longrange1947...

82Rigger · #1 10-22-2009, 10:06 AM

From your profile, I KNOW you must have shot some service rifle matches.

Maybe a bunch of 'em.

Back in the sixties there was a service rifle match that I LOVED to shoot.
I shot that match every time it came on the program, but I can't remember what it was called.

It involved shooting at 200, 300, and 600 yards.

The 600 yards was the final phase of the match and was 20 rounds, slow fire, prone position.

The 200 and 300 yard phases included off-hand, sitting (from standing) and prone (from standing).

Spent many a Saturday at the range taking turns working the pits and shooting that match.

Steve

longrange1947 · #2 10-22-2009, 11:31 AM

Those were the cross the course matches and if no sighters were fired then they were called "Leg" matches and counted towards the Distinguished Marksmanship medal. I still mess around with them for fun as my eyes now have more floaters then targets.

82Rigger · #3 10-22-2009, 01:33 PM

LOL!

Know what ya mean about the eyes!

My eyes have gone way south since those days.

I don't remember being allowed any sighters or foulers.

Steve

82Rigger · #4 10-22-2009, 10:42 PM

Longrange,

I found my old "dope book" of notes to myself that I used to keep in my pocket at the firing line.

The little raggety-paged book is jolting some memory cells.

Here is the match course that I was trying to remember the name of:

200 yards, 10 shots, slow fire, standing.
200 yards, 10 shots, rapid fire, sitting from standing.
300 yards, 10 shots, rapid fire, prone from standing.
600 yards, 20 shots, slow fire, prone.

In the margin of the top page I had written, "NM Course".

National Match Course, maybe?

When I first started shooting these matches, I didn't have a Garand...I had a Remington M1903 Springfield high number in really nice condition that I bought with my savings from delivering newspapers. I paid $39.95 for it.

That '03 was just an "off the rack" rifle, but with M72 ammo and if I did MY part, it would keep everything in the black.

Didn't bolt rifle shooters get a little extra time?

Seems like for Garand shooters it was 50 seconds for a 10-shot rapid fire string, and 03 shooters got 60 seconds.

Could be wrong about that.

God, I loved those matches!