Colt’s Manufacturing sponsors shooting event and makes charitable donation at the 34th Annual Bianchi Cup

Colt’s Manufacturing presented a $20,000 donation to the NRA in support of the Bianchi Cup. Pictured are (l. to r.) David Keene, NRA President; Jay Nixon, Governor of Missouri; Joyce Rubino, Colt’s Manufacturing Vice President of Marketing; John Bianchi, Founder of the Bianchi Cup; Dennis Welling, NRA Director of Competitions.

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Colt’s Manufacturing, one of the world’s leading designers, developers and manufacturers of firearms, sponsored a popular shooting event and presented a donation to the National Rifle Association (NRA) at this year’s MidwayUSA & NRA Bianchi Cup. The 34th Annual Bianchi Cup took place May 23 – May 26 in Columbia, Mo.

The Colt Speed Shooting Event was the grand finale of the Bianchi Cup weekend. The event provided an arena for shooters to demonstrate their speed by shooting five steel plates in the shortest time possible. Not every shooter is awarded the opportunity to compete in this match. Only the top four finishers in the Open, Metallic and Production divisions were honored with a slot to participate, along with the top four female shooters and two shooters from the Junior and Senior divisions. For the second year in a row, the Colt Speed Shooting Champion was Doug Koenig.

The Colt Speed Event brought together sponsors, media representatives, celebrities and even some top competitors to face off in order to see who was the fastest shot in their respective categories. For the fourth year in a row, Cowboy Mounted Action Shooting Champion Kenda Lenseigne won the Celebrity category, beating out Top Shot’s Iain Harrison and actors Marshall Teague (Armageddon) and Mark Christopher Lawrence (Chuck). Dianna Liedorff of Team FNH won the Sponsor category, Caleb Giddings of Gun Nuts Media won the Media category and Chris Cerino won the Top Shot category.

“Colt’s Manufacturing prides itself on being an active and energetic member of the firearms community, which we believe is demonstrated by our sponsorship and involvement in shooting competitions,” said Joyce Rubino, Vice President of Marketing for Colt’s Manufacturing. “We had a great time watching all the shooters compete in the various categories of the Colt Speed Event.”

In addition to being a corporate sponsor at the 34th Annual Bianchi Cup, Colt’s Manufacturing also presented a $20,000 donation to the NRA. The donation will be used to award future Bianchi Cup champions and support the NRA’s commitment to training, education and marksmanship within the firearm community.

“Supporting future sport shooting competitions and educating people about firearms and their safe use is very important to Colt’s Manufacturing,” said Rubino. “We are proud to help support future Bianchi Cup competitions and the NRA.”

The donation was funded from a portion of sales of Colt’s Government Model NRA Bianchi Cup special edition pistol. The pistol features 24-karat gold embellishments, including John Bianchi’s signature and the NRA Bianchi Cup designation. Only 100 of these pistols were available for sale, with $200 from each going to benefit the NRA Bianchi Cup.

Photo: Colt’s Manufacturing presented a $20,000 donation to the NRA in support of the Bianchi Cup. Pictured are (l. to r.) David Keene, NRA President; Jay Nixon, Governor of Missouri; Joyce Rubino, Colt’s Manufacturing Vice President of Marketing; John Bianchi, Founder of the Bianchi Cup; Dennis Welling, NRA Director of Competitions.

About Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC
Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC is one of the world’s leading designers, developers and manufacturers of firearms.  Colt pistols, revolvers and rifles have been marketed, distributed and sold to law abiding, responsible citizens in the United States and throughout the world for 175 years.  Colt operates its manufacturing facility in West Hartford, Connecticut.  For more information on Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC, please visit www.coltsmfg.com.