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SAFETY

The Civilian Marksmanship Program is dedicated to the respect for and safe handling of firearms, instilling patriotism and discipline in our youth participants.  The CMP provides its constituents with the highest level of instruction in the proper control of firearms by highly-skilled coaches and veteran range safety officers in the classroom, at our ranges and wherever the CMP banner is displayed. 

Upcoming CMP Events:

Tuesday & Thursday Night Open Public Shooting
CMP Marksmanship Centers,
Port Clinton, OH
Anniston, AL

Shooters, including aspiring new shooters are invited to take advantage of a new opportunity to do practice shooting.  Both ranges consist of 80-point, 10-meter air gun range and are fully equipped with electronic targets that accommodate air rifle, air pistol or National Match Air Rifle shooting.  Instruction and equipment are also available.  Visit http://www.TheCMP.org/3P/
MarksmanshipCenters.htm  for additional information.



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CMP Applications & Software

The CMP currently offers three Apps for shooting sports. Each download supports the Civilian Marksmanship Program. For more information, visit http://www.thecmp.org/
Comm/Apps.htm
.


The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) invites you and your club rifle team to participate in the CMP’s Monthly Matches. The matches will take place on 20 April at both CMP Marksmanship Centers & 18 May at the CMP’s Marksmanship Center South. The competitions will feature a Junior Air Rifle 3x20, 60 Shots Air Rifle Standing, 60 Shots Air Pistol, a 20 shot Novice Prone stage a National Match Air Rifle 20 Shot Standing, Garand Course and 3x20 events. For more information, please visit http://www.TheCMP.org/3P/
MonthlyMatches.htm.


National Match Air Rifle is a new shooting discipline with something to offer all rifle shooters—NMAR offers three competition classes with real challenges for shooters of all ages and competitive interests. The CMP will hold Monthly NMAR matches at the CMP Marksmanship Centers. Please visit http://www.TheCMP.org
/Competitions/NMAR.htm for more information.

 



Printable Version

Mobile Range Rolls Through Early Mishaps to Consistent Success One Year After Its Conception

By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer


It’s been just over a year since the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) developed the idea to construct an air gun range with the ability to travel to venues across the United States. Since then, the mobile range has turned its wheels to destinations such as Nashville, TN; Leeds, AL; Kerrville, TX; Salt Lake City, UT, and Columbus, OH, to the praises of competitors and spectators alike.
Because of the mobile range’s versatility, CMP was able to set up a range within the Bass Pro store in Leeds, AL.

The beginning stages of the range began in March 2012, when a meeting was held to discuss the application of a mobile range into CMP’s events. Targets were ordered by June, and computers, cases and essentially all other parts were set and ready to roll to its first event by October 2012.

Though confident in its design after months of planning, the CMP staff organized a test setup in Anniston, AL, to see how well all of the pieces flowed together. After most of the kinks were resolved, the range was ready for the road – embarking upon its first trip to the Montgomery Bell in Nashville. It was CMP’s first look at how its $425,000 mobile range would work with live competitors in a real competition.
Katie Harrington (left) and Brad Donoho (right) conducted the Salt Lake City match, where they used the range’s technology to keep the live scoring up-to-date.

“The Montgomery Bell was the maiden voyage for the range. We had some growing pains during that one.” said Brad Donoho, CMP Program Coordinator who has taken a majority of the trips with the mobile range and was a key player in its inception.

Before the event began, the CMP staff realized that they were missing small but vital pieces of equipment to make the range work properly. Because the targets had to be split into odd groupings, due to the venue’s setup, the crew needed more power strips to connect the computers and other wiring. Some items were shipped overnight, while other things were simply picked up at the nearest office supply store.
Shooters dodged trees as they fired at the Bass Pro 600, proving the range can be assembled in practically any arrangement.

“The objective during the Montgomery Bell was to work out some of those problems that we couldn’t anticipate,” added Katie Harrington, CMP Program Coordinator who has also traveled with the range and helped compile its components.

Though somewhat of a nuisance at the time, the equipment fiasco prepared the group for setup at future events.
Shoppers at Bass Pro were impressed with the mobile range – many put off their spending to watch the match.

“We learned so much from that one event that made the next few very easy for us,” Donoho admitted. “The competitors didn’t even realize our circumstances. Everything ran smoothly. I think, for the competitors, it was actually a huge success.”

Besides its convenient location for shooters, the mobile range has made scoring easier than in past competitions as well. Previous events were split into Eastern and Western regions, before the CMP’s world-class ranges existed at Camp Perry, OH, and Anniston, AL. The Eastern portion was shot at Fort Benning, GA, upon electronic targets, while the West would shoot upon paper targets in Colorado Springs, CO. Separate target types made score comparison an impossible task.
The wide-open area at the Salt Lake City location easily accommodated the very large wingspan of the range targets.

“We could never compare the scores that were shot in Colorado to the ones shot at Fort Benning because of the two different means of scoring – paper and electronic,” explained Donoho. “But on the mobile range, we have the exact same targets that we have in Camp Perry and Anniston, with a pretty much identical setup. We have no problem comparing results.”

The electronic targets used in the mobile range also allow for quick, shot-by-shot feedback. Match results can now be calculated almost instantly – a feature that is appreciated by those participating in the competition and those conducting it.
The targets are the same used in CMP’s other ranges, giving the mobile range the same shooting experience as those in the stationary ranges.

“The athletic director during the event came up and said, ‘We’re never going back to the way we did it before.’ And said, ‘Whatever we have to do to get you back on the schedule for 2013, we want you back,’” explained Donoho. “And that was before the event even concluded.”

In January, the Bass Pro 600 in Leeds, AL proved that the mobile range can be assembled in almost any location imaginable. The event was hosted inside of the boat area of a Bass Pro Shop, complete with decorative tree polls, walls draped with a woodland mural and shiny new speedboats as a backdrop. Setting up targets inside of the store not only gave shooters an opportunity to compete in an unconventional and fun setting, but also allowed those unfamiliar with air rifling to have a small glimpse into its world.
Spectators are able to see shot-by-shot score updates on the large screens of the mobile range.

“It gave the sport a great opportunity to be visible to a unique crowd of people. It generated a lot of interest for people to attend our open public shooting nights in Anniston,” said James Hall, CMP program outreach supervisor who helped conduct the event.

The range trip to Salt Lake City for the JROTC Service Championships brought even more admirations from spectators.

In a coach’s survey of about 90 responders, many from the Salt Lake City competition, nearly all gave the mobile range an “Excellent” rating. Many commented on how proficiently the range was operated, how realistic it was to the other CMP ranges and how it allowed schools with tight travel budgets to compete. Coaches also remarked about the venue, saying it was perfect for the new range design.
The target frames are bulky and require strong volunteers to move them.

The large multi-purpose room where the event was held was the ideal spot for the targets to be placed, since it allowed enough room for them to be split in a normal configuration – 30 targets on one side and 30 more across from them. Though dazzled by the convenient room arrangement, those participating in the Salt Lake event also couldn’t help but notice that the mobile range itself is just plain cool.

“Whenever anyone walked into the room with the range, it was just a reaction of ‘Wow’ at first – just shock and awe,” Donoho described.

Outside of the junior rifling world, the range has also been a part of other highly skilled shooting events, like the NCAA Rifle Championships on The Ohio State University’s campus in Columbus, OH. There, it was well received by competitors and coaches.

“Ohio State’s coach was amazed at how fast it went up, how fast we could put 26 targets together and have them all wired and ready to go,” explained Donoho.
Many coaches agree that the quality of the mobile range is the same as the world-class ranges in Camp Perry, OH and Anniston, AL.

The 26 targets at the NCAA event took about three hours to be assembled. With an empty room, a completely full trailer of targets and the right amount of manpower, the entire 60-target range can be unloaded and setup in a total of 6 hours.

“It’s very labor intensive,” said Donoho. “But it’s easy to handle if you know what you’re doing.”

“Physically, you need some strong people to do it,” Harrington added.

When all of the pieces are put into place, the range spans 210 feet when assembled end to end, which can make finding a venue to accommodate the range a difficult task.

“We’ve really got to evaluate where the shooters are coming from and what’s best for everyone,” Harrington said. “If people want the mobile range to come to them, they’ll need to think about where it’s going to be and know that they’re going to need the space for it. It’s pretty big.”

Though its size can sometimes cause issues, the biggest problem is the demand for the range by shooters everywhere. Thankfully, with the mobile range’s versatility, it can be placed in virtually any area of the continental United States. Many shooters around the country will now have the opportunity to experience the professionalism and top-of-the-line technology CMP offers to competitive shooters of all ages.

“Is it perfect? No. But it’s close to it. And, it’s pretty sweet, to be honest,” said Donoho, with a smile. “The possibilities of the mobile range are pretty endless.”

Next, the range will be rolling on to Albuquerque, NM for the CMP Regional 3P Championship April 11-13, 2013.

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TO CONTACT THE CMP
PROGRAMS:  For marksmanship training, competitions, National Matches, safety information and youth marksmanship.

Email:  info@thecmp.org

Camp Perry Program Center
Phone: (419) 635-2141      Fax: (419) 635-2802

Mail & Shipping:
Civilian Marksmanship Program
P.O. Box 576 (mail)
Camp Perry Training Site, Bldg #3 (shipping)
Port Clinton, Ohio 43452
SALES:  For government surplus rifles and ammunition, CMP products and CMP memorabilia. 

Email:  custserve@thecmp.org

Anniston Distribution Center
Phone: (256) 835-8455     Fax:  (256) 835-3527

Mail & Shipping:
Civilian Marksmanship Program
1401 Commerce Blvd
Anniston, Alabama 36207
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