D Day Memorial Match at CMP Talladega – WWII vintage rifle run and gun

Being fond of walnut and steel, bolt guns and iron sights, I have been looking forward to this match for a while. It was awesome. About as close to the Medal Of Honor video games as possible. Lots of Garands, Carbines, Mausers actions, straight bolts, and even some bayonets. Some really nice Era Uniforms and a super cool surplus Jeep. I had been planning to run a 3 gun match Heavy Metal division (Garand, 1911, pump shotgun), and still plan to, but this feeds the need until then.

It was HOT – I happily sweated off about 6 pounds, but at the end of the day I still had the hustle to paste targets and reset steel. There were two divisions (Semi and Bolt). There were competitors that ran through the course, and then there were some that were just glad to be out there walking or trotting along. almost 30 people attended the match. I ran both sessions (morning and afternoon). Morning session was completed with 2 squads of about 10 people each. Afternoon session was much smaller with about 6 people. Also worth noting that you can run in both divisions (bolt and semi). Price was only $15 per session/division with proceeds benefiting vets.

as far as semis go, the garand ruled the day, knocking steel down with absolute authority out to the ~50yd mark. Carbines were better for the close quarter quick fire stages, but steel hits on the far targets didn’t always fall (but still counted).

I got most of the guys to sign a Picture frame matting for Ike Fabela, who turned 100 on June 6th 2018. I will get a picture of the competitors and have it shipped to him.

I got to try out my knock off go-pro for the first time. Besides leaving it on and running the battery down, it seemed to work pretty good for a $50 camera.

And if you haven’t been to the CMP Marksmanship Park, I would highly suggest a visit. It’s a $20 million dollar facility tucked in the woods of this great state of Alabama. Serious vintage match competitors come from all over the country to shoot their rifles on the 600 yd line that is equipped with electronic targets at every station. For a touch of nostalgia, here is a pic with my long lost Garand beside old John C.