This month the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) will offer multiple events at the Camp Perry Facility in Ohio, including a Veterans’ Day Program (free for Veterans) at the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center. The Competition Center, on the grounds of the Camp Perry National Guard Training Site in Port Clinton, Ohio, is open to the public. The facility houses a retail store, classroom, common area, Laser Shot simulators, and an 80-point indoor electronic target range for air rifle and air pistol.

Later in November there will be a Turkey Shoot Air Rifle Benchrest Match on November 18th. This will be open to the general public and the top shooters can receive a turkey as a prize.

Upcoming events include:

November 11, 12-8 p.m. – Veterans Day – Veterans receive free admission for the air range and Laser Shot simulators.
November 18, 6 p.m. – Turkey Shoot Bench Match – Participants fire air rifles from a support block, equipment provided! Prizes will be awarded to the top three places.
December 16, 5-8 p.m. – Holiday Party – Festive music, refreshments and more!

Bring your own equipment or you can shoot air rifles provided by the facility. Trained staff members will supervise activities and provide safe oversight during training and matches. All ages are welcome. However, juniors must be at least 10 years old to handle air rifles or air pistols.

For more fun, use the up/down and left/right keys on your keyboard to move around the 3D forest and sneak up on the gobblers hiding behind the bushes. Have fun, and enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday!

The Marksmanship Center, completed in the summer of 2008, is a state-of-the-art training facility, ranked as the finest facility of its type in the Western Hemisphere. One part of the center houses a National Guard Engagement Skills Trainer (EST), a simulator that allows Soldiers to train in a controlled indoor environment without the expense of live ammunition.

The other part of the Marksmanship Center is an 80-firing point 10-meter air gun range used for Olympic-style shooting events. The 10-meter range features electronic targets that instantly score and plot shot locations on computer monitors next to each shooter. The 10-meter range has already hosted many high profile competitions including the NRA Air Rifle Championship in July. During its first 15 months of operation, the Camp Perry air gun range has hosted 8,000 shooters who have fired 600,000 shots as well as 11,500 visitors.

How to Get There
Camp Perry is located approximately 5 miles west of Port Clinton on Ohio State Highway # 2. The Camp Perry entrance is on the north side of Hwy # 2 and is marked by two lighthouses. Proceed north (straight) on the Camp Perry entrance road (Niagara Road). Follow signs to the open house. For more info, call 419-635-2141, ext. 1101 or email shand [at] odcmp.com. CLICK HERE to read more about the CMP Open House/Turkey Shoot.

The new, state-of-the-art Marksmanship Center features the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s 80-firing point, 10-meter electronic target air rifle range. Visitors can participate in a free match with a chance to win a turkey, courtesy of the CMP. Every half-hour, the lucky participant who shoots the best center-shot on the 10-meter targets will take home a Thanksgiving turkey just in time for the holiday. Visitors will be treated to hot dogs and refreshments and will have an opportunity to watch Beijing Olypmics shooting videos and purchase CMP sales items.

The Marksmanship Center also features the National Guard’s Engagement Skills Trainer (EST), a marksmanship simulator used for both military small arms and crew-served weapons. The Ohio Army National Guard will give demonstrations of the EST and allow visitors to take part in the training, which involves interactive viewing screens (like a life-size video game). Camp Perry is located approximately five miles west of Port Clinton on Ohio State Highway 2. For more info, call (419) 635-2141 or go to www.odcmp.com and click on the OPEN HOUSE icon.