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The 2025 Lapua Monarch Cup culminated in a historic moment for Team SK’s Jake Stine, who cemented his legacy by becoming the first-ever two-time Monarch Cup Champion. The prestigious two-match series, which crowns the top smallbore silhouette rifle shooter in North America, saw its finale at the world-renowned NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico, from July 20-22, 2025.

Stine’s consistent excellence across both the Canadian and US championships set him apart as North America’s premier smallbore silhouette rifle shooter. In a display of remarkable skill and unwavering focus, Stine achieved a commanding total score of 208 over both legs of the competition. This impressive performance edged out strong contenders, including Team Lapua’s Cathy Winstead-Severin (205) and Team Lapua’s Erich Mietenkorte (203), showcasing Stine’s ability to perform under pressure and maintain a leading edge against the sport’s elite.

“Without SK ammunitions continued support I would not have been able to accomplish this historic feat,” said Stine. “The high-quality ammunition and friendly staff are what make this ammunition the best.” While the USA portion of the Lapua Monarch Cup, held in Raton, featured a thrilling three-way shoot-off where Mexico’s Jimena Davila emerged victorious, the ultimate highlight remained Stine’s unprecedented achievement. Stine’s repeat victory not only underscores his dominance in the smallbore silhouette discipline but also solidifies his position as a true icon of the sport.

SK and BPI OUTDOORS FRANCE have announced a strategic distribution agreement for the French market. Effective immediately, BPI OUTDOORS FRANCE will be the new official distributor in France for the renowned Nammo commercial ammunition brands LAPUA, SK, VIHTAVUORI, and BERGER, leaders in the hunting and sport shooting sector.

This new strategic collaboration marks a significant milestone for BPI OUTDOORS FRANCE, significantly expanding its already strong product portfolio. The brands LAPUA, SK, VIHTAVUORI, and BERGER are synonymous with precision, reliability, and quality, perfectly complementing the prestigious Bergara Rifles and CVA rifle brands already distributed by the company.

With this expansion of its offering, BPI OUTDOORS FRANCE solidifies its position as a comprehensive provider of high-end solutions for hunting and sport shooting enthusiasts in France, offering a complete range of products that meet the demanding needs of even the most experienced users.

A synergy that will enhance the distribution of our brands in the French market

“France is important market for NAMMO, so this strategic co-operation with BPI OUTDOORS FRANCE is an excellent opportunity for our renowned ammunition brands to reach wider audience in France. We are confident that with their experience and unique market approach strategy we will be able to serve our customers even better and provide more added value to French hunting and sport shooting enthusiasts,” concludes Jarkko Aro, VP Sales and Marketing at Nammo Commercial Ammunition.

The perfect union of Rifles and Ammunition based on quality and commitment

“This partnership with the NAMMO commercial brands represents a perfect synergy for BPI OUTDOORS FRANCE. The quality and reputation of LAPUA, SK, VIHTAVUORI, and BERGER perfectly complement our existing portfolio. For us, it’s a challenge, but also an advantage, as the reputation and quality of these brands are a sure value. We are confident that with this alliance, we will be able to offer even greater value to our customers and consolidate our presence in the market,” says Guillermo Martinez, International Sales Director of BPI Outdoors.

About BPI OUTDOORS FRANCE:

BPI OUTDOORS FRANCE is the French subsidiary of Dikar S. Coop., a company based in Spain. It is dedicated to the distribution of high-quality products for hunting and sport shooting in the French market. Its portfolio of brands includes the prestigious Bergara Rifles and CVA rifles, and now, following the recent agreement, it also distributes the renowned ammunition brands of the NAMMO Group. BPI OUTDOORS FRANCE positions itself as a comprehensive provider of solutions for hunting and sport shooting enthusiasts in France.

SK ammunition will be on hand showcasing their products during the 2025 SHOT Show in booth #11227 at The Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, NV, January 21-24.

Founded in 1829, SK has a 196-year history of making high-quality ammunition trusted by competitive shooters, biathletes, and accuracy enthusiasts around the world. Known for its high precision, absolute reliability and quality, SK has become the go-to choice for many new PRS and NRL22 entry-level competitors. 

“We invite shooters and retailers to visit us at booth #11227 to view and learn more about SK’s high quality rimfire offerings,” stated Jeff Knowles, Director of Sales. “We’re seeing competitive shooters of varying skillsets having tremendous success with SK, gaining a competitive advantage without breaking the bank. SK’s Passion will truly lead to their success!” The 2025 SHOT Show will be held at the Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum, January 21-24, with the Exhibit Halls open 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Tuesday through Thursday and 8:30 AM to 4PM on Friday. Vihtavuori will be offering free reloading manuals.

Happy New Year to all of our followers!

Congratulations to Team SK’s Jake Stine for bringing home a second-place finish at the 2024 Lapua Monarch Cup. Stine, who was the 2023 Cup Champion, competed in both legs of the Monarch Cup; the U.S. Nationals, and the Mexico Nationals. The two-match aggregate determined the Lapua Monarch Cup North American champion.

The Lapua Monarch Cup is comprised of two premier Smallbore Silhouette shooting matches hosted in 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.

Stine’s 2nd Place Monarch Cup finish was comprised of two top 10 finishes in each event. A 2nd
place during the NRA National Smallbore Silhouette Championships where he tied (and lost in a shoot-off) with first place finisher Marko Nikko. And, where he finished 7th Place in the Mexico Nationals this past month.

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.

Erich Mietenkorte of Team SK has won the 2024 Washington Smallbore Rifle Silhouette State Championships with an aggregate score of 224/240, winning both the Standard Rifle and Hunting Rifle State Championship Titles.

The two-day event was held August 24and 25^th at the Pe Ell Sportsmen’s Club in Pe Ell, Washington. Competitors took aim at the iconic chicken, pig, turkey and ram silhouette targets at 40, 60, 77 and 100 meters, shooting two 60-shot relays each day.

The top three finishers in each championship division were as follows:

Standard Rifle State Champion – Erich Mietenkorte 113×120
2nd Place – Eric Boos 105×120
3rd Place – Paul Davis 104×120

Hunting Rifle State Champion – Erich Mietenkorte 111×120
2nd Place – Paul Davis 109×120 
3rd Place – Keith Cairns 86×120

Mietenkorte trains with a variety of SK ammunition and competes with Lapua X-ACT which he has lot tested and matched perfectly to his Vudoo V22S at the Lapua Rimfire Performance Center in Mesa, AZ.

“Training with SK Rifle Match and Long-Range Match ammunition has been pivotal to my success. I can honestly say that because of the passion and dedication of the great folks at SK, I consistently see outstanding results and achieve my goals with greater precision,” commented Mietenkorte.

This Fall, Mietenkorte will be competing at the Lapua Monarch Cup at the Club Saltillo in Mexico.

Congratulations to Team SK’s Erich Mietenkorte on winning the 2024 US National High Power Silhouette Championships for the fourth consecutive year shooting a 203/240X. The High Power Silhouette Championship is crowned with a combined total of 120-round aggregates in both Standard Rifle and Hunter Rifle class.

The 2024 US High Power Silhouette National Championship was held early August in Ridgway, Pennsylvania at the Ridgway Rifle Club. Shooters from the US, Canada, Mexico, and Finland took aim at a variety of steel chickens, pigs, turkeys, and rams, standing and unsupported, at 200, 300, 385, and 500 meters.

Mietenkorte shooting a 6.5×47 with Berger projectiles, was four points behind the lead after the first two days of competition. He commented, “On the morning of the third day I knew I had to “get to work”. With the confidence I have gained and the fundamentals built from the many hours spent training with SK ammunition, I was able to shoot the high score of the entire high power portion on day three, 37 out of 40 targets, and take the Standard Rifle National Champion Title,” commented Mietenkorte.

In addition, Mietenkorte secured the Hunter Rifle National Champion title, making this his 10th NRA National Championship title. This fall, Mietenkorte will be competing at the Lapua Monarch Cup at the Club Saltillo in Mexico.

Congratulations to Team SK’s Jake Stine on winning the 2024 NRA Smallbore Rifle Silhouette Championship. Stine captured 1st Place in Standard Rifle (107/120) and 2nd Place in Hunter Rifle (110/120) for a total of (217/240) to secure the Smallbore Rifle Aggregate.

Blake Meixel (210/240) and Edgar Rueda (210/240) finished 2nd and 3rd place respectively.

The 2024 Smallbore National Silhouette Championships were held July 28th – 30th at the Ridgway Rifle Club in Ridgway, PA. Competitors shoot (2) 40-shot matches each of the three days.

“Without using the high-quality ammunition that SK produces, this accomplishment would have never been possible,” commented Stine. “SK’s manufacturing passion has truly led to my success.”

Smallbore Silhouette shooting is a fun and challenging 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 shoot at distances of 40, 60, 77, and 100 meters, while High Power Silhouette distances are 200, 300, 385, and 500 meters.

Team SK member Erich Mietenkorte dominated the competition to secure first place at the Annual Iron Man Silhouette Championships, a grueling two-day test of precision marksmanship and mental fortitude. Amazing, Erich!!

“Iron Man” aptly captures the demanding nature of the event where competitors fire two 40-shot smallbore silhouette matches in the morning, followed by two 40-shot high-power matches in the afternoon each day. Erich secured his fourth consecutive “Iron Man” Championship with the following results:
1st Place – Smallbore Standard Rifle
1st Place – Smallbore Hunter Rifle
1st Place – High-Power Standard Rifle
2nd Place – High-Powder Hunter Rifle

Erich stated, “SK Rimfire Ammunition was pivotal in my smallbore wins and laid the groundwork for centerfire categories as well. Training with SK Rifle Match keeps my fundamentals solid and is the foundation for my success.”

The Iron Man was hosted by the Hellgate Civilian Shooters Association June 1-2nd at Missoula’s Deep Creek Range. The prestigious event gathered competitors from across the USA and from Canada to test their silhouette skills and endurance.