CMP Rifle Program
About Service Rifle Competitions
Rifle shooters can find a variety of opportunities to shoot in local, regional and national competitions. Many local clubs have regular weekly or monthly matches. If you’re seeking a rifle 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 on Competition Tracker.
If you’re new to service rifle and have an interest in competitive shooting, a great place to start is the Rifle Small Arms Firing School sponsored by CMP and the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit. The school is conducted at Camp Perry each summer.
Rifle 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 (EIC) Points and “Go Distinguished”
EIC Matches are important for shooters who wish to obtain their Distinguished Badge. These matches enable shooters to earn points toward earning the coveted Distinguished Rifleman Badge. The prestigious Distinguished Badge program began more than 120 years ago when the U.S. Army first awarded the Distinguished Marksman Badge. In 1891, the program expanded to offer a Distinguished Rifleman Badge and a new Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge. You can find a list of upcoming Excellence In Competition (EIC) service rifle matches on Competition Tracker.
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. When the competitor achieves 20 points, a silver EIC badge is awarded. A civilian will become Distinguished when he or she has earned 30 credit points. 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.
Become America’s Top Rifle Shooter
By participating in club matches and higher level events, the sky is the limit. Some shooters never quite achieve Distinguished or national champion status, but many do. Whether you’re a civilian or military shooter, the opportunity to reach the championship level is available to all shooters. After results from sanctioned matches are received at CMP, scores are inputted into our Competitions Tracker system. This gives us the ability to post the top 100 Rifle Match scores.
Non-EIC Matches and State Championships
CMP-affiliated clubs sanctioned more than 1,000 matches last year for 13,000 competitors. CMP-affiliated clubs are encouraged to download the forms on the Competitions Form Index.
If you have any questions, please contact Christina Roguski at croguski@thecmp.org or (419) 635-2141 ext. 714.