Results: 2019 Action Pistol Triple Cup Challenge

There could not have been a better turnout for the first annual Action Pistol Triple Cup Challenge (APTCC). Conducted for the first time ever this year, the three-part aggregate is comprised of three NRA Action Pistol regional championships.


Note: A special thank you goes to NRA Board Member and Chairwoman of the NRA Action Shooting Committee, Julie Golob, for sharing this article. It originally ran via her new email newsletter called bulletinX which provides insight, dates, and details about the sport of Action Pistol. Subscribe to the monthly bulletinX email newsletter at this link. We highly encourage that you do.

Crawfish Cup
It all began with the Crawfish Cup hosted by the Southwest Louisiana Rifle and Pistol Club. George Mowbray and his crew ran an amazing match resulting in four 1920 scores in Open division. Multiple-time (including 2019) NRA Bianchi Cup Champion Bruce Piatt took the overall win with 181X, followed closely by the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit’s (AMU) champion shooter, Adam Sokolowski with 179X. Troy Mattheyer placed fourth overall with his score of 1920-164X.


For the iron sight divisions, the AMU’s Ryan Franks took home the Metallic title with an impressive 1904-136X. Rob Vadasz of the U.S. Border Patrol Pistol Team took second with a 1900-148X. Rounding out the top three was Kyle Wolfe with a score of 1872-124X. For Production, a now-retired Patrick Franks took the overall win, and the AMU’s Anthony Heinauer finished in second with a score of 1879-124X. David Mathis traveled from Utah to shoot a personal best score of 1856-103X.



Flagler Cup
Next up was the Pioneer Gun Club’s Flagler Cup, which is a popular action pistol regional championship in Bates City that is headed up by Ron Dejarnette. It’s conveniently scheduled just days before the Bianchi Cup. Held at a location that is less than 1.5 hours away from Columbia, the Flager Cup not only serves as a great warm-up for the Action Pistol National Championships—it marks the second APTCC event.

For Metallic, Franks and Vadasz flipped positions. Vadasz brought home the Metallic win at Flagler with the high score of 1914-142X. Law enforcement officer and Arizona native Kyle Schmidt placed third. Out of a podium finish in the match, Wolfe’s 1872-122X still kept him in contention for a top three APTCC finish.

In Open, unlike the Crawfish Cup, Flagler had only one 1920 score in the mix. It was shot by Mattheyer who took home the event win. Piatt and Sokolowski both fired 1918 scores. Piatt took second with 182X and the Army soldier third with 178X. While it had been a close race in the X-count, Mattheyer charged ahead with a two-point lead.


Cameron Cup
The final match of the APTCC, hosted by Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club and led by James Avenell was the 2019 Cameron Cup. This year the match brought in a record number of 32 competitors eligible for APTCC titles.


After 192 registered shots fired by each competitor at the Cameron Cup, the leaderboard saw some changes across the three divisions.

Cameron Cup Results
Open

1. Bruce Piatt 1920-182X
2. Adam Sokolowski 1920-179X
3. James Avenell 1918-174X

Metallic

1. Ryan Franks 1902-146X
2. Walter Johnson 1898-147X
3. Robert Vadasz 1894-142X

Production

1. Anthony Heinauer 1906-134X
2. Jeremy David 1886-128X
3. Sean Watson 1844-107X

In Open, Mattheyer wasn’t able to maintain his lead as Piatt and Sokolowski shot a pair of 1920s with Piatt coming out on top. Vadasz's 1914 Metallic score at Flagler allowed him to squeeze past Franks by just a single point. In Production, Heinauer led the way and Mathis was able to secure second place. Ishikawa was edged out by Watson for third.

Here are your 2019 APTCC Champions.

Open

1. Bruce Piatt - 5758-545X
2. Adam Sokolowski - 5758-536X
3. Troy Mattheyer - 5755-492X

Metallic

1. Robert Vadasz - 5708-432X
2. Ryan Franks - 5707-419X
3. Kyle Wolfe - 5628-370X

Production

1. Anthony Heinauer - 5673-386X
2. Dave Mathis - 5707-419X
3. Sean Watson - 5628-370X

APTCC Category Titles

• Senior Champion - Vance Schmid
• Grand Senior Champion - Chuck West
• Ladies Champion - Julie Golob
• Junior Champion - Claudia Alley

Visit the Action Pistol Triple Cup Challenge Facebook page for more photos from the event. The champions also took home cash prizes totaling $6,750 and merchandise; thanks to generous support from Graf & Sons, Southwest Louisiana Rifle and Pistol Club, Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club, Accuracy X. DSport and What-Ya-Say.


Here are the final results.

And remember to subscribe to the bulletinX monthly email newsletter for action pistol match info.

See more: Behind The Scenes At The Bianchi Cup.

Photos courtesy of John Rickards and Doug Alley of Ammo Alley. Lead photo (l. to r.): Janis Alley, Craig Ginger, Trevor Baucom, Doug Alley, Claudia Alley and Landon Alley.