Camp Perry Takes on Pittsburgh: The Guns of the National Matches Exhibit

Takes Top Prize at NRA National Convention

The Guns of the National Matches: A Century at Arms exhibit traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in April to participate in the NRA National Convention.

Sixty one thousand people filed into the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the weekend of April 16th to take part in the NRA National Convention and Annual Meeting, as well as to see the shooter’s version of a candy store, the midway with vendors from every corner of the shooting sports world showing the goods and items that make shooters drool. Aisle upon aisle of the newest rifles, handguns and shotguns…widgets and doodads for nearly every situation you could encounter on the field of competition or in the field after game. There were rows of guides and outfitters ready to sign you up for that trip of a lifetime. And back in the corner was a row of booths and displays, not commercial, but set up to educate and entertain the convention goers with something they may never have seen before.

Jim O'Neil, CMP volunteer and chair of the committee responsible for the creation of the exhibit, takes the time to answer the questions of some of the 61,000 spectators who attended the NRA National Convention in Pittsburgh in April of 2004.

It was here in the row of exhibitors competing for the NRA Collector’s committee prizes that the CMP and the Ohio Gun Collector’s Association reassembled the Guns of the National Matches: A Century at Arms exhibit from the 2003 National Matches Centennial Celebration. Those of you who attended the 2003 National Matches will remember such items as the 1903 Springfield National Match rifle fired by George Farr in the 1921 Wimbledon Cup Match, as well as rifles fired by Gary Anderson, the Ruger Mark I pistol given to Jim Clark by William Ruger and used to set 19 national records among the other items being displayed. For the NRA National Convention, the OGCA and the CMP also brought a number of trophies from the National Trophy collection in order that non-competitive shooters could learn just what Camp Perry and the National Matches are all about. The focus of this incarnation of the exhibit was education. The NRA National Convention was a prime opportunity to let those in the shooting community who have little experience with competitive shooting see the strong community, history and spirit behind the National Matches.

The NRA Collector's Committee Silver Bowl Trophy and the two Silver Medals won by the Guns of the National Matches exhibit. This is the ninth time the Ohio Gun Collector's Association has won this illustrious award and the first time two organizations in partnership have been awarded the trophy.

On Sunday, the last day of the convention, the Guns of the National Matches: A Century at Arms display was awarded the Silver Bowl Trophy by the NRA Collector’s Committee as the best exhibit in the collector’s area of the show. This marks the first time two organizations in partnership have won this prestigious prize. Of the dozens of guns in the display, two were judged as members of the ten best in the entire show and were awarded silver medals as well. The Farr Rifle owned by the Farr family and a 1903 International Match Springfield Style T Free Rifle owned by CMP volunteer Lynn Meredith of Alabama were the recipients of these beautiful awards. The Collector’s Committee also awarded a certificate of excellence in education for the National Trophies on display, recognizing the importance and historical nature of these pieces of shooting history. Overall the CMP/OGCA display was awarded more honors than any other exhibit in the show…a testament to the dedication and hard work of such OGCA volunteers as Jim O’Neil, Hubert Snyder, Ray Kling, Walt Kuleck, Laura Knotts and Tony Governale who were instrumental in the construction, shipping, set-up and takedown of this massive undertaking. The CMP wishes to thank them for their service!

A shooting jacket that saw use at Camp Perry throughout the first half of the 20th Century hangs beside photographs and rifles used to illustrate the rich history of the National Matches.

More important than any awards that may have been won, the CMP and the OGCA were able to bring the history of the National Matches to a broader audience than perhaps ever before, and in so doing, perhaps inspiring a few shooters to step up to the ready line in the next competition at their local club, or to come to Camp Perry and become a part of the rich history and competition that has taken place there every summer for a century!

NRA convention goers appreciates the fine collection of arms on loan from collectors across the country as part of the joint CMP & OGCA exhibit.