2010 Achievement Medal and Achievement Pin Cut Scores

Cut scores for the popular CMP Achievement Medal and Achievement Pin awards have just been updated for 2010. In the course of a year as many as half of the competitors in CMP-sanctioned As-Issued Military Rifle and Rimfire Sporter Matches will earn awards through this program. Indeed, a key goal of many competitors in these disciplines is to fire a score good enough to earn a Gold, Silver or Bronze Achievement Medal or Pin. Competitors in CMP Games Matches at the National Matches are awarded medals with neck ribbons when they fire scores that exceed Achievement Medal cut scores. Competitors in the Eastern and Western CMP Games Matches also are awarded medals with neck ribbons. Clubs that sponsor As-Issued Military Rifle or Rimfire Sporter Matches can award, Gold, Silver and Bronze Achievement Pins for scores fired in CMP sanctioned matches.

At the CMP Eastern and Western Games, it is customary to award Achievement Medals after each day of firing. Dick Whiting, CMP Chief Range Officer, is pictured above congratulating Sam Ballard.

CMP Achievement Medal scores are attainable by all shooters who are willing to put reasonable effort into learning basic marksmanship skills, preparing their equipment and doing some extra practice. Cut scores are calculated on the basis of the 40th percentile scores that were fired at National and Regional CMP Games Matches during the past year. Adjustments are made for adverse weather conditions and scores fired in previous years are taken into consideration as well. After the 40th percentile score level is determined, scores above that point are divided into first one-sixth, next two-sixths and next three-sixths divisions in the same way that EIC match scores are divided into 10, 8 and 6-point legs. This breakdown then determines the gold, silver and bronze score levels.

Once cut scores for the year are determined and published in the CMP Competition Rules, those scores are used throughout the year to award Achievement Medals or Pins. For example, in the 2009 National As-Issued M1Garand Match, 1201 competitors completed the match and turned in scorecards. 163 of those competitors fired scores of 276 or higher to win Gold Achievement Medals, 164 shooters fired scores from 269 and 275 to earn Silver Medals and 279 competitors fired scores between 258 and 268 to receive Bronze Medals. In evaluating last year’s Garand and other As-Issued Military Rifle Match results, it became clear that the 2009 cut scores were too low. The impact of issuing all competitors higher quality Hornady .30-06 ammunition and an obvious general improvement in shooter skills created a situation where the CMP awarded medals to just over 50 percent of the shooters. This was well above the 40 percent goal for the program so, as a result, 2010 Garand cut scores and other award cut-offs were generally adjusted upward.

Silver, Gold and Bronze Achievement Medals. A different medal design is used for each event, Garand, Springfield, Vintage Military Rifle, Carbine and Rimfire Sporter.

The chart posted below shows the new 2010 cut scores. 2009 cut scores are shown in the first two columns for comparison purposes. As-Issued M1 Garand, Springfield and Vintage Military Rifle scores are up three to four points at each level. Carbine scores again dropped slightly. Rimfire Sporter T-Class cut scores are down slightly, while O-class, where more shooters are learning how to produce good open sight scores, increased substantially again.

The 2010 CMP Achievement Medal and Achievement Pin Cut Scores that will be in effect throughout this year are listed in the chart. These scores will be incorporated in the 2010 CMP Competition Rules and CMP Rimfire Sporter Rules and in the National, Eastern and Western Games match programs.
 

In order to give match sponsors flexibility to adjust for difficult wind or climate conditions, a new rule was included in the 2009 rulebooks that allowed bronze medal or pin cut scores to be adjusted downward in any match where fewer than 40% of the competitors fired scores high enough to earn awards. This provision will be retained in the 2010 rulebooks.

CMP Achievement Pins for each of the five CMP Games events. Match sponsors can order these pins and then award them at their matches after shooters fire scores that exceed cut scores. The pins from left to right are for Garand, Springfield, Vintage Military Rifle, Rimfire Sporter and Carbine Matches.

Gold, Silver and Bronze medallions with neck ribbons are awarded only in the National Matches and Eastern and Western CMP Games. Gold, silver and bronze award pins can be awarded at any CMP-sanctioned match that includes one or more eligible events. Match sponsors that want to award pins to competitors in their matches should order them for $1.00 each from the CMP when they complete their match sanctioning application (form posted at http://www.odcmp.com/Competitions/Sanction.htm). With an inventory of pins on hand, the awards can be presented to shooters immediately after the match when they fire a score that exceeds cut score standards.

If you have questions or need additional information about sanctioning As-Issued Military Rifle or Rimfire Sporter Matches, please contact the CMP Competition Support staff at 419-635-2141, ext. 1101 or competitions@odcmp.com.

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