The NRA/Springfield Armory M1A Rifle Match made its debut on August 5, 2007, at the NRA National Rifle and Pistol Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio. Held during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first National Matches held at Camp Perry, this prestigious and prize-rich competition drew more than 500 competitive target shooters who vied for top honors and $25,000 in cash and prizes.
The debut of the NRA/Springfield Armory M1A Match on August 5, 2007.
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NRA President John Sigler remarked, "I want to thank Springfield Armory on behalf of the numerous NRA competitive shooters for joining with the NRA to make this landmark event possible. Their generous sponsorship of this match and their strong support of the shooting sports ensures that the proud tradition of the National Matches will remain strong and vigorous for future generations of competitive shooters.”
Although the match opened under rainy skies, the spirits of the competitors were not dampened. Enthusiasm was high, and the excitement of the competitors was evident. The overall Match Winner was Ryan Castonguay of New Hartford, Connecticut, a 17-year-old shooter. Despite the fact that he was relatively new to the Springfield M1A rifle, Castonguay posted an impressive score of 463-8X to take top match honors.
David Chase of Tujunga, California, won the First Place Civilian title with a score of 447-8X. Dana Fogarty of Dover, New Hampshire, captured the Second Place Civilian title with a score of 445-3X, and Robert Leatham of Mesa, Arizona, took home the Third Place Civilian title with a score of 445-3X.
In the Special Category competition, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Allen Spiker of Philomath, Oregon, took the High Service title with a 456-4X, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Yvonne Lyda of Woodbridge, Virginia, won the High Woman award with a 428-5X, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Albert Wood of Merrillan, Wisconsin, captured the High Senior title with a score of 446-6X, and Chad Kurgan of Murphys, California, took High Junior honors with his 434-4X score.
"The M1A was the firearm of choice for many years in rifle competitions,” said Bill Dermody, Marketing Manager for Springfield Armory. "We wanted to go back to our roots to use these highly-respected rifles again in major competition, and it seems especially fitting to introduce this new NRA/Springfield Armory match during the 100th anniversary of the first National Matches held at Camp Perry.”
Rules for the new NRA/Springfield Armory M1A Match allowed any production configuration of the M1A rifle. The course of fire was five sighter shots and 50 shots for record at 300 yards using the new MR-65F target. Shots for record consisted of: 20 shots slow fire in the prone position; 10 shots rapid fire in the prone position; 10 shots rapid fire in the kneeling or sitting position; and 10 shots show fire in the standing position.
Mike Krei, Director of NRA's Competitive Shooting Division, commented that, "The NRA and Springfield Armory joined in a unique cooperative effort to provide M1A rifle shooters with a new competitive opportunity. Judging by both the large competitor turnout and the remarkable enthusiasm of the shooters in this first-year contest, this concept has been an outstanding success.”
For more information about the NRA National Rifle and Pistol Championships at Camp Perry and other competitive shooting events or programs contact the NRA Competitive Shooting Division at www.nrahq.org/compete.