of them, competing in a true team fashion. Daniel set the bar for the newly establish Modern Division, and Lena smashed another glass ceiling earning the fifth overall spot in the extremely competitive Tactical Division.”

Horner competed with a P320-DH3 pistol, topped with a ROMEO1PRO optic. He also ran the M400-DH3 rifle with a TANGO6T riflescope. SIG 9mm Match Elite and 5.56 Marksman Elite Match ammo ran his guns.

“I came to this years’ nationals with a mission to reclaim a title after a very close loss last year,” Horner said. “The course of fire was extremely challenging, and my skill was tested at every stage of the match. However, I was able to rely on my training and SIG equipment to reclaim a national multi-gun title and deliver a victory for Team SIG.”

Miculek Makes History

Miculek ran a P320-XFIVE Legion and M400-DH3 rifle with TANGO6T riflescope, along with SIG 9mm Match Elite and 5.56 Marksman Elite Match ammo.

“Since the launch of Rose by Sig Sauer, my focus has been on taking my experience as a professional shooter to provide support and education to the Rose community,” Miculek said. “This multi-gun nationals brought me back to my roots and the beginning of my own firearms journey; I returned to my family trade of competition shooting to not only defend my Tac-Optics High Lady title but earn a top five overall ranking, raising the bar yet again for women in the firearms world. Nothing is sweeter than getting to celebrate shared success alongside my teammate Daniel Horner, and my father Jerry Miculek. New training, camaraderie, encouragement, and the joy of shared success are just a few of the things I experienced at this multi-gun national that I can’t wait to bring back to the Rose Community.”

The 2023 USPSA Mutli-Gun Nationals remains one of the top matches in all of 3-Gun. It took place this year at the Forest Lakes Sportsmen’s Club in Minnesota.

Camp Perry National Matches Kick Off

Army Sergeant First Class Brandon Green arrived at Camp Perry a few days ahead of the rest of his U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) teammates. SFC Green was asked to fire the ceremonial First Shot at the National Matches on July 10, and he wanted a few days, he said, to collect his thoughts and prepare the speech he would give before the hundreds of people who would descend on the grounds to celebrate 116 years of National Matches history.

But he got sidetracked. As he walked across the Petrarca Range parking lot, he stopped to watch men and women compete in the Smallbore Prone Iron Sight Championship and to talk to CMP Smallbore Program Manager Brad Donoho.

“I told Brad it looked fun and said I’ll have to find a rifle,” Green said. “Brad said I’ve got a guy who has an extra rifle. I borrowed a gun and borrowed ammo and had a lot of fun.”

It was an inconspicuous entry for a highly successful soldier. He is a 20-year member of the specially-trained USAMU. He won the Interservice Long Range championships five times, the NRA National Long Range Championships two times, and the Interservice Individual Championship four times.

“His historic 2018 shooting season finished with Brandon earning four individual national records, capturing his first President’s 100 Match win in dramatic fashion. He set a new national record – a perfect score of 400, with a 20 ‘X’ count,” said First Shot Ceremony emcee and CMP Programs Chief, Christie Sewell. “That year he also won his third National Trophy Individual championship and third Mountain Man Trophy, setting a new national record.”

Championship Pedigree

Army SFC Brandon Green fires first shot to kickoff Camp Perry 2023.

Green won three NRA National Highpower Championship titles, an NRA Long Range Championship, and became the first person in history to win all four individual matches in the series.

“It is an honor for me to be asked to shoot the first shot,” Green said. “As a competitor and throughout our training, we really harp on consistency – consistency in training, consistency in your diet, consistency of your shot execution, your planning of the match – but the absolute most consistent thing for me in coming here to the National Matches at Camp Perry, is that it consistently gets better every year.”

Green was given the opportunity to choose his gun for the ceremonial first shot, so he chose the bolt-action Winchester Model 70 that Director Emeritus of Civilian Marksmanship, Gary Anderson, used in 1972 to set the only perfect 200-yard standing slow-fire score at the National Matches.

The gun’s story begins long before that historic shot.

“This gun plays a special role in the history of marksmanship,” said Anderson, who attended the First Shot Ceremony. “It started as my dad’s rifle and was converted to a match rifle. In 2019, I used it to shoot the first shot, so it’s been here at the First Shot Ceremony a couple times.”

Notable Attendees

Hundreds of marksmen, National Matches competitors, and dignitaries in the political, marksmanship and military worlds attended the July 10 First Shot ceremony. Guest speakers were Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09); Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05); Major General John C. Harris Jr., who serves as Ohio’s Adjutant General; and Gerald O’Keefe, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Civilian Marksmanship Program.

Congressman Latta is a longtime marksman and National Matches competitor who plans to shoot in three matches this year. He said his father first came to Camp Perry for National Guard training, and shooting sports eventually became a family activity.

“It’s important to pass that tradition down to the next generation. I was fortunate to have a dad who was a hunter and a marksman,” Latta said. “Camp Perry is my very favorite place in the world.”

O’Keefe talked about the impact of the National Matches’ long history on marksmanship, and he said the CMP remains committed to carrying that impact into the future. CMP is tying its history and future together in its updated branding, “CMP – the Home of Marksmanship.”

CMP Mission

The CMP works tirelessly to promote marksmanship through the four pillars of firearms training, safety, competitions and youth programs, and it has ambitious plans to widen the reach of shooting sports across the country. CMP is constructing a modern indoor airgun and smallbore marksmanship center in Columbia, Missouri, and is researching options for establishing a presence in the West.

CMP is embracing technology in its effort to maintain relevance and inspire the next generation of marksmen. It recently purchased two Laser Shot Simulation Systems, has plans to modernize electronic target systems, and is looking into entering the world of Esports.

As CMP carries marksmanship into the future, it will keep one eye on the past. History will always have its place at the modern National Matches, as it did when Green shot Anderson’s Winchester Model 70.

“To shoot it was absolutely a huge honor,” Green said. “I was shooting a piece of history.”

– By Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer

June 22, 2023

NRA World Shooting Championships Set for April 2024

NRA World Shooting Championship set for 2024 in Indiana.

One of the rare, large cash payout matches is back! The National Rifle Association announced the return of the NRA World Shooting Championship, presented by Walther Arms. Back on the docket for April 4-6, 2024, the event resumes at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. And if you want to shoot this match, you would be advised to jump all over the registration. The NRA World Shooting Championship promises cash and prizes totaling more than $250,000. Better still, the champion takes home $25,000!

“NRA’s storied history of organizing and executing premier shooting competitions will continue next spring as top shooters convene in Indiana for the NRA World Shooting Championship,” said Joseph P. DeBergalis, Jr., executive director of NRA General Operations. “Competitors of every background and skill level, whether a professional or amateur shooter, will be challenged through a variety of shooting disciplines with the goal of being declared the ‘World’s Greatest Shooter.’ NRA is excited for the return of this highly popular championship, and we are grateful for the support from Walther Arms and our partners in the state of Indiana.”

Indiana’s first lady, Janet Holcomb, will help kick-off this historic event. Executives from Walther Arms, NRA officials and board members, and Indiana State Rifle and Pistol Association President Charlie Hiltunen will join Holcomb.

Big Support in Return Match

“The NRA World Shooting Championship is the ultimate challenge for competitors in any shooting discipline, and I was absolutely thrilled to learn that Indiana will play host in 2024,” said Janet Holcomb, the First Lady of the State of Indiana. “Camp Atterbury continues to expand its facilities and capacity for events of this nature, making it the perfect location for this elite competition. I know for certain that spectators, and competitors from around the globe, will be greeted with two things; an immensely challenging course of fire, and the Hoosier Hospitality that is the trademark of our great state.”

“The Indiana State Rifle and Pistol Association is proud to be a part of the NRA World Shooting Championship, which is one of the greatest competitive shooting events in the world,” said Charlie Hiltunen, Indiana State Rifle & Pistol Association president and NRA board member. “NRA and ISRPA, the state affiliate of the NRA, working with the state of Indiana, Indiana National Guard, and our amazing shooting competition and youth shooting sports community are laying the foundation for establishing Indiana as the Shooting Sports Capital of the World!”

“Walther is involved in a wide array of competitive shooting sports, and we are thrilled to support this event and the range of competitions which it represents,” said Rob McCanna, president and CEO of Walther Arms, INC. “Support for the shooting community and support for the NRA go hand-in-hand and we look forward to the return of this one-of-a-kind competition.”

Format & Registration

The match format provides all firearms, optics and ammunition to the competitors. This format levels the field while also highlighting key match supporters and sponsors. Competitors will compete in 12 stages of fire spanning multiple shooting sport disciplines. But know this, 3-Gunners dominated this competition in the past, and we fully expect that to continue.

Registration opens Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023 at 1 PM ET; the portal will then go live at https://competitor.nra.org. In the meantime, contact Steve Kupcha, managing director of NRA Corporate Partnerships, for more information, at SKupcha@nrahq.org.

Bruce Piatt Wins Inaugural CMP Bianchi Cup, 7th Bianchi Title Overall

Bruce Piatt won the 2023 CMP Bianchi Cup.

During the 2023 Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) Bianchi Cup International Pistol Tournament, Bruce Piatt, 62, of Damascus, PA, made history as he earned the overall National Champion title and his seventh Bianchi Cup – 30 years after he earned his first. His 2023 victory marked Piatt as the competitor with the most wins in the Bianchi Cup’s existence, though surpassed by Practical Open Event winner Douglas Koenig, 54, of Deland, FL, who holds 19 wins in his career.

The CMP Bianchi Cup International Pistol Tournament, the second longest running pistol championship in the world, was held May 23-26, 2023, at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club in Missouri. Though the CMP Bianchi Cup has been an annual event since 1979, this year was the first time the match was hosted by the CMP.

Title sponsor MidwayUSA and many other generous sponsors provided tremendous support as over 135 individuals participated in the CMP Bianchi Cup, including several international competitors from Australia, Barbados, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland.

“The 2023 CMP Bianchi Cup went great!” said CMP pistol coordinator, Jim Henderson. “It was my privilege to be part of the behind-the-scenes workings for this awesome event! Darren Maher and all the Green Valley R&P staff were the best crew I’ve had the pleasure to work with in a long time. Pat Cooper and her army of volunteers did an absolutely fantastic job, and this event would not have happened if it weren’t for those two groups of amazing people.”

CMP Bianchi Cup Match Format

The CMP Bianchi Cup is comprised of four events: the Practical Event, Moving Target (Mover) Event, Barricade Event, and the Falling Plates Event. Competitors shoot from both standing and prone positions and are also required to shoot with strong and weak hands at various stages. There are no makeup shots in the CMP Bianchi Cup, adding to its difficulty. Competitors fire in Open, Metallic, Production and Production Optic classes within each event.

Mark Blake, 52, traveled across the world from Australia’s Huon Creek to win the Open Championship title while obtaining the overall win in the Moving Target event. Special congratulations also goes to Roman Hauber, 57, who traveled from Regensburg, Germany, to claim the Mover Metallic win. U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s (USAMU) SFC Ryan Franks, 35, of Ellerslie, GA, won the Metallic category in the Practical and Barricade events.

Leading the Production class was USAMU teammate SSG Christopher Hudock, 33, of Columbus, GA, who earned wins in all four events, while fellow teammate SSG Anthony Heinauer, 26, of Fort Benning, GA, earned the Production Optic title. Through their talented athletes (SSG Hudock, SFC Franks, SSG Heinauer and SSG Walter Johnson), the USAMU claimed the 4-Man team match.

Shooting Falling Plates at the 2023 Bianchi Cup.

More Top Performers

Benito Martinez, 44, of Albuquerque, NM, brought home the Open win in the Falling Plates match. Meanwhile the Production Optic classes were led by Simon Golob, 48, of Kearney, MO (Practical), SSG Heinauer (Mover) and Seiichi Ishikawa, 52, of Montebello, CA (Barricade).

“I’d like to thank all the competitors for coming to the 2023 CMP Bianchi Cup,” Henderson added. “I know there are a few small things we can polish for next year, and I very much appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we move forward into a new era for this historic event. I can safely say that the CMP and I are very much looking forward to many more years of this great championship!”

Other top athletes at the 2023 CMP Bianchi Cup included SFC Sally Talbott, 46, of Columbia, SC. She won the Overall Woman Championship. Troy Mattheyer, 60, of Ellis, KS, earned the John Cameron Memorial Senior title. Finally, Vance Schmid, 72, of Marion, IL, won the Grand Senior Champion.