National Trophy Pistol Matches

The service pistol phase of the CMP National Trophy Pistol Matches kicks off Sunday, 8 July, 2012 with a NRA junior pistol camp; followed by the Pistol Small Arms Firing School the following day. Pistol competition culminates with closing matches, a shooter reception and awards ceremony Sunday, 15 July, 2012.

Pistol Small Arms Firing School & M9 Pistol EIC Match – 9 July 2012 (registration Sunday, 8 July, 2012)
The Pistol Small Arms Firing School (SAFS), including the firing of the M9 EIC Match, will be completed in one day, on Monday, 9 July, 2012. The SAFS schedule will give beginning shooters approximately six hours of hands-on training and time on the range. The Advanced Pistol SAFS will begin at 1:00 PM on 9 July, 2012 and conclude with the firing of the Service Pistol Warm-Up Match on 10 July, 2012.

SAFS students who identify themselves as beginners or new shooters with little or no previous pistol experience will receive instruction that starts them at the very beginning with nomenclature, safe pistol handling, loading and unloading, sight alignment, the basic stance and trigger control. School students with some pistol experience will attend a morning of bulls-eye pistol shooting instruction by the Army Service Pistol Team.

After the instructional clinic, SAFS students will move to Viale Range for practice firing with U. S. Army M9 9mm pistols. Later that afternoon, they will fire the M9 Pistol EIC Match where the top ten percent of shooters with no pistol EIC points will earn “introductory” 4-point legs.

CMP Service Pistol Warm-Up Match – 10 July 2012
The Service Pistol Warm-Up Match was introduced at the 2009 National Trophy Pistol Matches. It is being conducted in conjunction with the Pistol Small Arms Firing School and the Advanced Pistol Clinic that will take place in the Camp Perry Post Theater on 9 July, 2012, starting at 1:00 PM.

This match offers pistol shooters who are not allowed to fire their personal service pistols in the Pistol SAFS a chance not only to gain more experience with their service pistols, but also to fire them in a major competition. The match will also give many other National Trophy Pistol Matches competitors a great opportunity to “warm up” for the Trophy Matches that will take place at the end of the week.

President’s Pistol Match – 15 July 2012
The President’s Pistol Match is a National Trophy Pistol Match. It was first fired in 1981. The President’s Rifle and Pistol Matches have become especially prestigious because match winners have traditionally received letters of congratulations from the President of the United States.

President Theodore Roosevelt began this tradition for the President’s Rifle Match in 1904. This tradition of recognition was extended to include the President’s Pistol Match. Recent U.S. Presidents, including Presidents Clinton and Bush, continued the tradition by providing letters of congratulations to the winners of both the President’s Pistol and Rifle Matches. The additional 50-yard slow-fire requirement in the President’s Pistol Match course of fire makes it especially challenging.

National Trophy Individual (NTI) Pistol Match – 15 July 2012
The National Trophy Individual Pistol Match (NTI) is a National Trophy Pistol Match. It was first fired in 1904, the second year of the National Matches, and has become one of the most prestigious National Trophy Pistol events. The NTI is also an Excellence-in-Competition match where the top 10% of all Non-Distinguished competitors, military and civilian, earn EIC credit points.

National Trophy Team (NTT) Pistol Match – 15 July 2012
The National Trophy Pistol Team Match (NTT) is a National Trophy Match. It was first fired in 1920 when competition for the Gold Cup team trophy began. The Pistol NTT is a four-person team match with a requirement that at least one firing member must be a “new shooter.”

The Gold Cup Trophy, the Oglethorpe Trophy that is awarded to the best Civilian team, the American Indian Trophy that is awarded to the best Law Enforcement team and the U. S. Coast Guard Memorial Trophy that is awarded to the best Reserve Component team are among the most valuable and most important of all National Trophies.

Junior President’s, NTI and NTT Pistol Match – 15 July 2012
The Junior President’s, NTI and NTT matches are fired concurrently with the open class, however; junior competitors will fire .22 caliber pistols.

National Matches Air Pistol Championship – 15 July 2012
The National Matches Air Gun Matches will again take place at the CMP Marksmanship Center with its 80-point electronic target equipped range. Daily air gun matches programs will feature 30-shot pistol matches each day from 9 through 15 July, 2012. A regular squadded National Matches Air Pistol Championship with a 60 shot course of fire may be fired on a date of each competitor’s choice between 10 and 15 July, 2012. Check the National Matches Air Gun Events program for firing times. National Matches pistol competitors are encouraged to bring their air pistols to Camp Perry and to plan to compete in the daily re-entry matches and the 60-shot National Matches Air Pistol Championship.

For more information on the National Trophy Pistol Matches, contact CMP Competitions at (419) 635-2141, ext. 1101 or email competitions@odcmp.com.

While CMP policy prohibits endorsement of any company product or service, we would like to recognize the following companies that will award their own separate products to the top shooters of the 2012 National Matches.