T-Class Support and Backup Weapon — 2025
National Champion
Team Vice National Champion
Sightmark Competition Team
Stoiadin“Tony” Vladimirov
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
Competition ShooterIPSC Optics | IPSC Rifle Open | T-Class SBW | Tactical
“The most significant achievement is always the next one.”
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About
Built Through Resilience
He first saw IPSC at 16 at an exhibition. He was hooked instantly — but patient enough to wait until the time was right.
Tony Vladimirov didn't rush into the sport. He completed his education, built stability, and stepped onto the competition stage in 2018 fully prepared. What followed was a steady, disciplined climb, from local podiums to Top 10 in Bulgaria IPSC, National Champion and Team Vice National champion of T-Class SBW, team gold at the Atomic Champions Cup, and a growing presence on the international stage. His approach is simple: do the right things, perform well, and let the scoreboard follow.
Tony Vladimirov · Track Record
Competition Highlights
IPSC Atomic Champions Cup — Serbia
1st place Team
Production Optics
Top 10 — IPSC Optics Bulgaria
Top 10 National Ranking
CZ — Sellier & Bellot Cup Handgun
3rd place
Optics Division
First podium — Local Match Bulgaria
3rd place
IPSC Rifle Open Division
Active competitor
Story
From First Encounter To Competition
The Beginning
Tony first encountered IPSC at the age of 16 during an exhibition. The concept of competitive shooting captured him immediately. But the sport is expensive, and Tony was practical — he finished his education, secured a stable position, and spent the time in between visiting local ranges and renting guns to keep building his feel for shooting. When the moment was right, he entered competition properly. That was 2018. He has not slowed down since.
The Early Years
Tony started in T-Class Support and Backup Weapon categories and IPSC Rifle before expanding into Pistol competitions in the Production Optics division in 2021. His first equipment was deliberately modest — a CZ P-10C OR, a budget striker fired duty pistol. With it, he consistently outperformed competitors running far more expensive setups. The lesson was clear early: training matters more than gear.
Finding His Game
The biggest shift in Tony's performance came when he learned to relax and shoot on the move. Early on, like most competitors, he chased faster splits. The real breakthrough was understanding that shooting sooner — not faster — combined with efficient movement, is what produces results. His mentor Alex "Kouzi" Koussev was instrumental in that development, alongside influences from Ben Stoeger, Eric Grauffel, Christian Sailer and others in the international shooting community.
The Competitor
Tony is methodical, self-critical and analytical by nature — qualities he considers essential to improvement. He dry fires daily, trains live once a week, and increases his live fire frequency in the weeks before major competitions. He arrives at international matches a day early, avoids alcohol for a week beforehand, and limits conversation before the first stage to stay in the zone. He prepares for success deliberately and consistently.
Beyond the Range
Tony is also a passionate hunter — one of the few areas of personal time that competes with shooting for his attention. He values the shooting community deeply, describing it as open, welcoming, and the source of some of his most lasting friendships. International competitions, he notes, are a wonderful opportunity to combine family time with time spent with friends from across the sport.
What It Takes
Humility. Respect. Analytical thinking. And the discipline to focus on basics long after most people have moved on to flashier things.
Stoiadin “Tony” Vladimirov
Track Record
🥇 National Champion and Team Vice National Champion T-Class SBW 2025
2 days, day and night, teamwork and individual performance. Teammate Ivan Hristoskov (4th place individual)
Top 10 — Optics Bulgaria
National ranking achievement
Daily dry fire routine
15–30 minutes every day
Live fire training
150–250 rounds per week
Fitness training
2–3 sessions per week, 30–45 minutes
Equipment reliability standard
Replaces red dot after 10,000 rounds — always keeps a pre-zeroed backup
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What It Takes
HumilityRespectAnalytical thinkingDiscipline
“Basics, basics, basics. Safety is always first. Train the fundamentals, get proficient with them — and then train them more.”
Optics
Competition-Proven Sightmark
Tony's choice of optics is rooted in a philosophy that runs through everything he does: reliability at a price that makes sense. In competitive shooting, electronic sights will eventually fail — the question is whether you can afford to have a pre-zeroed backup ready when they do. With Sightmark, Tony can.
He currently runs the Mini Shot M-Spec M1 V2 on his PHX Phoenix Drake. Before switching to the Phoenix platform, he ran the Mini Shot M-Spec M1 optic on a CZ P-10C OR and won repeatedly.
“With Sightmark, I get the reliability I need to perform at a price that allows me to buy multiple units without breaking the bank.”
T-Class SBW
Sightmark Strikon VMP 1-4x22
Sabatti SAR 14.5 AR-15 - Sightmark Strikon VMP 1-4x22 and Sightmark Minishot M-Spec Solar Enclosed M4 on a 45 degree mount
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