<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Old memories of Competition Shooting
The DD man represented Frankford Arsenal at Camp Perry back in the 50s. I remembered watching dad 'dry fire' a hundred rounds off hand at a target on the garage wall from the back porch every evening after work. That started months before going to Perry. Then at 'bout 14 years old I got my own shooting coat and joined him on the porch with another M1 he had. I was a big kid at the time in 7th grade and eventually got to hold an M1 to my shoulder with just the right arm for strengthing and toning the muscles like he did. With two hands we'd raise the rifle up into the air and when we lowered it to the target with a good hold, we'd take our left hand off the forearm completley and hold the rifle as long as we could.....I became an 'Expert Marksman' that summer at Perry.
One summer, must have been in 8th grade, <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> I attended the markmanship training program at Perry and I got to be a Qualified Instructor !!!! For a few years I entered the whole shooting match thing along with dad, even shooting the Wimbleton. Even beat him once during one of the rapid fire matches with the M1. Man, I was a proud kid.
Then he went away and just by chance in highschool I was at the Lyman Gunsight Range in Middleton, Conn. while the Conn. rifle team was practicing and I asked if I could possibly shoot in the next shooting round which happend to be a rapid fire....I don't recall the distance but it was in the sitting position and the nice range guy said, 'Sure, do you have a rifle to shoot "? I said "no, I was down there to sight in my deer rifle".
"Well, all we have here is a Springfield for you to shoot". Do you think you can use that"? I replied "Yes" as I'd fired a Springfield before and watched the lightening fast wrist action of my dad and thought I could do it. I put on a borrowed shooting coat and when the time came I fell to the sitting position as I'd learned in previous matches and in shooting school at Perry. I shot one round and the guy to my left was shooting an M1 and his first shot shell ejected just after I fired my first round. His shell landed between my neck and collar and I thought holy #@7%%.
I let it sit there and burn my skin and kept my concentration on working the bolt, keeping a good sight picture and squeezing the trigger. The range officer was standing right behind me the whole time, taking in everything, I would have imagined with a huge grin. My last round was fired just a second before time was called.
When the scores came up I'd beaten the whole team with firing 10 rounds in 60 seconds, IIRC. With a bull horn the range officer said, "Well fellas, you're not going to believe this but a kid just beat all of you with a Springfield". A whole bunch of men came around and shook my hand. Made me feel pretty good when I was asked if I was interested in joining the team as a Junior Member and going to Perry !!!!!!!!!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />
