TargetTalk

Someone once told me what is “fair” in life. It’s a skin condition, a weather report, what you pay to ride a bus, and where you take your child to buy him or her a balloon. I worked at a high level organization just before retirement and that was after serving “in the field” for many years. Shooters may never know the “exact” reason(s) for what has occurred at the National Level either/or done solely by one and/or between different Organizations. Seen it and experienced it too many times. We, the shooters, must take the cards that have been dealt and do the very best that we can – not only for ourselves but those to follow. We have many that have and will make efforts to preserve our sport: Hap Rocketto, Mike Carter, Ken Benyo, and others for sure. Hap’s article about Joe Farmer is a great inspiration for myself and most likely many other Senior shooters. ASSA’s excellent coverage of their/our first National Match, with so many Juniors in 3P, should be an inspiration for fellow smallbore shooters. In fact, I’m going to try and recruit some Juniors for 2018 and continue to recruit adults.

“Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.” General George Patton

Imagine the "National Matches" as a brand. This brand is synonymous with a specific geographical location in our country, that being the ranges at Camp Perry. Why is this important?

1) Conditions- The past winners of the NRA trophies did so by besting everyone else on a range that can be considered the fairest test of conditions ever. When the wind blows at Perry it blows the same for everyone (moguls excluded). It may not reach everyone at the same time but it will affect them equally.

2) The Critchfield course of fire and trophy. The past winners of the NRA Critchfield Trophy sent 640 record fire rounds down range over the course of 4 separate days. Since 1955 all but 14 of the champions earned their place in history by doing the same thing. Not to disparage any of our champions who won with only 480 rounds, but they didn't compete in the same match. Maybe NRA should create a new trophy that is 3/4 the size. The name Critchfield is Camp Perry. He was the founder of the "National Matches" at Camp Perry. One might argue the original winners of the award never fired 640 shots and the course of fire has changed over the years. I would say 42 of the past 55 championships establishes a precedent as THE COURSE of FIRE.

Someone earlier in this thread stated there can only be one National Championship because of the trophies and the history of the matches. I agree, but since 2009 the significance of that award has been tarnished by the changes made.

If there is an organization who owns the term "National Matches" it is the CMP. NRA has no claim to the phrase. The smallbore shooting community that has competed at Camp Perry for the "NRA Smallbore Championship" has done so as a partnership between CMP and NRA. This also applies to High Power and Pistol. The partnership is broken, and no one from either organization will say why.

NRA is spinning change in a manner that basically says your traditions are not valued. Every winning name on every NRA trophy ever awarded at Camp Perry should be disappointed and offended by what has transpired between NRA and CMP.

I'll speculate and say most all conventional smallbore shooters would agree with this statement. "The winner of the NRA Smallbore (Position/Prone) Championship should be crowned at Camp Perry". For all the reasons that have been discussed in forums and Facebook, I've not read any compelling statement to think otherwise.

So what is the solution? I propose this. Instead of diluting the importance of the championship, the ASSA, CMP, and NRA should be seeking a compromise to restore it back to the prominence it deserves.

Solution: CMP runs the smallbore championship exactly as before at Camp Perry during the traditional time frame. All entry fees are paid to the CMP to conduct the matches and adjusted accordingly so as not to result in a financial loss. The named NRA trophies are awarded to the winners on the stage at Camp Perry's Hough Theater. Rules for conducting the match will be NRA. The name of the Championship in the program would be "The National Smallbore 3-Position Championship" and "The National Smallbore Prone Championship".

This solution would work for the following reasons. CMP wins by truly making the matches at Camp Perry the "World Series of Shooting Sports" by growing their brand and mission to include precision smallbore rifle. NRA wins by keeping their brand associated with the championship but absolving themselves of the cost and responsibility other than supplying replica trophy plaques and transporting the trophies to and from Camp Perry. Or, CMP provides the replica plaques and NRA only needs to transport the trophies. Vendors win because the quantity of customers returning to Port Clinton improves their sales and makes it a more viable investment.

Finally, the shooting community wins. If you view the entirety of the NRA Smallbore Outdoor Rifle Championships as a product, and yourself as a consumer, the current product is damaged and less valuable. If you view the entirety of the NRA Smallbore Outdoor Rifle Championships as purely a competition, the match in its current state is less meaningful conducted anywhere but Camp Perry. If you view the NRA Smallbore Outdoor Rifle Championship as a social gathering, more than half of your friends are staying away from the range.
Time is slipping away. We are in jeopardy of losing a generation of junior shooters who will never experience shooting outdoors at Camp Perry. I would venture to say none of the CMP rimfire shooters attending the games at Camp Perry are developing a long-lasting impression of wanting to return. The impressions made on our juniors by shooting with legendary champions of our sport does make a lasting impression.

Bristol is merely adequate. The Cardinal center is the unknown alternative with potential to be the future home of a smallbore rifle national championship.
We should be shooting all precision rifle and pistol competitions at Camp Perry under the umbrella of one organization.

ASSA is dedicated to one facet of rifle shooting. NRA has lost its way as a governing body of the foundation shooting sports that are the root of the NRA. CMP is in the best position to grow precision shooting sports in this country.
The schools want nothing to do with NRA. Through ROTC and scholastic shooting, schools have no issue with CMP. With over 250,000 kids participating in 3PAR we have a potential foundation of rifle shooters. If one percent of them would take up smallbore shooting that is 2500 shooters. Imagine if we could get one percent of them to come to the National Championships.

CMP has the most leverage to make this a reality. But it must not do so at the expense of tradition. There is no need to re-invent smallbore.

For the record, this is not an abdication of my role as president of the ASSA. The mission of the ASSA is to protect, promote and sustain conventional smallbore rifle shooting in the USA. We are committed to that mission by preserving the traditions that created our love of the sport. At the time we started the organization there was no such thing as CMP Smallbore, and without details it is merely a place holder on a National Match calendar. ASSA has reached out to NRA via Bill King and CMP via Christie Sewell. The response is underwhelming.

Mike Carter
President ASSA

Mike, a very good and well written article. I know Sommer Wood is with CMP. Talk to her, she is a competition shooter. Don.

Great thoughts and article Mike.

Shot at both Camp Perry and Bristol. At Camp Perry there is more space to set up a tent or canopy but there were times when you ended up in the moguls or had no cover on the firing line. Bristol has good cover on the firing line but little space for a canopy or tent. Otherwise the big difference is lack of vendors at Bristol.

I think the NRA should eliminate the money prizes and that would reduce the cost somewhat.

The NRA high power rifle matches started to fade at Camp Perry. Higher costs are probably a major factor for most shooters favoring the CMP matches.