Indoor Rifle Trophy Named After U.S. Army Captain

As the challenge period for this year’s National Open Indoor Rifle Championships ticks away, let’s get to know a little more about one of the championship’s trophies: the Butterman Trophy.

A sterling silver trophy cup manufactured by the Manchester Silver Co., Inc., the Butterman Trophy is a 14 inch high cup is mounted on a marble base with engraving ring.

The trophy’s history is a somber one. It was presented to the NRA by the friends of CPT Ronald F. Butterman, USA, who passed away at the age of 28 after a tragic scuba diving accident in 1981.

Ron, who had taken up competition shooting a few years earlier, won the 1980 Indoor International 3-Position Sectional National Champion with a score of 1179.

The Butterman Trophy was donated in 1983 and immediately went into use by the Indoor Rifle Championships, getting awarded to the International Rifle 3-Position Sectional National Champion.

The match conditions are your standard 3-P course of fire: 40 shots from the prone position, 40 shots while standing and 40 while kneeling.

Last year’s recipient was New Orleans’s Michael Liuzza, who shot a 1170. Pending a score change during the challenge period, this year’s recipient of the Butterman Trophy will be Ryan Anderson from Wasilla, Alaska, who shot a 1162 and narrowly beat out Mackenzie Martin from Fairhaven, Massachusetts’ 1161.

Later this week the Open Indoor Rifle Championship’s results will be finalized. We’ll see then if Ryan remains this year’s winner.

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