The NRA Bianchi Cup, sponsored by MidwayUSA, officially kicks off Wednesday

Competitors greeted with lessons from today's top pro shooters

Columbia, Missouri - The easiest part about participating in the Bianchi Cup is the travel. About 1,000 miles from the East Coast, 1,700 from the West Coast, it's about as close to middle of the country as an NRA National Championship gets. If you decide to go by way of plane, and have all your TSA documentation in line, there's still a two hour drive once you reach the nearest commercial airport. That's the easy part. The hard part is mustering the gumption to enter.

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From the Safariland Group - Team Safariland’s Shooters Rob Leatham and Jessie Duff Take Champion Titles at 2013 USPSA Single Stack National Championship

Ontario, California – Safariland® applauds Team Safariland shooters, Rob Leatham and Jessie Duff, for their remarkable wins at the 2013 USPSA Single Stack National Championship held May 9 - 11 at PASA Park, Barry, IL. Both sporting the Safariland ELS belt system with a USPSA adaptor mount, Leatham triumphed with his 17th Single Stack National win while Duff competed in her first Single Stack National and was respectably crowned as the ladies champion.

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Columbia, Missouri - The MidwayUSA & NRA Bianchi Cup is a championship like no other. The richest, most prestigious action pistol tournament in the world. Three days of speed and accuracy you won't see anywhere else.

Top shooters from around the world trek to Columbia, Missouri every year to see who'll come out on top. But go there and you'll find more than the competitors. You'll find sponsors, fans and a whole lot of media.

In fact, it promises to a veritable who's who of shooting media showing up to the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club next week. A few will even step from behind the camera to throw a few shots down range.

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2012 MidwayUSA & NRA Bianchi Cup champions appear on giant flags thanks to sponsor Action Target

Fairfax, Virginia - Last year's MidwayUSA & NRA Bianchi Cup winners are going to have a little more to brag about when the 2013 match starts next week.

Thanks to sponsor Action Target, the winner of each major category in 2012 now has a giant, 15-foot banner with their photo and winning score. These banners will be on display throughout Columbia, Missouri's Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club to remind other shooters who they're going up against . . . and the returning champions of the expectations they're pressured to meet.

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Shooting Sports USA rummages through the range bag of one of the shooting world's greats

Fairfax, Virginia - Between NRA Action, Tactical 3-Gun, Sportsman Team Challenge and Masters, professional shooter Bruce Piatt is a busy guy. Barb Baird from Women's Outdoor News recently caught up with the five-time Bianchi Cup champion to glean some insight from this shooting genius, specifically: What's in his range bag?

Bruce Piatt will be the first to tell you that he is living the dream. As a sponsored professional shooter, he routinely takes the lead or immediately challenges the leader.

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New Bianchi Cup preview video highlights the people making this year's tournament possible

Fairfax, Virginia - We have another MidwayUSA & NRA Bianchi Cup preview with Tom and Damien from the NRA's Pistol Department.

In this episode, the two break down the 35th annual tournament's title and Platinum Sponsors. Aside from MidwayUSA, which you probably picked up on in the name, this year's Platinum Sponsors are the generous industry folks who make the championships' events possible.

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Find out what's going on at this year's MidwayUSA & NRA Bianchi Cup

Fairfax, Virginia - This year's 35th Annual MidwayUSA & NRA Bianchi Cup is a little over two weeks away.

Coming to MidwayUSA's hometown of Columbia, Missouri, the tournament's electrifying four days will test the world's top pistol shooters on their speed and accuracy.

Are you going? Are you interested in going in the future? The Bianchi Cup's program is chock full of information about the championship's history, four events - Practical, Falling Plate, Barricade, Moving Target - and special happenings like the Pro Shooter Clinic and the Bianchi Cup Scholarship Program.

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Fairfax, Virginia - Tom and Damien from NRA's Pistol Department are back with another Bianchi Cup video before this year's 35th annual championship.

In this video the two discuss the brand new MidwayUSA Bianchi Cup Scholarship Program. Introduced this year by MidwayUSA, the scholarship program brings first time college-age shooters to the MidwayUSA & NRA Bianchi Cup with all expenses paid.

What a way to get someone interested in the sport.

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From Leupold & Stevens - Leupold® to Sponsor Bianchi Cup Junior Champ Tiffany Piper

Beaverton, Oregon – Leupold & Stevens, Inc. is pleased to announce the addition of Tiffany Piper to the company’s stable of competitive shooters.

A regular atop the Bianchi Cup junior division, the 19-year-old New Zealand native is looking to pick up her first women’s title at the famed match this year. En route to her third junior title, Piper also finished third in the chase for the overall women’s title in 2012.

Beginning with air pistol as a 10-year-old, Piper moved up to a .22 rimfire by age 11 and .38 Super by age 12. Piper competed in her first Bianchi Cup when she was just 13. An accomplished action pistol shooter, Piper won four consecutive New Zealand national titles, four consecutive national junior titles and was part of the 2008 World Cup champion ladies team.

“It’s great to be a part of the Leupold family of shooters,” Piper said. “I’m looking forward to this year’s Bianchi Cup and shooting against the world’s best action pistol shooters.”

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