Keith Sanderson Wins 2019 NRA National Pistol Championship

Above: Keith Sanderson (center), Jonathan Shue (left) and SFC Adam Sokolowski on stage at the awards ceremony.

Rapid Fire Pistol specialist and three-time Olympian Keith Sanderson is the 2019 NRA National Pistol Champion, finishing the match with a score of 2647-111X, only two points ahead of runner-up Jonathan Shue, the back-to-back winner at Camp Perry in 2017 and 2018. Favorable conditions at Camp Perry, including mild winds, allowed for a score to reach 2647 for the first time in many years.

Sanderson receiving an award for winning the .45 Cal. Championship from NRA Competitive Shooting Division Director Cole McCulloch.

Previously, Sanderson won the NRA National Pistol Championship in 2015, which saw him defeat 12-time champion Brian Zins by 14 points. (Learn more about Keith Sanderson at the Lapua website.)

The match was held July 7-12 at Camp Perry, OH, and had at total of 664 shooters. This year marked the last time that the NRA Pistol Nationals will be conducted at Camp Perry, as they are headed to Camp Atterbury in the state of Indiana next summer.

Jonathan Shue pointed out a surprise he left for Keith Sanderson on the bottom of the Harrison Trophy.

In second place this year was the aforementioned Shue, who finished with a grand aggregate score of 2645-127X. He was also the runner-up in the .45 Cal. Championship with a score of 881-46X, additionally the runner-up in the Centerfire Championship with 880-35X.

Rounding out the top three at Camp Perry was the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit's SFC Adam Sokolowski, finishing in third place with a score of 2640-139X. Sokolowski also won the NRA Preliminary Pistol Championship with a score of 882-43XZ. Last year, the talented action and precision pistol shooter won the NRA Bianchi Cup, but finished the 2018 Pistol Nationals in second place.

A full match report will be published in a future issue of the digital magazine.