Pistol Program

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CMP Pistol Program

Both experienced and beginning pistol shooters can find a variety of opportunities to shoot in local, regional and national competitions. Many local clubs have regular weekly or monthly matches, while the CMP offers matches and learning opportunities throughout the year.

If you’re seeking a pistol competition and you’re not currently a member of a CMP-affiliated club, you can find a local club by browsing the club affiliation link.

Article: How to Shoot a Bullseye Pistol Match

Pistol Small Arms Firing School

If you’re new to service pistol and have an interest in competitive shooting, a great place to start is the Pistol Small Arms Firing School (SAFS), sponsored by CMP and the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit. The school is conducted at Camp Perry each summer and led by some of the top marksmen in the country. Participants can learn about pistol components, safety and even have the opportunity to fire in a true EIC match! Click on this link to learn more.

Pistol Marksmanship 101

The CMP, along with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and CMP Master Instructors, have expanded its outreach to other areas of the country through CMP’s Travel Games matches and Marksmanship 101 classes held at CMP Affiliated Clubs. Click here to learn more.

Earn Excellence-In-Competition Points and “Go Distinguished”

Excellence-In-Competition (EIC) matches enable shooters to earn points towards being awarded the coveted Distinguished Pistol Badge, Distinguished CMP .22 Rimfire Pistol Badge and Distinguished CMP Service Revolver Badge.

The prestigious Distinguished Badge program began more than 120 years ago when the U.S. Army awarded the first badge. In 1891, the program expanded to offer a Distinguished Rifleman Badge and a new Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge, and in 2015, the CMP added the Distinguished CMP .22 Rimfire Pistol Badge. In 2022, CMP added the Distinguished Service Revolver Badge. Click here to view a list of upcoming EIC pistol matches.

In each EIC match, the Top 10% of eligible non-distinguished shooters are awarded EIC (“leg”) points. Points are awarded on the basis of 6, 8 or 10 points per competition, depending upon the individual’s placement among the non-distinguished competitors in a match and the number of eligible non-distinguished competitors in the match. To be eligible for EIC credit points, a match must have at least 6 non-distinguished competitors and conform to the current edition of CMP Competitions Rules and Regulations.

When a civilian competitor earns his or her first EIC “leg” points, whether it is 6, 8 or 10 points, they will be awarded a bronze EIC badge. Twenty points earns a silver badge, while 30 credit points grants a civilian his or her Distinguished Badge. At least one of the “legs” must be an 8 or 10 point leg.

The CMP is proud to recognize all the shooters who have “gone distinguished” from the program’s inception in 1884 until today. For a list of shooters who have earned their Distinguished Badge, visit the Distinguished List on Competition Tracker.

CMP Recognizing our Top Pistol Competitors

The CMP has started a new program to recognize our top pistol competitors. More details to come – check out the competitors that have top our results lists.

Become One of America’s Top Pistol Shooters

Whether you’re a civilian or military shooter, the opportunity to reach the championship level is available to all shooters. After results from sanctioned EIC Pistol matches are received at CMP, scores are inputted into our Competitions Tracker system. This gives us the ability to post the top 100 EIC Pistol Match scores.

Non-EIC Matches and State Championships

Since 2011, the CMP has sanctioned non-EIC matches and State Championships. CMP-affiliated clubs are encouraged to download the forms on the Competitions Form Index. CMP also offers clubs to sanction reduced course indoor matches (currently no EIC points and no classification will be offered for these matches).

If you have any questions, please contact Christina Roguski at croguski@thecmp.org or (419) 635-2141 ext. 714.

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