Just edging the 2006 NRA Smallbore 3-Position Champion, Maj. Michael Anti of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU), Gideon claimed the Prone Metallic Sight Championship earlier that week to cruse to the overall title. Gideon shot a 3195-237X to win the Hoppe Memorial Trophy Plaque, which is given to the winner of the Prone Metallic Sight Championship. The aggregate of the Metallic Sight and Any Sight championships determines the overall Prone Champion. Gideon faced over 400 shooters from across the United States in the four days of competition. After finally learning of his feat, Gideon was happy to win his first national championship since 2003. "What a haul, I'm still stunned," the 57-year-old said, who also was the Civilian Champion, and Intermediate Senior Champion. "I always come here to win, and the person who wins the metallic sight championship usually has command of their own destiny."

In the Prone Any Sight Championship, Gideon had to hold off a surging Anti and the eventual winner of the match, the legendary Lones W. Wigger, Jr. of Colorado Springs, CO, to become the overall winner. "The metallic sight is always the more difficult one to win out of the two," Wigger said, who shot 3196-264X to win the Any Sight title. "Anyone can win the Any Sight -- all you need is a good scope. With the metallic sight you can have a lot of problems getting a good picture of the targets." Wigger was also the overall Senior Champion. Anti was the Service Champion.

Wigger, a six-time Smallbore Prone, and a 21-time Smallbore 3-Position champion, finished the overall championship in fourth place with a score of 6382-478X after a tie breaker with Kevin Nevius of Gibsonburg, OH, who placed third overall with the same score of 6382-478X. The tie breaker was determined based on each man's total scores on the 100 yard targets. Anti, who won a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, had one goal in coming into the Prone championship, to follow in Wigger’s legacy. "I believe there was only one other person who won the 3-Position and the Prone in the same year." Anti said, referring to Wigger, who took both Smallbore championships in 1973. "I almost did it but that goes to show how difficult the Prone match can get. It's an endurance match, and if you’re competing in both competitions your body is really put to the test." Wigger and Gideon only competed in the Prone championship.

The National Smallbore Rifle NRA Prone Championship is a 6400-point aggregate of the Metallic Sight championship and the Any Sight Championship. Each sub aggregate consists of four matches, fired with .22 caliber rifles, of 40 shots at targets ranging from 50 meters, 50 yards and 100 meters. Metallic sights are any sighting system, which provides a method of aiming or aligning two separate but visible sights. The Any Sight category includes both metallic sights and telescopic sights.

Special category awards in the National Smallbore Rifle NRA Prone Championship went to Woman Champion Edie P. Reynolds of Raleigh, NC, at 6370-437X; Collegiate and Junior Champion Andrew T. Roland of Lake Oswego, OR, at 6378-453X; Intermediate Junior Champion John M. Manzano of Syracuse, NY, at 6368-417X; Sub-Junior Champion Claudia Duksa of Bristol, CT, at 6350-348X; Any Sight Only Champion Robert E. Clark Jr.of Charelston, SC, at 6324-370X.

A summary of results of the National Smallbore Rifle Prone Championship follows.