Rutherford Wins Overall GSM 3-Gun Aggregate at 2010 CMP Western Games

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Glendale “Don” Rutherford captured the Garand-Springfield-Vintage Military rifle three-gun aggregate championship at the 2010 Western CMP Games at Arizona’s Ben Avery Shooting Facility with an overall score of 865-27X. The games concluded Tuesday, 19 October after four days of clinics and a variety of matches. The match was part of the seventh annual event held in conjunction with the Western Creedmoor Cup Matches.

Dennis DeMille, General Manager of Creedmoor Sports congratulates Don Rutherford, winner of the 2010 CMP Western Games GSM 3-Gun Aggregate Match, and presents him a first place plaque and certificate for an M1903A4 Sniper Rifle replica from Gibbs Firearms. Rutherford scored an 865-27X out of a possible 900.

The GSM matches were fired using the John C. Garand course fired at 200 yards. Because the same course was fired for each day’s competition, the 30 shooters who fired all three disciplines had the choice of shooting their M1 Garand, Springfield or Vintage Military rifle in any order on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday. Sunday’s competition schedule was reserved for the Special As-Issued M1 Garand EIC and Rimfire Sporter matches. Two other matches, the M1 Carbine Match and Vintage Sniper Test Match were fired Monday and Tuesday afternoon, respectively.

The GSM variable-entry format added an element of suspense for shooters participating in the three-gun event because specific match results for each gun couldn’t be tallied prior to the end of firing on Tuesday. However, each day top competitors, regardless of overall standings, were recognized and awarded gold, silver and bronze achievement medals based on established cut-off scores.
 

Don Rutherford rocks back with the recoil of his Swiss vintage rifle en route to winning the Vintage Rifle Match and GSM 3-Gun Aggregate. A Distinguished Rifle badge winner, Rutherford said one of his goals is to make the President’s Hundred in service rifle at Camp Perry.

Rutherford, 58, of Tallapoosa, Georgia, said he finally overcame his nemesis - the standing position in his third and final GSM match on Tuesday with his Swiss vintage rifle, scoring a 95-3X. He led off with 100-3X in prone slow-fire and 97-3X in prone rapid-fire for an aggregate of 292-9X.

“I have been shooting prone just fine, but I’ve been around 88 or 89 standing and I guess I got lucky and shot good enough today,” Rutherford said afterward.

In Rutherford’s first GSM match with his Springfield on Saturday, he opened with a 289-11X, firing two clean prone phases, 100-4X and 100-6X and dropped all 11 points with an 89-1X standing, yet good enough to ultimately win the match.

On Sunday he used the Special M1 Garand EIC Match as a practice round to prepare for Monday’s second GSM match. Though he was ineligible to earn EIC points due to his Distinguished Rifle status, he fired the high overall score in the match with a 385-8X (400 possible with an added sitting rapid-fire phase). Despite posting the highest overall score in the match, he again fired an 88-1X in standing.

On Monday Rutherford fired a 284-7X in his Garand Match with an improved standing score of 90-1X, but slipped to 94-1X in prone rapid-fire after cleaning his prone slow-fire segment, 100-5X.
 

Maury Krupp receives an engraved winner’s plaque and a Fancy Grade M1 Garand rifle stock from the Dupage Trading Company for winning the M1 Garand Match. Award presented by Dennis DeMille, General Manager of Creedmoor Sports, Inc.

Maury Krupp, 57, of Tucson, Arizona, won the Garand Match, firing an aggregate score of 293-6X. Krupp fired a 98-3X in prone slow, a 99-1X in prone rapid and a heady 96-2X in standing slow-fire.

With his 865-27X in the books on Monday, all Rutherford could do was wait until the conclusion of firing Tuesday to learn the outcome from the remainder of the field. At the end of the day, Bill Poole, 49, of Scottsdale, Arizona, placed second overall with an aggregate score of 844-11X and Michael Miller, 63, of Downey, California, took third place honors with an aggregate of 839-11X.

As the winner Rutherford was awarded the GSM First Place plaque from the CMP and an M1903A4 Sniper Rifle replica from the Gibbs Rifle Company in addition to gold achievement medals in each event.

Poole put together a 282-5X, 277-2X and a 285-4X to post his 844-11X while Miller compiled a 277-7X, 282-10X and 280-2X in reaching his 839-11X third place finish. Poole and Miller each received engraved GSM Second Place and Third Place plaques from the CMP.
 

Jessy Summers, 50, of Litchfield Park, Arizona takes aim during the Garand Match at the 2010 CMP Western Games. It was Summers’ first CMP event and he said he’s looking forward to returning next year.

In all, 30 competitors fired three guns in the GSM matches and an additional 111 shooters competed with at least one other gun during the three-day GSM series. In addition, several shooters re-entered and fired the same gun twice or three times over the course of the matches.

For complete results of the GSM Matches as well as the remaining CMP Western Games and Creedmoor Cup Matches, log onto http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/report_matchResult.cgi?matchID=6118.

To view photographs from the CMP Western Games and activities, log onto http://cmp1.zenfolio.com/p211638274.

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