John Butcher Wins 2011 M1 Carbine Match

CAMP PERRY, OHIO – While some consider it the M1 Garand’s little brother, it’s now one of the biggest rifles in John Butcher’s gun cabinet. Butcher, 46, of Grafton, Ohio, fired an aggregate score of 371-6X, winning the 2011 M1 Carbine Match by a five-point margin and came up two points shy of the match record set by David Chase (373-7X) in 2007.

CMP Board Member Marsha Beasley presents the M1 Carbine Trophy plaque to John Butcher, the winner of the 2011 M1 Carbine Match. Butcher improved his score since the match’s inception in 2007 and reached the top this year.

Butcher fired 95-3X in prone slow-fire, 90-0X in prone rapid-fire; a strong 95-3X in sitting rapid-fire and finished with a 91-0X offhand stage. An elated Butcher said afterward he wasn’t sure if his score would hold up for the win, but once it was official he said he was honored to win the championship among the field of 518 M1 Carbine competitors.

Because of its short stature and light weight, shooters must find ways to anchor the M1 Carbine prior to the shot, particularly during the standing stage where wobble is a major factor.

Not known as a match rifle due to its short barrel, finicky appetite for the correct ammunition and noisy delivery, the short rifle makes the M1 Carbine Match a challenging one. Since the match’s inception in 2007, John Friguglietti, Jr. has won the match twice (in 2008 and ’09); David Chase won the inaugural match in 2007 and James Sinclair won it last year and Butcher is this year’s champ. The match is fired at 100 yards on Camp Perry’s Rodriguez Range on static targets.

Jeff Adkins, 52, of North Lewisburg, Ohio, has turned marksmanship into a hobby. The retired regular Army and National Guardsman said now he shoots for fun. Adkins said he enjoys the camaraderie he shares with fellow shooters when he comes to Camp Perry to shoot in the John C. Garand, M1 Carbine and Vintage Military matches.

Butcher has been scratching and clawing to get to the top of the M1 Carbine heap, firing in four out of five opportunities. He finished 162nd in 2007, 90th in 2008, fifth last year and first this summer.

MSgt Gregory Blackstock, Air National Guard, 43, placed second with an aggregate score of 366-8X, and third place went to James Civitello, 54, of Spencerport, New York, who fired a 364-6X.

Steve Falk, 53, of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania and his son Donny, 14, took a momentary break between stages of the M1 Carbine match on 4 August. The Falks and some shooting companions from the Philadelphia area have enjoyed the confines of the Camp Perry huts for the last few years as part of their National Matches adventure.

The high junior carbine shooter was Stephen Tupta, 18, of McMurray, Pennsylvania, who shot a 353-1X. Ian Foos, 14, of Bellevue, Ohio, fired a 341-2X and Gabe Rampy, 13, of Bremen, Georgia, placed third with an aggregate score of 329-2X.

U.S. Congressman, Ohio 5th District, Robert Latta took a brief break from his busy Capitol Hill schedule to participate in the 2011 CMP Games.

The high senior competitor in the M1 Carbine Match was Eric Stein, 60, of Morristown, Nebraska, who shot a 360-2X. Bruce Long, 62, of McMurray, Pennsylvania, finished second with a 357-4X in a tie-breaker over George Wilson, 62, of Roswell, Georgia, who fired a 357-2X.

A stiff headwind and cooler temperatures greeted M1 Carbine shooters after several days of 90-degree heat and high humidity on M1 Carbine day.

For complete results of the 2011 M1 Carbine Match, log onto http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/report_matchResult.cgi?matchID=6544. To view, download and order photos from the matches, log onto http://cmp1.zenfolio.com. 

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