Results for the first CMP Rimfire Sporter Rifle Match at the Tom Lowe Shooting Grounds Olympic Complex Range near Atlanta on April 27 are posted on the CMP web site at http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Competitions/
rimfireresults.htm. With only a month to get the word out on this first match, attendance was light, but shooter responses were enthusiastic. Five shooters qualified for gold, silver or bronze achievement medals that will also be awarded at the Rimfire Sporter Match that will take place at Camp Perry on Saturday, 20 July. If you are a rimfire rifle enthusiast who is looking for a new fun-oriented recreational match, this program may be just what you are looking for. To view or download the official program and entry forms for the next Rimfire Sporter Match that will be held during this summer’s National Matches, see the CMP web site at http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Competitions/
Competitions.htm.
CMP staff is working its way through a huge volume of M1903 Springfield rifle orders as quickly as they can. The entire CMP staff and several temporary employees are putting in many overtime hours in an effort to process all orders received and ship the rifles as quickly as possible.
Tremendous interest has been expressed in the first CMP Springfield/Military Bolt Rifle Match that will take place at Camp Perry, Ohio on Friday, 2 August, the day before the Garand Match. Everyone who competed in the 2001 National Matches will receive a National Matches Program and entry form for this match that will be mailed by the NRA this month. Shooters who are not on that list should contact CMP Competitions at competitions@odcmp.com to request National Matches entry forms. The Springfield Match will be similar to the popular Garand Match. Shooters must fire either “as-issued” M1903 or M1903-A3 rifles or manually operated military rifles that were issued by foreign armed services. The course of fire is the same as the Garand Match, 5 sighting shots and 10 shots for record slow fire from the prone position, 10 shots rapid fire prone (80 second time limit) and 10 shots slow fire from the standing position. To view the CMP information bulletin for the 2002 Garand and Springfield/Military Bolt Rifle Matches, click on http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Competitions/
Competitions.htm. You can print your own copy of the bulletin and request official entry forms that will be sent by the NRA.
A new CMP Store at Camp Perry is now open. Store hours are 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday to Friday. The store will maintain this schedule for the next few weeks. During the National Matches, the Store also will open on weekends. The Store is not fully stocked yet, but it does have a good selection of M1 Garand rifles, M1 receivers, Mossberg M44s, Kimber Model 82s, shooting accessories, memorabilia and CMP training materials. The CMP plans to add many additional items to the Store inventory. For security purposes, a maximum of 25 customers will be allowed in the store at any given time so it is possible to encounter delays on particularly busy days.
The CMP has now sold out of the Grade A M1903 Drill Rifles. Recent demand for these rifles has been extremely heavy. The CMP still has a large quantity of Grade B M1903 drill rifles (with plastic stocks) available, however. In addition, the CMP plans to offer a large quantity of stripped, plugged, welded, M1903 and M1903A3 barreled receivers for sale later this year.
Summer camps are one of the best opportunities for youth to learn about gun safety and rifle marksmanship. The CMP Camp Riflery Program that promotes these opportunities is expanding significantly this summer. The CMP camp program now offers three-day training courses for camp riflery instructors, lesson plans for instructors to use to teach marksmanship, a purchase program for camps to buy low-cost smallbore ammunition, pellets and BBs, and an innovative skill awards program for campers. CMP Master Instructors will conduct 15 Instructor Training Courses for camp instructors in May and June before the summer camp season starts. Anyone interested in camp riflery should check the CMP Camp Riflery web page at http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Programs/
camprifleryprogram.htm.
The U. S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps Cadet Commands, in cooperation with the CMP, have just announced the recipients of 93 $1000 college scholarships for the 2002-2003 academic year. The scholarships are awarded annually to JROTC and ROTC students who achieve outstanding academic, leadership and marksmanship records. The complete list of scholarship winners will be published in an upcoming issue of the CMP junior leader newsletter, JSCN News.
Both the CMP Spring Service Rifle Clinic that the Ohio Rifle and Pistol Association conducted at Camp Perry on April 27-28, and the New York State Small Arms Firing Schools that the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association conducted at Camp Smith and the Peconic River Sportsmen’s Club in April were big successes. Attendance at the ORPA Clinic at Camp Perry was up significantly over the last few years with 361 shooters; over 150 were juniors. The New York SAFS schools hosted 285 students, including 50 juniors and 24 women. Congratulations to the Ohio and New York state associations for organizing and sponsoring these outstanding service rifle schools.
Twenty-three teams from 11 different states competed in the Nebraska Shooting Sports Association-CMP J. C. Garand Postal Match. The postal was sanctioned by CMP and open to five person teams representing shooting clubs from all over the country. Shooters who participated fulfilled the CMP “marksmanship participation” requirement for purchasing surplus government rifles. You can check out the match results at the NSSA web site, http://monarch.papillion.ne.us/~nssa/nssapostal.htm. Postal match coordinator Jim Morrison reports that a second J. C. Garand Postal Team Match is already planned for September 2002. Check out the NSSA web site for more information and details on how to enter.
The program and entry form for the 2002 Small Arms Firing Schools are posted on the CMP website at http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Competitions/
Competitions.htm. Both the service pistol and service rifle Small Arms Firings Schools take place at Camp Perry, Ohio during the National Matches. U. S. Army Pistol and Rifle Team members give SAFS instruction. Military pistol and rifle team members provide coaching during live firing exercises. The pistol school is on 8-9 July while the rifle school is on 28-29 July. Service pistol or rifles and ammunition are provided as part of the $30.00 entry package. Now is the time to sign up for either of these great shooting schools.
The 2002 CMP Junior Air Rifle Camps are filling up fast. The program and application forms for this summer’s camps are posted on the CMP website at http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Programs/camp.htm. CMP camps offer five days of intensive instruction and competition training for school age juniors under the direction of CMP Director of Training and Olympic silver medalist Bob Foth. This summer’s camp staff also includes former National Rifle Coach Dan Durben and two-time Olympian Jayme Dickman, plus many leading collegiate rifle shooters who serve as camp counselors.
The CMP is seeking applications for two staff positions that will be dedicated to program functions. One position is for a writer-editor. The second position is for a program coordinator who has extensive experience in marksmanship instruction or competition organization. Applicants for the writer-editor position must have a four-year college degree in journalism, creative writing, English or communications. The successful applicant will be responsible for producing two newsletters and initiating a public relations program. Applicants should have experience in competitive shooting or youth marksmanship instruction. Applicants for the program coordinator position must also have a four-year college degree and extensive experience in marksmanship instruction or competition organization. Qualified individuals who are interested in becoming a member of the CMP staff at Camp Perry, Ohio are invited to submit résumés. To submit a resume or obtain detailed job descriptions, contact Pat Gittinger, CMP Personnel Manager, at pgittinger@odcmp.com.
Competitors in the first CMP Rimfire Sporter Rifle Match firing in the offhand stage of the match.
The logo for the new CMP Springfield-Military Bolt Rifle Match that will be held during this Summer’s National Matches.
CMP camp skill awards are medallions that can be adapted for all three disciplines and have neck ribbons to facilitate their presentation during camp award ceremonies.
Rifle instruction at spring service rifle clinics like the ones conducted each year by the Ohio and New York state associations can be great season openers and excellent introductions to the challenges and joys of highpower rifle shooting.
Many CMP junior rifle camps are conducted at colleges where air rifle ranges are set up in athletic department gymnasiums and campers stay in college dormitories. This photo was taken at a CMP camp at Eastern Kentucky in 2001.