CAMP PERRY, OH – “When this is complete, you will be forever changed,” said retired U.S. Marine GySgt. Ken Roxburgh to a roomful of wide-eyed shooters at the start of the Advanced Remington-Bushmaster Highpower Rifle Clinic, sponsored by CMP.
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Retired GySgt. Ken Roxburgh led classroom discussion to a group of 44 shooters during the Advanced Remington-Bushmaster Highpower Rifle Clinic.
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The clinic was held the weekend of July 26, 27 and 28 during the 110th National Matches at Camp Perry. A group of 44 adult shooters were in attendance to better their service rifle skills and knowledge from the guidance of Roxburgh and his team.
Lead instructor for the rifle clinic, Roxburgh is a former Non-Commissioned Officer in charge of the USMC Shooting Teams and is currently the director of Remington’s Highpower Programs. In 1981, he began as the leader of the CMP-USMC Junior Highpower Clinic. After he joined Remington in 2007, he decided the following year it was time to create a clinic for more advanced shooters – thus the birth of the Advanced Remington-Bushmaster Highpower Rifle Clinic.
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Nathan Evagash received his Distinguished badge during the clinic, given by Roxburgh.
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“Remington’s success is because of the American consumer. This clinic is a way for us to pay back the shooters – to make them more successful competitive marksman,” he said.
Stemmed from his Marine roots, Roxburgh often exerts an energetic and straightforward teaching style, somewhat unorthodox to general methods.
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Mark Laramie, one of the Remington team instructors, demonstrated proper rifle cleaning and assembly under the covered Petrarca Range.
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“He was very intense,” said Daniel Helwig, 56, of Racine, WI, on Roxburgh’s instructive techniques. A smile on Helwig’s face as he talked about the clinic showed that he wasn’t fearful of the military-like style, but rather admirable of the experience. “I think you need that confidence to teach. My head is about to explode from all of the knowledge I’ve gained.”
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The 2013 Advanced Remington-Bushmaster Highpower Rifle Clinic class.
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The clinic offers instruction on competition techniques and advanced teachings for service rifles and works parallel to the USMC Junior Service Rifle Clinic. A highly trained and skilled group of 13 service rifle shooters from the Remington-Bushmaster Team led the clinic with classroom instruction and dry fire drills. Participants spent the final day listening to a panel of expert shooters and discussing key topics. No live fire is held during the clinic.
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Besides classwork and hands-on training, the class was also given a written exam before the conclusion of the course.
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“We’ve got a really good crew here – some very qualified marksmanship instructors,” said Roxburgh. “They are the ambassadors of marksmanship and can associate with shooters on and off the range, since they shoot right next to each other during matches.”
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Jim Mervyn has taken the clinic four times now. He says he would recommend that all shooters attend the class at some point in their shooting career, adding that he has learned something new each time he has attended.
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Roxburgh and his team conduct local, state, regional and national clinics, just like the one held at Camp Perry during the National Matches. Adults and juniors alike are permitted to attend the advanced clinic. The team can also be found holding the clinic at some individual clubs, touching on subjects such as:
• Rifle Safety and Weapons Handling
• Aiming and Trigger Control
• Techniques of Slow and Rapid Firing
• Effects of Weather
• Zeroing the Service and Match Rifles
• Advanced Wind Reading
• The Data Book
• The Prone Position
• Dry Firing, Match Etiquette
• Team Shooting
• Courses of Fire
• Care and Use of Match Equipment
• Assembly/Disassembly of Match Rifles and Maintenance
• Care and Cleaning of Match Rifles
“I absolutely loved the clinic. This was my fourth time taking it,” said Jim Mervyn, 39, of Sumpter Township, MI.
Mervyn said he had been trapped at the Expert level of shooting for far too long. He couldn’t seem to find a way to break into the Master level – until he took the clinic.
“I was stuck. After I took the clinic, it gave me what I needed to make that jump to Master,” he said. “The clinic says ‘Advanced,’ but every shooter should take it because it stresses the importance of fundamentals. I learned a whole lot my first time taking it, and since then I’ve picked up nuggets of knowledge. It changed my shooting abilities overnight.”
Though tough and ruthless in his teachings, Roxburgh is also encouraging and displays genuine pride in all that his shooters accomplish. On the last day of the clinic, he even took the time out to specially award one of his shooters a Distinguished badge.
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The students were individually handed certificates as they “graduated” from the class.
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“I earned it two weeks ago, but they gave it to me today. I’ve been working towards it my whole life,” said Nathan Evagash, 19, of Glenshaw, PA, after the conclusion of the clinic. “I really liked coming here. It was interesting.”
In addition to all of the other elements that have made the clinic a success for the past six years at Camp Perry, Roxburgh says it is meant to promote participation in match shooting. He knows through his tough training techniques and the fundamentally sound advice offered through his instructors, his students will leave with a wealth of knowledge and increased confidence as they enter ranges in the future.
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Roxburgh and his instructors offered hands-on training techniques outside in the covered Petrarca Range, although no live fire was conducted during the course.
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“It’s great that CMP provides this place for them,” he said. “CMP is an awesome organization.”
The next Remington-Bushmaster Rifle Clinic will be held at the Western Creedmoor Matches in Phoenix, AZ, on Wednesday, October 16. See Creedmoor Sports website for registration and additional details at
http://www.creedmoorsports.com.
More information on the Advanced Remington-Bushmaster Rifle Clinic can be found at http://thecmp.org/NM/AdHPClinic.htm. Photos may be viewed at
http://cmp1.zenfolio.com/p36519157.
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