Armstrong Dominates Classic Military Rifle Competition at Eastern Games

   05.13.13

Armstrong Dominates Classic Military Rifle Competition at Eastern Games

Lexington, North Carolina’s Doug Armstrong was almost invincible in the first part of the Eastern Games Rifle and Pistol Championships held in Butner, North Carolina last weekend and into Tuesday at the National Guard Training Facility. The competition, aimed at encouraging civilian competition with rifles and pistols, is hosted by the Civilian Marksmanship Program. Armstrong won the Garand Match, the Springfield Match, and the Vintage Military Rifle Match to clinch the three gun aggregate championship. Of a possible 900 points for the three gun aggregate, Armstrong only dropped 26 points. The Vintage Sniper Individual Match was won by Richard Thornley with a 199–7x. Armstrong was just one point behind with a 198–7x.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program is an offshoot of the old Director of Civilian Marksmanship and National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice. The CMP sells surplus military rifles and ammunition as well as commercial rifles and ammunition to promote civilian marksmanship in rifle, pistol, and air gun disciplines. Best known for the M1 Rifle sales program, the CMP offers a wide variety of guns and ammunition to qualified individuals and clubs. They also are the organizing body for the National Trophy Matches held as part of the National Rifle and Pistol Championships held every year in July and August at Camp Perry, Ohio. They also run the Excellence in Competition that awards leg points towards coveted Distinguished Rifleman and Pistol Shot badges.

The purpose of the Games is to offer a quality championship shooting event in areas across the country with an emphasis on recreational competitive shooting. To make the games more fun, the CMP includes a cookout for competitors and the atmosphere is relaxed and focused on new shooters. Similar events are held in Oklahoma and Arizona.

Continuing the Eastern Games through the rest of the weekend is the prestigious Creedmoor Cup. Events include an advanced High Power Rifle clinic, followed by a Practice Match, a Long Range Match, the 80-shot Creedmoor Cup Match and a team match.Both events feature special hospitality events and prize awards. All interested shooters, whether new shooters or experienced competitors, recreation-oriented shooters or national championship contenders, are invited to participate in these unique, national-level competitions. The Western CMP Games will be held at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility, Phoenix, Arizona, 12 through 20 October, 2013.

Other results from the Eastern Games were as follows:

  • Vintage Sniper Team Match: Hard Leg #2, 395–13.
  • Modern Military Rifle Match: William Ellis, 289–6x.
  • Small Arms Firing School Match: Vincent Tsa,: 379–8x.
  • SAFS/M16 High Junior: James Robinson, II, 295–1x.
  • The M1 Carbine Match was canceled due to a thunderstorm.
  • 40 Shot Pistol Match: Christopher Roberts, 358–9x
  • CMP As-Issued 1911 Pistol Match: William Bowling, 354–5x
  • EIC Service Pistol Match: Steve Huff, 273–5x
  • Military & Police Service Pistol: Christopher Roberts, 379–7x
  • Pistol Team Match: Roberts/Kittrell, 547–11x
  • Pistol Team Individual High Score: CW4 Thomas Ratledge, ARNG 279–8x
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Dick Jones is an award winning outdoor writer and a member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association Board of Directors. He writes for four North Carolina Newspapers as well as regional and national magazines. He’s hunted and fished most of his life but shooting has been his passion. He’s a former High Master, Distinguished Rifleman, and AAA class pistol shooter. He holds four Dogs of War Medals for Team Marksmanship as shooter, captain and coach. He ran the North Carolina High Power Rifle Team for six years and the junior team two years after that. Within the last year, he’s competed in shotgun, rifle and pistol events including the National Defense Match and the Bianchi Cup. He’ll be shooting the Bianchi, the NDM, the National High Power Rifle Championship, The Rock Castle AR15.com Three Gun Championship and an undetermined sniper match this shooting season.

He lives in High Point, North Carolina with his wife Cherie who’s also an outdoor writer and the 2006 and 2011 Northeast Side by Side Women’s Shotgun Champion. Both Dick and Cherie are NRA pistol, rifle, and shotgun instructors and own Lewis Creek Shooting School.

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