Those wanting to enhance their pistol skills now have a great opportunity thanks to the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). The CMP will offer Pistol Marksmanship 101 Courses at the 2023 CMP Eastern Games Matches and the CMP’s Talladega Quarterly Matches. These hands-on pistol courses are designed for seasoned pistoleros as well as those completely new to bullseye pistol shooting. Notably, pistols and ammo will be provided by the CMP.

The CMP Eastern Matches will be held April 28 to May 7, 2023 at the Camp Butner National Guard Training Facility in North Carolina, with the Marksmanship 101 Course set on the opening day. In addition, Pistol Marksmanship 101 courses will be conducted during the CMP’s Talladega Quarterly Matches, held at the Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama, on May 13 and August 26, 2023.

The CMP’s Marksmanship 101 Courses, taught by highly skilled instructors, train individuals on firearm essentials and competition basics in a closely monitored setting. Participants learn safety, positioning, how to load/clear a pistol and more through classroom work and active training on the range. At the close of the course, students will shoot an Excellence-In-Competition match. NOTE: Hearing and eye protection are required during live firing. Juniors must be at least 14 years old to participate.

CLICK HERE to Register for the 2023 Eastern CMP Games
CLICK HERE to Learn More about the Talladega Quarterly Matches.

About the CMP Travel Games:
The Travel Games are regional competitions held throughout the year, featuring CMP’s own rifle and pistol outdoor events. A common part of the CMP schedule for the last decade, the Games are centered around recreation-oriented competition and educational activities that are designed to accommodate experienced marksmen as well as those hoping to learn more about the sport. See CMP’s full lineup of Travel Games at https://thecmp.org/competitions/cmp-travel-games.

Do you attend the CMP Games each year? Are you able to travel to multiple venues around the country? Then here is a special opportunity…

The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has created a new set of awards for those competitors who attend multiple CMP Competition Games events (formerly known as CMP Travel Games) during a single year. Awards include collectible T-Shirts and free (or discounted) Competition Games entry fees.

The first Competition Games event, the CMP Western Games, took place earlier this month in Phoenix, Arizona. The 2022 schedule also includes: Eastern Games (Butner, North Carolina), New England Games (Jericho, Vermont) and the Oklahoma Games (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma). Competitors that attend at least three of these four events will receive a collectible t-shirt and will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win free match fees to one Competition Game of their choice for the 2023 shooting season.

The Next CMP Competition Games Event is the Eastern Games, April 22 – May 1, 2022

Names will also be drawn to receive a 50% discount on match fees for one Competition Game for the 2023 shooting season. Four winners will be chosen for each drawing. Additional prizes will be awarded to those competitors who fire in all four Competition Games.

CMP Competition Games 2022 Schedule:

• Oct. 16-23 – Oklahoma CMP Games & CMP HP Rifle Matches, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

If you have questions about the Competition Games awards, please email Christina Roguski at croguski@thecmp.org or visit the CMP Competition Games website.

The Competition Games are regional events held around the country throughout the year, featuring CMP’s unique rifle and pistol outdoor matches. The Games offer a variety of competition and training activities for experienced marksmen as well as well as novice competitors.

Marksmanship competition is back! Slowly but surely, shooting sports are returning to normal, after many major events were cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. We were pleased to see the CMP Eastern Games were held this year, after being cancelled in 2020. The revived 2021 Eastern Games, held April 22 through May 2, 2021, were a huge success.

There were over 420 competitors at the 2021 Eastern CMP Games and High Power Rifle Matches held at Camp Butner in North Carolina. With more than 1,500 event entries, the Eastern Games featured a full schedule of rifle and pistol matches, including many new competitions added to the lineup. In addition to the matches, there were a variety of training programs such as an M1 Garand Clinic and Rifle Marksmanship 101 with live-fire training.

Full Eastern Games Results | 2021 Eastern Games Photos (705)

Along with Rifle Marksmanship 101, the CMP offered a Pistol Marksmanship 101 Course and accompanying M9 EIC Match was held for the first time at Camp Butner. Similar to Rifle Marksmanship 101, participants in the Pistol Course were instructed in the classroom and on the range on firearm and competition fundamentals, including proper firing practices and safety guidelines. Other pistol additions to the schedule in 2021 were .22 Rimfire Pistol, Center Fire and .45 Pistol 900 Aggregates.

Brian Williams Wins 3-Gun and 4-Gun Aggregates plus Rimfire Sporter
The star of the 2021 Eastern Games was Brian Williams of Granby, Massachusetts. Williams earned several top finishes in rifle matches, with Garand, Springfield, M1 Carbine, and Modern Military competition victories. His consistent performances earned him both the Three Gun and Four Gun Aggregate titles. Brian even won the Rimfire Sporter Match! Williams was only eight Xs from the current Four Gun Aggregate Eastern Games record score of 1152-35X, which he personally set in 2019. He also holds Eastern Games records in the Modern Military and Carbine events.

Another top 2021 Eastern Games performer was SFC Brandon Green, a 3-time National High Power Champion. Green won the CMP 2400 Overall Aggregate at the 2021 Eastern Games with an impressive 2379-97X score. Along the way Brandon won the EIC Service Rifle Match setting a new Eastern Games record with a 497-26X tally.

We were pleased to see the 2021 CMP Eastern Games included participation by disabled shooters:

There were many M1 Garand shooters at Camp Butner this year. Training included a special clinic focused on the Garand.

The 9th Annual Eastern CMP Games and Creedmoor Cup Matches will be held at Camp Butner, North Carolina, May 1-10, 2015. The Eastern CMP Games run May 1-5, while the Creedmoor Cup Matches take place on May 6-10. All interested shooters are invited to participate in this popular event, which includes: Rimfire Sporter Match, M16 Match, M1 Garand Match, Springfield Match, M1-Carbine Match, Vintage Military Match, Modern Military Match, Vintage Sniper Match, Pistol Matches and more. New for 2015, the CMP will be hold a .22 Rimfire EIC Pistol Match.

The Vintage Sniper Match is a two-person team match, utilizing scoped rifles from the Korean War, World War II or earlier, upon sandbags. Teammates take turns as both shooter and spotter.

Garand-Springfield-Military New Shooter Clinic
The Garand-Springfield-Military (GSM) New Shooter Clinic is recommended for all new shooters to the CMP Games, as well as those who may not be firing, but simply would like to learn more about the events. The clinic includes classroom instruction, demonstrations and dry-fire position practice – all led by decorated Olympian, Gary Anderson, and CMP GSM Master Instructors. A Garand Maintenance Clinic is also offered for those wanting to learn more about taking care of these historic rifles.

Great Place to Get Started in Competitive Shooting
The CMP Games matches are ideal events for shooters who have not participated in previous competitions. Shooters are permitted to coach or assist each other in these matches. Experienced shooters are encouraged to assist new shooters with positions, slings, loading and the rules.

To learn more about the Eastern CMP Games, email croguski [at] thecmp.org or call (888) 267-0796, extension 714. If you have questions about the Creedmoor Cup contact Dennis DeMille, demille [at] creedmoorsports.com or call (800) 273-3366 M-F, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm Central Time.