Team Smith & Wesson Members Koenig and Golob Capture 2012 Bianchi Cup Titles

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (May 31, 2012) – Smith & Wesson Corp. today announced that Team Smith & Wesson members Doug Koenig and Julie Golob both brought home division titles from the 2012 NRA Bianchi Cup National Championship. Serving as the defending overall champion, Koenig’s final score of 1920-182x narrowly earned him a 14th overall Bianchi Cup title, extending the all-time match record. Fellow Champion shooter and Smith & Wesson Team Captain Julie Golob also finished the match in dramatic fashion winning the Women’s Division title, the third of her career.

Doug Koenig during the Barricade Event

Widely considered as one of the top matches in the shooting world, this year’s Bianchi Cup tested participants not only with its historically difficult courses of fire, but with swirling winds and high temperatures. Despite the challenging conditions faced throughout the three days of competition, both Koenig and Golob were able to maintain early leads before sealing their victories in the Moving Target event. During the race for the overall title, Koenig’s calm composure and intense focus allowed him to edge out heated competition by second and third place shooters Richard Sibert and Italy’s Andre Moroni. By capturing his fourteenth overall title using a Smith & Wesson 1911DK in .38 Super, Koenig continues to extend his dominance at the Bianchi Cup by setting a record that has gone unmatched in professional shooting.

Julie Golob shooting the Olin C. Barjenbrush Event (Plates)

In the Women’s Division, Golob’s four match aggregate score of 1907-144x was enough to advance her past last year’s champion Jessie Harrison-Duff. Fresh off her win at the USPSA Single Stack Nationals, Golob again competed with her Smith & Wesson 1911 Pro Series in 9mm. Competing in the Open Division, Golob’s pistol featured several customizations specifically added to compensate for the four Bianchi Cup events. With her victory at this year’s event, Golob has now won the Women’s division title three times, taking home the trophy in 2009 and 2007.

“Since its inception, the Bianchi Cup has served as one of the paramount matches in competitive shooting,” said Mario Pasantes, Smith & Wesson’s Senior Vice President of Marketing and Global Professional Sales. “Challenging competitors both mentally and physically, the Bianchi Cup portrays precision shooting at its finest.”

Pasantes continued, “While the intent of every competitor is to shoot a perfect score, few have been able to maintain the level of marksmanship that Team Smith & Wesson members have exhibited over the history of the Bianchi Cup. We are extremely proud of all our team members who competed in this year’s event and we would like to extend special congratulations to overall champion Doug Koenig and to the women’s champion Julie Golob. Both Doug and Julie turned in amazing performances and both have always represented Smith & Wesson and its products to the highest degree.”

Showcasing top competitors from around the globe, the NRA Bianchi Cup consists of four separate matches with fixed times on every string of fire: Practical Event (with shots fired from 10 yards to 50 yards); Barricade Event (shots taken from behind “cover”); Falling Plate Event (banks of six, 8″ falling plates); and the Moving Target Event (shots fired at a moving target exposed for just 6 seconds).  Designed to challenge participants in terms of both speed and accuracy, competitors shoot at stationary and moving targets from both standing and prone positions.

About Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select: SWHC) is a U.S.-based leader in firearm manufacturing and design, delivering a broad portfolio of quality firearms, related products and training to the global military, law enforcement, and consumer markets. The company’s brands include Smith & Wesson, M&P and Thompson/Center Arms. Smith & Wesson facilities are located in Massachusetts and Maine. For more information on Smith & Wesson, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to www.smith-wesson.com.