Lynx Brutality 2025: Everything You Need to Know About Slovenia's Premier Tactical Competition

Ten stages. Two guns. One goal: to join the ranks of the world’s best shooters.

Lynx Brutality 2025 is a physically demanding, two-day shooting competition in Kočevje, Slovenia. With three divisions and ten tactical courses, seasoned competitors simply won’t want to miss the most exciting tactical shooting competition Slovenia has ever seen.

Let’s break down what to expect.

The Competition

Lynx Brutality is modeled after the Brutality Match: a two-gun shooting competition run by InRangeTV’s Karl Kasarda and Ian McCollum since 2009. Part marksmanship course and part endurance challenge, a Brutality Match is an unmatched competitive experience.

Over the course of two days, Lynx Brutality competitors will:

Run, crawl, crouch, and climb through our challenging course
Shoot from awkward, uncomfortable angles
Perform challenging physical tasks (like throwing kettlebells)

Using a pistol and a rifle, entrants will showcase their shooting abilities while withstanding high-level physical demands.

The Rules

During each of ten stages, shooters will use either a pistol or a rifle to hit targets while moving through a pre-set obstacle course—all while tackling various mentally and physically taxing challenges.

But this year, we’ve made some major changes:

Only intermediate rifle calibers allowed – Leave your .22 at home—this is a competition for .223, 7.62×39, 5.45×39, and other intermediate cartridges.
Silencers and suppressors encouraged – This year, we’re encouraging competitors to use suppressors and silencers. Ticketholders will receive a voucher for suppressors and muzzle devices that they can use at the Polenar Technical Store.
Tickets are sold out – The hype is real—tickets sold out in 52 seconds.

The competition features three main divisions:

Open – Other than meeting cartridge requirements, competitors can use any gear they choose as long as their build is safe.
Irons – Irons competitors are limited to iron sights. Non-aiming accessories (like bipods and grips) are allowed. Competitors have a 30-round magazine limit for rifles and a 15-round limit for pistols.
Armored – While Open competitors can remove gear throughout the competition if they’d like, Armored shooters must carry all of their gear throughout the competition. They also have additional mandatory equipment. Shooters must carry a minimum of 12kg of gear during each stage.

We’ve also opened the competition to sub-divisions like:

PCC (pistol caliber carbine)
LARP (live-action roleplay—themed clothes and weapons welcome)
Madlad (for bolt action rifles and/or revolvers)

The expectations are high—are you up for the challenge?

The Details

The main match will be held 30-31 May, 2025 at Lynx Pro training center in Kočevje, Slovenia.

Spectators are welcome to watch the entire competition on the big screen in our Gun Expo space—you won’t miss a second of the action. Throughout the event, non-competitors can also browse our Gun Expo and pick up items like:

Firearms
Tactical gear
Pyrotechnics
Medical items
Airsoft equipment
Firearm accessories

For spectators, a food truck will be available near the Gun Expo space. Competitors, however, will need to pack food and water and refuel between stages.

The Real Competition? Getting Tickets.

Lynx Brutality is slated to be one of the highest-profile, most competitive marksmanship experiences of the year—and tickets are already sold out. We’re excited to host competitive shooters and non-competitors for a two-day celebration of world-class marksmanship.

Interested in learning more? Watch our documentary about last year’s Lynx Brutality match for a taste of the stakes and excitement.

Sources:

Brutality. About. https://www.brutalitymatches.org/about-brutality