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The “Good Enough” Strategy That Won a National Championship: Tory Kirkland’s First Individual Title

Action Gunner December 17, 2025

Lauren Kalil’s series with the 2025 Tactical Games National Champions continues with an athlete who took 31st place on one stage, 24th on another, and still walked away with the Men’s Tactical title. Tory Kirkland had never competed as an individual at Tactical Games Nationals before this year. He’d done plenty of team events—that’s actually how Lauren first met him back in 2023, when he was partnered with Bri. But individual competition? That was new

Best Shot Timers for Competitive Shooting: A No-BS Buyer’s Guide

Action Gunner December 16, 2025

Let’s get something out of the way: you need a shot timer. If you’re serious about getting faster and more consistent, training without one is like lifting weights without tracking your reps. You might feel like you’re improving, but you have no idea if you actually are. The problem? There are a dozen options out there ranging from $130 to over $300, and most reviews just regurgitate spec sheets without telling you what actually matters

The Mindset That Saved a Championship: Meg Kennedy’s Zero-Point Stage and the Win That Followed

Action Gunner December 15, 2025

Lauren Kalil’s series with the 2025 Tactical Games National Champions continues with one of the sport’s true OGs—a competitor who got a stage DQ at Nationals and still walked away with the title. Meg Kennedy has been competing in Tactical Games since 2019, back when the women’s division was three or four athletes total. She won Women’s Elite in 2021, then watched the weights climb year after year until she made a decision that some

SIG Sauer Named Title Sponsor of The Tactical Games: What the 2026 Season Means for the Sport

Action Gunner December 12, 2025

The Tactical Games just got a whole lot bigger. Today, The Tactical Games announced that SIG Sauer has signed on as the title sponsor for the 2026 season. This isn’t just another logo on a banner. This is one of the largest firearms manufacturers in the world putting its full weight behind what’s become the fastest-growing fitness and firearms sport out there. If you’ve been competing in or following The Tactical Games over the past

AJ Anthony Claims Competition Title, Slovakia’s Ženčár Wins Practical at 2025 PCSL 2-Gun Nationals

Action Gunner December 11, 2025

Nearly 400 competitors finished the match in Southern Utah, with international shooters making a statement on American soil The 2025 PCSL 2-Gun Nationals wrapped Sunday evening in Hurricane, Utah, capping three days of competition across 13 stages at Southern Utah Practical Shooting Range. When the dust settled, two names stood atop the leaderboard: AJ Anthony in Competition Division and Slovakia’s Pavol Ženčár in Practical. Both took the win in their respective divisions—their aggregate performance across

The Man Who Might Have Created the Monster: Tim Simansky Finally Gets His Championship

Action Gunner December 10, 2025

Lauren Kalil’s series with the 2025 Tactical Games National Champions continues with a competitor who’s been chasing this goal for five years—and may have accidentally recruited the sport’s most dominant athlete along the way. Tim Simansky has been grinding toward a Tactical Games national championship since 2020. He got on the podium in Men’s Elite back in 2021, then watched injuries and an increasingly deep field push that goal further away year after year. Torn

On The Perf Episode 53: PCSL 2 Gun Nationals

Action Gunner December 9, 2025

PCSL 2-Gun Nationals: Redemption Runs, Broken Gas Keys, and the Best Pallet Tunnel Ever Shot Adam Riser and Adam Maxwell returned to St. George for the PCSL 2-Gun Nationals exactly one year after recording their very first podcast episodes at the same venue. Both had unfinished business from last year’s disappointing performances. Whether they got their redemption—well, that’s complicated. Here’s the thing about coming back to a match where you had a rough time: you

From Olympic Horse Trainer to Tactical Games Champion: Becky Wagner’s Undefeated Season

Action Gunner December 8, 2025

Lauren Kalil’s series with the 2025 Tactical Games National Champions continues—this time with her first in-person guest. Becky Wagner won the Women’s 40+ division after going undefeated all season, and her path to the podium is unlike anything you’ve heard before. Becky Wagner trains horses for a four-time Olympian. She has a prosthetic disc in her neck from a snowmobile accident. She used to send her uncle money as a kid to stop hunting—now she

400+ Competitors Descend on Southern Utah for the 2025 PCSL 2-Gun Nationals

Action Gunner December 5, 2025

The main match kicks off today as the practical shooting world gathers in Hurricane, Utah The Vortex Optics 2025 PCSL 2-Gun Nationals presented by Super Vel Ammunition officially opens for main match competitors today, December 5th, following two days of early match action at Southern Utah Practical Shooting Range. Match Director Max Leograndis—the eight-time and only USPSA Pistol Caliber Carbine National Champion—and the PCSL team have assembled what they’re calling their best match yet. Over

The Four-Time Champ Who Says He Can Be Beat: Jacob Heppner on Dominance, Dry Fire, and Dialing His Pistol

Action Gunner December 3, 2025

Lauren Kalil continues her series with the 2025 Tactical Games National Champions. This time, she sits down with the most dominant Men’s Elite competitor the sport has ever seen—and he’s got some surprising things to say about his own vulnerability. Jacob Heppner has won Tactical Games Nationals four years in a row. Let that sink in. In a sport that combines elite fitness with precision shooting under stress, where equipment failures can tank your weekend

Author: Action Gunner