In the action pistol shooting competition world, none stood as tall as the Bianchi Cup. While covering the event in 2012, the Bianchi Cup was teeming with people; shooters and spectators alike. The atmosphere felt like a small-town fair. A little over a decade later, the Cup resembled just another day at the range, not the pinnacle of action pistol competitions. Is the Bianchi Cup doomed?
History of the Bianchi Cup
The Bianchi Cup began in 1979. It was the brainchild of John Bianchi and Ray Chapman. Bianchi is a former law enforcement officer, holster maker, and owner of Bianchi International. Chapman is the 1975 International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) World Champion.
The Bianchi Cup blended IPSC, Police Pistol Combat, and what is now called Precision Bullseye together into one competition.
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Stages of the Bianchi Cup
The Bianchi Cup is divided into four stages: practical, barricade, falling plate, and moving target. Each stage consists of 48 shots. All shooting is performed while drawing from a holster in “action” style, and all stages are timed. As the target distance increases, so does the allotted time.
Practical Stage
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This stage consists of two targets, with the top edge of each target six feet from the ground. They are three feet apart, edge to edge, using what is commonly referred to as a modified “tombstone” target or the NRA AP-1 target.
Competitors fire from 10, 15, 25, and 50 yards. They fire multiple shots at each target. Competitors shoot from both standing and prone positions. The shooters are also required to shoot with both strong and weak hands at various stages. There are no mulligans in the Bianchi Cup. Shoot your best and hope it is enough.
Barricade
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Again, two targets are set at the same height and distance apart as in the Practical Event. Shooting is done from behind cover or a “barricade.” The ranges differ from the practical stage at 10, 15, 20, and 35 yards.
Falling Plate
Competitors fire at a plate rack that holds six, 8-inch circular steel targets (plates). The plates are four feet off the ground and one foot apart, edge to edge. The competitor, again against the clock, shoots from distances of 10, 15, 20, and 25 yards.
Moving target or “Mover”
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Competitors fire at a “tombstone” target, which moves 60 feet from right to left and left to right at 10 feet per second. Competitors shoot six shots at this moving target from 10, 15, 20, and 25 yards before the target disappears.
The divisions of the Bianchi
There are many styles of handguns broken down into divisions. These include Metallic, Production, Open, Production Optic, Provisional Production, or Provisional Production Optic. Most shooters shoot semi-autos, though an occasional revolver-wielding competitor cycles through the stages.
The Allure of the Bianchi Cup
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What keeps bringing shooters back to shoot the Bianchi Cup?
“The challenge of the match,” says Ryan McQuilty, an Australian competitor. “I don’t come here to compete against the other 150 shooters. I come here to shoot a better score than I shot last time.
“If you compare it to another sport, say golf, you know what par is, and if you go over that, it’s on you. I shot the World Action Pistol championship and didn’t feel the pressure I do here at the Bianchi Cup. You only have one go at it. So, you have to hold it together for 192 shots.
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“One of the Australian teams has a father, son, and daughter shooting,” continues McQuilty. “That just emphasizes how much of a family sport this can really be. Few sports can boast a father and his daughter competing against one another.”
Bianchi Rising from the Ashes
According to the shooters I talked with, attendance has been fluctuating throughout the past nine years.
“It has gotten smaller from its heyday,” said one veteran shooter who has participated since 2006.
Another shooter stated, “It’s been a roller coaster, from 2011 through 2015. It was really big, lots of vendors and sponsors. It dropped off a lot from 2016 through 2018. The Civilian Marksmanship Program has been running it for the past three years and has been doing an amazing job.”
There have been some changes. The National Rifle Association, which had previously overseen the match, stepped back from the Bianchi Cup a few years ago. So, Green Valley Rifle Club took over as an interim, running the shoot.
The CMP, alongside Green Valley, has begun the rebuilding process.
“There have been some growing pains, but it’s coming back each year a bit stronger. Jim Henderson, the assistant match director, is doing a fantastic job and has worked really hard to rebuild this program,” says US Army shooter SFC Walter Johnson.
“They want to bring it back. It has started to grow again. There are more junior shooters, which is the future of the sport, and the way things are going, there’s no reason the sport will not continue to grow,” Johnson concluded.
Shooters from more than six countries were represented at the 2025 Bianchi Cup. This is a testament to the dedication of this group of shooters, organizers, and shooting enthusiasts. While not quite back to its heyday, each year promises to be bigger and better.
