U.S. Army Soldiers Take Top Honors At 2017 NRA National Smallbore Rifle Championships

U.S. Army Soldiers Take Top Honors At 2017 NRA National Smallbore Rifle Championships

FAIRFAX, Va. – The National Rifle Association continued the proud tradition of the NRA National Matches, hosting the 2017 NRA National Smallbore Rifle Championships in March at the Desert Sharpshooters Rifle Club in Phoenix, Arizona, and in July at Chief Wa-Ke’-De Rifle Range in Bristol, Indiana.

For more than 100 years, the NRA National Matches have represented the pinnacle of competitive shooting, drawing the best military and civilian marksmen, professionals and amateurs alike, from across the globe to showcase their shooting skills and earn their place in history. The NRA congratulates the following individuals for their championship performances in our premier smallbore shooting competition:

2017 NRA National Conventional Prone Champion
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Hank Gray 

2017 NRA National Metric Prone Champion
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Eric Uptagrafft

2017 NRA National Conventional 3-Position Champion
U.S. Army Spc. Patrick Sunderman

2017 NRA National Metric 3-Position Champion
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mike McPhail 

Additionally, the NRA congratulates the recipients of the 2017 Iron Man awards. The Iron Man awards are presented to the highest scorers of the combined conventional prone, conventional position, and metric position championships. 

The 2017 Iron Man award recipients are:

1st Place: U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mike McPhail
2nd Place: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. George Norton
3rd Place: U.S. Army Spc. Patrick Sunderman

The NRA thanks the following sponsors for their partnership in supporting this year’s championship: Berger Bullets, Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT), ELEY Ammunition, Krieger Barrels, Lapua, LensPen, OTIS, SIG SAUER, SK, and Vihtavuori. In addition, the NRA thanks the St. Joseph Valley Gun Club in Bristol and the Desert Sharpshooters Rifle Club in Phoenix for their support in hosting the 2017 NRA Smallbore Rifle Championships.

For more information about the NRA Smallbore Rifle Championships, NRA National Matches, and other NRA Competitive Shooting programs and events, visit http://competitions.nra.org.

About the National Rifle Association
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Five million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and is the leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit http://www.nra.org. 

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