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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Tuesday, July 31, 2001
Mason's club record score takes rifle match
Pecos resident Mike Mason shot a club record 431 out of a possible 500
points Saturday to walk away with top honors at the monthly Service Rifle
competition sponsored by the Pecos Rifle and Pistol Club.
Paul Evans of Alpine was close on his heels earning 428 points. Robert
Polanco, also of Alpine took third place with 387 points.
Mason, who is also the vice president of the club, said that Saturday's
match was the biggest held in recent memory at the Club's range.
"We had 21 competitors from as far away as Houston enter this match. We
are very proud of that as a club," he said.
Mason also said that this was the first match sponsored by the club since
the club became affiliated with the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP).
"The Civilian Marksmanship Program is the private, not-for-profit organization
that took over the job of the old Department of Civilian Marksmanship that
was part of the federal government," Mason said.
Mason explained that the CMP is charged with selling World War II era
M-1 Garand rifles to promote civilian marksmanship. To qualify to buy one
of the rifles a person must show proof of firing for record in a qualifying
match.
"Now that we are affiliated our service rifle matches count as a qualifying
match," Mason said.
According to Mason the rifles currently cost between $400 and $500 when
purchased through the CMP.
"The same rifle would cost about twice that much on the open market,"
he said.
Mason said that if enough people were interested the Club planned to sponsor
a "John C. Garand" match in which only M-1 rifles would be allowed.
The next Service Rifle competition is scheduled for Saturday, August 25.
"We hold the service rifle match every fourth Saturday," Mason said.
Service rifle competition generally is limited to M-1 Garands, M-14s,
M-16s and civilian variants.
"We bend the rules a little and allow any rifle that has seen military
service," Mason said. "Today we had a World War I Springfield `03 on the
line next to an M-16."
Mason said that competitors fire a total of 50 shots during the match
from standing, sitting and prone positions at ranges of 200, 300 and 600
yards.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
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Copyright 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
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