I’m writing this over Memorial Day Weekend. I hope you all enjoyed the Holiday, the unofficial start to summer and most importantly reflected on those Service Members who made the ultimate sacrifice for our Country. In addition to Memorial Day, the country is about to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Army. Established on 14 June 1775 — more than a year before the Declaration of Independence — the U.S. Army has played a vital role in the growth and development of the American nation. Having spent most of my adult life in the Army, I believe this is an important milestone not only for Soldiers but for every American.
I’m providing this semi-annual update a little later than the normal schedule. With so many ongoing initiatives I wanted to get them complete and announced prior. We welcome the dialogue on the various press releases/posts these past several weeks and I hope you appreciate all we are doing to further our mission to promote marksmanship. For sure the CMP is moving out on a number of initiatives – we are not standing still! And I speak for all of CMP in saying that we very much appreciate our customers and competitors – you are loyal, committed and passionate and we love all of that!
With that, the following is a fairly comprehensive list of what we have happening in the CMP separated into three major topic areas of Sales, Programs, and the Talladega Marksmanship Park (TMP).
Sales:
M1911 Program: Much great news here to include the restart of the program in late Jan/early Feb, the transfer of 10,000 more pistols to the CMP from the Department of the Army this Spring and the Army’s concurrence to increase the lifetime M1911 sales limit from two to four.
After overwhelming (and much appreciated) sales of Round four of our surplus 1911 program, we are pleased to be accepting new orders, with over 4,000 already received! As announced in February, we have changed our 1911 sales process – no longer operating in “rounds” and adopting an updated online ordering system. All eligible US citizens are welcome to apply and orders will be processed on a first-in; first fulfilled basis. Again, the new limit is four M1911s per lifetime and you may purchase up to your lifetime limit with your order.
Another new initiative is our upcoming “in-person” M1911 sales opportunity. Over the history of this program, we’ve only sold M1911s through our mail order process. With all the previously highlighted M1911 program successes we’ve decided to set up three in-person sales events. These are in addition to the mail order program and these three one-day events will be held to coincide with the upcoming Talladega D-Day event and during the National Matches at Camp Perry in Ohio as follows:
Dates:
- Friday, June 6 – Anniston, Alabama (CMP M1911 Armory – Anniston)
- Tuesday, July 15 – Camp Perry, Ohio (Camp Perry OH – Exact location TBD)
- Saturday, August 2 – Camp Perry, Ohio (Camp Perry OH – Exact location TBD)
Each event will feature approximately 400 pistols – organized and displayed by grade (Service, Field, and Rack) and specialty categories. To manage and control these events we’ve established a ticket sales process. See https://thecmp.org/cmp-announces-three-limited-entry-1911-pistol-sales-events-for-summer-2025/ for more details. With the first in-person event coming soon we are working hard to make these a first-class, in-person experience for all ticket holding customers. The pistols set aside for these in-person sales represent a small fraction of our overall inventory. For those of you not able to attend one of these events, our mail order and auction site will still have all the inventory and variety you’d want and expect.
We’ve also just resumed M1911 sales on our Auction Site! Keep an eye out for a select few 1911s in the coming weeks, including a few “specialty categories” that will be highlighted. Visit https://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/guns-on-auction/ for more details. There’s actually a Union Switch and Signal M1911A1 on the auction site now and drawing much interest.
Learn more about our 1911 program on our website at https://thecmp.org/sales-and-service/1911-information/.
The M1 Garand by CMP: We are thrilled to announce this new program. In summary it is a commercial reproduction of the classic and historic rifle with a commercial forged receiver as its centerpiece. The forged receiver with a CMP serial number in the classic, historical font and format on the receiver heel makes this a unique offering. It will be paired with commercial barrels and a mix of other commercial and GI parts. Most will feature new stocks and barrels, but many complementary parts will remain GI. Initially produced in 30-06 and .308 variants (with more variants in the pipeline) you can expect to see it in our physical stores and the eStore this summer. For more information, please go to https://thecmp.org/introducing-the-m1-garand-by-cmp-a-new-chapter-begins/ and you can pre-order via the following link at https://thecmp.org/m1-pre-order-form/.
Reclaimed Rifle Sales:
We have also recently announced that we successfully embarked on an initiative to reclaim original M1 and Model 1903-A3 drill rifle receivers that were previously decommissioned and rendered inoperable – giving them new purpose and making them available to U.S. citizens as fully functioning firearms that are safe-to-use, collect and admire.
We did this as a way of responsibly returning tens of thousands of historic receivers to shooters and collectors, sustain rifle inventory and to avoid scrapping valuable artifacts.
With safety as a singular top priority, we’ve put each of our reclaimed rifles through rigorous programmatic and individual rifle testing to ensure they are as safe to shoot, and maybe safer, than any other rifle sold by the CMP. The CMP stands behind the quality and safety of these guns and is excited to be able to get them back in the hands of eligible US citizens.
For more on this, visit our website at https://thecmp.org/the-cmp-drill-rifle-initiative/.
Ammunition Sales:
We’re excited to announce a new collaboration with Creedmoor Sports! This ammunition, available only through the CMP, is engineered specifically for precision rifle competition and consistent, high-accuracy outputs.
The updated Creedmoor Ammunition lineup includes:
- .308 Winchester 167 Gr Lapua Scenar
- .30-06 Springfield 167 Gr Lapua Scenar
- .30-06 Springfield 150 Gr Berger OTM (Open Tip Match)
Loaded by Berger Ammunition, each round features Lapua’s superior brass and Vihtavuori’s clean-burning, temperature-stable powder. All three loads are safe for use in M1 Garand rifles and have been specifically developed with competitive shooters in mind. This ammunition will be on sale in our stores and eStore in the next few weeks.
We also have Eley Standard and Eley Club .22 for sale! Find all this and more through our eStore at https://shop.thecmp.org/browse/Ammo where you’ll also see a large number of other types of ammunition on sale across our product inventory.
M1 Special Sales/Custom Shop:
The Custom Shop has been distributing its Custom Shop (CS) Special M1 Rifle with great success. The rifle is meticulously handcrafted to be competition-ready, fully meeting all “As-Issued” CMP standards and assembled to perform as a one-to-two MOA (Minute of Angle) rifle. Learn more at https://thecmp.org/custom-shop/cs-special-rifle/.
For your maintenance, repair or customization needs, the Custom Shop remains in full service and is currently taking orders for your vintage U.S. Military rifles! All services are conducted by our expertly trained armorers. See full instructions on using the CMP Custom Shop at https://thecmp.org/custom-shop/.
CMP Auction:
The CMP Auction Site is available online for those enthusiasts in search of rare and unique finds. The site is free for users to register and bid on items, with 15 new items posted each week. Items go live every Monday at 12 a.m. central time and close (12 days later) the next Saturday at 12 a.m. central time.
In March, we were excited to offer M1C sniper rifles with sequential serial numbers, produced between December 1944 and January 1945. These rifles were in excellent condition and received over 90 bids – ultimately reaching a final sale of $13,601.
Auction is also going to begin to roll out some of the amazing parts inventory we acquired from an Army supply depot at Camp Stanley, TX. You’ll start to see this during the upcoming D-Day Matches, so be sure to keep an eye out for those items at that event!
As stated earlier in this article, don’t forget to check out our M1911 Pistols, which will again be offered through our Auction program.
From parts to equipment to books and more, you never know what you might see! View all the current listings at https://cmpauction.thecmp.org/.
Other Sales Opportunities:
As always, you may purchase items from our stores in Talladega, AL; Anniston, AL; Camp Perry, OH or through our online eStore. Find more information on these locations at https://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/cmp-stores/.
Programs:
National Match Enhancements:
As we’ve announced over the last few months, the CMP is excited to fully implement our eTargets for all rifle events at the 2025 National Matches! All Games and Trophy events (excluding the National Trophy Infantry Team “Rattle Battle” match) as well as educational clinics will be fired on our Kongsberg Target System (KTS) outdoor electronic target line. We’re also thrilled to say that with the addition of our rifle series, all phases of the National Matches except for Pistol are now held on electronic targets, which will speed up competition times and allow a more convenient experience for our guests and competitors.
As we mentioned in the last CEO Update, outside of competition, we’re looking forward to more social gatherings at the National Matches such as beach parties, movie nights and more.
National Match Warm-Up Events:
If you’re planning on attending our National Matches at Camp Perry in July/August (or even if you’re not), consider signing up for our Warm-Up events in June! Though these matches are designed as practice for the upcoming National Matches, anyone of any experience level is welcome to participate!
Warm-Up events include:
Long Range Rifle (two days of matches at 1,000 yards) – May 31 – June 1
Garand/Springfield/Vintage/Modern Military (GSMM) – June 28
Highpower Rifle (80 Shot, 3×600 Mid-Range, 30 Shot, EIC Rifle) – June 27-29
Register for the June Warm-Up Matches and learn more at https://thecmp.org/competitions/matches/camp-perry-matches/.
National Match First Shot Ceremony – 14 July 2025:
The First Shot Ceremony is the official kick-off and opening ceremony of the National Matches. The CMP is proud to announce that Staff Sergeant Sagen Maddalena will be our First Shot speaker and Shooter. Staff Sergeant Maddalena is a member of the US Army Marksmanship Unit and won a silver medal winner in the Women’s Three-Position Rifle Individual event at the Paris Olympics in 2024. This event at Camp Perry OH is open to the public – come join us!
Smallbore Postal:
This year, we were excited to host a nationwide Smallbore Rifle Postal that ran from January to April. We were overwhelmed with the nearly 280 individuals registered within the 3×20, Prone and Prone F-Class categories offered during the match. Final results are posted at https://thecmp.org/yang-burkert-lead-overall-during-cmps-2025-smallbore-rifle-postal/. Thank you to all who competed!
World Action Pistol Championship:
The CMP is excited to host a team at the 2025 NRA World Action Pistol Championships, held in Hamilton, New Zealand, this October. Team members include Sally Talbott, Benito Martinez, Joey Deleon, Bruce Piatt and Doug Koenig.
We were also thrilled to recently announce that we will be hosting the 2026 event! Partnered with Target Pistol Australia, the match will be held in Toowoomba, Australia, with CMP again sponsoring its own team. Members, who will each receive a sponsorship package, will be selected from scores at the Crawfish Cup, the Flagler Cup and the Bianchi Cup.
New Course of Fire for As-Issued, Military & Police Matches:
For the 2025 CMP As-Issued Pistol matches, the course of fire has been revised to include shorter firing times and magazine changes in an attempt to be more action-oriented – bringing the exposure times down from 5 minutes a string to 60, 50, 40 and 30 a string. We feel this will be beneficial to competitors and are looking forward to implementing the change at our upcoming Travel Games and Camp Perry National Matches.
Travel Games:
We’re are well in to our Travel Games national tour for 2025 – leading off with the Talladega Spring Classic held in March at our Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama. A record number of 340 individuals participated in the rifle and pistol competitions as well as the new two-person shotgun event offered at the Spring Classic.
Next, we sent our crew to North Carolina for the Eastern CMP Games in late April/early May with another large crowd of rifle and pistol competitors. Eastern Games included competitions and educational courses and even saw Mid/Long Range rifle events on the schedule. And then we were off to Missouri for the CMP Bianchi Cup Action Pistol match just prior to Memorial Day weekend.
Travel Games will continue around the country throughout the year – heading back to Talladega in June for our D-Day Matches, breaking for the National Matches in Ohio in July and August, followed by New England Games in September, Western Games in October and concluding back at Talladega for the Talladega 600 in November.
Our Travel Games events are perfect for those just beginning in marksmanship competition along with more experienced individuals, with a more leisurely setting and personal interactions with our trained CMP staff members. Learn more about our Travel Games and register at https://thecmp.org/competitions/cmp-travel-games-2/.
Sponsorships/Partnerships:
The CMP is actively expanding our sponsorships and partnerships in an effort to grow and spread our initiatives to an even broader audience as well as to support other industry businesses in their own efforts. If you have any suggestions of businesses or programs that may be interested in joining us in our mission, please contact us! Learn more about CMP Sponsorships at https://thecmp.org/sponsorship/.
Scholarships:
We are proud to announce that we’ve completed the selection process for CMP’s Scholarship Program! This year, we awarded over $300,000 in scholarships to high school seniors involved in marksmanship activities – in the form of $1,000, $3,000 and $5,000 one-time amounts along with select four-year recurring $5,000 scholarships ($20,000 total over four years).
Special thanks to the Garand Collectors Association, who presented four additional $5,000 John C. Garand Scholarships, while the family of Michael Thomas Randall contributed three $5,000 Michael T. Randall Memorial Scholarships.
The CMP recently established a fenced endowment to support our scholarship program and we are actively seeking more individuals and organizations to join with us to grow this important program. Participation can include one-year or multi-year contributions and can also include bequests/planned estate giving. What a great legacy opportunity! Please reach out to [email protected] if you have interest or questions.
In addition to the scholarships presented to marksmanship students, we were proud to provide scholarships to seniors local to our facilities in Ohio and Alabama, regardless of affiliation to the sport.
See a full list of 2025 CMP Scholarship Winners at https://thecmp.org/youth/cmp-scholarship-program/.
State Directors Conference:
In January, we welcomed 32 State Directors to Camp Perry for an inside look at current CMP initiatives through three days of demonstrations and presentations from our staff members. Those in attendance had the opportunity to tour the facility as well as view the world-class indoor electronic air gun range and Laser Shot simulators located within the building and even took part in an open coach’s clinic, led by members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit. Thank you to all who attended.
The CMP currently utilizes 47 State Directors to provide leadership, coordination and resources for those interested in junior marksmanship activities. State Directors are always available to answer questions or to help you find opportunities in your area. View a list of our current State Directors, find contact information or apply to be a State Director at https://thecmp.org/training-tech/state-director/.
Competition Centers:
JROTC Nationals:
The 2025 JROTC National Three-Position Air Rifle Championship was held at our Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center in Port Clinton, Ohio, over the weekend of March 20-22. During the match, we welcomed 220 athletes from across the country who all qualified for Nationals after Postal and Regional rounds.
After the event, all competitors and guests took part in a formal awards ceremony at Kalahari Resorts in nearby Sandusky, featuring a DJ, music, concert lighting and other fantastic elements to celebrate the hard work of all involved. Read about the results from this event at https://thecmp.org/burrell-wells-earn-overall-titles-at-2025-jrotc-national-championship/.
CMP 3P Regionals:
Like the JROTC Three-Position event, the CMP 3P Regionals hosted junior athletes from across the country who qualified from a Postal round. We held Regional events at our Competition Centers in Ohio and Alabama as well as with our mobile electronic target range in Sandy, Utah. Top performers will now move on to the National competition in Ohio, set for June 19-21 for sporter and July 7-9 for precision.
Laser Shot Simulators:
Just a reminder that our indoor training simulators are still available at our Camp Perry, Anniston and Talladega Marksmanship Park facilities! The simulator software is programed with hundreds of virtual scenarios for training, competitions and entertainment events for shotgun, rifle and pistol.
This year, the CMP will again offer a Pistol Steel Challenge and a Rifle Steel Challenge, fired on the Laser Shot simulators assembled within Camp Perry’s Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center during the annual National Matches! This year we’ve added an exciting “Beat the Pro” event where you can win $500 cash! See more on our simulators at https://thecmp.org/ranges/cmp-competition-centers/indoor-marksmanship-simulator/.
Talladega Marksmanship Park: The TMP is a state of the art, five-star rated range and a beautiful place to compete, train or just do some recreational shooting. We are holding more competitions and more training and education events as described below. Make the trip and come on out – you won’t be disappointed!
World Police and Fire Games:
The CMP is excited to host a portion of the 2025 World Police & Fire Games, officially held in Birmingham June 27-July 6 at various venues. Our Talladega Marksmanship Park and Judith Legerski CMP Competition Center will be the site of such events as:
- Air Pistol
- Air Rifle
- Archery
- Biathlon
- Police Action Pistol
- Police Pistol Combat
- Rifle Large Bore
- Rifle Small Bore
- Shotgun
We’re honored to host men and women from around the world in this Olympic-style competition. These phases are open for public viewing at any time, so feel free to stop out to the park to witness this incredible event!
USA Shooting events:
We were also thrilled to recently host USA Shooting for the 2025 Rifle and Pistol National Junior Olympics, April 13-18, at the Judith Legerski CMP Competition Center in Anniston, AL, for air gun and at Talladega Marksmanship Park for smallbore. The event welcomed juniors who qualified from their performances at their State Junior Olympic competitions for Air Rifle and Air Pistol, Smallbore Rifle and Sport Pistol.
Likewise, we’ll also be hosting the 2025 USA Shooting Rifle and Pistol National Championships, June 9-17, again in Anniston and Talladega. The event will include smallbore, air rifle, air pistol, free pistol and sport pistol. Good luck to all those competing!
With the 2028 Olympics hosted by the United States in Los Angeles, the CMP is proud to host and support USA Shooting events and we hope to see some of these competitors on the podium in 2028.
World Speed Shooting Championship:
Talladega will also play host to the 2025 USPSA (United States Practical Shooting Association) World Speed Shooting Championship, May 28-June 1. This prestigious event combines speed, accuracy and power across various challenging stages and is open to both new and experienced individuals.
Talladega D-Day:
We’re also getting ready to host our annual Talladega D-Day event at the park, set to be held June 5-8, 2025. The Talladega D-Day event celebrates the anniversary of the Allied Forces landing at Normandy Beach in France in 1944.
Besides our lineup of rifle and pistol events, we’re excited to bring back a special two-person team shotgun tournament on Talladega’s 15-station Sporting Clays Loop! We’ll also be bringing back the Garand Iron Man EIC Rifle Match, where competitors fire the Rifle National Match Course of Fire with either an As-Issued Garand or Service M1 Garand and earn EIC points towards the Distinguished Rifleman’s Badge.
For more information on Talladega D-Day, visit https://thecmp.org/cmp-matches/talladega-d-day-matches/.
Talladega Marksmanship Park Training Opportunities:
We’re happy to announce that we’ve set up a variety of training events at Talladega with the help of several partners, like GLOCK, Steyr Academy, Thunder Ranch and more. These events are open to the public, with the exception of Street Cop University, which is designed for continuing education for local Law Enforcement.
CMP is also implementing its own four-hour Concealed Carry Class, led by Talladega Marksmanship Park manager Bret Lankford, where students will learn gun handling techniques, safety, legal requirements and more.
Classes are led by industry professionals as well as decorated instructors – many of whom served in the military or law enforcement sectors.
Learn more about Talladega’s upcoming classes at https://thecmp.org/training-classes-at-talladega/.
Commercial Pistol Sales at Talladega:
As a reminder, the Pro Shop at Talladega is currently stocked with surplus military rifles, including the M1 and M1917 bolt action guns as well as ammunition for most every rifle and shotgun. The Pro Shop also continues to stock Tisas M1911s and Sig Sauer handguns, available for sale.
Other Talladega Events:
Don’t forget that Talladega holds monthly Shotgun, Archery, 3-Gun and other USPSA events! Also be on the lookout for the following clinics:
- Basic Handgun Classes, Rifle and Basic Shotgun Classes
- Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act (LEOSA) qualifications for our retired law enforcement community
- GLOCK Professional classes
- Steyr Academy training classes/courses
- Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Instructor Update classes
- Additionally, several local law enforcement agencies have used our facility for training and qualifications
View all upcoming events at Talladega and learn more about the park, including how to sign up for our regular educational clinics, at https://thecmp.org/ranges/talladega-marksmanship-park/.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation that places its highest priority on firearms safety and marksmanship activities, with a focus on youth. CMP’s programs encourage personal growth and build life skills, with such initiatives as its junior training and competition programs, Affiliated Club program and scholarships providing support to citizens of all backgrounds across the nation. Learn more about the CMP at https://thecmp.org/.
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