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Reader Comments:
As I’m here in Afghanistan for a year – or more – I really look forward to “The First Shot”. What a great piece of home to read over. Looking forward to being back on the line at Perry in ’07!!
Dean H.
LTC - US Army
My first letter and found it very interesting, keep it a coming.
Retired SGM, SFG, US Army Jax, FL
Art G.
Thanks for the update on the big range.
Looking forward to coming back to Camp Perry this year.
Lt Colonel Dave Hanko
Fort Meade Rod & Gun Club
I'm an older shooter with bum eyes but I still like to shoot, enjoy the competition and the competitors. I hope to get these eyes fixed and see
everyone again at Perry2006. Also, I enjoy TFS. Keep 'em coming.
Thanks, G. H.
This is a really informative Newsletter,keep up the good work!!
E. B.
Outstanding newsletter, please keep up the great articles.
I enjoy reading everything in the newsletter.
Ron K., U.S. Army retired
I enjoy receiving and reading The Shooting News and TFS. Great information and photos. Keep 'em coming! Thanks.
G.M.
Thank you for keeping me on your mailing list, I really enjoying reading the informative results........
Connie Gregor formerly of the DC
A year ago I read a CMP ad in a magazine and decided to check out your web
site. I was impressed with the quality of the site and the information provided.
I drove to Camp Perry to check the NM action first hand and was impressed with
the "Opening Shot" ceremonies. While visiting the vendors booths I purchased a
shooters jacket, glove, pad, and two M1's from the CMP store. The last time I
shot an M1 was 45 years ago at Cherry Point, NC where I was a coach and
instructor on the rifle range. Thanks for the help and information you provided
to reactivate my interest in the shooting sports. At 67 years young it's never
to late!!
M.M. Troy
Thanks for another great update!
R. K.
I enjoyed reading the Double Distinguised article.
Well written and inspirational.
B.M.
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CMP Marksmanship Programs
for New Shooters
By Gary Anderson, DCM
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The CMP receives numerous inquiries from persons who, as a result of newfound interests in target shooting, hunting or the shooting sports, seek information about CMP marksmanship programs for new shooters. Typically they want to learn safe gun handling practices, good marksmanship skills and how to get started in target shooting.
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| Many CMP programs are geared to providing expert instruction and hands-on coaching for new shooters. Here, an experienced competitor assists a first-time shooter on the firing line in the Western CMP Games.
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The CMP is, in many respects, a grass roots organization that places a high priority on encouraging new shooters and helping them learn gun safety and marksmanship skills to get them off to a good start in target rifle and pistol shooting. Several CMP programs focus on this objective. If you are new to the shooting sports, this article describes CMP programs for new shooters and how to take advantage of the opportunities they offer.
CMP Program Announcements. With so many programs for new shooters being available, a key to taking advantage of the opportunities they offer is finding out when and where program events take place and how to register for them. The first step in doing this is to get on the CMP email distribution list so you will receive CMP Shooters’ News email updates. The CMP releases these updates three or four times a month. They contain announcements of all major CMP programs. CMP email notices also provide links to official event programs and instructions on how to register. If you do not receive CMP Shooters’ News email updates now, use the subscription form on the CMP web site at http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/matchInvRegistration.cgi?matchID=511 to sign up.
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| The CMP Club and Competition Tracker is found at http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi. New shooters should learn to use its “Search for a Club” and “Upcoming Matches and Events” features to find events or activities that can help them become involved in the shooting sports and target shooting.
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The second step in finding out about CMP program opportunities in your area is to become familiar with the upcoming events lists in the CMP Competition Tracker web site. The CMP uses this web site to manage information for all of its training and competition activities. For shooters, this page can be the entry point to a wealth of information. It provides lists of CMP-affiliated clubs, upcoming matches and results from completed CMP sanctioned matches. Competition Tracker is also the starting point for individuals to register on-line to attend schools or matches conducted by the CMP staff. New shooters are invited to explore this web page. Use it to look up shooting clubs in your area or to identify upcoming training and competition events in which you might be interested.
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| New shooters at the annual Pistol and Rifle Small Arms Firing Schools at Camp Perry, Ohio, receive instruction and then fire on the famous Camp Perry ranges while being coached by military marksmanship unit shooters.
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Small Arms Firing Schools. One of the oldest and largest CMP programs for teaching effective marksmanship skills to new shooters are the Pistol and Rifle Small Arms Firing Schools that take place during the National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio. Small Arms Firing Schools began in 1918. Each year there is one school for pistol and one for rifle. 1000 or more new shooters attend these schools to learn basic marksmanship under the direction of some of the country’s finest shooting instructors and coaches. The schools start with a half-day classroom session taught by the U. S. Army Pistol or Rifle Team. Students then spend two half-day sessions on the range firing 9mm service pistols or M16 service rifles under the tutelage of Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard marksmanship team members. Attending a Small Arms Firing School at Camp Perry is one of the best ways for new shooters to learn real marksmanship skills and to get a good start in competition shooting.
To learn more about the annual Small Arms Firing Schools, check the program that is posted at http://www.odcmp.com/NM/SAFS.htm. A new program for the next summer’s schools is normally posted in February or March of each year. After that, individuals who want to sign up for Pistol or Rifle Small Arms Firing Schools can register on-line though the CMP Competition Tracker web page. The next Pistol Small Arms Firing School is on 10-11 July 2006; the next Rifle Small Arms Firing School is on 29-30 July 2006.
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| CMP Rimfire Sporter Matches are ideal for new shooters because they are fired with commonly available smallbore rifles and no special equipment is required or even allowed.
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State Small Arms Firing Schools. CMP-affiliated State rifle and pistol associations in New York and Ohio both conduct outstanding small arms firing schools for new shooters in the spring of each year. Registration information for these schools that also train several hundred new shooter students each year, is available through the “Upcoming Events” listing in CMP Competitor Tracker. Announcements about these schools also are released through CMP Shooter’s News email notices.
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| New shooters can attend a clinic covering gun safety, range procedures, rules, the course of fire and basic shooting techniques on the afternoon immediately prior to the annual National Rimfire Sporter Match at Camp Perry, Ohio.
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Rimfire Sporter Rifle Matches and Clinics. The CMP developed Rimfire Sporter specifically to appeal to the large population of potential new shooters who own smallbore sporter, hunting or plinking rifles and who are interested in an accessible, yet challenging shooting game that can be fired with commonly owned rimfire rifles. Most of these people have not been involved in traditional target shooting. All that is required for Rimfire Sporter shooting is to have a smallbore sporter-type rifle weighing 7.5 pounds or less. Except for a sling, no other special gear is required or permitted. There are divisions for rifles with telescope sights (6X maximum) and for open sights. Firing is done at 50 and 25 yards in prone, sitting and standing positions. There are both precision or slow fire series and 5-shot rapid fire series.
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| Rimfire Sporter matches offer parent-child pairs a perfect venue for working together to introduce junior shooters to the target sports.
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The CMP hosts a National Rimfire Sporter match at Camp Perry in July; the 2006 match will be on 23 July. The CMP Rimfire Sporter event is preceded by a clinic that is especially designed to give first timers the basic knowledge of range procedures, competition rules and shooting techniques that they need to successfully complete the Rimfire Sporter course of fire. The 2006 Rimfire Sporter clinic will be on 22 July.
A number of CMP-affiliated clubs around the country also sponsor Rimfire Sporter Matches for shooters in their areas. The best way to find out if there are Rimfire Sporter club matches in your area is to check the Upcoming Events listings at http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/matchUpcomingSearch.cgi.
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| All competitors in the Garand, Springfield and Vintage Military Rifle Matches must shoot with commonly-available “as-issued” service rifles. Shooters fire 5 sighters, 10 shots prone slow fire, 10 shots prone rapid fire and 10 shots standing, all at 200 yards.
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Garand, Springfield and Military Rifle Matches and Clinics. Another great way to get started in the challenging sport of target shooting is to shoot in the National John C. Garand or Springfield Matches or in a sanctioned club Garand or Springfield Match. Garand, Springfield and Vintage Military Rifle matches are great events for new shooters because the course of fire can be completed without extensive prior experience, the as-issued M1 Garand, M1903 Springfield or other manually-operated military rifles used in these matches are available just about anywhere and coaching is allowed during the match. Indeed, most of these matches are squadded so that there is an experienced shooter on every firing point who is there not only to compete, but also to help the other shooters on his/her firing point. Many Garand, Springfield and Military Rifle Matches also start out with clinics. Three different two-hour clinics are offered during the National Matches at Camp Perry for shooters who compete in the Military Rifle, Springfield and Garand Matches that take place there.
In 2006, the National Vintage Military Rifle, Springfield and Garand Matches will take place on 3-5 August. The Official Program and on-line entry forms is scheduled to be released in March. It is important to sign up early for these matches since they were filled with waiting lists during the last few years. The John C. Garand Match now is the largest single event in the National Matches with 1,400 entries.
Many CMP-affiliated clubs sponsor local Garand, Springfield and Military Rifle matches that are sanctioned by the CMP. Use the Upcoming Events listings in the CMP Competitor Tracker at http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/matchUpcomingSearch.cgi to find matches in your area.
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| Many competitors who fired in the Western CMP Games at Camp Pendleton, California were new shooters competing in their first organized competition. Over 100 of these competitors started their first competition experience by attending a half-day clinic on the first day of the Western Games.
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Western CMP Games Matches and Clinics. The CMP recognizes that not everyone can get to Camp Perry, Ohio, where its headquarters are located. For this reason, the CMP inaugurated the Western CMP Games in 2005 to offer Garand, Springfield and Military Rifle Matches to shooters in the Western USA. These matches are held at Camp Pendleton, California in November. They feature clinics for new shooters and a match organization that strives to be “new-shooter-friendly.”
The 2006 Western CMP Games will be conducted in conjunction with the Creedmoor Cup Highpower Rifle Matches at Camp Pendleton on 4-12 November. The official program and on-line entry forms will be available in the summer.
CMP Sanctioned Clinics. Many CMP-affiliated clubs also conduct special clinics for new shooters. These clinics are taught on local ranges by club instructors; many offer excellent opportunities to learn gun safety and basic target shooting skills. To find out if any clubs in your area offer sanctioned clinics, check the Upcoming Events listings at
http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/matchUpcomingSearch.cgi.
Resources for New Shooters. The CMP continues to develop resources that new shooters can utilize to learn gun safety and basic marksmanship skills as well as to help them get started in different types of competitions. Here is a list of some of those resources and how to obtain them.
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| Copies of the 30-page CMP Guide to Rimfire Sporter Shooting are available free of charge when requests are submitted to programs@odcmp.com.
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- The CMP Guide to Rimfire Sporter. A 30-page booklet with official Rimfire Sporter rules together with information on basic marksmanship skills, instructions on how to shoot the Rimfire Sporter course of fire and guidelines for organizing Rimfire Sporter Matches. Available at no cost. Send requests to CMP Programs, programs@odcmp.com.
- A Junior Shooter’s Guide to Air Rifle Safety. A 20-page booklet; written for junior air rifle shooters, but it provides safety rules, procedures and guidelines that can be used by youth or adult shooters in any range firing situation. Available at no cost. Send requests to CMP Programs, programs@odcmp.com.
- The CMP Rifle Instruction Guide. (Available in January 2006). A
40-page 8 ˝ x 11 book with detailed instructions for learning basic target rifle shooting skills; written especially for junior shooters and youth shooting sports coaches, but suitable for use by anyone who wants to learn how to be a target rifle shooter. $3.95 each. Order through the CMP E-Store at http://estore.odcmp.com/Store/catalog/catalog.aspx, click on “Bookstore.”
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| A CD-ROM with instructions on basic target rifle skills is available for purchase through the CMP E-Store.
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- Rifle Safety and Marksmanship. A CD-ROM with interactive instruction on basic rifle marksmanship skills. $14.95 each. Order through the CMP E-Store at http://estore.odcmp.com/Store/
catalog/catalog.aspx, click on “Bookstore.”
- USAMU International Rifle Marksmanship Guide. An illustrated 113-page book, written by the U. S. Army International Rifle Team, with detailed instructions on the advanced skills of three-position smallbore and air rifle shooting. $3.95 each. Order through the CMP E-Store at http://estore.odcmp.com/Store/catalog/catalog.aspx, click on “Bookstore.”
- USAMU Service Rifle Marksmanship Guide. An illustrated 74-page book, written by the U. S. Army Service Rifle Team, with detailed instructions on the basic and advanced skills of highpower service rifle shooting. $3.95 each. Order through the CMP E-Store at http://estore.odcmp.com/Store/catalog/catalog.aspx, click on “Bookstore.”
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| Popular USAMU guides to rifle, pistol and clay target marksmanship are available for purchase through the CMP E-Store.
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- USAMU Advanced Pistol Guide. An illustrated 113-page book, written by the U. S. Army Service Pistol Team, with detailed instructions on the basic and advanced skills of service pistol and bullseye pistol target shooting. $3.95 each. Order through the CMP E-Store at http://estore.odcmp.com/Store/
catalog/catalog.aspx, click on “Bookstore.”
- USAMU International Skeet and Trap Guide. A 66-page book, written by the U. S. Army International Shotgun Team, with detailed instructions on advanced skills involved in international skeet, trap and double trap shooting. $3.95 each. Order through the CMP E-Store at http://estore.odcmp.com/Store/catalog/catalog.aspx, click on “Bookstore.”
- Bullseye Pistol Competition Shooting. A 3-video set, produced by CMP in cooperation with the U. S. Army Service Pistol Team, with full instructions on all phases of service pistol and bullseye pistol shooting. $34.95 each. Order through the CMP E-Store at http://estore.odcmp.com/Store/catalog/catalog.aspx, click on “Bookstore.”
- Highpower Rifle Competition Shooting. A 3-video set, produced by the CMP in cooperation with the U. S. Army Service Rifle Team, with full instructions on all phases of highpower service rifle target shooting. $34.95 each. Order through the CMP E-Store at http://estore.odcmp.com/Store/catalog/catalog.aspx, click on “Bookstore.”
Any individuals with further questions regarding how to learn more about basic marksmanship or get started in target shooting is invited to contact CMP Programs, programs@odcmp.com.
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