$27,000 in Prizes Awarded at the NRA/Springfield M1A Match

The Sixth Annual NRA/Springfield M1A Match took place Sunday, August 5th at Camp Perry, as part of the National Rifle and Pistol Matches. With a prize table of cash and merchandise worth more than $27,000, this was the richest High Power Rifle event ever held. The overall match winner, Edwin Agle of Beavercreek, Ohio, shot a 477-13X to take home $2000.00 — not bad for a day’s work! The first-place civilian, Nick Till (475-8X) won $1500, while the second-place civilian, William Walter (474-6X), received $1000.00. The third-place Civilian, Thomas Rider (473-12X), was awarded a brand-new Springfield M1A rifle. Other top shooters received cash prize and/or Springfield Armory Pistols. CLICK HERE for Complete M1A Match Results.

This popular event always attracts hundreds of competitors. Any configuration of the M1A rifle is allowed. The course of fire is 50 shots at 300 yards from the prone, kneeling and standing positions on the MR-65F target. The top shooters have a chance at winning big money or taking home a shiney new rifle or pistol.

Nick Till in 2009 M1A Match. Nick was the 2007 Service Rifle Nat’l Champion. Photo courtesy NRA Blog.

This special M1A match revives interest in the M14, and its modern derivatives. Springfield’s M1A is a commercially-produced, semi-auto version of the M14, a 7.62×51 “battle rifle” that still serves our forces deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. At one time, M14-based match rifles dominated service rifle matches, but that’s history. Now M16/AR15 platform rule the roost in the service rifle game. But many shooters loved the old wood, .30-caliber rifles, leading to the creation of a special National Match just for M1A rifles. Mike Doy, Springfield Armory’s Facilities Manager observed: “The popularity of the NRA/Springfield M1A match goes to show that many shooters still enjoy competing with [M14-type rifles].”