It has been a very long and eventful season. I’ve burnt up in excess of 3000 rounds, brought my personal best up 30 points, won some medals, shot in matches all over the country and started to get serious about Service Rifle. But all good things must come to an end.
This was the last regular season match at Kimberton Fish and Game, it was a typical summer day, except it was December. It was hazy and warm in the mid to high 60s.
Prone
Slow prone went well, 97-3, I’m pretty happy with that, especially with the dark conditions and HXP.
That proved to be the bright spot of the match as things went down hill from there. Popped a couple 7’s in rapid prone and a pair of misses in off hand to wrap it up. Can’t win them all I suppose.
off hand
Now that the season is over, I’m not going to sit just around. There is a freezer match in January and then some “shoot and scoot” high power format practice matches I plan on attending before the regular season picks back up in April. I am especially excited to get my new 4x scope mounted to my service rifle and try it out!
It’s a tradition at my club to bring our 1917s to the November Match. Because of the holidays let November match falls a little earlier in the month and is often on or about Armistice Day/Veterans Day. Which, As I’m sure the reader is aware marks anversary of the WWI armistice.
My 1917 Eddystone has a July 1918 receiver with a Remington replacement barrel dated 11-18. I like to imagine that it could have been made in time for the AEF’s Hundred Days offensive which “went over the top” 8/8/18 and ended with the armistice on 11/11/18. Then rebarrled in the aftermath of the war with a barrel made in the last month of fighting.
Anyway enough about my imagination. It was cool and bright for the Armistice day match. The glare can be pretty tough at this range in the fall and this match was no exception. Smoking that tiny front sight post help cut down on the glare some.
I punched an 8 on my first shot for score while I was still trying to remember the correct sight picture for this rifle. Posting a 95 in slow prone. As you may know the 1917 has no windage adjustments so it’s a “Pennsylvaina windage” game with these rifles. My Eddystone shoots a bit left so it takes a “favor right” to hit the 10.
Seems when I got to rapid I over compensated some on favoring right but did “ok.”
I sat out the second rely while my shooting buddy posted a nice score with his 1917. Then broke out my RIA 1903 for the third relay.
My Rock Island 1903 is a interwar rebuild. It’s receiver was made just a few hundred after the “safe to fire”serial number cut off for RIA. It’s a neat old rifle sporting a WWII era scant stock and a set of Bill Bentz reproduction USMC sights.
The thick front sight, hood and larger rear peep made all the difference for this rifle that I had long ago written off as “not a shooter” due to its high muzzle numbers. After installing a set of Bill’s sights I discovered the problem was my eyes not the rifle as now it can hold a 1 MOA group.
While I couldn’t hold hard enough to keep all the rounds in a neat little 1 MOA group I did pretty well for the first time out eight the 1903. I was particularly impressed with how smouth thr action is compared to my A3 and 1917s. It was so easy to work I left far too much time on the clock in rapid. I’m used to having to beat the bolt open for a couple rounds in rapid fire due to HXP’s questionable headspace.
My shooting buddy brought out a WWI vintage SMLE which he tells me he will leave at home next time! It was fun to play with some bolt guns for a change. Next month is the last Garand for the season I plan on shooting my December 19141 six digit Springfield, you know, to avenge Pearl Harbor,
Well, it looks like the impossible happened. The 2016 NDAA has been signed including a provision allowing CMP to sell surplus 1911s.
According to CMP it could be up to two years until they are available. Plenty of time to start saving. The NRA states in their press release that the 45 Autos will need to be sent to an FFL as opposed to home delivery like Garands. I’ve read some things around limits per year and some other regulations, but let’s wait for CMP to work out the details.
Don’t expect these to be discount pistols the CMP’s mission is to promote marskmanship, not to provide subsidized pistols. The sales of these 45s will help support their mission, hopefully for many years to come.
NRA press release: https://www.nraila.org/articles/20151125/appropriations-act-passes-with-important-pro-second-amendment-provisions Maybe it will turn out service grade jeeps are not so far fetched after all.
I’ve been working on a M14/M1A build for a few years now. At the 2014 National Matches I picked up a “blemished” M1A receiver from the Springfield Armory shop at commercial row. Over the winter I found a deal on a rack grade TRW GI parts kit. Then this summer Springfield Armory had a package deal on a mid-weight NM barrel and bolt installed while I shopped on commercial row that. I couldn’t it pass up.
After some tinkering and trying to figure out how to put these rifles together, the “Blonde Bomber” was born. If you haven’t guessed she gets her name from her very yellow blond birch stock which is a stock I picked up at the CMP north store.
The GTB Shooting Team headed up to the Poconos to Wilkes-Barre Rifle & Pistol Club with our M14s. It was in the mid 60’s and just a bit overcast up in northeast PA.
WBRP runs a reduced 200 yard CMP National Match Course walk and paste match. It’s a nice club to shoot at with luxurious covered firing points. Since it’s a CMP match all stages start from standing which is good practice for EIC matches. This format is also nice for trying new things since it doesn’t count for EIC points and it doesn’t affect NRA classification.
#blondebomber
Shooting the M14 is interesting. In off-hand I like it better than the Garand but not as much as I like my A2. I weighted my stock which helped me slow my wobble a little. It also has a long magazine which is nice because I have short arms and this hold helps me keep get a better cheek weld in off-hand.
Sitting. Oh boy did the Blonde Bomber push me around in sitting. I gave up a far too many points in sitting because of this. That said, I think with some time I can clean up the sitting position.
Rapid prone when fairly well. Both my shooting buddy and I kept 9 rounds in the black and popped a 6 each… not sure what that was about. Reloading these things might be harder than a Garand or at least I have trouble with rocking in a mag. It otherwise handled like a Garand in rapid prone.
The 20 rounds of slow prone went better than I expected. I got sloppy on the last round and popped that 7. “That little guy, I wouldn’t worry about that little guy.”
I haven’t set up to handload for 308 and I wasn’t impressed with the box of PPU I had shot to check function. Creedmoor sports 30-06 served me very well in my bolt guns at Camp Perry so I picked up a case of it for this match. Just as it had at Perry this ammo didn’t let me down. I continue to be impressed with Creedmoor’s ammo.
In the end I am happy with my performance and the performance of the Blonde Bomber. It was a great match I look forward to going back to WBRP next season. As far as the Blond Bomber, I’m not ready to give up my White Oak AR and take the Blonde Bomber to the NTI in 2016 but for sure I’ll give it a try at the M1A match at Perry.
