A Lesson in Humility
The National Matches, (circa 1964)

By Dick Culver

I was stationed in New Orleans during the Summer of 1964, and was working for a Marine Corps Reserve Lieutenant Colonel who saw absolutely no redeeming attributes in the ability of a Marine Officer to accurately launch small cylindrical projectiles down-range in a simulation of canceling the birth certificate(s) of the enemies of our Republic. To say that Lieutenant Colonel West and I were not friends would be the understatement of the age.

OK, so what does that have to do with 1964 National Match 7.62mm ammunition? In short, I was an extremely unhappily-assigned Marine Captain by the summer of 1964. I had submitted a request to HQMC to shoot in the Eastern Division Matches (in hopes of escaping living in the ante-room of Hell), but to no avail.

This was in addition to many requests to be assigned to the Military Advisory Group in Viet Nam. Colonel West had submitted a counter-statement that I was much too essential to the functions of the Reserve Branch to be released for such (in his opinion) non-essential duties as rifle shooting, and I would eventually get my chance to go to Southeast Asia. I was doing a slow burn, as the Colonel was nixing all my requests to go anywhere.

Seeing that things were not going to improve, I innocently put in for two weeks leave and checked out a Special Services (tent-type) camping trailer. My two weeks leave just "happened" to coincide with the High Power National Matches at Camp Perry.

I parked the camping trailer just off the Camp Perry Reservation (outside the chain-link fence on the eastern boundary of the post). Initially, we were blessed with good weather and sunshine, but it was to turn out to be one of the most rain soaked shooting sessions I have ever experienced. I was parked just next to (then) Corporal David I. Boyd, who two years later was to become a World Champion. We were all using the rather rudimentary shower and head and things got so mucky you had to take off your boots and roll up your trousers legs to wade to the shower and back to the trailer.

1964 was a "watershed year" for the National Trophy Matches. It was the first year that the M14 Rifle competed with the M1. TRW had been selected as the first commercial manufacturer of the NM M14 Rifle. TRW was very proud of their National Match M14s and even gave each competitor a "Data Book Clip" emblazoned with the TRW Logo and a silhouette of an M14 proclaiming that TRW was the first commercial supplier of the NM M14 Rifle - I still have mine to this day. In 1964, NM M14s were available for issue at Army Ordnance and new Lake City 7.62mm NM ammunition was loaded just for the 1964 Nationals. This was the predecessor of the later LC M118 ammunition that was soon to gain fame as a very accurate match round and used as the "sniper round of choice" during the Vietnam War. The stuff issued at the Nationals in 1964 was designated XM118 7.62mm NATO Match Ammunition. The only fly in the ointment was that the boxes of M72 .30-'06 National Match Ammunition and the XM118 National Match were almost identical in color, decoration and lettering. They differed only (to the "unwashed") in the size of the box and the actual lettering of the logo. This apparent "sameness" in appearance had the seeds of disaster lurking in the background.

The competitors were gathered into the stands behind the 1000-yard firing line and given a lecture by the Army Ordnance folks on the difference in the NM M14 and the NM M1. Most importantly, we were told that we as competitors were responsible for checking to make sure we used the "correct" ammunition in the rifle we fired. This revelation generated several snickers and a general mood of disbelief on the part of this hardened crew of experienced riflemen.

Ordnance went on to point out that firing a 7.62mm round in the .30-’06 chamber was considered a possibility and had been tested by the ammunition folks. It seems that there was no apparent danger to either the shooter or the rifle due a lapse of rational thinking on the part of the operator.

We were told that if a shooter should inadvertently place a round of 7.62mm in the chamber of a .30-’06 and got a good “call” he could expect a Trey (3) at 6 O’clock. Again, a wave of polite “snickers” rippled through the crowd.

I remember thinking to myself, "what sort of idiot would possibly mistake a 7.62mm round for a .30-'06?"

On the day of the President's One-Hundred, I was assigned to the range run by the Marines (each service was assigned a separate range to score and pull targets in those days). I found myself on a firing point manned by a young Marine Corporal who had been psyched-up to do a superlative job and demonstrate that Marines could outshine their fellow service members assigned to the other ranges. I was not concerned that this young Corporal went through Boot Camp soon after the Marines started issuing M14s to recruits and had never seen or handled an M1 Rifle. The young Marines HAD been well briefed, however.

As I stepped up to the firing line, the Marine Corporal (my appointed score keeper) pointed out (the lad was a master of the obvious), that I was "obviously" using an M1 Rifle and therefore would need .30-'06 ammunition. I thought to myself, "what an astute youngster, I'm not gonna' have any problem here at all!" He soon brought me a freshly opened box of M72 Match ammo. This routine continued through the 200 and 300-yd. lines, with the Corporal furnishing me with appropriately "clipped" M72 (with extra 2-rounds for the first two shots) for rapid fire, and I eventually finished my short range stages and departed for the 600-yard line down only 2 points. Not outstanding, but still in the money (an especially stellar performance considering that I had not fired a shot with any service rifle for over a year and a half).

Back at the 600 yard line, I immediately laid out my shooting box and scope, counted on my 600-yard elevation dope, checked the Data Book and began studying the wind by watching the mirage through the scope and other tell-tale wind indicators (range flags, the smoke from my ever present cigar, etc.). The young Corporal brought my ammunition for the 600-yard stage, obligingly opened the box for me and set it down next to my shooting box. Since I was now totally confident in the young scorekeeper's abilities and unerringly accurate selection of ammunition for my M1, I relaxed and continued to watch the wind and mirage.

When the targets went into the air, every scope immediately swung to the stalwart shooter with the "chutzpah" to fire the first round. For those of you who have never participated in such shenanigans, it is the hope of every competitor to use the "first guy's" shot to pick up on some hitherto unobserved wind drift or sudden shift in mirage - the idea is to let this guy make the first mistake! As it turned out, our hero's first shot was a pinwheel and the entire line breathed a sigh of relief. I rolled over, checked my scope one last time while gently fingering a round of shiny new NM Ammunition out of the freshly opened box. I absent-mindedly put a small white shooting towel over the box to shield it from the August sun. I should have looked at the box first, but I was totally absorbed in firing my first shot. I inserted the first round into the chamber while still glued to my scope.

I aligned the sights, took a couple of deep breaths, let half of the last one out and took up the slack. I was rewarded by a strange "boooom," not the expected sharp crack of an M1 Rifle. Boooom? What the heck? Just then the target went down and I relaxed and went back to the scope. The target was in the butts only momentarily and came back up rapidly. The Marines were obviously trying to impress us with their efficiency. The shot was a low, but perfectly aligned Trey at 6 o'clock. A TREY at 6 o'clock? What on earth? That was a good call! Culver you idiot, you didn't put your dope on, knowing full well that I had meticulously counted it on before I got into position!

Well, don't panic, take it all off and recount it. I carefully bottomed the rear sight out and counted on my 600-yard elevation, again. I repeated my previous performance, being extremely careful to squeeze the trigger straight to the rear. Another resounding "boooom." The target went down and returned quickly to the upright position. Another TREY at 6 o'clock! I had almost driven the spotter spindle out of the target! "Damn it" I thought, I haven't shot this thing for almost two years, maybe my dope's screwed up! This time, I simply added the necessary elevation to move the low Trey to the center of the Bullseye.

My third shot didn't give me the dull boom I had come to expect, it simply gave me a weak "CLICK" - like I was dry firing. Dry firing? What is going on now? I pulled the bolt to the rear and a suspiciously short round slid out of the chamber, which unlike the first two rounds, apparently had been seated forward of the extractor hook. In pure panic I looked for my fired brass from my first two shots. There for all the world to see were what appeared to be two rimless .45-70 rounds with a slight roll crimp on the end of each case, obviously mirroring the contour of the longer .30-'06 chamber. With my heart in my mouth, I removed my shooting towel from my ammo box, and there hiding it's logo with what I perceived as a knowing sneer, was a box of ammunition that had a superficial resemblance to my M72 Ammunition, but the box was about ½" shorter than the "Ought-Six" box and was marked with the legend "XM118 7.62mm NATO." Uh Oh! Horrors, my worst fears were realized!

My initial compulsion was to hang a certain Corporal out to dry, until I suddenly realized that it was most certainly not HIS fault, but rather mine. Only an idiot would stuff ammunition into the chamber of his rifle without checking the cartridge before hand. I had learned a valuable, if embarrassing lesson. In retrospect, this was a hilarious incident, but not one that would be recounted over a couple of brews for a number of years.

There are times when a man's idiocy knows no bounds. Thinking back several days I remembered my knowing superiority when I wondered just what kind of fool would be stupid enough to try to fire 7.62mm NATO in an M1. Now I knew! Needless to say I did not make the President's One Hundred that year!

I had almost forgotten the incident until recently when I saw five boxes of XM118 7.62mm Ammo from the 1964 Nationals advertised on the CSP Page. In the light of some 36 years, I had to smile to myself as I remembered an earlier time when our country was more attuned to the task of national defense and rifle marksmanship was held in high esteem. I contacted the individual purveying the 1964 NM Ammunition as I felt that I needed at least one box of the stuff to keep my humility level in check. A box of the 1964 NM Ammo would give me a focal point to reflect on a more patriotic era.

I didn't hear directly from the ammunition ad, but rather received an e-mail that would have passed for a giggle, stating that a surprise would be forthcoming. Indeed it was! During the banquet of the Garand Collector's Convention in Reno in 2001, I was called up to the podium by ShooterM1 and presented a rather heavy box with undisclosed contents. My wife Gloria also was presented with a much smaller box and we returned to our table. While GCA President Frank Walters was going through the routine for upcoming banquet events, I couldn't resist opening the box.

When I opened it, I burst out laughing, for there in all their pristine splendor were five boxes of the infamous XM118 1964 National Match ammunition. My Data Book Clip now had something to keep it company! Unfortunately, the events of the evening precluded any additional comments at the end of the ceremonies, but I felt that such a munificent gift deserved an explanation. Gloria received a beautiful bracelet (which she hasn't taken off yet), but to me the five boxes of 1964 NM 7.62mm NATO Ammunition was worth more than the same weight in solid gold bars. They were a combination of humility and history all rolled into one! It would be difficult to appropriately thank those responsible.

I fired with the Marine Corps Rifle and Pistol Team the following year and a number of years thereafter, but my TRW Data Book Clip always served to remind me (like the slave standing behind the conquering Generals returning to Rome) that "thou are only human." I think I will place the clip and the ammunition in a glass case and hang it on the bulkhead (I mean wall for you landlubbers!).

ROC

Author's Note: The graphic depicting the 7.62mm Case fired in the M1 chamber is an actual picture of what can happen if instructions are ignored. I had Gloria fire both a .30-'06 round and a 7.62mm round in an M1 to illustrate the results of firing the 7.62mm in a Garand Rifle. She used her new Garand won in the drawing at the GCA Convention Banquet (appropriate under the circumstances) and produced what could pass for a rimless .45-70 Case. It was harder to do than I remembered, as the rim of the 7.62mm kept chambering in front of the extractor, just as my third round had done back in 1964. I finally got the thing to work by manually positioning the case's extractor rim under the extractor hook, keeping spring tension compressed with my thumb. I then eased the short round into the chamber producing the resulting blown out 7.62mm case. Judging from the difficulty in reproducing the "Wrong Round Malfunction," leads me to wonder how in the world that two consecutive rounds inserted into the chamber, while studying the wind and mirage through the scope, managed to be chambered and hooked under the extractor without human intervention. Dare I attribute this near impossible occurrence to the Shooting Gods, a shooting demon with an evil sense of humor, or simply Murphy's Law? Maybe it just wasn't my day! In actual fact it more probably was due to a much used extractor spring that allowed the extractor to ride rather easily over the cartridge rim when the rifle was slanted slightly skyward with the butt plate on the ground during the loading sequence - - still…??

Since the five boxes of XM118 Ammunition had been a "presento" at the Garand Collector's Convention and I didn't have a chance to thank them properly for the gift, I wrote this article as a thank you to those responsible for the munificent gift. This incident was several years ago and I'm sure that they won't mind me sharing one of my more embarrassing moments in print with those who might think that NOBODY would be ignorant enough to insert a 7.62mm NATO round in a .30 -'06 chamber and they didn't even have 7.62mm Garands in those days! You may rest assured that I have been one careful hombre from that day forward!

For those of you who have not availed yourselves of becoming members of the Garand Collector's Association, I recommend that you visit their web site at www.garandcollector.org - great fun and nice folks!

A Much Chastened and considerably more humble Dick Culver