Over 300 industry professionals put on the Ritz at the 13th annual Shooting Industry Masters, held July 24-25 at the Claythorne Lodge in Columbus, Kan. The Masters celebrated the Roaring Twenties in style, raising $71,650 in support of the shooting sports.

"After 13 years and as many climate variations, we've discovered Shooting Industry Masters participants must be super-human," said Randy Molde, Masters chairman and FMG VP of business development. "It's the only thing that explains their disregard of elements in favor of an overwhelming desire to shoot an unprecedented number of events and still have strength to invest in thousands of dollars worth of raffle tickets, all in support of First Shots."

This year, $57,600 was raised for NSSF's First Shots program through raffle ticket sales, side match admissions and several special custom gun auctions hosted on GunBroker.com. With this total, the Shooting Industry Masters has raised $338,600 for First Shots in seven years.

"FMG's Shooting Industry Masters continues to be the most exciting industry-wide participatory competitive event," said Steve Sanetti, NSSF president and CEO. "They always find ways to outdo themselves, and the Masters just keeps getting better! Best of all is their completely unselfish devotion to NSSF's First Shots program, which has introduced many thousands of new participants to the shooting sports during the last decade. We salute everyone at FMG who continually help make this happen, and the hundreds of industry participants who had a great time for a great cause."

Sixty-four sponsors signed on to help produce the 2015 Shooting Industry Masters. Fifty-three industry manufacturers and supporters contributed product for 55 raffle prize packages, which also raised money for First Shots. This year's event featured 80 teams of industry professionals, ranging from presidents and CEOs to engineers and product managers.

"The enthusiasm streaming from every participant as they experienced two days worth of team building, shooting relays and side match capers reminded us again how the people behind the brands really are the glue of the entire industry," Molde said.

Additionally, $14,050 was raised for the USA Shooting Team as they prepare for Rio 2016. This amount was generated by auctions on GunBroker.com and several live auctions at the Masters awards reception. To date, the Masters has raised over $75,000 in support of USA Shooting team athletes.

"Once again, the Shooting Industry Masters, led by FMG Publications and many other important contributors, has stepped up to support the USA Shooting Team," said Robert Weekes, USA Shooting chief marketing officer. "As America's shooting team, every dollar counts toward achieving our mission and we're proud to know we have a team of people standing behind us in pursuit of our goals."

Produced and managed by FMG Publications, the Shooting Industry Masters consists of centerfire, rimfire, shotgun and team tactics events. This year, the Masters featured a record-matching 17 side matches, giving participants the chance to shoot everything from a Thompson submachine gun, Browning BAR, Walther PPQ and more. For more information on the Masters, visit www.shootingindustrymasters.com



Contact: Randy Molde
(800) 537-3006
randy.molde@fmghq.com