John Prince took the 2026 Shilen Challenge on October 8 at Rusty Rooster Rimfire Range in Farmersville, Texas, with a 2270 aggregate and 67 Xs. He finished 45 points clear of the 74-shooter field and won three of the five targets along the way.
Prince won the Triple Crown, Precision Quest Products and RimfireAccuracy.com targets back to back. His 2400-19X on Target 4 was the best X count of any target winner on the day.
Top 5
Jerry Stiller took second with a 2225. Then came a three-way tie at 2215 among Rick Clark, Brian Stehlik and Eddie Robertson, which X count settled: Clark had 62, Stehlik 61 and Robertson 52. Clark and Stehlik were only one X apart.
| Place | Shooter | Agg | Xs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Prince | 2270 | 67 |
| 2 | Jerry Stiller | 2225 | 44 |
| 3 | Rick Clark | 2215 | 62 |
| 4 | Brian Stehlik | 2215 | 61 |
| 5 | Eddie Robertson | 2215 | 52 |
Target winners
The first two targets both came down to X count. Brian Stehlik won Target 1 out of a three-way tie at 2450, and Brian Hagerty beat Jerry Stiller on Xs to take Target 2.
| Target | Winner | Score | Xs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target 1 – Killough Shooting Sports | Brian Stehlik | 2450 | 16 |
| Target 2 – American Rimfire Association | Brian Hagerty | 2400 | 16 |
| Target 3 – Triple Crown | John Prince | 2300 | 13 |
| Target 4 – Precision Quest Products | John Prince | 2400 | 19 |
| Target 5 – RimfireAccuracy.com | John Prince | 2300 | 9 |
Main Event qualifiers
These 10 shooters earned their spots in the 2026 Main Event:
- John Prince – 2270, 67X
- Jerry Stiller – 2225, 44X
- Rick Clark – 2215, 62X
- Brian Stehlik – 2215, 61X
- Eddie Robertson – 2215, 52X
- Marion Collier – 2200, 65X
- Brian Hagerty – 2195, 57X
- Jr Groves – 2180, 64X
- John Weaver – 2180, 52X
- James Popanz – 2170, 55X
See the full results for all 74 shooters.
Thank you, sponsors
A big thank you to Shilen Rifles, the title sponsor of this match, and to Jennifer Hull for joining us at the awards. Thank you as well to ELEY for presenting the ELEY Benchrest Series.
We're also grateful to our target sponsors: Killough Shooting Sports, the American Rimfire Association, Triple Crown, Precision Quest Products and RimfireAccuracy.com. Finally, thanks to Rusty Rooster Rimfire Range for hosting, and to every shooter who came out to Farmersville.
Congratulations, John!