Rifle Silhouette Championship Matches are defined here as any NRA, SRAC (& Affiliates) or FEMETI sanctioned matches as outlined below. This does not include local gun club matches, such as NRA Approved Matches in the USA where Aggregate National Records cannot be established and Championship Match rules are not always strictly enforced.
If you are a new or recreational Rifle Silhouette shooter and have not shot in a Championship Match, please come join us!
While shooting in your local club matches can be fun and challenging, the best way for you to climb up to a AA, AAA or a Master Classification is to challenge yourself. The experience you gain in your first Championship Match can be very exhilarating! Not only have many shooters achieved their best scores in their first Championship Match (focused!), but the experience of being around great shooters can be very motivating.
Over time, you will elevate your game as well as your personal expectations when you shoot next to champion-caliber Rifle Silhouette shooters on the firing line. Try it and you will not be disappointed!
2024 Lapua Monarch Cup
Something very significant happened in the Silhouette World at the 2019 Mexico National Smallbore Silhouette Championships. A small group of top Silhouette Shooters from Mexico, Canada and the USA met during this Championship Match and agreed to promote a North American Smallbore Silhouette Championship Series to determine the best Smallbore Rifle Silhouette Shooter in North America.
Work soon began with the Capstone Precision Group and Lapua agreeing to be the Title Sponsor for this newly created Lapua Monarch Cup (LMC) Championship Series. Soon after, a LMC Board of Directors and Advisors was formed along with the establishment of the LMC Vision, Mission and Goals. While the Covid Epidemic delayed the launch of the LMC Championship Series until 2022, the dream born in 2019 in Saltillo is now a successful reality!
Now that 2024 is upon us, the Lapua Monarch Cup Board of Directors is now busy preparing for the 2024 LMC. The upcoming 2024 Lapua Monarch Cup remains the only North American Championship Match conducted in Rifle Silhouette. Discussion are moving forward to expand the LMC concept into other Rifle Silhouette disciplines.
For details on the 2024 Lapua Monarch Cup, click on the link below:
As Rifle Silhouette migrated across the border from Mexico to Southern Arizona and the rest of the USA, it was inevitable that Rifle Silhouette would cross over the border into Canada as well. This was facilitated by the ability of Canadian gun clubs to adapt some of the work done by the NRA such as the formal establishment of Rifle Silhouette rules and procedures.
Over time came the establishment of the Silhouette Rifle Association of Canada (SRAC) as the sanctioning body of the Canadian National Silhouette Championships. Other affiliate organizations, such as the Alberta Metallic Silhouette Association and the British Columbia Target Sports Association, sanction Provincial Championship Matches in their respective provinces.
For the most part, Rifle Silhouette Championship Matches are in the western half of Canada with British Columbia and Alberta leading the way with other Rifle Silhouette clubs based out of the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan and the Yukon Provinces. The structure of modern-day Canadian Sanctioned Rifle Silhouette Championship Matches follows a similar format to NRA matches south of the border as follows:
National Championships – The Canadian National Silhouette Championships for both High Power and Smallbore have been held at places such as the Bull River Shooters Association Club due to their logistical capability to hold these matches. National Championships are not conducted in the Air Rifle and Lever Action disciplines.
Provincial Championships – Provincial Championship Matches are conducted annually by some Provinces throughout Canada, although many Provinces currently do not have the gun clubs, shooter attendance and/or logistics to conduct such championships.
Special Championships – Sanctioned matches can be sponsored through the SRAC & Affiliates by Silhouette gun clubs that do not fit into the above categories.
Click on the link below for upcoming 2024 Canada Championship Matches and corresponding programs:
The very first Rifle Silhouette Shooting Championship in our sport was held in Mexico City in 1952. Fast forward over 50 years and Rifle Silhouette is the top shooting sport in Mexico. Silhouette Championship disciplines in Mexico include High Power and Smallbore Rifle.
Currently, there are no FEMETI-Sanctioned Silhouette Air Rifle Matches and Silhouette Lever Action is not shot in Mexico. There is some movement with Air Rifle Silhouette rules being established similar to NRA air rifle rules. The goal is to establish a North American Air Rifle Silhouette Championship similar in spirit to the Lapua Monarch Cup.
National Championships – Currently in Mexico, there are National Championship Matches in both Smallbore and Highpower Rifle Silhouette disciplines. Competition between Rifle Silhouette clubs in each of the Mexico States is fierce, with the winning club having the privilege of hosting the Mexico National Championships in the following year.
State Championships – Mexican State Championship Matches are conducted by many states throughout Mexico.
FEMETI-Sanctioned Championships – Championship Rifle Silhouette Matches are conducted that do not fit into the above categories. One example is the 2nd Leg of the 2022 Lapua Monarch Cup conducted in Saltillo, Coahuila. These matches are well attended by the top shooters and have a well deserved tradition as Championship Matches in their own right.
Click on the link below for upcoming 2024 Mexico Championship Matches and corresponding programs:
By the early 1970’s, Rifle Silhouette had moved across the Arizona Border and started to spread into California, New Mexico and Texas. Lobbying the NRA led to the establishment of the 1973 NRA Metallic Silhouette Championships (High Power) at the Tucson Rifle Club with the NRA High Power Committee having jurisdiction early in the process.
This Championship Match, as well as the subsequent 1974 National Championship at the Tucson Rifle Club, created explosive growth in Rifle Silhouette matches throughout the USA. The structure of modern day NRA-Sanctioned Silhouette Championship Matches shown below follows the structure of other NRA-sanctioned rifle sports.
National Championships – Currently in the USA, there are National Championship Matches in the Lever Action, Smallbore and Highpower Rifle Silhouette disciplines. No National Championship in Air Rifle Silhouette have been conducted since 2017.
Regional Championships – Regional Matches are conducted throughout the USA with no specific and defined regional boundaries. Silhouette gun club match directors can file with the NRA for permission to register a Regional Match at their own discretion.
State Championships – State Championship Matches are conducted by many states throughout the USA, although many states currently do not have the gun clubs or logistics to conduct such matches.
Registered Championships – NRA-Registered Championship Rifle Silhouette Matches are regularly conducted that do not fit into the above categories such as the Conard Bernhart Cup, Montana Iron Man, Lapua Super Shoot and the Shamrock Silhouette Shoot-Out. These matches are well attended by the top shooters and have a well deserved tradition as Championship Matches in their own right.
Click on the link below for upcoming 2024 USA Championship Matches and corresponding programs:
Upcoming Championships Archive
All Upcoming Championships listings from Canada, Mexico and the USA are archived beginning with 2022. This will continue for subsequent years thereafter (2023, 2024, 2025, etc.) within our databases for your reference.
To view archive records, click on the Upcoming Championship Archives link below: