(GunReports.com) — Brian “Gunny” Zins of Poland, Ohio, won his 11th National Pistol title this weekend during the NRA’s National Rifle & Pistol Championships in Camp Perry, Ohio. Shooting an aggregate score of 2649-142x, Zins finished three points ahead of his nearest competitor.
“Considering that I took 18 months off due to an elbow injury, to win here in Camp Perry, it’s awesome” said Zins. “I thought I was out after the .45 slow fire match. But I knuckled down and it worked out well.”
Brian Zins has long been a force in the competitive shooting world. His ten NRA National Pistol titles brought him to the attention of History Channel’s popular shooting challenge show Top Shot. A favorite at the opening of Season 2, Zins came in second during the much-anticipated finale.
“Camp Perry is a different animal,” explained Zins. “There are mystic elements and a mystery about this place that makes it really hard to perform at your best. All you can do is do better then everybody else.”
Finishing second overall, with a score of 2646-116x, was two-time National Champion Sergeant First Class James Henderson of the Army Marksmanship Unit. John Zurek of Arizona came in third.
The National Pistol Championships are comprised of three separate matches: .22 Caliber Pistol, Center Fire Pistol and .45 Caliber Pistol. Each of those matches are broken down into four different events; Rapid Fire, Slow Fire, National Match Course and Timed Fire.
Last year’s winner, Philip Hemphill of Clinton, Mississippi, clinched the High Police title with a final tally of 2616-124x. The designation of High Junior as well as High Collegian went to Ohio State’s Joseph Totts while Judy Tant of East Lansing, Michigan, took home the High Woman title for the fifth year in a row.
The National Rifle Association and the Civilian Marksmanship Program conduct the National Matches at Camp Perry each summer. Considered the “World Series” of the shooting sports, participants range from novices to Olympic-level shooters, and include civilians, military personnel, and law enforcement officers. The NRA National Rifle and Pistol Championships are open to everyone; NRA membership is not required.
