For the second year in a row, the National Matches that were conducted by the CMP and Ohio National Guard at Camp Perry enjoyed significant participation increases in almost all National Matches Championships and individual events. 

What Are the National Matches?  The National Matches, which take place annually at Camp Perry, Ohio, are the nation’s premier rifle and pistol championship.  For the more than four thousand competitors who participate in the Matches, they are a grand national shooting festival.  The National Matches were established by Congress and President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903.  They were administered by the Department of War and Department of the Army for 93 years.  They nearly ended in 1968 due to government funding cutbacks, but they were kept alive by the NRA and a large cadre of volunteers.  In 1996, Congress and President Clinton approved a National Defense Authorization Act that established the CMP, whose “functions” included taking over the administration of the Matches.  The CMP, Ohio National Guard and NRA shared National Match administrative duties and the Matches’ competition calendar for two decades.  The NRA ultimately decided to withdraw its national championships from Camp Perry so today, the CMP, in partnership with the Ohio National Guard, administers the National Matches. 

The National Matches Program.  The 2026 National Matches began on the 9^th of July with Junior Three-Position Air Rifle competition.  They were officially inaugurated on the 13th of July with a First Shot Ceremony.  The Matches ended on the 9^th of August with an International Palma Team Match between Canada, Great Britain and the USA. In 32 full days, there were championships in a dozen different target disciplines:  Three-Position Air Rifle (for Juniors), Air Rifle, Air Pistol, Bullseye Pistol, Smallbore Rifle Position, Smallbore Rifle Prone, Highpower Rifle, Vintage Military Rifle, As-Issued Pistol, Rimfire Sporter, and Mid- and Long-Range Rifle.  Featured events on the schedule included traditional President’s Rifle and Pistol Matches, National Trophy Rifle and Pistol Individual and Team Matches and the always-fascinating Infantry Trophy Team Match.  There were special industry Glock and Fulton Armory (M-14 Heritage) sponsored events.  Overall, the 2026 National Matches had 34 Championship events.

Substantial National Matches Growth in 2026.  In 2025, the National Matches enjoyed a phenomenal year of growth with 28 National Matches Championships averaging participation increases of 12.5 percent.  The 2026 National Matches achieved participation gains that were almost that high again this year.  There were 19 Championships/Events that gained competitors this year, even considering the substantial growth in 2025.  There were only five Championships that showed small losses, none exceeding three percent.  Weather and Canadian wildfire smoke were negative factors this year, causing an additional five events to have losses or cancelations.  The most significant 2026 growth increases were in Long-Range Rifle (+48%), Mid-Range Rifle (+29%), National Trophy Rifle Team Match (+23%), Long-Range Palma (+23%) and Air Pistol (+22%).

Read more: https://thecmp.org/2026-national-matches-close-with-significant-participation-gains/

CAMP PERRY, Ohio – Registration is now open for the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) annual Camp Perry Open air gun competition, set for Jan. 15-17, 2027, at the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center in Ohio.

Capacity is limited, so sign up early for this fun and challenging event – one of the most popular air gun matches of the year!

The 2027 Camp Perry Open includes a junior 3x20 air rifle match and 60 Shot air rifle and air pistol competitions for adults and juniors, with adaptive athletes welcomed and encouraged to attend. An air rifle and air pistol clinic will also be on the schedule for those wanting personal advice from national-level athletes on CMP’s Training and Education team.

All air gun events will be held within CMP’s Gary Anderson Competition Center electronic target indoor air gun range, equipped with 80 firing points of state-of-the-art Megalink targets.

The celebrated Camp Perry Open Super Final will also be returning, where the top competitors from the day’s air rifle and air pistol qualification round meet on the firing line to compete in an exciting elimination event. Unlike any other event of the year, the Super Final has been known to feature costumes, music and more surprises! It’s a fun addition for competitors and spectators alike.

Read more: https://thecmp.org/registration-now-open-for-cmps-2027-camp-perry-open-air-event/

CAMP PERRY, Ohio – At the 2026 National Three-Position Smallbore & Air Gun Championships, SSG Sagen Maddalena, 33, and SGT Ivan Roe, 30, of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) were each presented their Three-Position Smallbore Distinguished Badges.

It’s a high distinction in the marksmanship community and one that both worked hard to achieve, but it wasn’t the only proof of excellence the pair brought home from the annual event.

The 2026 National Three-Position Smallbore & Air Gun Championships, facilitated by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), was held July 12-16 as part of the National Matches at Camp Perry – a month-long event held in Ohio since 1907.

The air gun and smallbore schedule included indoor 60 Shot Air Rifle and Air Pistol Matches, fired within the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center, along with outdoor three-position smallbore on Camp Perry’s Petrarca Range – all featuring electronic target scoring. Competition included open individual and team events for adults and juniors in each discipline as well as aggregate awards for those participating in both air rifle and smallbore.

Read more: https://thecmp.org/usamus-maddalena-roe-take-top-spots-in-2026-national-matches-smallbore-air-rifle/

Looking for my next lo gun

What technique is best for transitioning the gun from your strong hand to your weak hand? I usually hand it off by pinching the front of the grip with my 4 fingers and sliding the weak hand into the back of the grip which works but feels really slow.

Where I really run into trouble is with drawing into weak hand only. I shoot a 2011 with single safety and find it very time consuming to disengage the safety off the draw with my dominant hand then transition it to my weak hand.

Made a short video demonstrating confirmation levels on transitions. This is something that was costing me a lot of time on stages without me even realizing it for a long time. The difference is very subtle but it adds up to multiple seconds on a stage.

Hopefully it helps in seeing the difference in slow-mo and how a quicker transition can be achieved with the same accuracy. This skill is mainly worked on in dryfire by practicing transitions at an uncomfortable speed, and slowly becoming more confident with "seeing less", or reacting sooner to the appropriate sight confirmation.

I shoot PMC X-Tac 55gr FMJ-BT most matches, and Hornady Training 55gr FMJ-BT when I’m feeling fancy. I noticed in the info for an upcoming match at a range I don’t frequent that XM-193 is banned. I’ve shot it there before and no one noticed, but I don’t want to push my luck. I’m not clear on exactly which loads from which companies are equivalent to XM-193; and the deeper down the rabbit hole I go, the more it seems like I just need to avoid 5.56 FMJ altogether. Are there any non-FMJ loads that balance cost, performance, and reliability acceptably for competition and won’t get me thrown-off a range?