Minimum Past Scores Required to shoot High Power Nationals?

[Bart B.]

I was told by someone in another forum that people wanting to compete at the Nationals fired at Camp Perry have to pre-qualify with a minimum score average to enter. He said he'd called NRA and someone there confirmed that because the number of entries was so large, the NRA set up a program where one gains points at lower competition levels (local, state, regional) to progress upwareds. And only those with some level of qualifying points lets them shoot in the Nationals.

It's been a few years since I've been to the Nationals, but those many times there myself, anyone with the money could enter regardless of classification, past scores fired and even those who had never fired a rifle before. In reading the 2009 program for the Nationals as well as the latest high power rules, there's no such qualification program stated for gaining entry into the matches.

Please help me out.

 

[Howard Roark]

You are correct Bart. I've only missed shooting the nationals twice this decade and never had to produce scores. Part of the reason of SAFS at the nationals is for new shooter instruction.

The NRA has no such problem with a "large number of entries". For the last few years the NRA championships has had between 700 and 750 shooters compared with the CMP's consistant 1800 for the Garand match and 1200 for NTI.

 

[Jon Coppenbarger]

as stated you do not need to qualify to shoot those matches. the only thing I would add is that before you show up it would be wise to have some experience if you shoot the nra week or the presidents and leg matches at least.

 

[Slamfire]

I was told by someone in another forum that people wanting to compete at the Nationals fired at Camp Perry have to pre-qualify with a minimum score average to enter. He said he'd called NRA and someone there confirmed that because the number of entries was so large, the NRA set up a program where one gains points at lower competition levels (local, state, regional) to progress upwareds. And only those with some level of qualifying points lets them shoot in the Nationals.

Sure sounds like crazy talk to me.

The only events that are booked are the Garand and Springfield Matches.

The President's and the Leg are always busy, but the Nationals are declining in attendance.

The club house told me they want $80.00 a night for those beat to heck modules. During small bore this year, over half the rooms were empty. Those Club House people are gouging the shooters and the exhibitors. They are totally unapologetic, claiming that it is a good value for the area. Well the whole area is over priced. I heard they are charging $2,000 a week for one of those buildings on Commerical Row. What I saw, was that instead of staying open all the time, the exhibitors are only open when they can generate enough sales to justify the cost. That means the shopping fun is disappointing. Commerical Row is almost a ghost town at times.

Attendance and Score	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
														
Presidents firing	1219	1220	1236	1240	1231	1282	 1310		1243	 	1275		1168	1262
cutoff	             284-5X	274-6X	287-9X	285-4X	 		287-4X		287-4X		285-6X		285-7X	283-4X
														
NTI firing	1247	1209	1141	1191	1207	1230				 	1135		1106	1202
Cutoff	467-6X	471-9X	375-7X	471-10X							469-9x			
														
Garand Match firing			325	784	999	1270			1318	 	1291		1177	1200
Winning Score				283--6X							286-7X		292-6X	293-6X
														
														
NRA Week (firing)	811	786	747	872	797	880	726	698	598	584	546		465	441
														
Winning Score	2377-124X	2378-99X	2378-94X	2377-115X		2380-112X	2365-121X	2389-138X	2381-105X	2385-119X		 1787-89X	2384-118X	2387-124X
Winner	Thomas Whitaker	David Tubbs	Nancy Tompkins	David Tubb		David Tubb	David Tubb	David Tubb	Norman Houle	Dennis Demille		Carl Bernosky 	Carl Bernosky 	Norman Houle

 

[taliv]

uhh, that's not my experience, slamfire. i've been to perry the last 3 or 4 years for cmp week and i usually stay in the barracks for $10/night but the OHNG had them this year so I stayed in a hut. granted, the huts suck, but they're not $80/night unless maybe you get the entire hut. i don't remember what they charged me, but it wasn't more than $20/night.

during cmp week, commercial row was quite busy and almost everyone was open sun up to sun down. shopping was good. my shooting was disappointing

 

[Slamfire]

uhh, that's not my experience, slamfire. i've been to perry the last 3 or 4 years for cmp week and i usually stay in the barracks for $10/night but the OHNG had them this year so I stayed in a hut. granted, the huts suck, but they're not $80/night unless maybe you get the entire hut. i don't remember what they charged me, but it wasn't more than $20/night.

Last year, the Barracks were not open to civilians. Huts were a flat $40.00 a night. I assume you split costs with someone.

during cmp week, commercial row was quite busy and almost everyone was open sun up to sun down. shopping was good. my shooting was disappointing

You need to be there the week before and the week afterward. CMP week is the busiest so there are a lot of vendors open. If you did not notice, but vendors like Bushmaster, Armalite, are packing up on Garand Match Saturday.

Commerical row is a virtual ghost town NRA week. Just a few of vendors like Homer of Champion's Choice, Fin and Fur, and Champion's Shooters.

 

[taliv]

i'm pretty sure i slept in the barracks in '08.
i didn't arrange to split costs with anyone... the hut people just charged me 1/4 of that for one cot. there were 3 people in my room when i was there.

not sure what's going on the week before, but isn't NRA week attendance down radically? i considered going to NRA week once until i saw the entrance fees. holy crap.

 

[TimRB]

Scores notwithstanding, you will do everyone a favor if you go to a local match that has pit targets before showing up at Camp Perry. There are few things more frustrating to a shooter than getting poor pit service.

Tim

 

[Bart B.]

Well, even after I gave links to the NRA rules and programs for this years nationals, this guy still says I'm wrong and one has to have a minimum level of "points" to compete in the Nationals. He's got a wierd sense of interpretation of the rules and no comprehension of the fact that unclassified competitors without any previous match entries at all can enter as a Master and shoot every match in the program.

Thanks for your confirmation that things are still like they used to be. I just may go back there this summer and ignore the fact thay I and Port Clinton's summer humidity are not friends. I've never brought home a big bag of marbles from Perry, but it's always been fun to go there.

 

[Jon Coppenbarger]

are you planning on going back to perry and shoot with us this year? I believe I will still be running a few matches at buffalo creek this year so I will look foward to seeing you.

As far as the rules to get in I have not seen any changes.

 

[Bart B.]

Jon, I don't think I'll go to Perry any more. Its temperature-humidity index is way to high for my comfort. Never did anything score wise there to brag about anyway.

I've completed my shop in our new house and I'm planning on wearing out 3 new Hart (old super accurate ones made by Al Hauser before he retired from Hart) and 2 Kreiger barrels I've got left over from my high power days at Buffalo Creek and other places. I'll only shoot F class in matches in Colorado, New Mexico and probably Arizona where there's a category for them.

Meanwhile, I've got a few boxes (1000-bullet ones) of Sierra .308 168 HPMK's that shot sub 1/4th MOA at a hundred yards when tested as they were dumping into the barrel. If you know of anybody wanting them, they're $240 a thousand.

 

[Slamfire]

Bart B: Try smallbore.

Last year the match was 120 shots, so the second relay started at 930 and finished at 1530.

You get to shoot in the shade! Between relays you can sit under your own tent and read. Or shoot the breeze with the over the hill gang.

They won't let you shoot in the shade during highpower. In fact, one year my state team set up a tent well behind the line during the Garand match, and the NRA match officials made us take the thing down.

Apparently, if you are not hot and miserable, you are not shooting highpower.

 

[Bart B.]

Slamfire, I've shot smallbore prone; at Perry and other places. Even got a Master's card. A few years ago at Phoenix, I was trouncing the kids on the Olympic team. Near broke a 50-yard any-sight record with a 400-40X from my Anschutz 1911 during the match but my third shot in the follow-up missed the X-ring by a hundredth of an inch; damned wind gusts when people fire the shot should be grounds for a refire!!!! Lones Wigger told me after watching me do that he's been trying to get rules changed to allow that for years, but the rules committies just don't understand.

But that was in decent weather and low humidity. I've had too many bad reactions to mosquito bites at Camp Perry to look forward to going back there.

 

[Slamfire]

damned wind gusts when people fire the shot should be grounds for a refire!!!! Lones wigger told me after watching me do that he's been trying to get rules changed to allow that for years, but the rules committies just don't understand.

 

[TimRB]

"Apparently, if you are not hot and miserable, you are not shooting highpower."

Hold on. Here in California, we shoot in the winter too, so being cold and miserable is also acceptable.

Tim

 

[jim243]

Wait a second Tim, there is cold and there is COLD. I've been in CA in Feb, just how cold does it get in CA in winter???