CMP to Build All-New 500-Acre Shooting Facility in Alabama
Report based on Story by Steve Cooper, CMP Writer
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has purchased roughly 500 acres of property just south of the Talladega Speedway in Alabama for the purpose of building a new CMP Outdoor Marksmanship Facility. As planned, the new site will include a high power rifle range, 100-yard smallbore range, ten (10) action pistol bays, and a shotgun range. The multi-phase, multi-year project will allow the CMP to offer competitions and marksmanship training at a state-of-the-art facility in the Southeast. “With the support of friends of the Civilian Marksmanship Program, we envision a facility that will provide … a safe, instructive environment where CMP will conduct training, competitions and related events near our Anniston home, less than 30 minutes away,” said CMP Chief Operating Officer, Orest Michaels.
The facility, projected to be completed in five phases, will be located three miles from the Talladega Superspeedway, and will be accessible from the Eastaboga (#173) or Talladega (#168) Interstate 20 exits. The facility property is situated near Turners Mill Road, south of the speedway and two miles north of downtown Talladega. For now the CMP has cleared land for access roads and constructed a pair of 200-yard highpower rifle firing points for testing and evaluation purposes.
The following is a general description of the multi-year project phases, which will be supported by a CMP capital campaign. As with all projections of its magnitude, the project phases may vary and are subject to unforseen development and funding constraints:
- Phase I – to establish a 50-point rifle range with firing lines at 100 and 200 yards, complete with fully-operational target pits with manually-operated cantilever style target carriers and a state of the art electronic target system.
- Phase II – Expand the range by adding 300- and 600-yard firing lines, utilizing Phase I features and adding permanent restroom facilities.
- Phase III – Construct a 100-yard smallbore range, a 50-yard pistol range, a 50-foot pistol range and a 10-Bay action pistol range.
- Phase IV – Complete classrooms for firearm safety and marksmanship training.
- Phase V – Create a five-stand, 12-station sporting clays range.
At present the CMP leases outdoor ranges at Camp Perry to conduct the Small Arms Firing Schools, clinics and games events during the annual National Matches in July and August. Additionally the CMP has conducted regional events and clinics at non-CMP facilities in Arizona, California, Georgia, North Carolina and Oklahoma. “Eventually the CMP Outdoor Marksmanship Facility will provide us greater flexibility with outdoor programming and allow us to offer additional opportunities to participate in firearm safety and marksmanship events in the southeastern U.S.,” Michaels added.
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Thank the Lord! Godspeed!
why is the highpower range facing the sun? It should be facing north.
It might be due to their property restrictions, but unless this range is in Australia, it’s facing the wrong way!
The range faces south south east because of the property constraints. The range sould work well during most od the year, in fall, winter the low southern angles,will affect the late day relays. This information will be made part of the match conditions. Konlegable mid and long range high power shooters know how to adjust for light conditions.So Take your possition!
…. TARGETS!
Mr. Vargas, with all due respect, I do shoot on a South facing range most of the time (Fort Benning), and it really is the opposite of optimal. I think I can safely say that I fall into the “knowledgeable” category of shooters.
Any new range is a good one, but one would think that before spending MILLIONS of dollars on a new, 100 point range, they would have tried a bit harder to crack the code. I can tell you from experience that at 600 yards, in the Spring/Summer, it is VERY difficult shooting from 600 yards. In fact, one South facing range in FLA shoots the 600 FIRST, because the targets are so dark in the afternoon.
It may not matter for the gamers at 200 yards, but for full distance shooting, it will be tough. Oh, BTW, the command is “Targets, Up!”
Optimal for all ranges is N. NE., acceptable for full day light hour utilzation is S ,SE. You can not shoot North at his site. Many ranges in the continental US shoot in all quadrants.
Folks have been looking for a Mid to long range site in the SE US for over 15 years that I now of. Site are not available, and if available too expensive.
This is an acros the course mid-range with many uses.
What do you propose?
Are you stating that if it is built you won’t be abble to get shooters to fill the line because there is abetter range to shoot at?
The 600,300 amd 200 are planed to have coverd firing lines, with sun awnings to the front. The 300 will probably the most used line for all the events that are being considered.
You are corect and I did not adress it above, the targets will appear darker.
You also state,however, that the aprooved Match Conditions solved this problem in that south facing Florida range.
I was given a site to master plan and fit a specific program into. The site selected by others. This is a deliberate procees that still needs to be aprooved all the way up thru the CMP board. The process is being gone thru. Any glitch in planning thinking or decision making is still up for review. That is the nature of planning. The reviews that follow will result in changes,modifications, and in some cases cancellation of the project.
I don’t doubt your knolege or , experience. If you have a strong objection why the moneys should not be spent please prepare a coggent argument in memo form, now and send it to me. I’ll forward it to the powers that be or you can do so directly and coppy me at cvargas@cvaltd.com.
You are oviously way younget than I am. The command in my time was “tagets” lots of times the rsnges did not have the luxury of target carrier you could lower and raise targets with.That was also published in the match conditions.
This ranges for the sporting clays will only be able to hold local tournaments for sporting clay and cannot even hold the alabama state championship in sporting clays let alone any major shoots. Alabama Sporting Clays Association or the National Sporting Clays Association had no input in this range . Seems to me the CMP wants to dive off into something they don’t know about .