Corcoran Leads Garand/Springfield Matches at Camp Perry in September
October 6, 2021
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) hosted a fall Garand/Springfield/Vintage and Modern Military (GSMM) match on the electronic targets of Petrarca Range, located on the grounds of Camp Perry. The event, held Sept. 25, saw over 30 entries over the course of the day.
Winning both the Garand and Springfield match courses was Corcoran Tyson, 63, of Boones Mill, Virginia. He fired a score of 266-3X with the Garand, while his Springfield led him to an overall score of 286-4X.
Tyson has a long history of marksmanship competition that spans almost 50 years. He often shot in NBPRP (National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice) and National Rifle Association events – frequenting the Camp Perry National Matches from 1977 to 2002. He also shot on five championship RNDC four-man teams at Nationals, two six-man teams for Virginia State in the NBPRP matches in the 1980s and earned his Distinguished Rifleman Badge in 1982.
This year, while on vacation in September, he decided to make a quick stop for the Petrarca GSMM match – just one more go on the ranges of Camp Perry.
“Kind of a memory lane thing,” he said. “I went to see how much it has changed, and it has a lot.”
It was on the grounds of Camp Perry in 1989 that he finished third overall in the Marine Corps Cup Match and fired a record score of 200-18X (300-yard rapid prone). He came back to win the match in 1992 with the same score, which still stands as record today. Also back in 1989, Tyson reached a score of 200-19X at 600 yards in the Crowell Trophy Match – a national record that stood nearly 20 years – on Target 37 of Camp Perry’s Rodriguez Range. He would go on to mark three wins in the match during his career.
When he finished firing on Petrarca for the GSMM, he went back to firing point 37 and relived the record-setting day from three decades earlier, thinking back to the hundreds of spectators and fellow competitors who cheered on his achievement.
“I have tons of memories,” Tyson said. “I’ve met tons of people and had lots of victories [at Camp Perry].”
Though he stopped shooting competitively in 2002, he continues to dabble in vintage rifles and even some pistol.
“Aging is hell,” he joked. “I have tons of stories from shooting in just about every state in the country, ended up with 27 Regional Championships over that time and shot against the best.”
“I’ll keep going till I drop,” he added.
Also earning high marks in the September Petrarca GSMM was Craig Downing, 57, of Strongsville, Ohio, who claimed the Vintage Military Match with a score of 255-3X. William Jackson, 64, of Sterling Heights, Michigan, topped the Modern Military competition with 252-0X.
See a complete list of results of the September GSMM on the CMP Competition Tracker page at https://ct.thecmp.org/PetrarcaGSMSept21results. Photos are available for free download on CMP’s Zenfolio page at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/p724964191.
Guests are welcome to use Petrarca Range every Monday, by appointment only, during the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., through November. To learn more, visit https://thecmp.org/ranges/cmp-targets-at-petrarca-range/. To make an appointment on the firing line, please call (419) 635-2141, ext. 704.
More About Petrarca Range:
CMP Targets at Petrarca Range is powered by the Kongsberg Target Systems (KTS) of Norway. With the use of electronic targets, marksmen no longer need to walk downrange to change paper or use a scope to score – simply approach the firing line and watch shots instantly appear on monitors located at each firing point. For more information, visit the Petrarca Range page on the CMP website at https://thecmp.org/competitions/cmp-targets-at-petrarca-range/.
Where is Petrarca Range?
Petrarca Range is located at the Camp Perry Training Facility near the shores of Lake Erie, only six miles west of Port Clinton on State Route 2. Camp Perry’s entrance is marked by its signature stone towers and checkered water tower in the distance.
About KTS Electronic Targets:
KTS Electronic Targets work through the power of acoustics – “hearing” the shot and accurately determining its location. With extensive use by ranges in 30 nations for over 20 years by Kongsberg Target Systems and additional experience received in-house by the CMP, the accuracy and ease of these electronic targets make marksmanship even more enjoyable for every age and experience level.
It would be highly interesting to know what contestants were shooting in the Vintage category. And, it would be helpful if the next Shooting News would describe which “vintage” rifles are allowed in Vintage competition. I waded through the rules and found nothing describing them. Are single shots like trapdoors allowed? Is black powder allowed? Just asking….
The Vintage Military Match rules are located in our Games Rulebook or feel free to reach out to our Competitions Department at competitions@thecmp.org. This rulebook may be viewed at https://thecmp.org/competitions/cmp-competitions-rulebooks/.
The Vintage Military Rifles are covered in Rule 4.6.4, As-Issued U.S. Krag, M1917 or foreign military rifles (Any rifle that complies with Rules 4.2.4 or 4.2.5.).
4.2.4 Other As-Issued U. S. Military Rifles
The rifle must be a manually operated rifle that was issued by the U.S. Armed Forces and be in as-issued condition. Permitted rifles are the Caliber .30 U. S. Model 1917 and the Caliber .30-40 U. S. Krag. Other U. S. military rifles such as the Caliber .30-40 M1895 (lever action) and 6mm caliber M1895 Lee- Navy rifle may be used.
a) Rifles must be as issued by the U.S. Armed Forces, with standard stock and sights;
b) Trigger pulls may not be less than 3.5 lbs;
c) Sights must be of the same types that were on rifles issued to regular military personnel, except that the front sight may be retrofitted with a blade with the same profile as the as-issued sight that is not wider than 0.100”;
d) The use of shims made of any material in the action and barrel bedding areas of the stock is prohibited;
e) Only U.S. Government Issue parts or non-U. S. Government or commercial parts of the exact same weight and dimensions may be used; and
f) As-issued M1917 rifles must be chambered for the .30-06 cartridge. U. S. Krag rifles must be chambered for the .30-40 Krag cartridge.
4.2.5 As-Issued Foreign Military Rifle
The rifle must be a rifle that was issued by the Armed Forces of a country other than the U. S. and be in as-issued condition. All as-issued foreign military rifles must be manually operated bolt-action or straight-pull rifles. Semi-automatic or fully automatic rifles are not permitted.
a) Rifles must be as issued by the foreign government, with a standard stock and sights;
b) Trigger pulls may not be less than 3.5 lbs.;
c) Rifles must conform to the weight and dimension specifications of the standard issue service rifle. Weights may not be added to the rifle;
d) Only Government Issue parts or commercial parts of the exact same weight and dimensions may be used;
e) Sights must be of the same types that were on rifles issued to regular military personnel. Special purpose sights designed for sniping, target practice or competition are not permitted;
f) Rifles that were issued with pointed, inverted V front sights may be retrofitted with flat-topped post front sights of military type. Retrofitted front sights may not have copper bead or colored aiming elements and may not be wider than 0.100”;
g) Rifles issued with side-mounted front sling swivels may be retrofitted with military type sling swivels (not quick detachable) that are positioned in the 6 o’clock location, relative to its original sling swivel location (may not be moved forward or rearward from that point). If the issue swivel was narrower than 1 1/4” the retrofit swivel may be 1 1⁄4”. The as-issued sling may be replaced with a standard U. S. military sling (Rule 3.6.1);
h) Rifles may be accurized only by the careful assembly of standard parts;
i) Rebarreling with a barrel of as-issued dimensions is permitted;
j) Shims made of wood, fabric, paper, metal or other similar material, of types that were originally installed by military arsenals in these rifles and that are placed between the stock and the action, barrel or trigger assembly are permitted;
k) All as-issued rifles must be chambered for the cartridge for which they were originally chambered; and
l) Rifles may be equipped with slings originally issued with the rifle or with a U. S. M1907 or M1 sling (see Rule 3.6.6).
Hope this helps,
Christine