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June 19th, 2017

“This is My Rifle” — 74-Year-Old Marine Reunited with M1 Garand

Pat Farmer USMC Marine Corps M1 Garand CMP Camp Matthews
After 56 years Pat Farmer was reunited with the M1 Garand he used while serving his country.

By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer
Pat Farmer hadn’t felt the weight in his hands in 56 years. After five decades, the memories flooded back as his fingertips grazed the wood of the stock and gripped it tightly. It was a piece of his personal history, and the history of his country… and now, it’s a relic he’ll be able to keep for the rest of his life.

“I had never dreamed it would be in the CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program) warehouse,” he said. “I had just hoped to possibly start a search beginning with the CMP.”

The 74-year-old from Jacksonville, NC, is a retired veteran who served 26 years in the armed forces. He was raised on a farm in Nebraska where he became familiar with guns at an early age. As a teen, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps during his senior year in high school through a delay program. On August 30, 1960, he left for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California, to attend boot camp — where he celebrated his 18th birthday.

Pat Farmer USMC Marine Corps M1 Garand CMP Camp Matthews

Upon arrival he was issued M1 Garand #4305638. The firearm soon became a close companion as he spent countless hours with it on the “Grinder” — a Marine Corps term for a deck or parade ground used for drill and formations.

Reunited with M1 Garand after 56 Years
On May 8, 2017, Pat Farmer was reunited with M1 Garand #4305638 thanks to the CMP. Bringing it back to life, Pat began to fieldstrip the rifle. As he got to the trigger housing of the gun, he found something that he couldn’t believe – tape with his name and markings on it. It read, “Farmer 20/8L.” Pat believes it was his 500-yard “dope” – twenty clicks elevation, eight clicks left windage.

Pat Farmer USMC Marine Corps M1 Garand CMP Camp Matthews

“Fifty-six years ago, we drilled and did the manual of arms with M1s as if they were matchsticks. It seems much heavier now!” Farmer added with a laugh.

Pat was eventually selected for aviation school after infantry training and shot on the rifle team while attached to a Reserve unit. He went on to shoot expert rifle at the Camp Mathews rifle range*. “It was some of the best and most rewarding years of my life,” he said.

Many years later, Pat one day went through an old locker box and found his custody receipt from Jan. 27, 1961, when he turned in his boot camp rifle before transferring to aviation school. Curiosity set in as he wondered whatever became of M1 Garand #4305638 – and the idea of finding it overcame him.

“I had purchased a few rifles from the old DCM and also CMP, so on a whim I decided to contact CMP to see if my old M1 had ever passed through their system,” he explained. Here’s the story of what happened and the years of waiting…

(more…)

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October 8th, 2015

Learn Position Shooting Techniques from Gary Anderson

rimfire sporter position shooting Gary Anderson

Want to learn the basics of position shooting? Then you should check out an article by Gary Anderson, DCM Emeritus, in On the Mark digital magazine (Summer 2014, pp. 6-13). This article covers all the key elements: body position (prone, sitting, standing), sling use/adjustment, sight picture, aiming process, and trigger control. While this 8-page article was specifically written for Rimfire Sporter shooters, the techniques described by Anderson apply to all types of position shooting, whether you shoot air rifles, smallbore rifles, or centerfire rifles.

CLICK HERE to load On the Mark eZine and Read Gary Anderson Article (page 6-13)
NOTE: This is a large PDF Document — it may take some time to fully load.

Here’s what Anderson says about aiming — how to keep your sights steady and get them centered on the middle of the target:

Trigger Contact and Center
rimfire sporter position shooting Gary AndersonAs soon as aiming at the target begins, the index finger must move from the trigger-guard to contact the trigger. It is important to get initial pressure on the trigger as soon as aiming begins. Then the shooter must focus on the sight picture and centering the sight picture movements over the aiming point. No one, not even champion shooters, can hold the aligned sights perfectly still. The sights are going to move a little bit or a lot, depending on the shooter’s skill level. The secret is to center those sight picture movements over the aiming point on the target (see trace illustration) before pulling the trigger.

When the sight picture movements on the target are centered, the last step in firing the shot is to add… smooth pressure on the trigger until the shot breaks.

Anderson also discusses the 5 Basics of Shot Technique:

rimfire sporter position shooting Gary Anderson

Permalink Shooting Skills 1 Comment »
July 8th, 2014

2014 National Matches Commence with First Shot Ceremony

The 2014 National Matches started with the signature shot of a target rifle. This year the first shot was taken by a legendary marksman — DCM Emeritus Gary Anderson, who used the vintage Model 70 Winchester with which he had won many titles. Anderson, a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, also served as keynote speaker for the National Matches Opening Ceremony. Anderson stated that the National Matches have “truly [become] a great shooting festival. It’s about all of us getting out on the field and participating.”

Anderson also talked about the skill of the shooters at the National Matches: “There’s a big difference between shooting and marksmanship. Marksmanship is a skill. Marksmanship is the ability to hit difficult, long-range targets. Marksmanship is extreme precision performed under the pressure of competition. Marksmanship, not just shooting, decides the ultimate results.”

Gary Anderson First Shot Camp Perry National Matches

CLICK HERE for Video Showing 2014 National Matches First Shot Ceremony.

This year’s National Matches started with a military theme. World War II aircraft flew overhead, a WW II Sherman tank rolled past the spectators, and cannons fired. The National Matches are a joint effort of the Civilian Marksmanship Program, the National Rifle Association, and the Ohio National Guard. The National Matches were were first held in 1903, and have been conducted at Camp Perry since 1907. After Anderson fired the first shot, he donated his Model 70 rifle to the Civilian Marksmanship Program.

Permalink Competition 4 Comments »
June 5th, 2011

Latest Edition of ‘On the Mark’ Available

The latest edition of the CMP’s ‘On the Mark’ newsletter for young competitive shooters has been released as a FREE, downloadable PDF file. In this Spring 2011 edition, you’ll find many items of interest including an excellent instructional article by Gary Anderson, Director of Civilian Marksmanship-Emeritus. The 4-page story is entitled: Three-Position Shooting — Teaching the First Steps. Here’s a sample from the story, Anderson’s discussion of target shooting order:

Target Bull Firing Order
Anderson writes: “When firing starts, each shooter should have a plan for the order in which the sighter and record bulls are fired. Each record bull is numbered from one to ten, but the bulls do not need to be fired in that order. Indeed, to shoot them in numerical order is one of the least efficient ways to do this. The firing order should be designed to minimize movements from one record bull to the next. The illustration (on right) shows one recommended firing order that begins with the lower sighter bull, continues to the upper sighter bull and then proceeds around the target in a counter-clockwise direction.”

In addition to the Gary Anderson article, this month’s edition of On the Mark features extensive coverage of Collegiate shooting events, and the National Junior ROTC Championships.

Permalink Competition, Shooting Skills No Comments »