National Standard 3PAR Rules
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National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules: 14th Edition (2022-2024) Click here to download the 14th Edition of the National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules, or click here to purchase a hard copy of the rules from the CMP e-store. This is the 14th Edition of the National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules. This edition is valid for two years, from November 2022 through September 2024. New rules or rules that were substantially changed from the 13th (August 2021 Update) Edition are underlined and shown in red type. Editorial or stylistic changes are not marked. These Rules incorporate numerous recommendations from junior shooting coaches and competition officials and have been coordinated with the current International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Rules. Contact the Rules Hotline The National Three Position Air Rifle Council operates a Rules Hotline to answer questions, offer advice on how to organize competitions or provide official rule interpretations on behalf of the Council. Any coach, athlete or competition official may request assistance from the National Council Rules Hotline by calling (419) 635-2141, ext. 702 or 731, or via email at 3PAR@TheCMP.org. Range Incident Report Form This form can be downloaded and completed by a Range Officer to keep a record of incidents and penalties during a competition.
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Testimonial
Just a quick note to say THANKS for all you do/did to make our Camp Perry experience a good one. Please also relay our thanks to all the other CMP people who do so much for us. Next year I’ll try to remember to bring and take my Prevagen , maybe even read the rule book before arriving. Thanks again , Richard B ,Captain, RI State Pistol Team
Read MoreUSAMU FAQs: Shooting Techniques and Tactics
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SHOOTING TECHNIQUES AND TACTICS FAQ The U. S. Army Service Rifle Team and the CMP have teamed up to provide our First Shot readers with an opportunity to submit their questions on highpower/service rifle shooting and get answers from some of the greatest shooters and coaches in the country. If you have questions about shooting techniques and tactics, send them to USAMU@thecmp.org and a USAMU shooter or coach will answer it here. Q: Good morning, I need some help getting on paper on 800-1000 with my NM AR15. It is an Armalite so it has the front sight that must rotate a 360 degrees to be in line. I am shooting 75 GR Amax at about 2750fps and I am wondering if you can tell me how to get on paper at 800 then maybe and idea of how many min. to 900 and 1000. Do I need to go to the 80 or 90 gr to shoot at these distances. I am shooting the Amax because it performs under ½ min with a scope on the gun. Thank you for your service to this great country! Corey T. A: Sir, I doubt that your load will remain supersonic at 1000 yards. We shoot 80gr bullets at 1000. Our come ups for the 800 yard line are 10 minutes up from our 600 yard zero. 16 minutes from our 600 yard zero for 900, and 21 minutes from our 600 yard zero for 1000. SFC Kyle Ward Q: Hi, I own an M1A1 […]
Read MoreUSAMU FAQs: Equipment and Ammunition
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EQUIPMENT AND AMMUNITION FAQ The U. S. Army Service Rifle Team and the CMP have teamed up to provide our First Shot readers with an opportunity to submit their questions on highpower/service rifle shooting and get answers from some of the greatest shooters and coaches in the country. If you have questions about highpower rifle shooting equipment or ammunition, send them to USAMU@thecmp.org and a USAMU shooter or coach will answer it here. Q: What are you using these days for coaching scopes? A: Sir, We are currently using, and have been for three years, the Kowa Highlander. This scope is basically twin 82mm scopes that are put together as a single unit. The eyepieces are interchangeable and give you the ability to change the power of the scope. We purchased them through Creedmoor Sports. SFC Kyle Ward Q: I just started shooting highpower with an AR15 and like it. They say I need to see the front sight very sharp. I do not see the front sight crisp; I see it a little fuzzy. I am 55 would like to know if there are any solutions to my problem or do I just deal with it. Thank you very much.Dan K. A: Mr. K, Yes, you should see the front sight post very clearly. The fact that you are 55 makes doing that more of a challenge, but achieving a sharp sight picture is certainly possible for you. You may need to do some experimentation with different size front and rear sights. […]
Read MoreCMP Offers GSMM Master Instructor, Range Officer Training Courses in 2024
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By Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has announced its lineup of Master Instructor and Range Officer training courses for 2024! These courses allow learning opportunities on how to train others in marksmanship as well as to ensure safety and proper regulations at local competitive events. The training schedule has expanded in 2024 to reach even more individuals around the country – offering dates in the winter, spring, summer and fall months. Those seeking certification in teaching marksmanship basics and match details as “Master Instructors” of CMP’s sanctioned Garand, Springfield and Modern/Vintage Military (GSMM) rifle or Rimfire Sporter rifle events should look to the GSMM Master Instructor Training Workshops. Registration fee for the class is $135 and includes a notebook, thumb drive, sling, 20 dummy rounds and a CMP Rifle Scorebook. Upcoming 2024 GSMM Master Instructor Training Workshops: For more on CMP Master Instructors, visit https://thecmp.org/training-tech/gsmm-master-instructor/. Likewise, those wishing to be trained on facilitating athletes and safety on the range at CMP sanctioned competitions should enroll in the CMP Range Officer Training Courses. The training is currently offered at Level I and Level II stages. Level I promotes training suitable for all shooting disciplines, showcasing basic Range Officer information. The online course includes instruction, followed by a short quiz. Participants must pass the quiz before being permitted to move on to Level II training. A class fee of $75 is required for the Level I class. Level II provides instruction specialized to a certain shooting discipline, including Highpower Rifle (and […]
Read MoreNine USA Shooting Athletes Earned International Distinguished Badges in 2023
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By Gary Anderson, DCM Emeritus With all of the 2023 ISSF and WSPS international shooting competitions that count towards the awarding of the U.S. Distinguished International Shooter Badge now completed, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) and USA Shooting (USAS) are pleased to announce that nine USA Shooting rifle, pistol, shotgun and paralympic athletes earned this prestigious award during the 2023 competition year. These nine shooting athletes earned their International Distinguished Badges through high ranking performances in International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Championships or in World Shooting Para Sport (WSPS) and Parapan American Championships. The 2023 honorees range in age from 18 to 56. Five are classified as international juniors (two are 18-year-olds), four are para-athletes, two in rifle and two in pistol, one is a member of the Texas Christian University Rifle Team and one shotgun athlete is from the Army Marksmanship Unit at Fort Moore, Georgia. Three of the nine are women. America’s Marksmanship Distinguished Badge Program traces its history back to the first gold Distinguished Marksman Badges awarded by the U.S. Army in 1887. This program, which has been administered by the CMP since 1996, offers competitors opportunities to earn 11 different Distinguished Badges. Of those 11 badges, the one that is the most difficult to earn is the U.S. Distinguished International Shooter Badge. This is because to earn this badge, a rifle, pistol, or shotgun athlete must first qualify for a USA Shooting National Team that represents the USA in ISSF or WSPS Championships. ISSF Championships include the […]
Read MoreCMP Instructor Leads Texas Rifle Championship
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By Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer In his own words, Danny Arnold, 57, of Norman, Oklahoma, has “been competing under the CMP umbrella since the very beginning.” Danny shot his first Excellence-In-Competition (EIC) match in 1993, back when the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) was under the Director of Civilian Marksmanship title, and rolled right into competing in the CMP’s EIC matches when his club, the Oklahoma City Gun Club, began sanctioning monthly events. Danny was the Highpower Director at the time and would take a week’s vacation from work just to help with the competitions. A talented athlete, Danny has been a Distinguished Rifleman since 1996 through earning the necessary points at EIC matches, and he holds a High Master classification. Today, his involvement in marksmanship has evolved beyond the firing line, now serving different training and competitive capacities for the CMP, like as an advisor to the rules committee and calling matches at some of CMP’s Travel Games and the annual National Matches at Camp Perry. “My job description reads something like, ‘May perform other duties as required,’ so I never know what’s around the corner,” he joked. Proving that he knows exactly what he’s doing within the sport, in April 2023, Danny melded back into his competitor gear to earn the overall win in the Texas State Rifle Association’s (TSRA) Service Rifle Championship 50-shot event – earning a score of 494-16X. The TSRA Service Rifle Championship 50 Shot Match features 10 shots standing and 10 shots rapid-fire sitting […]
Read MoreAdult, Junior Marksmen Find New Techniques at 2023 National Matches Clinics
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By Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer CAMP PERRY, Ohio – Each year, hundreds of visitors from all corners of the country attend the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) National Matches, participating in the variety of traditional and contemporary rifle competitions for both adults and juniors. Though many arrive for the competition alone, others come to hone their skills on the range through training by some of today’s best marksmen and women through high-level courses like the Advanced Highpower Clinic and the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Highpower Clinic. More than 100 participants met on the firing line for the CMP Advanced Highpower Clinic in 2023, where they received detailed instruction in service rifle competition techniques using classroom and range discussion. The class utilizes both dry-fire training on the range as well as live-fire practice. Areas of focus include wind reading, mental management, care and use of equipment, zeroing, range safety, positioning and more. Robert Turnquist, 60, traveled from Lincoln Park, MI, to attend this year’s Advanced Clinic. Interested in marksmanship his entire life, Turnquist, a long-time National Matches attendee, first arrived when he was invited by old friends back in 2015 and has returned on his own ever since. “I fell in love with the place,” he said of Camp Perry. “It’s like going back to camp when you’re a kid. I drank the Kool-Aid.” He began as a pistol competitor and added highpower rifle competition in 2016. The following year, he participated in the Rifle Small Arms Firing School, led by members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship […]
Read MoreCMP Gearing Up for New Mid-Range Match along with Long Range National Matches
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By Sheri Trusty, CMP Feature Writer The wide scope of the 2023 Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) Long Range National Matches provides an opportunity for just about anyone to test their skill at long distance shooting including a new Mid-Range Match. Participants can compete with six different rifles in three different classes, making the matches accessible to marksmen of all skill levels. The matches will be held on July 31 to Aug. 5 during the National Matches on Camp Perry’s Viale Range. “Pretty much anyone who has a long range rifle or AR can shoot the matches,” said CMP Highpower Rifle Coordinator Sara Rozanski. “We could get anyone to fall into one of the categories offered.” The Long Range series featuring 800, 900, and 1,000-yard matches was launched by CMP in 2018. This year, a 600-yard Mid-Range match was added. “This is the first time we’ve had a mid-range match. It’s three matches, shot at 600 yards,” Rozanski said. “This is a program we’d like to grow.” The Long Range series includes ten individual and team events. The matches are named for citizen soldiers and those whose vision and determination made Camp Perry, Ohio, the site of one of the finest ranges in the world and permanent home of The National Matches. Participants can compete with a Match Rifle, Service Rifle, Palma, F-Open, F T/R or AR Tactical in the Service, Match and Palma rifle classes. Marksmen are welcome to compete for one day or every day of the event. Daily […]
Read MorePetrarca Range Open on Mondays to the Public
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By Sheri Trusty, CMP Feature Writer Each summer, competitors from around the country travel to Camp Perry in Port Clinton, Ohio, for the National Matches, which are open to the public. But many people don’t realize that marksmen of any skill level are welcome to shoot at the Petrarca Range and the National Matches. Petrarca Range, located on the grounds of Camp Perry, is a covered range open on Mondays to the public and features electronic targets equipped with the most innovative technology on the market. “Petrarca Range is for civilians to learn, to practice, and to have fun,” said Petrarca Chief Range Officer Mike Conrad. Petrarca Range shooting stations are positioned at the edge of bay doors which open to give individuals access to the range’s 10 electronic rifle targets. The targets feature Kongsberg Target System (KTS) technology which relies on acoustics to determine shot location. Scoring is instantly displayed on user-friendly, touch screen monitors at your side. “There are microphones in each corner of the target. The microphones pick up the sound and triangulate where the shot is,” Conrad said. “There are no scoring rings. This eliminates the need for someone with a spotting scope.” The KTS technology-enhanced target system is one reason Jim Sherman travels over an hour from his suburban Cleveland home several times a month to shoot at Petrarca. “It’s nice because scoring is really fast and very easy. You just look at the monitor. That’s important because I shoot from all positions, and I […]
Read MoreIn Memoriam: Larry Pendergrass (1939-2023)
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The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is saddened to announce the passing of Major Larry Pendergrass, U. S. Army, Ret., on Sunday, May 14, 2023. Larry Pendergrass was one of the most significant contributors to the development of junior and competition shooting in the USA in the last three decades. Larry’s countless deeds as a marksmanship instructor, mentor of youth, exacting range officer and wise counselor made the shooting sports better. Larry was born in Mt. Vernon, Missouri. He went on to build an incredible legacy filled with many remarkable experiences in his personal life, a distinguished military career and as a national and international shooting sports official. He attended Southwest Missouri State College (now Missouri State University), earned a degree in mathematics, and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant Artillery in 1961. His career as an Army officer carried him around the world and included a tour in Vietnam (1967-68) as well as posts in Germany, Okinawa, and Korea. He retired from active duty in 1982 after 20 years of service. His military honors included two Bronze Stars, two Meritorious Service Medals, and four Army Commendation Medals. After retiring from the Army, Larry moved to the Atlanta, Georgia area where he became a JROTC Instructor at nearby Creekside High School. There, he coached the Creekside High School Rifle Teams to five consecutive Georgia State High School Championships and was named Georgia’s High School Rifle Coach of the Year eight times. After retiring as a JROTC Instructor, Larry became the Georgia High School Association’s Rifle Coordinator and State Championship […]
Read MoreNew Event Added to CMP’s National Matches Long Range Series in 2023
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The Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) National Long Range series will again be fired July 31 through Aug. 5, 2023, highlighted by a new event. For the first time, 2023’s schedule will include a Mid-Range 3×600 Match – 20 shots slow prone at 600 yards in 22-minute block times. The addition is just the beginning of CMP’s Mid-Range offerings, with more planned to be implemented in the near future. Open to competitors of any experience level, the CMP’s National Long Range Series features 10 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 T/R or AR Tactical categories. Awards will be presented to overall competitors from each rifle class during their respective competitions, along with overall aggregate awards to leading individuals through the duration of the Long Range series. The National Long Range series is part of the CMP’s annual National Matches, held at Camp Perry, Ohio. Other events and courses of fire include: View CMP’s Highpower Rifle Competition Rules (2023) at https://thecmp.org/competitions/cmp-competitions-rulebooks/. For additional information on the CMP’s National Long Range Matches and to register, visit https://thecmp.org/cmp-matches/national-long-range-matches/ or contact CMP’s Sara Rozanski at srozanski@thecmp.org. 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 are comprised of celebrated traditional competitions along with modern day additions. The Small Arms Firing Schools lead new and experienced individuals on safety and fundamentals within Pistol, Rifle and Smallbore […]
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