Story based on report by Lars Dalseide for NRABlog
Fifteen members of the Great Britain Rifle Team descended upon the Viale Range at Camp Perry this week in preparation for the John J. Pershing Trophy Match. Sporting red team shirts and a touch of British swagger, they’re lead by by a man known as Jon Leech. A veteran of the sport, Leech is there to share his decades of experience to this new group of hopefuls. “They’re not juniors, though some have taken a while to mature,” he said with a laugh. “But they’re bringing with them a lot of experience.”
History of Pershing Trophy Match
The Pershing Trophy Match takes place every four years. Every time it is shot, the location alternates from the United States to Great Britain. When shot in Great Britain, it is known as the Field Marshal Earl Roberts Trophy Match. With ten shooters per team, competitors take to the line and fire 20 shots at 50 yards and 20 shots at 100. The first match, shot in 1931, was won by the Brits. Since then the Americans have dominated the event, winning 13 times overall compared to four times for the British.
Led by Leech, along with captain Neil Gibbons, the Brits have assembled a strong team this year. “This team was put together specifically for this match,” explained Leech. “This is my fourth time at Camp Perry. First in 1979 to shoot smallbore. I’ve come here just to coach this year. Pass on some knowledge to the folk who came over. We have 15 people in total — 3 officials and 12 shooters – that we’ll get that down to 10 shooters so we can beat America.”
Marksmanship Training in the Basement of Lloyds of London
A broker at the famed insurance house Lloyds of London, Leech brings a colorful background to the smallbore shooting world. A fencer at first, it was a fluky bit of chance — and a little of the Lloyd’s magic — that introduced him to the world of rifles.
“I was at Lloyds and noticed a guy sitting next to me with a collection of targets. I asked ‘Where did you do that?’ to which he replied ‘In the range underneath our building’. I didn’t even know there was such a range. I started shooting there in 1972 and kept at it.”
Spending his youth shooting in tournaments throughout Europe, he now finds himself behind the shooter rather than behind the trigger … at least when it comes to international competitions. And, as an official with the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF), his passport includes stamps from Bangkok, Rio de Janeiro, Copenhagen, and Croatia. “We really do enjoy our shooting together,” commented Leech. “Traveling as a shooter, I’ve met some fabulous people which is a lot of what shooting is all about. This is Band of Brothers stuff.”
Story based on Report by Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer
It takes lots of labor to make the National Matches at Camp Perry run smoothly. Many hard-working young people are involved each summer with the range crew and the target crew. Range crew personnel assemble (and later remove) range facilities used for the events. Target crew members collectively paste 250+ High Power targets a day and 80,000 pistol targets a season. The crew members’ countless hours on the Camp Perry ranges don’t go unnoticed. The National Match partners, the National Rifle Association (NRA), the Ohio National Guard, and the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) are grateful to have hard-working, dedicated young people working the Camp Perry ranges.
“The Matches would not exist without these kids,” said Tommy Whitten, CMP logistics department manager. Whitten has been with the CMP since 1994.
Joe DeCosta, now 81 years old, has run the National Match Summer Crew program for 30 years. Generally, each summer Joe hires about 60 boys and girls around the ages of 14 or 15, who have the potential to return for years to come, which, more often than not, they do.
“I don’t just want a worker. I want a young man or woman to be proud to be here, to be building this range for the National Championship,” he said. “Loyalty is very important, and these kids have been very loyal to me over the years.”
One of his loyal employees is Steve Young, 20, of Oak Harbor, who has been working at Camp Perry for the past six years. Steve enjoys the job: “You can start at a really young age, and make a pretty good amount of money. I like being able to sit back and watch the Matches. It’s fun with the guys out here too.”
Ralph Reichman, assistant range engineer, observes: “We get a different set of 4, 5, 6 kids from one family. Once one leaves, then the youngest one comes through. We’re like a big family.”
Brian Wyss, 18, of Oak Harbor, has been helping CMP for the last three summers. After shooting at the CMP Marksmanship Center, he wanted to become a part of the process: “I shot a lot of air rifle, so I know most of the people, and it’s fun getting to meet other people from around the world”.
Breaking News: SPC Hall Wins Camp Perry 3-P Championship
Port Clinton, Ohio – With a final score of 2383-171x, Specialist Joseph Hall of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit captured the 2013 NRA Smallbore 3-Position Rifle title in Camp Perry, Ohio. Besting fellow U.S. Army Marksmanship teammate Jason Parker by a total of three points, this is Hall’s first overall title at the National Championships.
The Smallbore 3-Position Championships consists of two separate phases — Metallic Sights and Any Sights. During each phase, shooters fire their smallbore rifles from the standing, kneeling, and prone positions. Out of a possible 2,400 points, Hall dropped a mere 17 points.
Story based on report by Lars Dalseide forNRABlog
The first match this Friday (19 July) at the NRA National Smallbore 3-Position Championships in Camp Perry was one for the history books. The first match, shot prone with “any sights”, ended in three-way perfection. For not only were three shooters tied for first, they were tied with a perfect score of 400-40X (“X” is a bullseye).
“Not something you see every year,” said Match Director H.Q. Moody. “Not something you see for a lot of years.” Perfect scores meant there was a chance to chase the National Record. All you have to do is keep hitting bulls until you miss. Nothing like carving your name into a little bit of NRA history, aye? For one of these three shooters — Reya Kempley, Joseph Hall (of the USAMU), and Michael McPhail — immortality was in reach.
But the weather gods intervened. As Kempley, Hall and McPhail got ready for the the shoot-off — lightning struck, quite literally. As lightning flashed and thunder roared, the shoot-off was delayed. With officials calling for a fifteen minute break, rangemasters, spectators and staff scattered for shelter. When the match resumed (Kempley barely made it to the line in time), the three competitors went at it. All three had early misses (nines instead of tens), so there would be no new record. Kemply was off her game, finishing third, but the two men finished with identical 199-19X scores — just one shot off perfect.
Hall was awarded the match by application of an NRA tie-breaker rule — on the basis that Hall’s one “miss” (i.e. not scoring a bullseye 10X) occurred earlier in the shoot-off’s record string than did the single “miss” by McPhail. The thinking behind this rule is that it is more difficult to shoot consecutive 10Xs later in the match.
Report based on story by Kyle Jillson forNRABlog
Late last night at Camp Perry, Ohio’s Hough Theater, Brian ‘Gunny’ Zins stepped atop the podium and raised the coveted Harrison Trophy above his head to the cheers of the crowd. He had just won his 12th NRA National Pistol Championship, twice as many as any other shooter in National Match history.
Photo by GOnraMedia
At the dawn of the championship’s second day it looked like Zins might have to wait a year to reach the even dozen. During the first day’s matches he had made the mistake of only firing four shots in a five shot string. And, exactly ten points behind the then-leader, he was kicking himself. “Having a saved round in the .22 Caliber Championship was a rookie mistake that will hopefully never happen again — knock on wood,” Zins laughed.
He’s able to laugh about it now because of his brilliant comeback. During the championship’s last two days Zins became a man possessed. Firing an 880 out of 900 and 885 out of 900 in the national championships’ two final events, Centerfire Pistol and .45 Caliber Pistol, he not only stormed back but finished with a 16-point lead. “But being able to pull it together, keep my head in the game and come back to win Centerfire and .45 was just huge for me,” Zins explained. “At age 44 I have twice as many national championships as anybody else and I’m not done yet. I think I have a few more left in me.”
If history is any indication, it’s certainly possible. But it’s no guarantee. Camp Perry attracts the country’s top shooters and Zins’ titles aren’t all consecutive. Since his first championship in 1996, competitors other than Zins received gold in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2009 and 2011.
Zins Shoots a Cabot Guns .45 ACP Pistol
“Something people might not know is the gun I shot for the Centerfire and .45 championships was a straight, out of the box, Cabot production gun,” Zins said. “There was no fitting in the barrel, no bushing, the only thing we did was a trigger job. Everything Cabot Guns builds is that quality and now they’ve got a bullseye edition of their guns that can win national championships.” With a little practice, of course. [Editor: Cabot 1911s are no ordinary “production guns”. The lowest priced Cabot, the GI/Classic, costs $4750.00]
Cabot Guns Video from 2012 National Pistol Championships (Zins won in 2012 also)
Story based on report by Kyle Jillson forNRABlog
NRA Competitive Shooting’s big event of the year, the National Matches, has commenced. The Remington/NRA National Rifle and Pistol Matches are considered the World Series of the shooting sports. Here you will find the nation’s top pistol, smallbore and high power rifle shooters (and many elite shooters from overseas as well). The six NRA championships, Pistol, Smallbore Position, Smallbore Prone, High Power Rifle, High Power Rifle Mid-Range, and High Power Rifle Long Range are broken up into five legs with High Power and Midrange held simultaneously.
This week’s Pistol Championship sees competitors jockeying for the coveted Harrison Trophy, the aggregate of a Preliminary Pistol Championship, .22 Caliber, Centerfire, and .45 Caliber championships. The all-time winningest shooter of the National Pistol Championship, with 11 titles, is Brian “Gunny” Zins, a featured contestant on the History Channel’s Top Shot All-Stars TV show.
Thunderstorm Halts Preliminary Pistol Event
With the Preliminary Pistol Championship (PPC) cancelled due to a tremendous thunderstorm, the national championship’s standings (thus far) are based on the .22 Caliber Championship completed on July 11th. Leading the way at this stage in the Pistol Championships is Chad Ranton with a 879-42X. There’s still plenty of shooting left to do as Friday (July 12) ushers in the Centerfire Championship and Saturday (July 13) brings the .45 Caliber Championship.
If you’re wondering what is happening when at the NRA National Rifle and Pistol championships, here is a calendar of all the scheduled events. The pistol matches kicked off earlier this week. Smallbore (rimfire) events start July 16th, while the High Power events commence on July 26th. Click the calendar image below to see a large size version (that’s easier to read). You can also download a PDF file with the complete National Matches Event schedule for 2013 AND 2014.
With a B-25 fly-over, music from the 122nd U.S. Army Band, a Flag ceremony, and the roar of a replica 1812-era cannon, the 2013 NRA National Rifle and Pistol Matches got underway at Camp Perry (Port Clinton, OH) on July 8th. Over 2000 competitors will participate in the matches in July and August.
Ohio’s Lt. Governor Mary Taylor, speaking to a crowd of over 400 attendees, noted that the National Match venue has been significantly upgraded. Over $2.9 million has been spent to improve infrastructure, fix sidewalks, and upgrade the lodging available for shooters at Camp Perry. Master of Ceremonies Judy Legerski stated that: “The matches at Camp Perry have given us some of the finest competitors and friends we will ever know.”
Shouldering a match-grade M1 Carbine, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John S. Crosby fired the first shot downrange, officially opening this year’s event. The National Matches are hosted jointly each year by the NRA, CMP, and Ohio National Guard. The five-week event is a major operation. A combined legion of 6,000 civilian and military competitors, volunteers, spectators, vendors, and family members come to the Camp Perry Joint Training Center (CPJTC) each summer.
Story by Lars Dalseide forNRABlog
The first shots of NRA’s National Rifle and Pistol Championships at Camp Perry were fired back in 1907, more than a century ago. On July 8, the National Championships open again, commencing with pistol disciplines. Next come the smallbore matches, followed by High Power competitions.
Running from through July and August, the the National Rifle and Pistol Championships are actually a collection of several individual competitions; Pistol, 3-Position Smallbore Rifle, Prone Smallbore Rifle, High Power Rifle, Mid-Range High Power Rifle and Long Range High Power Rifle. It all begins on July 8th at 10:00 am. That’s where Lieutenant General John S. Crosby, U.S. Army retired, will open the Championships by taking the traditional “First Shot” on the Rodriguez Range.
“It is an honor to fire a shot at Perry.” — Dennis Willing
There’s something special about Camp Perry,” said Dennis Willing, Director of NRA’s Competitive Shooting Division. “There is more than a century’s worth of shooting sports history out there on those fields. It’s a tradition every shooter aspires to.” Willing should know. For almost 35 years, Willing has been involved in the National Matches in one way or another. He’s shot in both the Pistol and High Power Rifle Championships, served as a Match Referee and was Chairman of the NRA Board of Director’s High Power Committee. He also holds four Distinguished Shooting Medals in Pistol, Rifle, PPC Revolver, and PPC Semi-Automatic Pistol.
National Championships Schedule
The first Championship is Pistol. Made up of thirteen separate events — including the .22 Caliber Fire Rapid Fire, the Center Fire Timed Fire and the .45 Caliber Slow Fire — the Championship begins on July 9 and ends on the 13th. The rest of the Championships are as follows:
Smallbore 3-Position Rifle: July 17-19
Smallbore Prone Rifle: July 20-25
High Power Rifle: August 5-9
Mid-Range High Power Rifle: August 5-9
Long Range High Power Rifle: August 10-14
If you’re signed up to shoot in the National Championships, we wish you good luck. If you can’t compete this year, visit NRAblog.com which will provide daily stories from Camp Perry with a team of reporters.
Watch Slide Show from 2012 NRA Long Range Championship
In just two weeks, the 2013 NRA National Rifle and Pistol Championships commence at Camp Perry, Ohio. The big event kicks off with the Pistol SAFS on July 7th. There’s still time to register online for the National Championships. To sign up, visit www.NMEntry.com.
In response to increased interest in F-Class shooting, event organizers have even added a new discipline this year, the Mid-Range Rifle Championship with shooting at 300, 500, and 600 yards. (We wonder what chamberings F-Open competitors will choose for this new event — could this be the year of the Dasher at Perry?) For 2013, F-Class competitors can enter the NRA Mid-Range Rifle Championship and/or NRA Long Range Championship.
Birds-Eye View of Camp Perry Ranges
We know many of our worldwide readers may never have a chance to visit Camp Perry in person, but they are still interested in this historic facility on the shore of Lake Erie, near Port Clinton, Ohio. If you’ve always wanted to see what Camp Perry looks like, here are a series of “Birds-eye” photos taken from the Beach Tower.
Report based on story by Kyle Jillson inNRABlog.
There will be a new rifle discipline at Camp Perry this year — the NRA National Mid-Range Championships, slated for August 5-9. Created due to the rising popularity of F-Class shooting, the new 3000-point Mid-Range Championships will be shot from distances of 300, 500, and 600 yards and will add yet another fun sport to the annual Remington/NRA National Rifle and Pistol Championships. The new Mid-Range Championship isn’t just for F-Class Open and T/R rifles though. Sling shooters are allowed to compete with Service Rifles and Match Rifles and will be classified accordingly.
F-Class Basics
F-Class is target shooting with scoped sights and artificial support (bipods for F-TR and rests or bipods for F-Open). F-Class shooting is done entirely from the prone position. Originally started among older High Power shooters who were straining to see traditional iron sights and needed a little more support, the sport now includes young shooters as well as experienced shooters looking for a new challenge.
There are two F-Class divisions: Open Class (F-Open) and Target Rifle (F-TR). In F-Open, rifles can weigh up to 22 pounds, fire any caliber under .35 and may be shot off just about any type of rest. F-TR rigs are limited to 18.15 lbs (8.25 kg), must be shot off a bipod, and must be chambered for either the .223 Rem and .308 Win (or 7.62×51) cartridges. For F-TR, the bipods are counted in the weight of the rifle. Other F-class rules are found in the official NRA High Power Rulebook.
The Mid-Range Championships will be held alongside the High Power Rifle Championships August 5-9 at Camp Perry, Ohio. And if your thirst for F-Class has not been sated by then, the US F-Class National Championships are coming to the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico from August 18-20. After that the Whittington Center will hold the F-Class World Championships from August 23-27.
Joe DeCosta, now 81 years old, has run the National Match Summer Crew program for 30 years. Generally, each summer Joe hires about 60 boys and girls around the ages of 14 or 15, who have the potential to return for years to come, which, more often than not, they do.
But the weather gods intervened. As Kempley, Hall and McPhail got ready for the the shoot-off — lightning struck, quite literally. As lightning flashed and thunder roared, the shoot-off was delayed. With officials calling for a fifteen minute break, rangemasters, spectators and staff scattered for shelter. When the match resumed (Kempley barely made it to the line in time), the three competitors went at it. All three had early misses (nines instead of tens), so there would be no new record. Kemply was off her game, finishing third, but the two men finished with identical 199-19X scores — just one shot off perfect.
Zins Shoots a Cabot Guns .45 ACP Pistol
If you’re wondering what is happening when at the NRA National Rifle and Pistol championships, here is a calendar of all the scheduled events. The pistol matches kicked off earlier this week. Smallbore (rimfire) events start July 16th, while the High Power events commence on July 26th. Click the calendar image below to see a large size version (that’s easier to read). You can also 
Running from through July and August, the the National Rifle and Pistol Championships are actually a collection of several individual competitions; Pistol, 3-Position Smallbore Rifle, Prone Smallbore Rifle, High Power Rifle, Mid-Range High Power Rifle and Long Range High Power Rifle. It all begins on July 8th at 10:00 am. That’s where Lieutenant General John S. Crosby, U.S. Army retired, will open the Championships by taking the traditional “First Shot” on the Rodriguez Range.
