The Lapua Monarch Cup, one of the most prestigious smallbore rifle silhouette competitions in North America, has officially announced its 2025 schedule. Now in its fourth year, the Cup features a two-part series of smallbore standard rifle silhouette matches contested in the United States and Canada.

The Lapua Monarch Cup is centered around the annual U.S. Smallbore Rifle Silhouette National Championships, with a second host country selected through a proposal process. The 2025 competition schedule is as follows:

• 1st Match – Canadian National Smallbore Silhouette Championships
  • Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada
  • June 20 – July 1, 2025
• 2nd Match – NRA National Smallbore Silhouette Championships
  • Raton, New Mexico, USA
  • July 20-22, 2025

Competitors earn scores from each match within their respective classifications (Master, AAA, AA, & A), allowing all participants the opportunity to compete for a share of $25,000 in cash prizes distributed across the two events.

“We are excited to continue the tradition of the Lapua Monarch Cup and provide competitors with an unparalleled competition experience,” said Adam Braverman, Lapua’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing and an advisor to the Cup. “This event not only showcases top-tier marksmanship but also fosters camaraderie among shooters across North America.”

The Lapua Monarch Cup Board consists of esteemed members of the shooting community, including Erich Mietenkorte, Daniel Salazar, Jason Marsh, Jose (Pepe) Valdes, and Chris Cawthorne, with Adam Braverman serving as an advisor.

For registration details and complete information on the Lapua Monarch Cup, visit www.lapuamonarchcup.com.

For more information on the North American Silhouette Shooting Association (NASSA), visit www.nassasilhouette.org.

Lapua, world-renowned for producing the highest quality centerfire ammunition and components, is partnering with the Southern Alberta Precision Rifle League (SAPRL) to provide PRS enthusiasts with support at the PRS Pro Series Cactus Cup taking place in Alberta, Canada from May 31^st to June 1^st, 2025.

“Lapua is happy and excited to offer our support for the PRS Pro Series Cactus Cup of 2025,” comments Sylva Hautamaki, Marketing Manager at Lapua. “We have seen the dynamic expansion in the PRS disciplines and are proud to be partners with a supportive community like the SAPRL that focuses on growing the sport and making it accessible for young and old.”

The SAPRL was formed in 2017 to offer precision rifle series style matches to Canadian participants, with matches now bringing in between 50 to 60 competitors for Rimfire and 80 to 100 rifle competitors for Centerfire field matches.

The Cactus Cup is a two-day Centerfire PRS Pro Series competition with targets ranging from 300 to 1200 yards. The course of fire has been meticulously planned out to ensure that not only the competitive shooters are challenged but newer participants have a fantastic time as well.

“The Cactus Cup is a staple of the Alberta prairie PRS matches that attracts shooters from all over Canada and the USA to compete in rolling hills, valleys, and the always present winds of Alberta”, explains Match Director Tyler Jalbert. “With new barricades and targets at our disposal we look to provide competitors with a weekend that will be a highlight of the matches they experience in Canada.”

The SAPRL is delighted to have Lapua support as the title sponsor of the event which focuses on the shooter’s fundamentals of movement, target acquisition, and time management while on the clock.

Jalbert says, “We believe that the name Lapua brings about a high level of precision and accuracy. Something that every PRS competitor is looking for to climb the podium and become the best.” He concludes about the event, “The greatest thing about the SAPRL Cactus Cup is the people. The family and friends that come together to compete against one another and make a weekend of fond memories on the firing line. Competitors look forward all year to attending the SAPRL events in order to reconnect, banter, and challenge one another. We encourage competitors of all skill levels to come and participate!” For more information on the SAPRL and Cactus Cup, visit precisionrifleseries.com website. . In Canada, Lapua products are distributed by Hirsch Precision Inc., read more at hirschprecision.com

Congrats to our sponsored shooter Dan Lomas for securing 3rd place and a G.B.F.C.A. National F Class League Win in the UK Nationals’ FTR class. 

A total of 90 shooters took part in the discipline, which consisted of F Open and FTR classes, respectively. In FTR class, the shooters are required to use either caliber .308 or .223. Dan was pleased with his results, giving credit to his ammiuniton. “The Berger, Lapua and Vihtavuori N150 combination worked flawlessly and I finished the match in third place and took the national league title for the second year running by 3 points. I shot a .308 using Berger 208 grains, Lapua Palma brass and Vihtavuori N150 powder.”

The GBFCA National league is calculated on the best four shoots out of the 8 matches held across the UK. The last match, i.e. the British Nationals, took place between 1st and 4th November at the Bisley ranges. For once, the British Weather Gods decided to side with the shooters! “The conditions for the match were great, light winds mild and dry. The winds were lolling and great fun to shoot in. With the light conditions, every component had to perform excellently as an loss in accuracy and points would be very hard to regain.”

Congratulations to Edgar Rueda from Mexico, crowned the 2024 Lapua Monarch Cup Champion. Rueda made history as the first Mexican Shooter to with the prestigious Monarch Cup since its inception in 2022.

The Lapua Monarch Cup is comprised of three premier Smallbore Silhouette shooting matches hosted in Canada, United States, and Mexico. Competitors earn points from each match within their respective classification (Master, AAA, AA, & A), providing all shooters an opportunity for over $100,000 in cash and prizes. Lapua’s Monarch Cup is recognized as the must-attend event of the silhouette shooting world.  

To obtain his championship title, Rueda won the 2nd stage of the cup, taking place October 5-6 at Club De Tiro Saltillo Safari, in Saltillo, Coahuila, México. Rueda tied with Enrique Kuess on the first day of the match, shooting a 37/40, 35/40. On the second day of the match, Rueda battled windy conditions to shoot a 38/40 giving him the aggregate score to secure the Saltillo title.

Rueda had previously taken 4th place at the 1st leg of the Cup at the NRA National Smallbore Silhouette Championships in Ridgway Rifle Club in Ridgway, PA, US. Rueda had match scores of 30/40, 38/40, 36/40, for a Grand Aggregate of 104/120 for the July28-30th
competition.

Smallbore Silhouette shooting is a fun and challenging shooting discipline that has competitors taking aim at a variety of steel chickens, pigs, turkeys, and rams. Shooters, standing and unsupported, take aim at four banks of silhouettes at increasing distances, shooting 40 targets in all. For every silhouette knocked down, the competitor earns one point.  Smallbore Silhouette competitors are shooting at distances of 40, 60, 77, and 100 meters, while High Power Silhouette distances are 200, 300, 385, and 500 meters.  

For more information on the Lapua Monarch Cup details, visit lapuamonarchcup.com.