G. David Tubb, whose name became shorthand for excellence in rifle competition across four decades, sadly passed away Thursday, July 2, 2026. He was 71.
No competitive rifleman has ever assembled a resume like his, and it’s entirely possible none ever will. Tubb captured 11 NRA National High Power Rifle Championships, six NRA National High Power Long Range Championships and seven consecutive NRA National High Power Rifle Silhouette Championships. Add six national titles in High Power Hunting Rifle Silhouette, four in Smallbore Hunting Rifle Silhouette, seven Sportsmen’s Team Challenge crowns and a pair of Wimbledon Cup victories, and the picture comes into focus—more than 130 NRA championship event trophies in all, a haul without parallel in the sport’s history.
Born November 21, 1954, in Canadian, Texas, Tubb was raised on the firing line. His father George earned eight U.S. Palma Team selections, while his mother Pauline claimed multiple Women’s National High Power Rifle titles. David made his first trip to Camp Perry at age 3 and announced himself in 1970 with the first of four junior high power national championships. A three-time All-American at Texas Christian University, he stepped away from the game for several years before returning in 1984 and promptly finishing third in the National Matches high power aggregate. The following season he won his first national high power title, and a dynasty was underway.
What separated Tubb from his peers was never just the shooting. He refused to accept that equipment, technique or ammunition had reached its ceiling, and his experiments reshaped the sport around him. His TUBB 2000 match rifle traded the traditional wood stock for a fully adjustable metallic chassis, a concept that raised eyebrows when he debuted it at Camp Perry in 2001—then won the national championship with it that year and the two after. Chassis-style rifles are now standard fare across precision disciplines. His cartridge designs proved just as influential. The 6XC became a fixture in across-the-course and precision rifle competition, while his 33XC and 37XC pushed performance at extreme distances. Shooting a rifle chambered in 37XC, Tubb won the Heavy Gun class at the 2019 NRA Extreme Long-Range National Championship at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, and that same year set an extreme long-range world record recognized by the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association—proof that well into his 60s, he remained a threat at any distance.
Tubb also gave the sport his knowledge, freely and in volume. His books, including “High Power Rifle Shooting” and “The Rifle Shooter,” remain essential reading for across-the-course competitors, and his instructional videos taught a generation of shooters how to build positions, read conditions and handload match-grade ammunition.
The late Glen Zediker, a longtime Shooting Sports USA contributor who co-authored two books with Tubb, described the experience of learning from him this way: “David’s skill with a rifle is uncanny, but his skill with his ‘self’ is unearthly ... The overall impression I gained from listening to the process and to specifics on shooting in David’s company was that it's not always necessary to do differently but it is to think differently.”
Tributes poured in from across the competition shooting world after news of his passing spread. “David’s passion for precision shooting, relentless pursuit of excellence and willingness to share his knowledge left a lasting mark on the shooting sports,” Sierra Bullets said in a statement honoring Tubb. “His influence reached far beyond the firing line, inspiring generations of competitors and marksmen to strive for continuous improvement.”
That may be the truest measure of the man. The trophies belong to Tubb alone, but the rifles, the cartridges, the books and the standard he set belong to everyone who ever settled behind a sight and demanded more of themselves. Competitive shooting has produced many champions. It produced only one David Tubb.
He will be missed.
Legends: G. David Tubb
November 21, 1954 – July 2, 2026
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