X-Counts Decide Again at 2026 NRA National Smallbore Championship

MARENGO, Ohio (July 26, 2026) — Eight matches, 320 record shots, two days of firing and the metallic prone championship still could not separate the top two on score.

Mike Carter and Wesley Shumaker both closed Saturday’s metallic sights aggregate at 3193 out of a possible 3200 at the Cardinal Shooting Center. Carter took the title on center shots, 246 Xs to Shumaker’s 234.

Chris Rakyta finished a point back at 3192-237 for third—and out-shot the runner-up on X-count while doing it. Michelle Bohren was fourth at 3191-229, which put the top four inside two points of one another after two full days of prone.

Ron Wigger placed fifth at 3189-240, a score that came with the third-highest X-count in the entire field. Robert Head, Stephen Angeli and Jamie Piotrowski all posted 3185, separated by center shots at 221, 216 and 211. Mike O’Connor and James Miller tied again a rung below at 3183, split 210 to 209 in the X-count.

Nine of the top 10 finished within 10 points of each other.

F-CLASS

The pattern held on in F-Class, with the championship being fired concurrently.

Sam Pagliari, the reigning F-Class national champion, won Saturday’s Day 2 aggregate with a 1595-132X out of 1600. Thomas Hittle and Jim Murphy both answered with 1594, and the placings again came down to X-count—Hittle second on 130, Murphy third on 121.

It happened once more directly behind them. Danny Biggs and Daniel Pagliari both fired 1593, with Biggs taking fourth on 128 Xs to 115. James Hittle, Jr., was sixth at 1592-125X.

Pagliari’s card carried two perfect sets—a 400-35X in Match 334 and a 400-35X in Match 337. Thomas Hittle cleaned Match 335 at 400-36X, the highest X-count on any perfect aggregate of the day. Daniel Pagliari posted 400s in both Match 334 and Match 336, and Michele Medige cleaned Match 336 at 400-33X on her way to seventh overall at 1588-117X and the High Woman honor.

Ivan Rakyta finished eighth at 1566-75 and took High Expert.

TEAM DAY

The weekend’s team firing runs the Dewar Team Match first, followed by the Randle then the four-man conventional prone teams. Dewar team members fire from the same points they have used on previous days, since nearly the entire team is squadded on the right side of the range.

Michele Medige and Deb Lyman are serving as officials for the Randle International Postal Team Match and are organizing the U.S. squad. The Randle team is drawn from the top 12 American women in the metallic sight aggregate, with 10 firing members and two alternates.

METALLIC PRONE AGGREGATE — MATCH 120

F-CLASS SMALLBORE DAY 2 — MATCH 311

The 2026 NRA National Smallbore Championship continues at the Cardinal Shooting Center through July 28 with the any sight prone matches and the final two days of F-Class. Learn more about NRA National Championships at competitions.nra.org.