Our friend Chip Lohman, Managing Editor of Shooting Sports USA, is more than a competitive shooter and a magazine journalist -- he's a videographer! Check out his 2010 NRA Bianchi Cup video via the above link or watch it here.

Yesterday more than 400 people took part in the United States Army Marksmanship Unit's Small Arms Firing School here at Camp Perry. One was NRA's Action Pistol Coordinator Damien Orsinger who is responsible for the NRA Bianchi Cup. Although he's very familiar with pistol shooting, he decided to learn more about the competition here at Camp Perry and receive some world-class training. 

After a morning of classroom training, Orsinger and his fellow trainees headed over to the range to put their new bullseye shooting skills to the test. Using a Beretta M9 9mm pistol, they fired a small sampling of the National Matches course of fire.

"We shot slow fire, timed fire, and rapid fire during the relay, just like the actual competitors," said Orsinger, pictured at right in blue. 

Orsinger believes that the training was very beneficial and helped him gain a better knowledge of bullseye competiton. He recommends the training to beginning and intermediate shooters looking to improve upon the fundamentals of marksmanship.

"I definitely learned some things about the mechanics of shooting that will really help me in the future," said Orsinger.

These are photos from the Colt Speed Event which was held on the last day of the MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup. The competition for the cup had already wrapped up the previous day with Doug Koenig clenching his 12th title and everybody was enthusiastic as they prepared for a fun speed shooting competition. A good crowd came out to fill the bleachers that had been set up and the late spring day was bright and sunny. With good spirits and good weather the event got underway.

Two shooters stepped up at a time as faced off according to the randomly-drawn brackets for the event. The best-of-three competition was a change of pace from the past three days of the Bianchi Cup. If a shooter slipped up during one Bianchi Cup event they had a chance to make up their score in a couple hours or even the following day at the next event. At the Colt Speed Event, two rounds of being slower than the other shooter was all it took to get eliminated. On a few occasions a shooter won a round by only a tenth, or even a hundredth of a second. There were even a couple ties.

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Doug Koenig of Team Smith & Wesson claimed his 12th Bianchi Cup championship over Memorial Day Weekend at the 2010 MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup in Columbia, Missouri.

No one else in the history of the Bianchi Cup has dominated it quite like Doug. The next closest shooter, Caspian Arms' Bruce Piatt, ranks in with five titles. An impressive feat itself.

Doug's first appearence in the Bianchi Cup was in 1987 as a youth.

"I remember standing up on stage with my youth award next to John Pride, who had won that year," Doug said. "And I thought to myself 'just maybe.'"

Three years later, at the 1990 Bianchi Cup, Doug took the stage to accept his very first championship.

The Bianchi Cup is a unique shooting competition that mixes speed with accuracy to push the world's best shooters to their limit. Doug, like all shooters, has become very familiar with the close margins that separate a championship and second place.

Koenig's aggregate of 1920-179x held through to the end, but Bruce Piatt almost took home the trophy instead. Both competitors finished the competition by shooting the Moving Target Event; Koenig followed by Piatt. In the end, one shot determined the outcome. Piatt scored a hit in the 8-ring, which gave him a final score of 1918. Had he shot a ten, Piatt's 183x would have beat Koenig's 179x and given him the title.

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The 2010 MidwayUSA/Bianchi Cup Awards Ceremony saw the new champions presented with their trophies. Doug Koenig hoisted his record 12th Bianchi Cup up to the crowd while Robert Vadasz received his second Metallic Division championship trophy. Kyle Schmidt won the Production Division, the newest addition to the Bianchi Cup which came in 2009. The new Women's Champion, Jessie Abbate, recently became the most recent addition to Team Smith & Wesson and impressively edged out last year's champion, Julie Golob.

Numerous other awards are handed out at the MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup, however. The highest scoring shooters in many other categories receive recognition, among of which are high law enforcement, high woman, high junior, high international, high newcomer, high senior, high service, high semi-auto, high revolver and more.

The keynote speaker of the night was Medal of Honor recipient Don "Doc" Ballard, credited with saving the lives of a group of fellow Marines by throwing himself on a grenade that ultimately failed to detonate. Mr. Ballard's moving speech touched on how important the Second Amendment is to all of us and the necessity of keeping it protected.

The MidwayUSA/NRA Bianchi Cup is a combination of Speed and Accuracy. The friendly environment is welcoming to all newcomers who enjoy the shooting sports and more shooters sign up each year. For more information on the championship, visit the official NRA website here.

One of the traditions the Bianchi Cup has picked up over the years is an unofficial award of sorts.

The High Skirt Award, as it has come to be known, is a fashionably questionable high skirt that is given to the first male to place after the top female.

Craig Ginger of the Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia presented the award this year and gave its brief history lesson to those who were not familiar.

Each recipient of the award has the honor of getting their name immortalized on its front in gold thread. Shooter Jay Della Bella has a record-holding two appearences on the skirt.

This results for this year's High Skirt could not have been much better if they had been planned. Billy Abbate, sporting a 1906-158x, finished just after his wife Jessica Abbate, who shot a 1906-163x.

After the cheering died down, Billy gracefully got up on stage and allowed Craig to help him into his trophy.

Well, what do you know? A perfect fit.

Barbara Baird, huntress extraordinaire and Publisher of the Women's Outdoor News, attended the NRA Bianchi Cup last week. Pictured above, from left to right: CWO3 Glenn Ryther, Baird's colleague Tammy Ballew, SSgt. Perez Ysiac, Sgt. William Goetscher, Baird, Sgt. Michael Stahl, SSgt. Matthew C. Walsh, Cpl. William D. Hiett.

Below, Baird's report of the award ceremony, which honored Col. (U.S. Army, Ret.) Donald E. Ballard,:

Medal of Honor recipient Ballard tells NRA crowd to keep fighting

...According to Tom Hughes (national manager for the National Rifle Association’s pistol, conventional pistol and action shooting) the Marines came because not only did they want to meet the challenge of this prestigious match, they also came to support guest speaker Col. (U.S. Army, Ret.) Donald E. Ballard, a Medal of Honor Recipient from Kansas City, Mo.

Ballard, a stocky guy that you’d want watching your back anytime, received a standing ovation before he even started his speech. And when all of us sat down, six Marines stood at attention until he told them, “At ease, Marines.” He added, “Hooah!”

Ballard ... is the only living Kansas Guardsman to receive the Medal of Honor and is the subject of a memorial statue at the National Medical War Memorial in Kansas City. He also fought his own private battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, because, “I had to play God and I had to let people live and people die. I still have a feeling of guilt for letting people die.” He said talking to others who have been in combat situations has helped him throughout the years.

Ballard looked over the room, and stated, “We represent a group of freedom fighters. We are patriots.” He did not refer solely to himself and the six men at our table. Ballard explained that every day, as we exercise our freedom to own firearms, use firearms and support the Second Amendment, we fight a battle – sometimes outright, and sometimes, an undercurrent. He then chided us, and asked, “But, are we teaching our children to be patriots?” Ballard then reminded us that our biggest enemy is complacency. He further said, “Everyone has to pay a price to live this country.”

Continue reading here.

 A full recap of the 2010 Bianchi Cup, complete with final scores and awards, will be tomorrow and over the rest of the week. In the meantime, have a great Memorial Day.

The Ray Chapmap Speed Star Event is a side event at the Bianchi Cup and is sponsored by the great people at Secure Firearm Products.

At a range of ten yards from the shooter are three Speed Star target plates colored red, white and blue. A firing box of corresponding color is located across from each target. The three stars have steel plates at the ends of each of their five points. The stars are also able to rotate when external force is applied, resulting in the star beginning to spin once its plates get shot off.

Eighteen rounds are used in this event, distributed to three magazines of six rounds each or a speedloader of six rounds each.

As in all events, the starting position is with the firearm holstered and hands at shoulder height.

When the signal to fire is given, the competitor draws and fires at the Red Speed Star from the Red Box before moving on to the White Box and the White Speed Star and finishing at the Blue Box and Blue Speed Star.

Scores are determined by the total time used to knock down the 15 targets. Any plates left on the Speed Stars result in five seconds added per plate.

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From Universal Coin & Bullion:

COLUMBIA, MO – Universal Coin & Bullion (UCB) has expanded their NRA sponsorship by becoming a major sponsor of the NRA National Action Pistol Championship, also known as the NRA Bianchi Cup. UCB will also be the sponsor of the 2010 NRA National Pistol Championships at Camp Perry.

Universal Coin & Bullion sponsored the Practical Event of the NRA Bianchi Cup and provided up to $15,000 in cash and prizes. UCB’s VP of Marketing Paul Stein, attended the Championship, said, “As the Official Bullion & Rare Coin Dealer of the NRA, our commitment to Competitive Shooting is an exciting opportunity.  Locally and nationally, the Bianchi Cup and Camp Perry are tangible events designed to engage all ages in shooting sports, both as a competitor and as a spectator. We’re proud that the NRA asked us to be a part of these world-acclaimed events!”

Since its inception in 1979, the NRA Bianchi Cup has retained its original course of fire, consisting of four events: Practical, Barricade, Moving Target and Falling Plates. Speed and accuracy are the key to winning the Championship. Each event is timed and worth 480 points, equaling a total of 1920 possible points. Action pistol competitors are permitted to use a two-handed grip, and competitors must start with their guns holstered. This dynamic type of competition makes the match more appealing to spectators.

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Dynamic Finishes is a first year sponsor of the Bianchi Cup. Headed up by Scott Catton, Dynamic Finishes will put a top-notch camo pattern and finish on anything you bring them.

A hunter since he was a kid, Scott started out just doing firearms but soon found himself covering items like bows, Xboxs and guitars. "I've even done prostheses," Scott said.

In just a few short years, Dynamic Finishes has become the camouflage finisher and supplier to some of the most respected firearms and archery manufacturers in the world.

Dynamic Finishes is a Silver Sponsor at this year's Bianchi Cup and Scott told me he is enjoying his experience, but told me "I think I'd like to shoot next year," after watching all the events this past week.

Scott's company has been featured on television shows like Maximum Archery on the Outdoor Channel and CMT's Trick My Truck. They recently did the finish on the rifle presented to former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin at the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Charlotte, NC.

Dynamic Finishes is even working its way onto the country music scene. George Strait had them customize one of his guitars and manufacturer Les Paul recently put in an order for custom designs on some of their guitars.

Snakeskin, skulls, alligator skin, camouflage, American flags, diamond plate, if you can think it up they can put just about any pattern on anything.

The final event that competitors must shoot in for the Bianchi Cup is the Falling Plate event.

Sponsored by Smith & Wesson, the event is pretty straight forward. Six target plates are placed on a beam downrange and, as always, the holstered firearm with hands shoulder high is the starting position.

At the sound of a horn, competitors will fire one round at each target trying to knock them down within the allotted time. This procedure is then repeated before shooters move back to the next distance.

Rounds are fired from ranges of 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards at 8” round metal plates that are spray painted white. Like the other events, 48 rounds are fired in this event.

Just like in the Practical Event, shooters are allowed to fire from a standing or prone position, although they must be standing and in the starting position before moving to prone with the signal to shoot is given.

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A competition like the Bianchi Cup leaves a lot of brass in its wake. The range crew here gathers up all the spent casings and often finds a buyer in one of the vendors. Last year Zero Bullet was generous enough to take the brass off the range's hands. And where does the money go? "I used it to buy thank you gifts for our volunteers," Range Director Pat Cooper told me. 

Today's event is sponsored by Colt. 

Unlike the other events, not every competitor shoots the Colt Speed Event. This match consists of the top four finishers from the Match X results in each of the Open, Metallic and Production Divisions for a total of 12 competitors. The top four Women and top two Senior and Junior shooters are also invited to this event. 

Two competitors occupy their own three sq. ft. firing areas and look ten yards downrange at four knock-down plates and one stop-plate that is attached to a timer. Unlike in Falling Plate, the plates in this event can be placed varying heights. A maximum of six rounds may be shot at the targets, allowing for competitors to miss once and still hit all the plates

Narrowed down to 12, the competitors are seeded according to the luck of the draw and participate in a double elimination bracket. Shooters go head to head with the fastest time advancing until one out of the final two competitors wins three times.

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