National Matches Air Gun Events firing took place at the Camp Perry Marksmanship Center throughout the National Matches from 13 July through 13 August.

For the entire month that the 2009 National Matches were in full force outdoors, the indoor Camp Perry Marksmanship Center was also open for business and seeing plenty of traffic. The CMP National Match Air Gun Events took place at the indoor center on the same days that the National Matches pistol and rifle championships on the Camp Perry outdoor ranges. The air gun events began on 13 July and ended on 13 August. 550 different competitors completed nearly one thousand event entries at the state-of-the-art facility featuring 80 firing points, electronic scoring and air conditioning for those seeking a reprieve from the elements.

Matt Rawlings, a member of the U. S. Army International Rifle Team at Fort Benning, GA, fired a world-class 598 to top all shooters in the 60-shot air rifle championship.

The air gun events kicked-off on 13 July, with matches paralleling the disciplines shot outdoors. During the pistol matches, the air gun events were 30 and 60 shot air pistol matches. The 30-shot event offered unlimited reentry and a best center-shot prize shoot for cash prizes. Similar courses of fire were shot in air rifle during the smallbore phase. During the high-power weeks, the newly created National Match Air Rifle 3x20 and 20-shot standing events (shot on reduced 200-yard SR and 600-yard MR targets) were fired. Throughout the National Matches, 20-shot standing sporter air rifle and 20-shot novice prone (designed for junior shooters aged 8-12) events were also in the program.

In all, 992 total entries were taken for all of the events. The most popular events were the reentry matches, where competitors were able to shoot the course of fire several times. Some shot the same event as many as seven times. In the reentry events, only the competitor’s top score was ranked in the final results. Competitors in the reentry events also were able to earn CMP Gold, Silver or Bronze Achievement Pins when their scores exceeded established cut score levels. Entry fees for the air gun events were set at two dollars for novice prone and between five and ten dollars for each of the other events.

Douglas Thompson, Guinda, CA, fired the best center shot among all 2009 National Matches Air Rifle shooters when he fired a shot with a 0.07mm radius with an air pistol. Thompson is shown here firing a M1903 Springfield in the 2008 Eastern CMP Games.

The 60 shot matches in air rifle and pistol were designated as Championship Matches. These matches could only be fired once. In the 60-shot Air Pistol Championship, the winner was John Zurek, Chandler, Arizona, with a 575-20X. Second was awarded to Tony Silva, Merced, California, with a 570-18X. Third went to Kevin Walker, New Orleans, Louisiana, with a 567-13X. In the rifle matches, Matthew Rawlings, Fort Benning, Georgia, took top honors with a range record score of 598-50X, followed by Erin Lorenzen, Fort Wayne, Indiana, with a 593-44X and Joseph Hein, Fort Benning, Georgia, with a 593-41X. In the National Match Air Rifle 3x20 event, Robert Sherer, Middle Point, Ohio, took first with a 568-14x.

National Highpower Rifle Champion Carl Bernosky prepares to fire another shot with the Creedmoor-Anschütz AR-type air rifles that were used by all competitors in the Bernosky Challenge Match.

One of the most popular events in this year’s National Matches Air Gun Events was the Bernosky Challenge Match, sponsored by Creedmoor Sports. A total of 135 competitors completed 226 entries in this match. They fired new Creedmoor-Anschütz AR-type air rifles in the National Match Air Rifle 20-shot standing course. The rifle features an AR-type stock and an Anschütz 8001 action and barrel with a three-pound trigger. The CMP had 35 of these rifles on-hand for competitors to use. After a week of qualifying, the top 25 qualifiers came back for a shoulder-to-shoulder match against nine-time national highpower champion Carl Bernosky on 8 August. This Challenge Match offered cash prizes provided by Creedmoor Sports; $500 for first, $350 for second, and $150 for third. Taking the top prize was Paul Kerr, Albuquerque, NM who fired a 197-8x. Brandon Green, Fort Benning, GA finished second with a 197-3x while Carl Bernosky shot a 196-4x, to finish third.

At the conclusion of the Bernosky Challenge Creedmoor General Manager Dennis DeMille said, “we believe this new rifle and event is a great way to introduce people to highpower shooting. It can be overwhelming to take a new shooter out to the range when they have to hit a target 600 yards away. Now you can take someone to your local air gun range and in a couple of hours teach them about sight alignment and trigger control.”

All entries in the 30-shot air pistol and air rifle re-entry matches as well as in the 20-shot National Match Air Rifle events were also entered in “best center shot” competitions. The electronic target system recorded the distance from center for each shot in one-hundredths of a millimeter to easily determine who had the best shot. Two dollars of every entry fee went into the prize pool. The shooters with the eight best center shots in each event won cash prizes. Since competitors were only eligible for one prize in each event, their best 10 was ranked. The breakdown of the cash prize winners follows:

Winners of these events received congratulatory letters and their prize checks shortly after the air gun events concluded.

The CMP hopes to increase participation in the 2010 National Match Air Gun Events at Camp Perry, Ohio even further. When you make plans to compete in next year’s National Matches, be sure to include the air gun events at the Camp Perry Marksmanship Center in those plans.

A complete list of 2009 results can be found at http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/report_matchResult.cgi?matchID=4717.

Photos of the Camp Perry Marksmanship Center and the Bernosky Challenge competition are posted on the CMP website at http://www.odcmp.com/Photos/09/BernoskyFinal/index.htm. 

GySgt Lee Ermey, star of the History Channel’s Lock ‘n Load show, poses with the top three finishers in the Bernosky Challenge Match. Third place finisher SGT Brandon Green, USA; Bernosky, who was second, and Paul Kerr, Albuquerque, NM, who won the match and the $500 first prize provided by Creedmoor Sports.