The Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio, is now home to one of the most prestigious events in competitive shooting: the NRA National Smallbore Rifle Conventional Prone Championship. Held July 20-25, 2025, this marks the first time the national competition has been hosted at the Cardinal Center, a venue already proven by the successful running of the NRA Pistol Nationals earlier this month. The NRA Smallbore Conventional Nationals will be followed by the Three-Position Championship from July 26-29.
This year’s Conventional Prone Championship features four days of individual matches, including metallic and any-sight aggregates, and culminates with a grand aggregate. F-Class events will also be conducted during the week. In addition to top overall awards, winners in various categories—such as Women, Junior, Veteran, Collegiate and Civilian—will receive plaques and monetary prizes. The prestigious Critchfield Trophy will go to the Conventional Prone Champion.
The schedule kicked off Sunday, July 20, with packet pickup and practice. Competitive firing began Monday, July 21, with the Metallic Sights matches for both Conventional Prone and the F-Class SBR 6400. Team matches take place on July 23, including the Dewar, Randle and F-Class team events. The Any Sights phase begins July 24 and concludes July 25 with an awards ceremony.
Later in the week, the Conventional Three-Position Championship begins on July 26, following a similar format with both individual and team competitions. The final event is July 29, concluding with the Smallbore Three-Position awards ceremony.
A highlight of the NRA Smallbore Rifle Nationals is the Lones Wigger Iron Man Trophy, given to the competitor with the highest overall aggregate score from both the Conventional Prone and Three-Position Championships.
Thanks to generous contributions from individual donors and organizations—including the Black Hawk Rifle Club and several notable supporters—the NRA National Smallbore Rifle Championship continues to honor excellence in marksmanship and tradition in American shooting sports. Learn more about NRA Competitive Shooting at competitions.nra.org.
