Just a few months ago, I was in Puerto Rico hunting iguanas with my good friend Abner Almenas. I had the honor of staying with his family for a few days, completely unaware I was sharing breakfast and bullseye talk with a future champion—a champion who’s only 13 years old.
I first met “Little Abner” back in 2023 at the Rocky Mountain Airgun Challenge (RMAC), when he traveled from Puerto Rico to Utah with his father. Since then, Abner Sr. and I have grown incredibly close. He’s like a brother to me, which makes Little Abner practically family. One thing has always stood out to me about the Almenas household: precision shooting isn’t just a hobby—it’s a way of life.
When I visited Puerto Rico this year, Abner Sr. gave me a behind-the-scenes look at their training regimen. In the backyard, there’s no room for sloppiness. Every practice session is a focused blend of positional PRS-style shooting and disciplined benchrest work. It’s like watching a machine go through the paces. Little Abner trains like a seasoned pro—calm, consistent, and laser-focused on ringing steel and drilling the 10-ring.
I asked Abner Sr. how he got his son so dialed in. Here’s what he had to say:
Abner Almenas:
“It didn’t take me long to teach him how to shoot. I started with the fundamentals—breathing, trigger control, finger placement. The basics. But honestly, he just copied what I was doing. That’s really it. From there, the rest is history.By the time he was 11, he was already shooting with a natural rhythm. At that point, he was beating just about everyone at 25 and 50 yards in benchrest.
For RMAC prep, our training focused strictly on precision. I made custom practice targets that only scored from the 8-ring to the 10-ring—because, let’s be real, anything less than an 8 at RMAC means you’re out of the running. You can’t have too many sevens and expect to win at that level. So we trained to eliminate anything below an 8 entirely. Just like those targets I sent you—8, 9, and 10-ring only. That was the mindset.”
“As for the rifle? The Karma Red Panda in .30 cal is the perfect platform for benchrest. It’s proven. Over and over again. I got it tuned just right, and it’s extremely consistent. Every rifle has its quirks—its timing, its preferences—and we understand this one completely. So does Little Abner.
It’s a heavy rifle, sure, but at 13, he handles it like a champ. There’s no better rifle for this type of shooting. Right out of the box, you just can’t beat it for benchrest.”
Little Abner’s RMAC 100-Yard Sportsman Class Score Breakdown
What makes Little Abner’s win even more impressive is how he earned it: card by card, under pressure, in the most competitive Sportsman Class field RMAC has seen yet.
-
Card 1 – Score: 204
He came out steady and controlled. A modest start, but enough to stay in the mix while others faltered early in the shifting morning winds. -
Card 2 – Score: 228
This was the breakout moment. While many shooters were still trying to solve the conditions, Little Abner adjusted, held tight groups, and threw down a near-flawless card that launched him into the finals. -
Finals – Score: 232 with 7 Xs
In the most high-pressure round of the event, Little Abner delivered a performance that sent shockwaves through the range. His 232 wasn’t just the top score in Sportsman—it outscored most Pro Class shooters. That card is going down in the RMAC history books.
Tech Specs: Little Abner’s Winning Gear Setup
At RMAC 2025, Little Abner ran a bone stock Karma Red Panda in .30 caliber, paired with a proven AEA 50.5 gr. pellet and velocity combo that delivered world-class results in 100-yard benchrest.
Rifle Platform:
-
Model: Karma Red Panda
-
Action Type: Regulated side-lever, magazine-fed competition-grade PCP
-
Caliber: .30
-
Barrel System: Karma Precision Barrel System – solid one-piece monolithic barrel with radial port
-
Tune: Tuned for .30 cal AEA 50.5 gr. pellets
-
Regulator: Factory dual-stage regulator system with Karma pellet tune
-
Air Cylinder: 580cc carbon fiber bottle
-
Trigger: Fully adjustable match-grade trigger
-
Weight: ~17 lbs scoped
-
Scope Mounting: Integrated 20 MOA Picatinny rail
Ammo & Performance:
-
Pellet: AEA 50.5 grain
-
Velocity: 940 FPS
-
Muzzle Energy: ~99 FPE
-
Consistency: Single-digit ES/SD velocity
No special mods. No custom aftermarket tweaks. Just raw talent, discipline, and a factory-tuned Karma Red Panda proving once again why it’s become the go-to platform for serious competitors in the benchrest world.
Final Thoughts
With this historic win at RMAC 2025, Little Abner has now officially graduated to the Pro Class, making him one of the youngest—if not the youngest—professional benchrest airgunners on the competition circuit today.
And as fate would have it, RMAC once again fell the week after Father’s Day weekend. You couldn’t script a more meaningful gift for Abner Sr.—watching his son climb to the top of the podium, not just as a proud father, but as the coach and mentor who guided him every step of the way. This was more than a win; it was a memory that will live with their family forever.
This victory is a powerful reminder of what happens when we raise kids right, teach them the fundamentals, and share a love of safe and responsible shooting. It’s a testament to the Almenas family’s dedication to the sport, their bond as father and son, and their impact on the airgun community.
Every one of us can take a lesson from them.
I’m proud to call both Little Abner and Abner Sr. not just friends, but my airgunner family.
Stay tuned for more coverage, card breakdowns, and behind-the-scenes content from this unforgettable RMAC right here in the DonnyFL Field Notes series.
