High Power Shooter Wins Smallbore Regional with Innovative Tube Gun

by
posted on November 2, 2015
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
hpr_sbr_win.jpg

The five-decade tradition of smallbore rifle competition in Manassas, VA at the Fairfax Rod and Gun Club continues. Thirty-four competitors duked it out at this year’s conventional smallbore prone regional, held Labor Day weekend this past September.

High power rifle shooter (and high master) John Sylvester from Green Lane, PA showed that he can shoot smallbore, too. He dominated the match, placing in seven of the eight fired matches and winning both the Metallic (1599-114X) and Any Sight (1599-130X) aggregates and the Grand Aggregate (3198-244X) as well.

John Sylvester shot an unusual rifle: a “tube gun,” consisting of (pictured above) an Anschutz M54 action in a Gary Eliseo AN1 stock. He shot it very well—and very quickly, too, sometimes finishing a 20 shot string in less than six minutes.

Expert class shooter David Bay of Slidell, LA came to see the clubs baffled range. While he was inspecting the range, he managed to finish second in the Grand Aggregate with a 3194-236X. In third place was former Any Sight National Champion Bill Neff of Parsippany, NJ, with a 3192-225X.

Nicholas Kanellis of Burke, VA was the high expert with a 3192-218X, and second expert was Dan Gray with 3182-198X. Junior shooter James Fees was high sharpshooter, also placing in seven of eight fired matches, with 3187-205X and Bob Gehret of Hampstead, MD was second sharpshooter with 3182-198X. Charles Hazy of Staunton, VA was high marksman with a score of 3096-107X.

You can learn more about NRA smallbore rifle competition here

Latest

Wright Biathlon 2
Wright Biathlon 2

Milan Cortina 2026: Wright’s Blistering Final Lap Delivers Eighth-Place Pursuit Finish

Campbell Wright finished eighth in the men’s 12.5 km biathlon pursuit at Milan Cortina 2026, tying the best-ever Olympic result by an American man in the discipline.

New: Smith & Wesson Model 940-3 J-Frame Revolver

Smith & Wesson’s new Model 940-3 J-Frame 9 mm revolver is built with a stainless-steel no-lock frame and five-round capacity.

Collegiate Rifle: No. 2 WVU Defeats No. 1 Kentucky, Claims Third Straight GARC Title

No. 2 WVU outperforms No. 1 Kentucky by 10 in air rifle to overcome a five-point smallbore deficit, winning the GARC regular season title for the third consecutive year.

Milan Cortina 2026: Irwin Posts 17th-Fastest Course Time in Biathlon Women’s Pursuit

Deedra Irwin finished 35th in the women’s 10 km biathlon pursuit at Milan Cortina 2026 after qualifying with a clean shooting performance in Saturday’s sprint.

Collegiate Rifle: No. 14 Akron Falls in Heartbreaker to No. 16 Army

No. 16 Army edges No. 14 Akron 4706-4700. Natalia Siek sweeps top-gun honors on Senior Day as Zips post three 4700+ scores.

Blackjack: The New Rimfire and Air Gun Challenge Testing Marksmanship Skills

Blackjack, a new rimfire and air gun competition, challenges shooters with tiny steel plates, strategic scoring and multiple equipment divisions at 50 and 100 yards.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.