SIGHTRON ambassadors Adam Migel and Jeremy Pepin placed 1st and 3rd respectively at the 2026 Pyramyd Air Cup Gunslynger competition held at Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio. Both competitors utilized SIGHTRON's S-TAC 1-6x24 AR1 Riflescope, praising its precision and reliability in the fast-draw, bracket-style competition.
Team Ruger's Lauryl Akenhead earned High Lady and placed 21st overall at the 2026 WI Barrel Maker 2.0 precision rifle competition in Tomah, Wisconsin, using her Ruger American® Gen II rifle chambered in 6mm Creedmoor. Akenhead's performance demonstrates the reliability and accuracy of the American Gen II platform in demanding match conditions.
Lauryl Akenhead of Team Ruger won High Lady honors at the 2026 Peterson Cartridge Challenge in Kennerdell, Pennsylvania, competing with her Ruger American Gen II rifle. Her consistent performance demonstrated the rifle's capability in practical precision rifle competition across varying shooting positions and conditions.
Hornady shooter Bennie Cooley won the Factory Division and Top Senior honors at the NRL Hunter Grand Slam near Clovis, New Mexico, using Hornady 6mm 110 gr A-Tip bullets in his 6mm Creedmoor paired with a Leupold BX-6 binoculars' 4DOF solver.
Dead Air Silencers will exhibit at the 2026 Connecticut SWAT Challenge (August 10-13) at Hartford Gun Club, showcasing their latest suppressor technology including the new CT5P suppressor designed for tactical teams and patrol officers running 5.56 NATO duty rifles.
Sturm, Ruger & Company congratulates Team Ruger's Steve Foster on his outstanding performance at the 2026 Tennessee State Steel Challenge, where he earned multiple division titles competing with his Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber rifle and Mark IV pistol at Camp Davy Crockett in Whitesburg, Tennessee.
Team Ruger's Randi Rogers and Gordon Carrell competed at the 2026 NRA Faces of Freedom ARC Regional Championship in Rapid City, South Dakota, using Ruger Harrier rifles. Rogers finished second in the open division with a score of 525.30, while Carrell secured a match win, demonstrating the reliability and accuracy of Ruger firearms in competitive shooting sports.
Lauryl Akenhead of Team Ruger earned High Lady honors at the 2026 Sheepdog Showdown, a national PRS Pro Series point match held in New York's Catskill Mountains. Competing with her Ruger American Gen II rifle in an MDT LSS chassis, Akenhead finished with a score of 151, demonstrating the rifle's reliability and accuracy in demanding competitive conditions.
SHIELD Sights competitors achieved outstanding results at the Beretta Gold Cup in Tartu, Estonia on July 24–25. Dylan Keppel claimed 1st Place Overall in Production Optics, while Cheyenne Wauben earned 1st Place in the Ladies Division and 4th Place Overall in Production Optics.
The NRA National Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) will return to Bentonville, Arkansas, July 19–26, 2026. Open to youth ages 8–18, this premier event features eight challenging competitions including shooting disciplines and responsibility-based activities conducted under realistic hunting conditions. Organizational sponsors include Arkansas Friends of NRA, Safari Club International, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and corporate partners like Federal, Remington, Henry Repeating Arms, and Bushnell.
Steve Foster of Team Ruger won High Overall and first place in the Open division at the Michigan State Rimfire Challenge Championship, competing with a Ruger Mark IV pistol and 10/22 Carbon Fiber rifle across 10 stages. Sturm, Ruger & Company congratulated Foster on his exceptional performance and commitment to rimfire competition.
SHIELD Sights celebrated strong performances at the European Handgun Championships 2026 in Crewkerne, England. Denny Rossetto successfully defended her Ladies Open European Championship title, while Miroslav Zapletal captured the Men's Senior Production Optics European Championship, showcasing exceptional skill among Team SHIELD competitors.
Team Ruger's Lauryl Akenhead won the Top Lady title at the 2026 Hornady Precision Rifle Challenge near Evanston, Wyoming, competing against 200 shooters with her Ruger American Rifle Gen II chambered in 6mm Creedmoor. Akenhead praised the rifle's reliability and accuracy, crediting it as a winning competition platform.
Shell Shock Technologies sponsored shooter John Vlieger won first place in the Carry Optics Division and second overall at the 2026 Bluegrass USPSA State Championship in Wilmore, Kentucky. Vlieger credited Shell Shock Technologies' NAS³ cases for their consistency, achieving a 5-fps extreme spread across 11 stages with 997.5887 match points out of 91 competitors.
Kaleb Klein of Team Ruger won multiple titles at the 2026 Area 5 Steel Challenge Championship in Terre Haute, IN, claiming first place in Optical Sight Revolver, Iron Sight Revolver, Rimfire Revolver Optics, and Rimfire Revolver Iron divisions using Ruger's Super GP100 and GP100 revolvers. Abbey Clary, Ruger's Director of Media, Advertising and Public Relations, praised Klein's outstanding performance and highlighted the reliability of Ruger firearms.
Walther athlete Braden Peiser qualified 5th and finished 6th in the Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions final at the 2026 ISSF World Cup in Munich, marking his first senior World Cup final appearance. The University of Kentucky competitor and 2026 NCAA individual smallbore champion recently joined the Walther World Team.
Sturm, Ruger & Company congratulates Team Ruger's Lauryl Akenhead on achieving High Lady and finishing fourth overall at the 2026 Colemans Creek Hunter Match in Ellerbe, NC. Competing against 96 shooters across 17 stages, Akenhead used her Ruger American Gen II rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor to score 97 in the Open Heavy division.
Hornady employee Joe Thielen won the Open Division at the Northern Lights Classic PRS match using Hornady 25 cal. 138 gr. A-Tip Match bullets. Sponsored shooter Clay Blacketter placed second, while teammate Lauryl Akenhead won both the Lady and Suppressor Divisions.
Team Ruger's Lauryl Akenhead won Top Lady, Top Suppressor, and placed eighth overall at the 2026 Bullet Central Northern Lights Classic in Aneta, North Dakota, competing against 86 shooters with her Ruger American Gen II rifle in 6mm GT across 19 challenging stages.
Shell Shock Technologies sponsored shooter John Vlieger won first place in the Carry Optics Division and second overall at the 2026 Ohio State Buckeye Blast, earning 96.74% of available points using Shell Shock Technologies' NAS³ cases. Vlieger will compete next at the 2026 Bluegrass State Championship in Kentucky.