The Sissification of the Service Rifle- time to vent.

[Plain Old Dave]

Getting back in (or at least wanting to) after a prolonged absence, and note to my eternal dismay and disgust that the gamesters (with apologies to COL Cooper) have taken over.

Starting a RF string with an empty chamber and already in position?

15 pound mouseguns?

Wissky Tango Foxtrot?

What in the name of Chesty Puller happened to the most fun you could have on a firing line?

Edit: Checked with the NRA people and apparently they had started granting medical waivers to people that couldn't hack dropping into sitting /prone and so decided to eliminate the Drop. Personally, I hope I would have the grace to retire from a sport I can no longer physically compete in or stay in good enough condition to be able to compete without cheating and changing the rules. Senior citizens regularly run marathons and run all 26-odd miles, so it is absolutely possible to stay in robust enough shape to be able to hack the Drop. HOWEVER, the M1 was not designed to be fed any other way but Condition One or Two. I hope nobody gets M1 Thumb from following this dumb new rule in attempting to load an M1 and keep 'er in Condition Three; IMHO that's a mishap waiting to happen and I fully intend to follow the petition procedures and get this ill-advised change un-done for 2011.

For the time being, though, starting in position should get me enough lead to humiliate the Mousegunners Saturday. Last match I shot at this location was under the old rules with a K31 Schmidt-Rubin and I came in second place (was only beat by an M14).

[Collector497]

Everything started going downhill when they took away our M-1s and they gave us those wussy M-14s.

[Mr. X]

I agree that it's a wimp-out. Part of the whole game should be physical fitness, IMHO. Unfortunately the shooting sports seem to be dominated by old and/or fat guys. It's not often that I see a fit 19-year old buck on the firing line. (Actually a lot of the 19-year olds are pretty fat in our society too).

About 2 years ago on the line during the President's Match at Perry there was an old, thin but out of shape chain-smoking hillbilly on the line with a Garand. Must've been in his 60s. During the prep period for sit rap he tried to get down into a cross-legged position (all slinged up tight) couldn't, and pretty much rolled over backwards with the muzzle pointing behind the line at us and couldn't get back up without the range officer and me helping. The RO as all freaked out that he might do the same thing with a hot rifle, so they let him start in position.

All of this happened right in front of Jim Owens from jarheadtop.com, who was a referee. I suspect that these kind of events prompted the rule change.

[John Kepler]

Getting back in (or at least wanting to) after a prolonged absence, and note to my eternal dismay and disgust that the gamesters (with apologies to COL Cooper) have taken over.

Based on this rant.....that "absence" has to have been measured in DECADES. Most of what you're bitching about has been SOP since the late 1980's!

Starting a RF string with an empty chamber and already in position?

Starting in position is new, and is only the current rules in NRA, not CMP Service Rifle. As for the empty chamber....that's been the rule for at least 30 years for everything but a Garand! You may need to get out a little more!

15 pound mouseguns?

Dude....my XC M14 that I shot in the 80's weighs more than that.....so did yours if you were smart and had a decent barrel! BTW, 15 lbs is light for a competition AR....16-17 is more the norm!

HOWEVER, the M1 was not designed to be fed any other way but Condition One or Two. I hope nobody gets M1 Thumb from following this dumb new rule in attempting to load an M1 and keep 'er in Condition Three;

And just who in serious competition (other than Maury, that is) shoots an M1? 97% of the rifles shooting Service Rifle at the Nationals last year were AR's. In the Games Matches....who cares as long as it's safe! You are demanding a solution that is largely in search of a problem to solve!

IMHO that's a mishap waiting to happen and I fully intend to follow the petition procedures and get this ill-advised change un-done for 2011.

Lotsa luck...and of course the game is completely rigged....but if you don't play, you can't win! So go for it....get your boxers in a bunch....rant to your hearts content! But be advised....bigger dogs than you have already chased that particular rabbit around the woods and gotten nowhere! Don't like it....shoot CMP!

[Mudcat]

I am curious as to who the fat old guys are that are dominating high power! :-)

[Mr. X]

Well, John, I didn't mean dominate the SCORING. I meant dominate bullet buying, gun shows, and trigger pulling. True enough the winners at Perry tend to be fit -- (not coincidentally part of the Army rifle team, too).

Very impressive credentials, I must admit. I regard it as an honor to have beat you in the Garand match last year. [Don't worry, ya beat me in everything else! :-) ]

[Plain Old Dave]

Back in from the match... With a rack grade WRA Dane and part Talon ammo and part Dane ball, I shot a 384-5x. Got shook up midway through the 600 portion and was finalizing a zero on the fly in the early strings. I do take solace in knowing I wasn't in last place. Next match is a CMP fun shoot/practice at 200yd in 2 weeks.

[ballbags]

Everything started going downhill when they took away our M-1s and they gave us those wussy M-14s.

Excuse me, Wussy M14 I have more than 40 and less than 60 M1's ,several M1a/M14
There is absolutely Nothing WUSSY about M14's

[Rodd Knox]

I don't think he is calling the M14 a sissy gun. He's just funnin on how every generation looks back fondly to the Good Ol Days that never were. I remember an old Marine telling me about back in his day the old timers carried on about losing their 1903s and having to carry the ugly a$$ gas operated mess called the M1.

[John Kepler]

Yeah! My Grandpa was one of them!