The M1 Rifle at Camp Perry

[Doug Bowser]

M1 shooting in the 60's and the eventual passing of the M1 as a service rifle

by Doug Bowser

I was just given 24 American Rifleman Magazines for the years 1963-64. Unlike the present day Rifleman, there are technical articles by the best firearms experts of the time. Each magazine is a wealth of knowledge for any gun owner.

Even the cover photograph on the cover is explained in technical terms. IE: Rolleiflex Camera with F2.8 Zeiss Planar Lens used by Rifleman Editor John Grubar. Shown are competitors firing from the sitting position at Camp Perry during the NRA HP Championships in August 1963. Taken on 2-1/4 x 2-1/4 Professional Ektachrome exposed for 1/50 second at F/16.


The photograph above was taken 1/3 of the way down the line from firing position 1 at Vaile Range. The fence line was not visible when I was there in the 80's. There are trees there now and the place is known as the tunnel. This was because there were errant winds that caused swirling gusts and they could give a shooter fits at the longer ranges.

As you see, in '63, the M1 was king. There must have been a few 1903-A3 rifles there because they were not discontinued as a Service Rifle until 1966. The 03-A3 was kept in the matches because many ROTC units in College had the 03-A3's and they wanted them to be able to shoot them in "LEG" Matches. They actually made a Match rifle version of the 1903-A3, with target receiver sights and globe front sight.

The .30 M72 of the 1963 National Matches was made by Frankford Arsenal. We got 29,000 rounds of FA 63 .30 M72 ammo at Camp Perry in 1984. The cardboard ammo boxes were unusually numbered. Not only did the boxes have a LOT number, each box had a can number matching the .50 can it was packed in. IE: FA 1963, .30 M72 in Boxes, Lot #116 can # could be from 1 upward.

I never went to Camp Perry in the 1960's or 70's. I did compete in NY State on reduced targets and 500 yard Mid-Range. The targets used at 500 yard Mid-Range were the Army "A" and "B" 5V targets. The 5V "B" target as I remember it had a 20" - 5 ring (maximum score is 5). It was not that difficult to shoot 5's at 500 yards with a 1903-A3 and a good lot of .30 M2 Ball ammo. Add to the mix, NM M1 rifles and FA 63 .30 M72 ammo and the shooting of perfect scores (many with all V-S) became common. It was difficult to break the ties of the perfect scores and they introduced the decimal targets "A" and "B". The "A" target is the same as the SR and the "B" target is the same as the MR-1, except the black extended only to the 8 ring. The decimal SR was used at 200 & 300 and the Decimal MR was used at 500 & 600 yards.

The photo reminded me of the progression in the passing of previously used service rifles from the National and State Matches. The small number of 1903-A3 rifles used at Ft. Smith and Camp Perry in the 1960's then the drastic lowering of the number of M1 rifles in the late 80's. The M1A was king in 1990 and no AR-15 rifles were at the matches, that year. Now the AR-15 is the centerpiece in Service Rifle Competition. Who knows what will replace it.

Say what you will, a properly accurized M1 will perform as well as the M14-M1A. The .30 M1 has a niche. At 1000 yards the .30 173 gr M72 round is not subsonic. Subsonic bullets at long range tend to be more unstable than those bullets that are supersonic. One of our SW Gun Club members won the 1000 yard Farr Trophy at Camp Perry in 1974 with a NM M1 .30 rifle. His name is Charles Schroeder and he was a premier shot. He was the first man I ever saw who won a "LEG" match with the AR-15 Rifle.

The big advantage in favor of the M1A over the M1 is in the "Rattle Battle". As slow as I was the M1A would let me shoot 26-29 aimed shots in 50 seconds. My best time with the M1 from loaded to time's up was 19 shots and 19 hits at 600 yards. I have never observed a rattle battle fired with the M16 rifle. The most amazing thing about the rattle battle is the noise it generates. The British call it the Rattle of Musketry. The report of single rifles starts after the targets appear and the shooting builds up to a crescendo of rifle reports.

One thing I know about Riflemen, when the rifle they have become attached to is replaced, they lament it's passing. Whether it is on a rifle range or a South Pacific Island named Guadalcanal during World War 2.

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