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.
2019 Crawfish Metallic champion Ryan Franks, Open champion Bruce Piatt and Production champion Patrick Franks.
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.
2019 Action Pistol Triple Cup Challenge standings after the first two matches.
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.
Shooters tackling the Practical Event at the 2019 Cameron Cup, at Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club in Hallsville, MO.
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
Bruce Piatt 1920-182X
Adam Sokolowski 1920-179X
James Avenell 1918-174X
Metallic
Ryan Franks 1902-146X
Walter Johnson 1898-147X
Robert Vadasz 1894-142X
Production
Anthony Heinauer 1906-134X
Jeremy David 1886-128X
Sean Watson 1844-107X
Father and daughter shooting side by side: Claudia Alley and Doug Alley together at for a 2019 APTCC event stage.
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
Bruce Piatt - 5758-545X
Adam Sokolowski - 5758-536X
Troy Mattheyer - 5755-492X
Metallic
Robert Vadasz - 5708-432X
Ryan Franks - 5707-419X
Kyle Wolfe - 5628-370X
Production
Anthony Heinauer - 5673-386X
Dave Mathis - 5707-419X
Sean Watson - 5628-370X
APTCC Category Titles
Senior Champion - Vance Schmid
Grand Senior Champion - Chuck West
Ladies Champion - Julie Golob
Junior Champion - Claudia Alley
2019 APTCC Junior Champion Claudia Alley examines her targets at the Cameron Cup.
Visit theAction Pistol Triple Cup Challenge Facebookpage 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.
Match staff and competitors come together at the conclusion of the Cameron Cup for a group photo (l. to r.): Tim Cooper, Claudia Alley, Pat Cooper, Brent Cooper and the U.S. Border Patrol's Adam Kovatch.
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.