08/28/2025
2025 N50 Benchrest Nationals report by Lou Fontana!
2025 N50 National Championship Report
NRA Whittington Center, Raton, NM
The 2025 N50 National Championship, held at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico, brought together real 50-yard air rifle and .22LR benchrest competitors. Scores from six cards per class (up to 18 cards) were summed, stacked, and sorted under consistent conditions. To ensure fairness, benches were rotated multiple times, eliminating concerns about unequal bench assignments.
Competitors and Community
Top shooters from states including Florida, Louisiana, Utah, California, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Ohio, Colorado, Arkansas, and Washington competed, showcasing skill and sportsmanship. The event fostered camaraderie, with old friends reconnecting and new ones forming. A few highlights:
• MikeD and Jerry and Linda M, returned travelling the southern route to attend.
• MarkH and HarveyW, who completed a one-day "cannonball run" from the Pacific Northwest.
• Brad S., Jayson B., and Mike R.from Utah, excelled with new rifles.
• MarkC from the Meeker, OH club, did really well.
Event Details
Favorable weather with consistent light winds provided ideal shooting conditions. We award top 3 best in class for each day and best for sum of all shooters.
The competition featured five awarded classes:
1 Pro/Slug: Unlimited RF and Air Rifle builds, scored with a 0.224” plug. Cash awards given for Saturday 3 card event and Sunday 3 card event results.
2 Sportsman/Slug: Factory style target rifles, open to all air rifles, scored with a 0.350” plug. Cash awards given for Saturday 3 card event and Sunday 3 card event results.
3 Pellet: Any air rifle, summed in the "Pellet Combined" class for comparison with rimfire competitors, scored with a 0.350” plug. Cash awards given for Saturday 3 card event and Sunday 3 card event results
4 Pellet Combined: Special awarded class of Pellet rifle used in all 3 classes for 18 cards (450 bulls). Aggregated both days Pellet scores for a comprehensive ranking using the 0.350” plug. A Medal and custom AR250 rest were awarded to 1st place. Medals and cash were awarded to 2nd & 3rd place.
5 All Combined: Aggregated scores for a comprehensive 18 card (450 bulls) ranking. Air rifle shooters were encouraged to compete in the more challenging Pro and Sportsman classes, enabling direct comparisons with rimfire rifles. A Medal and custom AR250 rest were awarded to 1st place. Medals and cash were awarded to 2nd & 3rd place.
Scoring and Organization
I feel the event ran well, with:
• Mike N. serving as Range Master, ensuring smooth operations.
• Joe F. head score-master as well as contributing to a memorable and enjoyable weekend.
• Ardey V. returning to assist with scoring.
• Ardey and Joe scored approximately 11,250 bulls with exceptional accuracy.
• LouF. goofed around and worried.
Standout Performances
• JaysonB., 1st timer competed with his 30 cal FX Dynamic medaled 1st in "All Pellet" class and 2nd place Day 1 and 1st place Day 2. Good shooter.
• Dan B., in his second N50 Championship, competed with a new Thomas pellet rifle and earned four top-3 medals.
• Mike S., also secured 1st place in both "Pellet Overall" and "Pellet All" categories, earning the two custom AR250 rests and four top-3 medals. A significant achievement is his 4th place in the Sportsman class with his Thomas pellet rifle, surpassing nearly all rimfire competitors
Results
Key highlights:
1 Pro Class: MikeN. took 1st place with a score of 1494-78x - Slug Air Rifle followed by MarkC 1493-88x and MarkH. 1491-65 both with custom 22LRs.
2 Sportsman Class: MattK. and MikeT. Tied for 1st place with Matt taking the lead by X count – 1496-96x; 1496-81x; and 1495-95x respectively. 4 top competitors are within 2 points!
3 Pellet Class: JaysonB. scored 1495-85x with his Dynamic and DanB 2nd place 1492-85x; MikeS followed 1489-85x.
4 All Pellet Class: Ranked Pellet competitors shooting against only pellet shooters in all 3 classes. MikeS. 4459-238x; DanB. 4441-224x and BenW. 4422-159x.
5 All Combined Class: Ranked all competitors shooting against each other summed in all 3 classes with all rifles. MikeS. 4459-238x; MattK. 4458-218x and DanB. 4441-224x.
Feedback
If you spot errors in this report or the results, please reach out via email, DM, AGN Conversations, or phone. Your feedback helps us improve future events.
View detailed results at the National 50 Results Page. Use the navigation bar at the bottom page to explore different sections.
Link: Short short-cut (https://scores.national50.net/screenshot_raton.php?season_id=8&class=overall_pellet_combined) to the page below
Photo request. I was busy so I didn't get enough, please share.
Special thanks to our sponsor:
Joe Friedrich: Awards and cash Prizes
N50: https://www.national50.net/
Benchrest Central: https://benchrest.com/forum/forums/airgun-benchrest.19/
FB N50: https://www.facebook.com/50Nation
Welcome to National 50 Benchrest - a unique shooting experience, we shoot Air Rifles w/pellets and slugs alongside Rimfire 22lr shooters, with sanctioned Clubs throughout the United States offering fellowship & competition at 50 yards.
