DougKoenig.com photo Today’s Shooting USA TV shows the 2021 Bianchi Cup. It was held at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club, Hallsville, Missouri (near Columbia). COVID caused the cancellation of the 2020 Bianchi Cup. The four stages of fire will be back in 2021, but without international competitions, who were prevented from competing due to pandemic travel restrictions. There was still a lot of outstanding marksmanship. Shooting USA will air Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at 9:00 PM Eastern and Pacific on Outdoor Channel. It is at 8:00 PM Central. Shooting USA can also be viewed On Demand via Vimeo.com. Officially, the annual competition goes by the name of the National Championship of NRA Action Pistol. It is more commonly known as the Bianchi Cup, after the trophy named after John Bianchi, one of its founders. The match has grown to be the richest handgun tournament worldwide over the past 30 years, offering cash prizes and prizes for the top scores on all four stages of fire. The Bianchi Cup is the most prestigious pistol tournament worldwide. The cancellation of the 2020 Bianchi cup due to COVID-19 restrictions meant that the reintroduction of the match for 2021 was difficult because of safety and health protocols. The NRA handed over the management and organization of the match to a new group, the Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club in 2021. The international competitors, who make up a large part of the field, are now unable to shoot due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions. The tournament is one of the most difficult handgun championships in the world because of the precision required for each stage. You must be nearly perfect to finish on the top. Carl Bernosky, an ace shooter (shown above), explains that you need to be consistent in order to win the Bianchi Cup. You have to shoot well all the time. There can be no mistakes. Bianchi Cup — The Richest Handgun Match on Planet. Over the past 30+ year, the Bianchi Cup became the richest handgun match on the planet. There are cash prizes and prizes for the top scores on all four stages of fire for both semi-auto and revolver pistol divisions. Bianchi Cup — Classic Course of Fire
The Bianchi Cup is a combination Speed and Accuracy. Competitors can shoot from either prone or standing positions. They are also required to use both strong and weak hands at different stages. There may be stationary and moving targets on some stages. John Bianchi, a former police officer and holster-maker, created the Bianchi Cup in 1979 as a Law Enforcement Training match. The Course of Fire is made up of four matches: Event 1: Practical
Rounds 48
NRA AP-1 is the target
Distances: 10, 15, 25, and 50 yards Event II – Clive Whelan Barricade
Rounds 48
NRA AP-1 is the target
Distances: 10, 15, 25 & 35 yards Event III – Moving Target (Modified).
Rounds 48
NRA AP-1 is the target
Distances: 10, 15, 20, and 25 yards Event IV. Olin “Oli” C. Barjenbruch Falling plates
Rounds 48
Target: 8-inch round plate
Distances: 10, 15, 20, and 25 yards. The Bianchi Cup is scored using the Aggregate of four (4) fired events: Practical (Barrier), Moving Target, Falling Plates, and Barricade. Each event requires 48 shots. Each event has a maximum score of 480 points. Three of the four events are scored on the NRA tombstone target P1. To shoot a clean 1920, you must hit the inner X-Ring or 10-ring on every shot. There will be four divisions in the 2021 Bianchi Cup
The Bianchi Cup now has FOUR divisions, three of which are traditional and one that is new this year. The Open Division is made up guns that have been specifically designed for this competition and are equipped with every enhancement to improve accuracy. The Metallic Division is made up of purpose-built guns, but they do not include red dots optics, compensators, barrel shrouds, or barrel shrouds. The Production Division is for factory guns with minimally enhanced capabilities, usually with polymer frames. The Production Optics Division is a fourth category that will be new for the 2021 Cup. This includes minimally-enhanced production guns equipped with a slide-mounted red dots optic. It was fascinating to see the new Production Optics class in action. Above are Glock and S&W production pistols equipped with Leupold’s new, low-profile Delta-Point Red Dot Optic.
