Sweden Hosts World Military Shooting Championships

The 43rd Annual World Military Shooting Championships will be held in Boden, Sweden from September 14-21. Over 550 shooters from 45 countries are slated to attend. From the U.S.A., 14 armed services shooters will compete in Sweden, including three-time Olympian Sgt. 1st Class Jason Parker, and four-time Olympian Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Callahan.

The Military Shooting Championship are conducted under the auspices of the Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM). Male and female shooters will compete in separate divisions, shooting both pistols and rifles. Events will include: 25-meter .22-caliber pistol, 25-meter .32-caliber centerfire pistol, 50-meter Sport Rifle (both prone and 3-position), and 300-meter Standard Rifle (both prone and 3-Position). In addition, there will also be 300-Meter Rapid Fire Military Rifle Matches. The 300m competition is still dominated by the 6mmBR Norma cartridge, though some teams will be shooting 6XC ammo from Norma.

The competitions are to be held at Rödberget Shooting Centre, about four kilometres southwest of Boden town centre. Two new shooting ranges have been built and two ranges have been overhauled. The new facilities were set up in 2007, when Boden hosted the Nordic Military Shooting Championships.

One of the three women on the Swedish 50-meter team is Christina Bengtsson, an officer at the Armed Forces Technical School in Halmstad. Christina, who won gold in the World Military Shooting Championships in Switzerland in 2005, observed that Boden offers first-rate facilities. Christina comments: “[Boden has] excellent shooting ranges. I can safely say this is one of the very best facilities in Sweden, and I hope it will be put to good use in civilian competitions.” For more information about the CISM World Military Championship, visit the Swedish Armed Forces web site: www.mil.se/wmsc08. Starting Sept. 15, that site will offer weblinks with updated event news and match results.