Taking to historic firing lines on Lake Erie's coast for a National Championship

The battle for this year's Critchfield Trophy at the NRA Smallbore Prone Championships was a hot one - they usually are. It was also extremely close as Captain Christopher Abalo, in his third and final time competing, bested Reya Kempley and finally walked away with the overall NRA title.

More on the #5 Story of 2012 - NRA Smallbore Prone Championships ...

High Power Rifle shooter starts in Scotland, ends up in Singapore

Jacqui Rankin of the Great Britain Rifle Team relaxes at NRA Long Range High Power Championships in Ohio

Port Clinton, Ohio - Jacqui Rankin doesn't shoot much these days. Fact is she can't. Living in Singapore (permanently as of the last four years) means that only those who belong to a gun club are allowed to shoot with any regularity. So what was she doing at the NRA's Long Range High Power Rifle Championships this summer in Camp Perry? Shooting for the Great Britain Rifle Team (Great Britain Rifle Team) of course. And shooting better than ever.

"Parag (teammate Parag Patel) has a theory," explained Rankin. "There are a few of us expats who come back to Britain and for us, it's a tour. And you always shoot better on tour."

More on Scottish rifle shooter Jacqui Rankin at the NRA Championships ...

First look at Long Range High Power rifle shooter Vikki Gaddie

Port Clinton, Ohio - Around this time last year, we took a look at 20-year old Long Range High Power Rifle shooter Vikki Gaddie out of Mason, Michigan.

Since then, she's gone off to college, competed for Team USA in Australia, and won a few titles.

Here's our first look at Michigan's own Vikki Gaddie.

Comes to NRA Headquarters for Youth Education Summit before shooting Smallbore at Camp Perry

Emporia, Kansas - Two events serve as highlights every summer for those of us here at the National Rifle Association: the Youth Education Summit and the National Rifle & Pistol Championships in Camp Perry, Ohio. Bookmarking the beginning of the season with YES and the end with Camp Perry, it's seldom that the two events come together. Unless you run into someone like Megan Hilbish.

Hailing from Emporia, Kansas, Megan has been around firearms for as long as she can remember. With an enthusiastic hunter as a father, it's no wonder she started in the shooting sports early.

More on NRA Athlete and Scholar Megan Hilbish ...

Wants another Distinguished Leg from NRA Smallbore Rifle

Port Clinton, Ohio - Anyone who's ever read anything about rifle shooting knows the name Harold "Hap" Rocketto. Writing for NRA publications like Shooting Sports USA, Hap provides the ins and outs on the tournaments, the guns and the competitors. Why does Hap does this? Because he knows what he's talking about. He put that knowledge on display this summer by winning NRA's Robert K. Moore Trophy.

Handed out to the Senior (shooters 65 years of age and older) with the best overall score, Hap managed this feat by shooting a 2194-72x. Where does that stand in the overall? It ranks him as the fifteen best civilian shooter and in the top 25% overall.

More on Hap Rocketto's winning the Smallbore Rifle Championship ...

Smallbore Rifle teams win International Postal competitions

Port Clinton, Ohio - To steal a line from Hap Rocketto, the Americans scored a rare twofer this summer at during NRA's National Rifle & Pistol Championships in Camp Perry. With scores of 7834 and 3994-279x, teams of top American Smallbore rifle shooters won this year's Randle and Dewar Cup matches.

"I receiving an email from England saying that the United States had won both the Randle and the Dewar matches," said NRA National Rifle Manager Howard "H.Q." Moody. "That's just phenomenal because we haven't won them in almost ten years."

More on the United States winning the Dewar and Randle matches ...

Pennsylvania's Weiss takes 2nd overall during 2nd stop at Smallbore Rifle 3-Position Championships

Port Clinton, Ohio - One of the faces who graced the stage at Camp Perry this summer during the Smallbore 3-Position Smallbore Rifle Championships was that of Kirsten Weiss out of Cornwall, Pennsylvania. It was Kirsten's second trip to Camp Perry. Her second trip in nine years. And apparently she's made the most of her time away.

"I was 16 and came in second place (in the Sharpshooter Category) by one point," said Weiss. "Since then, I've been shooting in the NCAAs and then some USA Shooting for Team Lapua."

More on Kirsten Weiss' 2012 Smallbore 3-Position Championships in Camp Perry ...

Abalo, Kempley, Anti and the rest of this year's NRA Smallbore Prone winners

Port Clinton, Ohio - Coming up just short his previous two years at Camp Perry, Captain Christopher Abalo finally took the podium's top spot at this year's NRA National Smallbore Rifle Prone Championship. The Army captain posted a 4792-352x out of 4800 to clench the win, narrowly edging out shooter Reya Kempley, whose brother Tarl won the Smallbore Position Championship the week prior, by just two points.

See this year's NRA Smallbore Prone Championship winners ...

Florida teenager is the top youth at this year's NRA/Springfield M1A Match

Port Clinton, Ohio - Six years ago the NRA/Springfield M1A match was started at our National Rifle and Pistol Championships to breathe fresh life into a storied competition rifle and that's exactly what it's done.

Despite the rising popularity of AR-style rifles in competition, the M1A Match has done very well for itself and picks up new shooters each year.

Most importantly, the match is drawing in young shooters like James Kinley III, who shot his way to the High Junior award this past August with a 439-2x out of a possible 500.

Kinley, who is 14 and lives in Parrish, Florida, not only picked up shooting four years ago, but began with the M1A. His choice of firearm was of course helped by his father, who has been a Garand collector since the 1990s and attending Camp Perry since the turn of the century.

Once James caught the shooting bug, he joined his father at the National Matches and has shot in the M1A Match the past two years.

More this year's High Junior at the NRA/Springfield M1A Match...