As a way of providing guests of the 2024 CMP National Matches more opportunities to socialize off the range, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has added Beach Parties and Movie Nights to the calendar of the Camp Perry National Matches.
These social events will be held near Camp Perry — at the beach and within the historic Hough Theater. These fun events/entertainment are open to all competitors, coaches, parents, and volunteers.
Movie Nights – Hough Theater
July 11, July 31, and August 3: 7:00 PM
• July 11 – The Sandlot
• July 31 – Top Gun: Maverick
• August 3 – Hacksaw Ridge
Doors to the theater will open at 6:00 pm, with the movies beginning at 7:00 pm. Concessions will be for sale inside the theater.
Beach Parties at Camp Perry Beach
July 9 and July 12: 5:00 – 7:30 pm
• DJ with Music
• Food Trucks or Bring Your Own Food/Drinks
• Games (cornhole, volleyball)
• Fun with Friends and Fellow Competitors
• Free Giveaways of Sunglasses and Beach Balls
Guests should bring chair or blanket for seating.
More Camp Perry Summer Services — Sales and Accommodations
On Camp Perry’s Commercial Row an array of vendors will be offering firearms, ammunition, competition gear, accessories, apparel, and more. The CMP North Store, located on the grounds of Camp Perry, offers a large selection of military surplus rifles, memorabilia, and equipment.
Accommodations — Housing for the National Matches is currently available on the grounds of Camp Perry. Accommodations include 4-person huts, cottages, barracks, RV spaces, and camp sites. In addition, numerous hotels are available in the surrounding Port Clinton, Fremont, and Sandusky areas. CLICK HERE for information on local hotels and tourism resources.
CLICK PHOTO for article on after-match activities in the Camp Perry region.
National Matches Shooting Events at Camp Perry
The 2024 CMP National Matches run July 11 through August 10 at the Camp Perry National Guard Training Site in Port Clinton, Ohio. The month-long event will feature a mix of rifle, pistol, and air gun matches and clinics for both adults and juniors. Learn more about the 2024 National Matches and review the event schedule on the CMP website at TheCMP.org/cmp-national-matches.
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The CMP National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio commence July 8, 2024 with 3P Air Rifle events. The Camp Perry matches are historic, having been held since 1907 at this location on the shores of Lake Erie. The 2024 First Shot Ceremony takes place Monday, July 15 on the grounds of Camp Perry. Air Force Academy shooting coach and former Olympian Launi Meili is the 2024 First Shot Speaker. Launi will address the crowd and make the traditional First Shot to officially open the National Matches.
For this week’s Saturday at the Movies, we offer seven videos from Camp Perry. These cover both rimfire and centerfire shooting, team matches (including the famous “Rattle Battle”), along with pistol shooting. If you’re heading to Camp Perry this summer, today’s video showcase provides an informative preview. And watch the video above for a great short preview of the event.
CMP National Matches at Camp Perry — Ranges, Events, Training
This 3-minute video above shows the Camp Perry ranges and shooting facilities and explains the programs scheduled, including training courses. The video also covers nearby accommodations and explains how to register for the National Matches on the CMP website.
NTIT Team Match — “Rattle Battle” at Camp Perry
The CMP’s National Trophy Infantry Team Match (NTIT) has been a staple at the National Matches since 1922. Also known as the “Rattle Battle,” the event is one of the most unique in the competitive rifling world — scoring is based on how many hits six-person teams can score on a bank of targets during a series of 50-second firing periods at four yardages.
Watch CMP ‘Rattle Battle’ Video — 50 Seconds of Rapid Fire…
Teams fire upon eight silhouette targets from 600, 500, 300 and 200 yards during successive 50-second periods. After each rapid-fire string, team members move forward (to the next-closest distance) carrying all equipment from firing line to firing line. The video shows the California Grizzlies, one of the top junior squads. The lead photo shows the U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) Team in action during the NTIT match. See more in USAR “Rattle Battle” Video.
Camp Perry M1 Garand Competition — Vintage Military Rifle
The John C. Garand match is a Camp Perry classic. Note the signature Garand clip in the air.
The CMP hosts the popular M1 Garand Match as well as the Springfield M1A Match. This writer’s father carried a Garand in WWII — reason enough for me to want one. But I also loved the look, feel, and heft of this classic American battle rifle. And the unique “Ping” of the ejected en-bloc clip is music to the ears of Garand fans. Some folks own an M1 Garand for the history, while others enjoy competing with this old war-horse. The CMP’s John C. Garand Match is one of the most popular events at Camp Perry every year. There are other vintage military rifle matches.
Rimfire Sporter Event Draws Hundreds of Competitors
If there is a single CMP event at Camp Perry every summer that draws the most competitors and offers the lowest cost of entry, that would be the annual Rimfire Sporter Match. This year’s match will be held on Saturday, July 13th at the Viale Range. There will also be a CMP Sporter Live-fire Training Clinic on Friday the 12th. One of the most popular annual Camp Perry events, the Rimfire Sporter Rifle match features .22 LR competition in open sights (O-Class), telescopic (T-Class) and tactical/unlimited (TU) classes, fired at 25 and 50 yards. A CMP Rimfire Clinic will be held prior to the match.
Each year, the Rimfire Sporter Match attracts hundreds of shooters to the shore of Lake Erie at Camp Perry. The CMP National Rimfire Sporter Rifle Match offers shooters a recreation-oriented competition where they use affordable, smallbore sporter rifles with either scopes or iron sights. All you need are a .22 LR rifle, sling, and ammo.
Service Rifle Matches — AR-Platform Rifles, Now with Optics
Service Rifle shooting is fun yet challenging. You need to develop skills with multiple positions and be able to make rapid wind calls. However, the modern AR-based service rifle is affordable and has relatively low recoil. Highly-customizable, modern service rifles can be fitted with adjustable stocks and optional magnified optics. Older military rifles, such as the M1A and M1 Garand, offer different challenges with heavier-recoiling cartridges, greater weights, and classic iron sights. Hi-Lux asked competitors at Camp Perry during CMP’s 2021 summer games what they enjoyed most about competition with service rifles and Military rifles such as the M1 Garand. The shooters’ responses had four key themes: Self-Improvement, Comradery, History (enjoying shooting rifles with heritage), and Challenge.
Camp Perry Bullseye Pistol Competition
Camp Perry hosts the most prestigious annual trophy matches in our nation’s history. And in a venue renowned for service rifle matches, the sport of precision pistol is no less important, no less challenging, and no less respected. The National Trophy Pistol Matches are all about traditional handgunning — the stance, the intense concentration, and of course, the one-handed grip. It’s all unmistakable as the game of Bullseye Pistol. Every year there are 20+ match trophies for the top Bullseye Pistol shooters, both military and civilian. And the very best will claim National Match Trophies and receive the President’s 100 Tab.
CMP Camp Perry National Matches Registration Links
The 2024 CMP National Matches at Camp Perry officially commence Thursday July 11, 2024. The summer schedule concludes Saturday, August 10 with the Palma Match and awards. Here is the full CMP schedule (click to zoom):
NOTE: This CMP Calendar is hosted online in spreadsheet format. This allows you to increase display size, and also to search for specific words. CLICK HERE to view full spreadsheet calendar.
History of Camp Perry
“In the year 1907 the machinery of the National Matches, now grown to immense proportions, was moved to the mammoth new range at Camp Perry.”
—James Drain, Arms and the Man, August 1911
Federal legislation originally launched the National Matches. The 1903 legislation also established the National Matches, commissioned the National Trophy and provided funding to support the Matches. The National Matches have been held at Camp Perry since 1907. The range is located along the shores of Lake Erie in northern Ohio near Port Clinton. The site was first acquired in 1906, in response to the need for a larger facility for military training and the NRA’s shooting programs. The original land for Camp Perry was purchased in 1906, and the reservation was named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the American naval commander who won the Battle of Put-in-Bay during the War of 1812.
On August 19, 1907, Cpl. L. B. Jarrett fired the first shot at the new Camp Perry Training Site. And that year, 1907, Camp Perry held its first National Pistol and Rifle Championship events. This location has hosted the annual National Matches ever since. Typically over 4,000 competitors attend the National Matches each year, making it the most popular shooting competition in the western hemisphere.
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The CMP Rimfire Sporter discipline is for smallbore rifles that weigh 7 1/2 pounds or less with sights. Firing is done at 25 and 50 yards in prone, sitting, and standing positions, in slow and rapid-fire modes. The CMP has a special smart-phone App that helps speed up scoring. Rimfire Sporter matches are held throughout the country in connection with the CMP’s Travel Games.
And each summer, the major National Rimfire Sporter Match attracts hundreds of shooters to the shore of Lake Erie at Camp Perry. This year’s Rimfire Sporter Match at Camp Perry will be held on Saturday, July 13, 2024 — just five weeks away. The CMP National Rimfire Sporter Rifle Match offers shooters a recreation-oriented competition where they use affordable, smallbore sporter rifles with either scopes or iron sights. All you need are a .22 LR rifle, sling, and ammo.
Rifles may be manually operated or semi-automatic, in three classes: the standard “O Class” for open-sighted rifles, “T-Class” for telescope-sighted rifles, and the “Tactical Rimfire” Class. Firing is done at 50 and 25 yards on a target with a 1.78″ ten-ring. The target is simple enough for a beginner to hit, yet challenging enough that only one competitor in the history of the match has ever fired a perfect 600 score.
Rimfire Sporter Course of Fire
At the Rimfire Sporter Match, competitors complete slow fire prone, rapid fire prone, slow fire sitting or kneeling, rapid fire sitting or kneeling, slow fire standing, and rapid fire standing shot sequences.
What is Required for the Camp Perry Rimfire Sporter Match
Competitors need to bring their own .22 cal. Rimfire rifle(s) and ammunition. Special target shooting equipment, shooting jackets, or shooting gloves are not permitted, but you can bring a spotting scope and ground cloth or shooting mat. The firing points have grass (sometimes a bit wet with rain). Competitors are strongly urged to wear hearing and eye protection. Assistance for disabled competitors is provided.
A free Shooters’ Clinic is usually held in connection with the Rimfire Sport match at Camp Perry. The Clinic covers Rimfire Sporter rules, safety instructions, course of fire, and competition procedures. Shooters who have not previously attended a CMP Rimfire Sporter Match are strongly encouraged to attend.
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Registration is open for the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) 2024 National Smallbore and Air Gun events. These will be part of the 2024 National Matches held at the Camp Perry National Guard Training Base in Clinton, Ohio. Review the 2024 National Matches schedule and event info on the CMP website.
Smallbore (Rimfire) Events at Petrarca Range
The National Smallbore lineup includes iron sights and any sights prone events as well as 3×20 (three-position) individual and team matches. Smallbore events are fired on the covered outdoor electronic target line of Camp Perry’s Petrarca Range.
This video covers the Smallbore competition at the 2021 CMP National Matches at Camp Perry.
National Air Gun Matches at Gary Anderson Competition Center
Air rifle and/or air pistol competitors can participate in the National Air Gun Matches, held on the electronic target range at the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center. The air rifle and air pistol programs feature training, followed by two days of 60-shot competitions.
Schedule Allows Competitors to Shoot Both Smallbore AND Air Rifle Events
The National Smallbore and National Air Gun phases have been arranged in tandem to allow athletes the option of competing in both disciplines, with an aggregate event included for those firing in air rifle and three-position smallbore competitions. Challenging elimination team matches will also be part of the Air Gun and Smallbore schedules.
About the National Matches:
The National Matches event is comprised of the CMP National Trophy Pistol and Rifle Matches, National Games Matches, National Smallbore Matches, National Air Gun Championships, and the National Mid-Range and Long Range Matches. The month-long series also includes a variety of educational clinics for all experience levels. All events are open to the public, with spectators welcome.
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In 2024, the CMP Pistol Matches at Camp Perry will include Air Pistol Nat’l Championships, Small Arms Firing School, M9 EIC Match, Rimfire Pistol Matches, Centerfire Pistol Matches, Revolver EIC Match, .45 Pistol Matches, National Trophy Matches, GSSF Glock Nat’l Challenge, Military/Police Pistol Match, and 1911 As-Issued Match.
Since the turn of the 20th century*, Camp Perry has hosted major marksmanship events. While the rifle competitions get the most coverage, the National Matches also include bullseye pistol competition. Bullseye pistol shooting can bring nearly a thousand competitors to Camp Perry each summer, as part of the CMP National Championships. For these Camp Perry pistol matches, targets are set at 25 and 50 yards. The shooting position is standing, with most events firing one-handed in slow fire, timed fire, and rapid-fire.
Since their inception over a century ago, the National Matches have become a major shooting sports festival with over 4,500 annual participants. Held at the Camp Perry Nat’l Guard Training Base, the National Matches now include both indoor and outdoor events. Adult and junior athletes are welcome.
Camp Perry Bullseye Pistol Competition
Camp Perry is synonymous with the oldest and most prestigious annual trophy matches in our nation’s history. And in a venue renowned for service rifle matches, the sport of precision pistol is no less important, no less challenging, and no less respected. The National Trophy Pistol Matches is all about traditional handgunning — the stance, the intense concentration, and of course, the one-handed grip. It’s all unmistakable as the game of Bullseye Pistol. Every year there are no fewer than 24 separate match trophies for the top Bullseye Pistol shooters, both military and civilian. And the very best will claim National Match Trophies and receive the President’s 100 Tab.
This video shows .45 ACP centerfire pistol competitors at Camp Perry
Civilians and military shooters competed together at the 2019 NTT Pistol Match.
* The first National Matches at Camp Perry were held in 1907. SEE: A Short History of Perry and the National Championships by Hap Rocketto.
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The CMP National Rimfire Sporter Match is a fun competition with affordable smallbore rifles with either scopes or iron sights. All you need are a .22 LR rifle, sling, and ammo.
Each year, the Rimfire Sporter Match attracts hundreds of shooters to Camp Perry on the shores of Lake Erie. If there is a single CMP event at Camp Perry that offers the most diverse group of competitors (of all ages), and the lowest cost of entry, that would be the annual Rimfire Sporter Match.
This year’s summer match was held on Saturday, July 8, 2023 at the Viale Range during the first weekend of the National Match Schedule at Camp Perry. One of the most popular annual Camp Perry events, the Rimfire Sporter Rifle match features .22 LR competition in open sights (O-Class), telescopic (T-Class) and tactical/unlimited (TU) classes, fired at 25 and 50 yards. A CMP/AMU Rimfire Sporter Small Arms Firing School was held on July 7, 2023.
The Rimfire Sporter Match is for smallbore rifles that weigh 7 1/2 pounds or less with sights. Firing is done at 25 and 50 yards in prone, sitting and standing positions, in slow and rapid fire modes. The CMP has a special smart-phone App that will help speed up scoring.
Each year, the Rimfire Sporter Match attracts hundreds of shooters to the shore of Lake Erie at Camp Perry. The CMP National Rimfire Sporter Rifle Match offers shooters a recreation-oriented competition where they use affordable, smallbore sporter rifles with either scopes or iron sights. All you need are a .22 LR rifle, sling, and ammo.
Hundreds of shooters compete in the Rimfire Sporter Match at Camp Perry.
Prior to the match at Camp Perry, Rimfire Sporter competitors check-in, have their rifles weighed, triggers checked, and receive their squad assignments.
Rifles may be manually operated or semi-automatic, in three classes: the standard “O Class” for open-sighted rifles, “T-Class” for telescope-sighted rifles, and the “Tactical Rimfire” Class. Firing is done at 50 and 25 yards on a target with a 1.78″ ten-ring. The target is simple enough for a beginner to hit, yet challenging enough that only one competitor in the history of the match has ever fired a perfect 600 score.
Rimfire Sporter Course of Fire
At the Rimfire Sporter Match, competitors complete slow fire prone, rapid fire prone, slow fire sitting or kneeling, rapid fire sitting or kneeling, slow fire standing, and rapid fire standing shot sequences.
What is Required for the Camp Perry Rimfire Sporter Match
Competitors need to bring their own .22 cal. Rimfire rifle(s) and ammunition. Special target shooting equipment, shooting jackets, or shooting gloves are not permitted, but you can bring a spotting scope and ground cloth or shooting mat. The firing points have grass (sometimes a bit wet with rain). Competitors are strongly urged to wear hearing and eye protection. Assistance for disabled competitors is provided.
A free Shooters’ Clinic is usually held in connection with the Rimfire Sport match at Camp Perry. The Clinic covers Rimfire Sporter rules, safety instructions, course of fire, and competition procedures. Shooters who have not previously attended a CMP Rimfire Sporter Match are strongly encouraged to attend.
Do you want to see more Rimfire Sporter photos? CLICK HERE to view the CMP Zenfolio Archive with 1200+ photos from Rimfire Sporter Matches at Camp Perry and elsewhere.
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2023 Smallbore and Air Rifle Champion: Cecelia Ossi
Story based on article by CMP’s Sheri Trusty
At the 2023 National Matches at Camp Perry this summer, 21-year-old competitor Cecelia Ossi achieved a remarkable double-discipline victory. Ossi placed first in the new Three-position (3P) Smallbore and Air Rifle Aggregate combo event. She did this shooting both outdoors and indoors. This was a great “twin win” by a very talented young lady. A member of the rifle team at the University of Nebraska, Ossi recorded a historically great performance at Camp Perry this summer. Cecelia won the 3P Smallbore and Air Rifle Aggregate with a score of 2421-60X.
For 2023, the CMP created a Three-Position Smallbore and Air Rifle Aggregate Championship for those who competed in both disciplines. Earning the inaugural win in the match was the talented Cecelia Ossi, who shoots for the University of Nebraska rifle team. The CMP had modified the match schedule to allow shooters to compete in Smallbore matches on Camp Perry’s outdoor Petrarca Range as well as in Air Gun events at the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center located just next door — all during the same day.
The 2023 National Matches marked the first time Ossi shot outdoors at Camp Perry. The unique environment gave her the opportunity to test her skills: “Shooting outdoors created a lot of challenges, which is why I loved Camp Perry. You have to figure out how the wind is affecting your shooting, and it’s very rewarding when you get it right.”
Ossi has one more year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and then she plans to join the Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) in Georgia. “I trained with [the USAMU] for a week this summer. I’m really excited about joining them in 2024″, she said. Ossi labels herself a perfectionist, and marksmanship provides a venue to be the best she can be (as the Army would say).
“Marksmanship gives me the opportunity to be a perfectionist. It’s very interesting and mentally challenging to figure out position and challenge myself to be perfect in everything I’m doing.” — Cecelia Ossi
A former gymnastics competitor, Ossi transitioned to marksmanship in her junior year of high school. She is now at the University of Nebraska, where she competes with the rifle team. Ossi is now heading into her senior year at Nebraska. “Marksmanship taught me a lot about the mental side of competing. I think I would have done better in gymnastics had I known all that. The mental side can outweigh the physical side. That’s something that’s overlooked in a lot of sports.”
Ossi said her coaches played a big role in her early, rapid success: “I had phenomenal coaches that helped me progress quickly. They knew my goals and how to help me meet them. They were a huge part of this.” Ossi trained with coaches Tom Fister, Tab Rhode, and Bill Burkert in Pennsylvania and with Peter Fiori (Senior) in New Jersey. Mindy Miles is head coach and J.T. Schneiring is assistant coach at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Cecelia Competes with both Air Rifles and Smallbore (.22 LR) Rifles
Ossi shot the air rifle competitions with a Walther Monotec rifle, and she shot smallbore with a Walther KK500 equipped with custom modifications. “My parts are mostly custom built by Peter Fiori, Sr. He played a big part in my marksmanship”, Ossi explained. Both her rifles have very sophisticated stocks that allow precise adjustment of cheekpiece height and buttstock height/length/angle to suit the three different positions that she shoots: standing, kneeling, and prone.
Camp Perry — Shooting Outdoors with Electronic Targets
Camp Perry’s unique shooting environment drew Ossi to the 2023 National Matches. “Camp Perry is the only place I’ve had the chance to shoot team matches. I had never shot team smallbore before. That was very fun. It’s fun to bring the team aspect into shooting and work together”, she said. “Each person shot a different position, so it highlighted each person’s strengths. I was nominated to shoot standing, which is my strength, so that was fun.”
Camp Perry employed electronic targets for the National smallbore matches for the first time this year. Ossi enjoyed this modern technology: “The electronic targets were a big reason why I decided to shoot smallbore at the National Matches. The electronic targets brought a bigger crowd overall for the matches and made the whole experience really great. The staff did really well making the matches run smoothly.”
Path to Success — How Young Shooters Can Win a Spot on College Teams
Ossi’s rushed entrance into competitive marksmanship gives her a unique view into the challenges young college hopefuls face, and she is open to advising young recruits as they maneuver through the college process: “I talk to a lot of recruits and young rifle shooters. The biggest thing, when you’re looking to get into college, is putting yourself out there and introducing yourself. It says a lot about you, and the coaches remember that.”
Ossi said college recruiting rules limit the connections between college hopefuls and coaches, so she encourages young marksmen to talk to college athletes like herself: “Don’t hesitate to reach out to college shooters. I’m always open to answer questions. You can always talk to collegiate shooters when you can’t always talk to coaches.”
From Gymnastics to Competitive Shooting After years of training as a high-level gymnast in her early teens, Cecelia transitioned to marksmanship competition in her junior year of high school. She had little time to perfect the skills necessary to earn a spot on a collegiate team, but she applied the discipline she learned as a gymnast to her new sport and achieved success. Her high school rifle match performances earned Ossie an invitation to join the University of Nebraska-Lincoln rifle team.
“In my junior year of high school, I had to retire from gymnastics due to injuries, and I felt a little lost,” she said. “I had done a lot with 4-H shooting sports — muzzleloader, shotgun, you name it. I did a lot of different disciplines, so I had a little bit of shooting experience.”
When Ossi learned a friend’s sister was a member of a collegiate rifle team, it opened her mind to new possibilities: “I dove right in. The coaches were amazing, and it brought me to the college 1 ½ years later. It was a quick transition from gymnastics to shooting.”
Ossi applied her gymnastics training to marksmanship: “I think all that training as a high-level gymnast played a part. I knew how to train for long hours every day, and I knew how to set goals. Having physical discipline and mental discipline helped. It was just a different sport.”
CMP Online Resources for Junior Competitors and Parents
The CMP has good resources for junior competitors on the CMP Website. There you will find information on youth shooting programs, along with College Connect and Guide to College Recruiting. These are excellent resources for parents and juniors.
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SFC Brandon Green Fires 2023 First Shot at Camp Perry Matches
The First Shot Ceremony for the 2023 Camp Perry National Matches took place July 10, 2023. The star of the show was Sergeant First Class (SFC) Brandon Green of the USAMU, one of the greatest marksmen in American history. Brandon delivered a speech and kicked off the competition with the First Shot (see above), taken with a famed Winchester Model 70 used by Gary Anderson 51 years ago.
SFC Green is truly one of the greatest shooters on the planet. His record in major competitions is truly remarkable. Green has won three NRA National High Power Championships, and in winning the 2022 NRA Long Range Championship, Brandon became the first person in history to win all four individual matches in the series: the Wimbledon Cup, the Mustin Trophy, the Leech Cup, and the Remington Band of Brothers Trophy. Green, from Box Springs, Georgia, is the first shooter to accomplish this feat in the history of the National Trophies, spanning more than a century of championship rifle competition. In addition, Green has won the Interservice Long Range championships five times and the Interservice Individual Championship four times.
SFC Brandon Green Fires Cannon at Conclusion of First Shot Ceremony
CLICK HERE for gallery of photos from 2023 First Shot Ceremony at Camp Perry.
Green has had a stellar marksmanship career. First Shot Ceremony Emcee and CMP Programs Chief, Christie Sewell noted: “His historic 2018 shooting season finished with Brandon earning four individual national records, capturing his first President’s 100 Match win in dramatic fashion. He set a new national record – a perfect score of 400, with a 20 ‘X’ count. That year he also won his third National Trophy Individual championship and third Mountain Man Trophy, setting a new national record.”
Green Fires First Shot with Gary Anderson’s Famed Winchester Model 70
Green was given the opportunity to choose his gun for the ceremonial first shot, so he chose the bolt-action Winchester Model 70 that Director Emeritus of Civilian Marksmanship, Gary Anderson, used in 1972 to set the only perfect 200-yard standing slow-fire score at the National Matches. “To shoot it was absolutely a huge honor,” Green said. “I was shooting a piece of history.”
The gun’s story begins long before that historic shot. “This gun plays a special role in the history of marksmanship,” said Anderson. “It started as my dad’s rifle and was converted to a match rifle. In 2019, I used it to shoot the first shot, so it’s been here at the First Shot Ceremony a couple times.”
Brandon Green Joins Rimfire Match before First Shot Ceremony
Green, a 20-year member of the U.S. Army Marksmanship unit, arrived at Camp Perry a few days ahead of the rest of his USAMU teammates. SFC Green wanted a few days, he said, to collect his thoughts and prepare the First Shot Ceremony speech he would deliver to the hundreds of people attending the event. But he got sidetracked. As he walked across the Petrarca Range parking lot, he stopped to watch men and women compete in the Smallbore Prone Iron Sight Championship and to talk to CMP Smallbore Program Manager Brad Donoho.
“I told Brad it looked fun and said I’ll have to find a rifle,” Green said. “Brad said I’ve got a guy who has an extra rifle. I borrowed a gun and borrowed ammo and had a lot of fun.”
Members of Congress and CMP Chairman/CEO Attend First Shot Ceremony
The July 10 First Shot ceremony was attended by hundreds of marksmen, National Matches competitors, and dignitaries in the legislative, marksmanship, and military worlds. Guest speakers were Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (Ohio); Congressman Bob Latta (Ohio); Major General John C. Harris Jr.; and Gerald O’Keefe, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Civilian Marksmanship Program. O’Keefe talked about the impact the National Matches’ long history has made on marksmanship, and he said the CMP is committed to carrying that impact into the future.
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The CMP National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio kick off July 7, 2023 with smallbore events. The Camp Perry matches are historic, having been held since 1907 at this location on the shores of Lake Erie. The 2023 First Shot Ceremony takes place Monday, July 10, at 4:30 p.m. on the grounds of Camp Perry. Multi-time Nat’l High Power Champion SFC Brandon Green will speak and make the traditional First Shot to officially open the National Matches.
For this week’s Saturday at the Movies, we offer six videos from Camp Perry. These cover both rimfire and centerfire shooting, team matches (including the famous “Rattle Battle”), along with pistol shooting. If you’re heading to Camp Perry this summer, today’s video showcase provides an informative preview.
CMP National Matches at Camp Perry — 2023 Preview
This 3-minute video shows the Camp Perry ranges and shooting facilities and explains the programs scheduled for summer 2023, including training courses. The video also covers nearby accommodations and explains how to register for the National Matches on the CMP website.
NTIT Team Match — “Rattle Battle” at Camp Perry
The CMP’s National Trophy Infantry Team Match (NTIT) has been a staple at the National Matches since 1922. Also known as the “Rattle Battle,” the event is one of the most unique in the competitive rifling world — scoring is based on how many hits six-person teams can score on a bank of targets during a series of 50-second firing periods at four yardages.
Watch CMP ‘Rattle Battle’ Video — 50 Seconds of Rapid Fire…
Teams fire upon eight silhouette targets from 600, 500, 300 and 200 yards during successive 50-second periods. After each rapid-fire string, team members move forward (to the next-closest distance) carrying all equipment from firing line to firing line. The video shows the California Grizzlies, one of the top junior squads. The lead photo shows the U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) Team in action during the NTIT match. See more in USAR “Rattle Battle” Video.
Camp Perry M1 Garand Competition — Vintage Military Rifle
The John C. Garand match is a Camp Perry classic. Note the signature Garand clip in the air.
The CMP hosts the popular M1 Garand Match as well as the Springfield M1A Match. This writer’s father carried a Garand in WWII — reason enough for me to want one. But I also loved the look, feel, and heft of this classic American battle rifle. And the unique “Ping” of the ejected en-bloc clip is music to the ears of Garand fans. Some folks own an M1 Garand for the history, while others enjoy competing with this old war-horse. The CMP’s John C. Garand Match is one of the most popular events at Camp Perry every year. There are other vintage military rifle matches.
Rimfire Sporter Event Draws Hundreds of Competitors
If there is a single CMP event at Camp Perry every summer that offers the highest level of shooter satisfaction, the most diverse group of competitors, and the lowest cost of entry, that would have to be the annual Rimfire Sporter Match. This year’s match will be held on Saturday, July 8, 2023, during the first weekend of the National Match Schedule at Camp Perry. One of the most popular annual Camp Perry events, the Rimfire Sporter Rifle match features .22 LR competition in open sights (O-Class), telescopic (T-Class) and tactical/unlimited (TU) classes, fired at 25 and 50 yards. A CMP Rimfire Clinic will be held prior to the match.
Each year, the Rimfire Sporter Match attracts hundreds of shooters to the shore of Lake Erie at Camp Perry. The CMP National Rimfire Sporter Rifle Match offers shooters a recreation-oriented competition where they use affordable, smallbore sporter rifles with either scopes or iron sights. All you need are a .22 LR rifle, sling, and ammo.
Service Rifle Matches — AR-Platform Rifles, Now with Optics
Service Rifle shooting is fun yet challenging. You need to develop skills with multiple positions and be able to make rapid wind calls. However, the modern AR-based service rifle is affordable and has relatively low recoil. Highly-customizable, modern service rifles can be fitted with adjustable stocks and optional magnified optics. Older military rifles, such as the M1A and M1 Garand, offer different challenges with heavier-recoiling cartridges, greater weights, and classic iron sights. Hi-Lux asked competitors at Camp Perry during CMP’s 2021 summer games what they enjoyed most about competition with service rifles and Military rifles such as the M1 Garand. The shooters’ responses had four key themes: Self-Improvement, Comradery, History (enjoying shooting rifles with heritage), and Challenge.
Camp Perry Bullseye Pistol Competition
Camp Perry hosts the most prestigious annual trophy matches in our nation’s history. And in a venue renowned for service rifle matches, the sport of precision pistol is no less important, no less challenging, and no less respected. The National Trophy Pistol Matches are all about traditional handgunning — the stance, the intense concentration, and of course, the one-handed grip. It’s all unmistakable as the game of Bullseye Pistol. Every year there are 20+ match trophies for the top Bullseye Pistol shooters, both military and civilian. And the very best will claim National Match Trophies and receive the President’s 100 Tab.
CMP Camp Perry National Matches Registration Links
The 2023 CMP National Matches at Camp Perry commence Friday, July 7, 2023 with the Rimfire Sporter Clinic and Smallbore check-in/practice. The summer schedule concludes Saturday, August 5 with the Palma Match and awards. Here is the full CMP schedule (click to zoom):
NOTE: This CMP Calendar is hosted online in spreadsheet format. This allows you to increase display size, and also to search for specific words. CLICK HERE to view full spreadsheet calendar.
History of Camp Perry
“In the year 1907 the machinery of the National Matches, now grown to immense proportions, was moved to the mammoth new range at Camp Perry.”
—James Drain, Arms and the Man, August 1911
Federal legislation originally launched the National Matches. The 1903 legislation also established the National Matches, commissioned the National Trophy and provided funding to support the Matches. The National Matches have been held at Camp Perry since 1907. The range is located along the shores of Lake Erie in northern Ohio near Port Clinton. The site was first acquired in 1906, in response to the need for a larger facility for military training and the NRA’s shooting programs. The original land for Camp Perry was purchased in 1906, and the reservation was named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the American naval commander who won the Battle of Put-in-Bay during the War of 1812.
On August 19, 1907, Cpl. L. B. Jarrett fired the first shot at the new Camp Perry Training Site. And that year, 1907, Camp Perry held its first National Pistol and Rifle Championship events. This location has hosted the annual National Matches ever since. Typically over 4,000 competitors attend the National Matches each year, making it the most popular shooting competition in the western hemisphere.
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The CMP 2023 National Matches will take place at Camp Perry from July 7 through August 5, 2023. Camp Perry is a National Guard facility located on the shore of Lake Erie in northern Ohio near Port Clinton.
The annual Camp Perry National Matches have evolved — the 2023 event calendar has been modified from previous years – allowing overlapping disciplines and new matches, along with updates to the ranges themselves to improve the competition experience. SEE Full Camp Perry NM Calendar.
Unlike past years, the National Matches will now begin with Smallbore and Rimfire Sporter Rifle events, rather than Pistol matches. The National Smallbore rifle series will utilize electronic targets for the first time in its history, and the CMP Highpower Rifle Championships will now also be fired on electronic targets, with three 80-shot matches, followed by a 4-Man team event. The CMP National Trophy Rifles matches will follow and continue to be fired on paper targets.
Other changes for 2023 include the assembly of Pistol target lines at 25 and 50 yards to eliminate moving between strings. Also, an extra category has been added to the GSSF GLOCK National Pistol Challenge. Along with Stock, Unlimited and Rimfire classes, the match will now facilitate a Modular Optic System (MOS) Configuration category.
CMP offers Air Rifle and Air Pistol competitors an opportunity to compete at Camp Perry in the Air Gun National Matches. The National Match Air Gun Events will include a new 3-gun match and team matches for air pistol and air rifle.
Additionally, there will be multiple Garand/Springfield/Vintage/Modern Military (GSMM) Matches at the CMP Camp Perry National Matches this year. And, during the Long Range rifle phase, a Mid-Range Match 3×600 match has been added to the schedule.
The John C. Garand match is a Camp Perry classic. Note the signature Garand clip in the air.
Registration for the 2023 National Trophy Pistol and Rifle Matches is OPEN. CLICK HERE to Sign up and review all the 2023 National Matches event info on the CMP website.
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At Camp Perry this summer, there will be a new 600-yard match as part of the CMP’s National Long Range series, slated for July 31 through August 5, 2023, at Camp Perry, Ohio. For the first time, there will be a Mid-Range 3×600 Match, with 20 shots slow prone at 600 yards. This 3×600 competition is the first of the CMP’s Mid-Range offerings, with more planned in the near future.
Open to competitors of any experience level, the CMP’s National Long Range Series features ten individual and team events in Service, Match, and Palma rifle classes on Camp Perry’s 1,000-yard Viale Range. The matches are open to Match Rifle, Service Rifle, Palma, F-Open, F-TR or AR Tactical categories. The National Long Range series is part of the CMP’s annual National Matches, held at Camp Perry, Ohio.
Other Camp Perry National Match Events Include:
Viale Memorial, Critchfield, Henry Memorial, Kerr Memorial, McMaken & Speaks Memorial, Baesel Memorial individual matches – 20 slow prone shots at 1,000 yards.
Bataan Memorial 4-Man Team Match – 20 shots slow prone by each member at 1,000 yards.
Winder Memorial Iron 4 Man Team Match – 20 record shots per team member at 1,000 yards.
Camp Perry Palma Match – 15 record shots at 800, 900, and 1,000 yards.
CLICK HERE for CMP High Power Rifle Competition Rules (2023)
About the Camp Perry National Matches
Held at the Camp Perry National Guard Training Facility in Ohio since 1907, the National Trophy Pistol and Rifle Matches offer a wide variety of smallbore rifle, high power rifle, and pistol competitions. The Small Arms Firing Schools lead new and experienced individuals on safety and fundamentals within Pistol, Rifle, and Smallbore Rifle disciplines. The National Matches are conducted by a partnership between the CMP and Ohio National Guard. Learn more by visiting the CMP National Match website.
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The 2022 NRA National Matches at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, commenced Monday, July 11th, with the opening ceremony and the start of the High Power Rifle OTC National Championship. Held since 2017 at Camp Atterbury, a National Guard training facility, the 2022 NRA National Matches will continue through August 7, 2022. The photo above shows Denise Loring of Camp Valor Outdoors shooting on Day 1 of the High Power Rifle Championship.
Shooting Sports USA reports: “Opening the competition this year at Camp Atterbury was Indiana First Lady Janet Holcomb, NRA First Vice President Willes K. Lee, NRA Second Vice President David Coy, and Indiana State Rifle and Pistol Association President and new NRA Board Member Charlie Hiltunen. Indiana First Lady Janet Holcomb had the honor of firing the ceremonial first shot. She was shooting an AR-15 with a Compass Lake upper, Geissele trigger and Nightforce optic. For the first time, the first shot for the NRA National Matches at Camp Atterbury was fired on an electronic target.”
CLICK HERE for full 2022 NRA National Matches schedule. You can also follow the action this summer at Camp Atterbury by subscribing to Shooting Sports USA’s free Insider Newsletter.
2022 NRA National Matches Schedule at Camp Atterbury:
High Power OTC (Across the Course): July 10–15, 2022
High Power Mid-Range: July 16–21, 2022
Precision Pistol: July 17–23, 2022
High Power Long-Range: July 24–29, 2022
Smallbore 3-Position: July 25–29, 2022
Smallbore Prone: July 30 – August 7, 2022
Extreme Long-Range (ELR): August 5–7, 2022
Here’s a competitor’s first-hand video of 2018 High Power Championship at Camp Atterbury:
NRA Second Vice President David Coy, who will compete at Camp Atterbury during the Precision Pistol National Championships next week, thanked everyone who worked to support this event. David noted: “We as Americans are inherently competitive… This competition is an outgrowth of the original purpose of the NRA to teach marksmanship.”
Lodging Options at Camp Atterbury — Summer 2022
There are several housing options at Camp Atterbury. The most convenient are on-base, with Camp Atterbury offering hotel-style buildings with suites, along with standard rooms, and ‘open military squad bay’-style quarters available by reservation. Camp Atterbury also offers a limited number of RV spots, plus the MWR campground and cabins. NOTE: Lodging is controlled by the Camp Atterbury Lodging Office, not the NRA.
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The CMP has opened 
After years of training as a high-level gymnast in her early teens, Cecelia transitioned to marksmanship competition in her junior year of high school. She had little time to perfect the skills necessary to earn a spot on a collegiate team, but she applied the discipline she learned as a gymnast to her new sport and achieved success. Her high school rifle match performances earned Ossie an invitation to join the University of Nebraska-Lincoln rifle team.
