Myths about CMP

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tahunua001

tahunua001

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hello all, I have heard a great many things about the Civilian Marksmanship Program and it disturbs me just how much of it is false. much of it comes from people working behind the gun counter or working tables at gun shows. so today I am going to give a newbies crash course in CMP.

Myth number 1: CMP only sells to military and veterans.
this is completely false. the CMP sells to any US citizen that shows interest and proficiency in the shooting sports.

Myth number 2:Being in the military alone qualifies you to buy from CMP.
false...ish. being in the military does make it easier to buy from CMP as they waive a certain portion of their prerequisites. normally a person must shoot a qualification type battery under the supervision of a CMP certified person and then have that person sign off on it so that can serve as proof of firearms proficiency. proof of military service may be provided in lieu of that form but that is the only thing that changes from military to civilian. they also state on their website that active duty or active reserves counts as club membership however, providing proof may be tricky. it is now against the law to make a copy of your geneva convention ID so you would have to find another form of proof that they can accept.

Myth number 3:buying from CMP is just as easy as buying from your local gun store.
this is also not true. CMP also requires membership in an affiliated firearms specific club in your community to show that you are active in the shooting sports, there is a list of all affiliated clubs on the CMP website for reference. all of this is in addition to the standard FFL paperwork that you normally fill out when purchasing a firearm and NICS background check.

Myth number 4: CMP ships to your door no matter where you live.
this is false. true, to the vast majority of us, the gun comes right to your door however there are exceptions. some states make it illegal to ship a gun or even ammo to anyone but a federally licensed dealer(don't quote me on this but I believe New York is one of them). citizens of those states must provide a FFL and do a transfer just like buying from anyone else out of state. also, if you live on a military installation, you must do a FFL transfer as well.

Myth number 5: CMP sells assault rifles to military members.
this is completely wrong. CMP can only legally sell semi auto and bolt action military rifles to civilians, select fire and full auto are demilled and not sent to CMP. the M1 garand is about as high tech as they can get their hands on I'm afraid.

Myth number 6: CMP sells brand new reproduction rifles.
this is not true but has some truth to make it sound plausible. as CMP has run through their stocks of surplus arms, they have run into more than a few unserviceable pieces. as such they have had to resort to offering some of their rifles in "special" condition. these rifles feature brand new walnut stocks and brand new barrels from criterion. however even these rifles are just refurbished, they still use original issue receivers and small parts. there are no 100% reproduction rifles available from CMP.

myth number 7: CMP sells M14s.
again not true but with some truth buried beneath. the M14 is a full auto rifle so CMP can not legally sell them to the general public but they do have 'navy style' M1s that have been converted to take 308/7.62x51mm ammunition instead of 30-06. they still feed from en blocs rather than box mags and still have 8 shot capacity but they use the cheaper, lighter recoiling 308 cartridge instead, usually these are sold either as barreled actions in original condition or as complete rifles with brand new stocks, barrels and magazine blocks to prevent accidental use of 30-06.

there are many other myths that I have been told over the years that only recently had the knowledge to know better than to believe but for now I hope this may help anyone currently considering a CMP garand.
 
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I seem to hear them all the time, one of them just today on another forum actually. I heard number 1 from a good friend a few weeks ago that I never would have thought would take such a statement at face value without researching.
 
I also have heard none of those "myths". The only thing I have heard is that there are a lot of "hoops" to jump through, which isn't true at all.

Don
 
interesting, I've only been paying attention to CMP related threads since november of last year and yet I not only hear all of these but I hear them repeatedly which is what provoked this thread.
 
They also used to sell M14 parts kits minus the receiver and full auto parts, which could be misconstrued as "They sell M14s".
 
Count me as another person that has never heard of one of those myth's in the OP's post. As already stated, you will find that the CMP's website clearly states what is needed to obtain items from them. Just a few things you will need to document to qualify yourself, it's not hard or complicated. With that said the firearms sales do take awhile to get final delivery.



It really is that simple, even a caveman can do it! (given eligibility requirements are made);)
 
While I havent heard of myths 1 thru 6 above, the last one I have heard of.

1. An M14 "parts kit" does not make a complete rifle until one adds a civilian made M14 "type" receiver.

2. A 7.62x51mm M1 Garand is not the same rifle as an M14, M1A, M14SA, M14S.....etc.......

The OP was incorrect when he mentioned " some truth buried beneath".......but then when on to explain that there is not anything buried beneath....... and explained an M1 Garand chambered in 7.62x51mm.

A little confusing unless you read the whole thing and understand what he is saying about Garand's chambered in 7.62x51mm.

FWIW........ Springfield Armory Incorporated (SAI) is not the same entity as the old government run Springfield Armory.

The former makes a civilian version of the M14 Service rifle, while the latter made M14 service rifle's for the government.

hope this clarifies things a bit.;)
 
The CMP website is very clear about eligibility requirements and what you need to do to purchase from them.
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I'm well aware of the requirements, that's why I made this thread. however most of the people propagating such stories are either doing so out of ignorance or just want people to buy what they are trying to sell instead of getting it cheaper from CMP.
 
tahunua001 said:
Myth number 6: CMP sells brand new reproduction rifles.
this is not true but has some truth to make it sound plausible. as CMP has run through their stocks of surplus arms, they have run into more than a few unserviceable pieces. as such they have had to resort to offering some of their rifles in "special" condition. these rifles feature brand new walnut stocks and brand new barrels from criterion. however even these rifles are just refurbished, they still use original issue receivers and small parts. there are no 100% reproduction rifles available from CMP.
Click to expand...

A number of years ago, like around 2004 or so, CMP did sell Service Rifle match prepared AR-15s from Bushmaster and Compass Lake. Very nice rifles with a CMP seal on one side of the magazine well.

I suppose, this could be the source of the "reproduction rifle" myth. The difference here was the rifle HAD to be shipped to an FFL for transfer. The rules that allow CMP to ship the military surplus M1s etc did not apply to the AR-15s.

I cannot say I have heard of any of the myths but they do not surprise me. A few minutes on the CMP Sales web site would dismiss all of them.
 
COunt me among those who haven't been exposed to these misconceptions, at least on any large scale
 
ahhh and yet another has crossed in front of my eyes yet again.
Myth number 8: CMP is a government organization.
no they are not, they are government chartered which means that they get free stuff from government storage. they are 100% civilian.
 
Here's a myth: The 'rusty' Kimber 82G's are not actually rusty but coated in preservative / rust-preventative.
 
While we are talking about myths

myth number 7: ......but they use the cheaper, lighter recoiling 308 cartridge instead, usually these are sold either as barreled actions in original condition or as complete rifles with brand new stocks, barrels and magazine blocks to prevent accidental use of 30-06.

Last edited by tahunua001; Today at 11:31 AM.
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Are you sure that nato 7.62x51 loading is lighter recoiling than the US military loadings for 30-06 ball ammo. If you actually chronograph the military loads there will not be that much difference for ball ammo.
 
Thanks for the post. Being only about an hour away from the CMP warehouse in Anniston, I was wondering how they do some things. I have only heard one or two of these "myths" but it always bears repeating to keep good information flowing. One small correction though.

tahunua001 said:
it is now against the law to make a copy of your geneva convention ID so you would have to find another form of proof that they can accept
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As far as I know the law making copies of the CAC illegal has always been there. Just one of those little known laws, I heard about it myself just a few weeks ago. I had to contact the stores that had my CAC on file to inform them of the law, rather understanding folk. Copy of DD214 (or service equivalent) should work just fine for military members.
 
Are you sure that nato 7.62x51 loading is lighter recoiling than the US military loadings for 30-06 ball ammo. If you actually chronograph the military loads there will not be that much difference for ball ammo.
Click to expand...
as far as I've noticed even with M2 ball to 7.62x51, the 30-06 was still a bit stiffer, maybe it was all mental. you can load hotter than M2 specs in a M1 though, you just have to be careful not to overdo it and use powder with the correct burn rate.


As far as I know the law making copies of the CAC illegal has always been there. Just one of those little known laws, I heard about it myself just a few weeks ago. I had to contact the stores that had my CAC on file to inform them of the law, rather understanding folk. Copy of DD214 (or service equivalent) should work just fine for military members.
Click to expand...
more than likely this has always been the case but it seems like commands never made a big deal out of it until 2011 or so. as for DD214, that's given to you after your discharge, as far as I know of there is no DD214 for active duty members. vets no longer qualify for the waived process apparently as they still made me show proof of club membership even with my DD214 on file. CMP website states active or reserves only.
 
I enjoyed going to the CMP in Anniston Alabama.
Looked like a retirement home for old codgers who collected Military Guns and stuff though, so I'm sure all of the moderators here would fit right in with us...





Gotcha!
 
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