2025 World Action Pistol Championship
Hamilton Pistol Club
Hamilton, New Zealand
October 21
92 competitors
The 2025 World Action Pistol Championship at New Zealand’s Hamilton Pistol Club delivered four days of classic action pistol competition in October. The event’s unique format featured one marquee challenge per day from the typical action pistol championship course of fire: Barricade (Tuesday), Falling Plates (Wednesday), Practical (Thursday) and the Moving Target Event (Friday).
When the smoke cleared, one name stood above the rest: Doug Koenig. The 20-time Bianchi Cup champion once again proved why he’s considered one of the greatest ever, firing a perfect 1920-182X to claim his eighth World Action Pistol Championship title.
Koenig was the only competitor to shoot a clean match, cementing his dominance on the international action pistol stage.
On the difficult Mover stage, Koenig scored a match-leading 480-40X. He was shooting Hornady .38 cal. 110-gr. XTP bullets through his .38 Super-chambered handgun, equipment he’s trusted for years.
“When competing against the best in the world, accuracy and consistency are everything,” Koenig said. “When shooters and their equipment are getting better, it’s more important now than ever that you have the best to compete with. That’s why I’ve trusted and used Hornady for nearly 20 years, and the 110 XTP helped me win my eighth World Action Pistol Championship.”
Bruce Piatt finished second overall, taking the runner-up honor in the High Master division and also topping the Senior leaderboard.
Competing in his 10th World Action Pistol Championship, Piatt praised the level of talent this year in New Zealand.
“The competition was fierce through the four stages of fire,” he said.
Taking third place was Benito Martinez, giving Team USA a sweep of the overall podium. His score was only one X behind Piatt’s 1918-179X.
Back to Koenig, he didn’t stop with the individual crown in New Zealand. He also helped lead the USA-CMP Open Team—alongside Joey Deleon, Benito Martinez and Bruce Piatt—to the Team World Championship title.
The weekend before the World Championship, Koenig used the New Zealand Action Pistol Nationals as a tune-up—and delivered another flawless performance. He shot a perfect 1920-179X to capture the national title, setting the tone for a dominant week in Hamilton.
Koenig expressed gratitude to his sponsors and supporters after his victory. “None of this would be possible without the continued support of all of my sponsors who have stood by me throughout my career.”
More from Doug Koenig about the 2025 WAPC: “We got to the range Friday around 11:00 a.m., picked up ammo, got the lay of the land, checked zero, shot a couple stages and called it. Saturday, we shot the [New Zealand] Nationals. I think me, Bruce, and one of the Aussies shot perfect scores; I won on X‑count. Pretty wild. Then Tuesday we started Worlds. Not much extra time.”
About the host venue, Hamilton Pistol Club, Koenig said: “The range was awesome, the match crew did a fantastic job and were accommodating and friendly. And, the food was great.”
The full results of the 2025 World Action Pistol Championship are available at the Hamilton Pistol Club website.
