The sharp, unmistakable sound of bullets striking steel targets rang across the high desert of New Mexico for six days this July, as shooters from the United States, Canada, Mexico and Australia converged at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton for the 2025 NRA Rifle Silhouette National Championships.
This year’s championship not only determined the top competitors in Smallbore and High Power Rifle Silhouette shooting, but also hosted the final leg of the Lapua Monarch Cup, a prestigious multinational championship series spanning North America, with more than $25,000 in cash prizes and extensive support from generous industry partners.
SMALLBORE
Smallbore silhouette opened the week, with matches held July 20-22. Each day followed a rhythm familiar to seasoned silhouette shooters: Standard Rifle in the calm, cooler mornings, followed by Hunting Rifle in the afternoons when the conditions often turned unpredictable. Gusting winds, temperature shifts and afternoon thunderstorms added a layer of difficulty that tested even the most experienced competitors.
Fired entirely from the offhand standing position, smallbore silhouette demands exceptional control and focus. Using .22 caliber rifles, competitors engage four banks of metallic animals, chickens at 40 meters, pigs at 60, turkeys at 77 and rams at 100, with one shot per target and no support. Unlike other disciplines that permit slings, rests, props or heavy shooting coats for added stability, silhouette shooters must rely solely on their stance, breath and mental discipline to deliver precision under pressure. At the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, where the environment is rarely still, each shot becomes a true test, not just of marksmanship, but of resilience and adaptability.
The Standard Rifle Championship ended in dramatic fashion, a three-way tie for first. After an intense shoot-off, Jimena Davila of Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, kept her composure to claim her first U.S. National Champion title. Team Berger’s John Mullins of Scottsdale, Arizona, took second, while Enrique Kuess, also from Saltillo, rounded out the podium in third.
Smallbore Standard Rifle Leaderboard
| Place | Name | Score | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Champion | Jimena Davila | 105x120 | Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico |
| 2nd Open | John Mullins | 105x120 | Scottsdale, Arizona |
| 3rd Open | Enrique Kuess | 105x120 | Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico |
| 1st Master Class | Jake Stine | 104x120 | Denver City, Texas |
| 1st AAA Class | Blaine Plummer | 97x120 | Friona, Texas |
| 1st AA Class | Carlos Balderrama | 82x120 | Nogales, Arizona |
| 1st A Class | Fred Hernandez | 51x120 | El Paso, Texas |
| 1st B Class | Jennifer Opeka | 55x120 | Ava, Missouri |
In Hunting Rifle, the wind and rain did little to shake junior shooter William Harris of Trout, Louisiana, who shot an outstanding 107x120 to win his first National Champion title. Mexico’s Edgar Rueda posted a 101x120 for second, and Team Lapua’s Erich Mietenkorte of Ephrata, Washington, claimed third with a 99x120.
Smallbore Hunting Rifle Leaderboard
| Place | Name | Score | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Champion | William Harris | 107x120 | Trout, Louisiana |
| 2nd Open | Edgar Rueda | 101x120 | Matehuala, San Luis Potosí, Mexico |
| 3rd Open | Erich Mietenkorte | 99x120 | Ephrata, Washington |
| 1st Master Class | Alec Rodriguez | 99x120 | El Paso, Texas |
| 1st AAA Class | Shane Barnhart | 90x120 | Cardington, Ohio |
| 1st AA Class | Peter Seidel | 82x120 | Evanston Park, Australia |
| 1st A Class | Fernando Gaucin | 65x120 | El Paso, Texas |
| 1st B Class | Jennifer Opeka | 46x120 | Ava, Missouri |
Harris’s consistency carried through all six matches. His combined total of 210x240 earned him the Smallbore Grand Aggregate National Championship, the top honor across both rifle disciplines. Rueda followed with 204x240, and Team SK’s Jake Stine of Denver City, Texas, secured third place with 202x240.
Smallbore Grand Aggregate
| Place | Name | Score | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champion | William Harris | 210x240 | Trout, Louisiana |
| 2nd Open | Edgar Rueda | 204x240 | Matehuala, San Luis Potosí, Mexico |
| 3rd Open | Jake Stine | 202x240 | Denver City, Texas |
LAPUA MONARCH CUP FINALE: HISTORY MADE
The 2025 Smallbore Nationals also served as the final stage of the fourth annual Lapua Monarch Cup, a multinational series bringing together silhouette shooters from across North America. Competitors who participated in both the Canadian and U.S. championship events earned aggregate scores for the Cup, along with a chance at substantial cash prizes and top-tier gear.
After the final shots were fired and the standings tallied, it was Team SK’s Jake Stine who made silhouette history, becoming the first two-time winner of the Lapua Monarch Cup. A model of consistency and poise, Stine’s performance across both countries placed him firmly at the top. Cathy Winstead-Severin took second and Erich Mietenkorte placed third, demonstrating the depth and talent of silhouette’s top competitors.
HIGH POWER
High Power silhouette kicked off on July 24 and ran through July 26. This discipline trades the .22 LR for centerfire cartridges. Many shooters opt for variants of the 6.5 mm, like 6.5x47 Lapua, 6.5 mm Creedmoor, or .260 Remington, while others rely on the lower recoil of the 6 BR or 6 mm Dasher. Whatever the choice, the challenge remains the same: hit steel animals at 200, 300, 385 and 500 meters, all from the standing position, without support.
Compared to smallbore, each shot in high power demands more: more endurance, more focus and more mental discipline. The cumulative effect of recoil over multiple days can wear on a shooter, making it harder to resist the creeping flinch and maintain precision. In the unsupported standing position, there’s no margin for error. With longer distances, shifting wind conditions and the mounting pressure of a national championship, each trigger pull becomes a test of concentration and control.
In Standard Rifle, the competition at the top was especially close, with just two points separating the top three finishers after three days of shooting. Team Berger’s Dustin Flint of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, came out on top with a 96x120 to earn the National Champion title. Team Lapua’s Erich Mietenkorte followed just one shot behind at 95x120, while Flint’s Berger Bullets teammate John Mullins of Scottsdale, Arizona, posted a score of 94x120 to take third.
High Power Standard Rifle Leaderboard
| Place | Name | Score | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Champion | Dustin Flint | 96x120 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| 2nd Open | Erich Mietenkorte | 95x120 | Ephrata, Washington |
| 3rd Open | John Mullins | 94x120 | Scottsdale, Arizona |
| 1st Master Class | David Bonner | 93x120 | Aurora, Colorado |
| 1st AAA Class | Tino Davila | 80x120 | Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico |
| 1st AA Class | Carlos Alfredo Gongora | 58x120 | Provo, Utah |
| 1st A Class | Stan Morgan | 59x120 | Lewis Run, Pennsylvania |
| 1st B Class | Sofia Castro de Flores | 43x120 | Sun Valley, California |
Hunting Rifle featured a more commanding performance, as Mietenkorte delivered a 101x120 to win his fourth consecutive National Champion title in High Power Hunting Rifle. Team Lapua’s Cathy Winstead-Severin of Joplin, Missouri, took second with a 93x120, and Mullins rounded out the podium again with 89x120.
High Power Hunting Rifle Leaderboard
| Place | Name | Score | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Champion | Erich Mietenkorte | 101x120 | Ephrata, Washington |
| 2nd Open | Cathy Winstead-Severin | 93x120 | Joplin, Missouri |
| 3rd Open | John Mullins | 89x120 | Scottsdale, Arizona |
| 1st Master Class | Chris Cawthorne | 86x120 | The Woodlands, Texas |
| 1st AAA Class | Tino Davila | 74x120 | Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico |
| 1st AA Class | Mark West | 71x120 | Gawler, Australia |
| 1st A Class | Fabian Isidoro | 44x120 | Provo, Utah |
| 1st B Class | Rafael Amador | 40x120 | Provo, Utah |
The top scores across both rifle categories were then combined for the High Power Grand Aggregate Championship. Winning this title requires not just peak performance, but consistency, over three demanding days, with two different rifles, across changing weather and increasing fatigue. Erich Mietenkorte once again rose to the challenge, demonstrating precision and resilience with both Standard and Hunting rifles to post a combined 196x240, earning him the Grand Aggregate National Championship for an astonishing fifth year in a row. Cathy Winstead-Severin secured second place with 184x240, and John Mullins was close behind in third place with 183x240.
High Power Grand Aggregate
| Place | Name | Score | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champion | Erich Mietenkorte | 196x240 | Ephrata, Washington |
| 2nd Open | Cathy Winstead-Severin | 184x240 | Joplin, Missouri |
| 3rd Open | John Mullins | 183x240 | Scottsdale, Arizona |
BEHIND THE FIRING LINE
Planning for this year’s championship began nearly a year ago. Match Directors Cathy Winstead-Severin and Erich Mietenkorte, both longtime competitors and Team Lapua shooters, dedicated themselves to delivering a match that reflected the spirit and prestige of the sport. Balancing their responsibilities as organizers while also competing at the highest level was no small feat, and their efforts were met with deep appreciation from everyone in attendance. Their goal was clear: to give every shooter the best possible experience, and they delivered.
Competitors also had the opportunity to attend a silhouette clinic, hosted by Cathy and her father Chris Winstead. With the assistance of Master Class shooters, including several of the Capstone Precision Group’s elite shooters, attendees were able to receive hands-on coaching, ask questions and gain insight from some of the sport’s most accomplished competitors.
LOOKING AHEAD
With large turnouts, rising juniors and passionate volunteers, the 2025 NRA Rifle Silhouette Nationals was more than a championship, it was a reflection of a thriving sport. Across six days of competition, shooters showed what it means to stay focused under pressure, and to celebrate one another’s successes.
Whether it was the ring of steel, the quiet intensity of a shoot-off or the laughter around the scoreboard, Raton once again proved why silhouette shooting is one of the most demanding and rewarding disciplines in all of marksmanship.
