NRA World Shooting Championship Awaits SSSF’s Top Gun Athletes

The road from Ohio to Indiana just got paved with opportunity—and a lot of up-and-coming talent.

This summer at the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation National Championship, SSSF hosted its annual Top Gun Challenge, where multi-discipline youth shooters squared off for prizes, prestige and a potential shot at something bigger. Now, six of those standout competitors are packing their bags for the 2025 NRA World Shooting Championship at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, running September 30 to October 4.

At the 2025 SCTP and SASP Nationals, athletes competed in Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays, Iron Sight Pistol, Rifle and 1911 disciplines, with their scores from each event being compiled to calculate the Top Gun Challenge winners. Between the SSSF’s clay target and action shooting programs, 39 states were represented at the 2025 Nationals. (Photo courtesy SSSF)

Thanks to a partnership with Federal Ammunition, the SSSF is covering all NRA World Shooting Championship entry fees for the top six scorers in this year’s Top Gun Challenge. These young marksmen and markswomen will compete on one of the sport’s biggest stages, where every firearm, round of ammo and piece of gear is supplied.

At the 2025 SCTP and SASP Nationals (SSSF National Championships), athletes showcased skills in everything from Trap and Skeet to Iron Sight Pistol, 1911, Rifle, and more. Their combined performances across multiple shooting disciplines earned them a place among the best of the best.

The NRA World Shooting Championship format will test that versatility even further. With events spanning pistol, rifle, shotgun, and mixed-discipline shooting, the competition culminates in crowning one shooter the undisputed World Shooting Champion.

Set to take place at Camp Atterbury, the 2025 NRA World Shooting Championship will push competitors to the limit across 12 challenging stages that span a broad spectrum of shooting disciplines. Divided into Professional and Amateur divisions, athletes will vie for more than $250,000 in prizes during three action-packed days on the range. Thanks to support from Walther and other event sponsors, all necessary firearms, ammunition and equipment will be supplied to competitors. The event opens with a mandatory shooter meeting on September 30, followed by official competition from October 1-3. A special team event and the awards ceremony will close out the championship on October 4.

Father and son Brian and Cole Shanholtz took home the overall championship and High Junior titles, respectively, at last year’s NRA World Shooting Championship.

“We cannot thank Federal Premium Ammunition enough for their support to give our athletes this great opportunity,” said Rick Leach, SSSF president and executive director. “We look forward to seeing what these young athletes can do at the NRA World Shooting Championship. They have already proven themselves at our own National Championship with some very impressive scores in many different shooting sports.”

The stage is set. Indiana awaits.

Find out more about the NRA World Shooting Championship, SSSF and Federal Ammunition.