National rifle team

Last updated

A national rifle team is a traveling competitive marksmanship team from a country. Several countries field a national rifle team, such as Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Competitions are often a week long and have international participants. [1]

Contents

The National Rifle Team match was also the name of a competition held in the United States beginning in 1902 and often had international participation.

Canadian National Rifle Team

Oronhyatekha was on the team in 1871, and Rufus Carter was on the team in 1897. [2] They participated in international competitions. The Canadian National Rifle Team became a coed team. [3] The team competed internationally, such as in Mexico City in 1979 and at the National Shooting Centre in Bisley, England in 2003. [1] [3] The team used the C12A1 rifle with iron sights in 2003. [1]

Great Britain

At one time, Sir Henry St John Halford was the captain of the British National Rifle Team. [4]

Norway

Kristian Rommen was previously the captain of the Norwegian National Rifle Team

Trinidad and Tobago

Wilbur Downs was once a member of the National Rifle Team of Trinidad and Tobago.

United States

The newly formed American National Rifle Team practiced at the Creedmoor Rifle Range, New York in 1875 with Colonel H. A. Gildersleeve as the captain. [5] This was one of the first teams from the United States to participate abroad in international competitions, which took place in Great Britain in the summer of 1875. [6]

Some members of the team participated in the Olympic Games, such as Daniel Durben, who also served as the team's coach from 1997 to 2000. [7] David Johnson also served on the team for several years in the 1980s, and later as a coach preparing the team for the Olympics. [8] David T. Cloft was also on the team while serving in the United States Army.

The National Rifle Team match began in 1902 and consisted of teams of 10 shooting at distances between 200 and 1,000 yards. [9] The New York team won for the third time in the competition held at Sea Girt, New Jersey in 1905. [10] The National Rifle Team match in 1909 was open to all branches of the military and the organized state militias and was held at Camp Perry, Ohio. [11] The United States Navy won the National Rifle Team match that year. [12] The United States Marine Corps won the National Rifle Team match in 1919 and the United States Infantry won it in 1920. [13] The United States Marine Corps won it again in 1921 in a competition with 87 teams and in 1923 with 80 teams and 800 participants, both events at Camp Perry. [13] [14] The United States Marine Corps won the competition for the 8th time in 1925. [15] The United States Infantry won it in 1929 with 108 teams participating. [16] The United States Marine Corps won the competition in 1930 and 1931. [17]

The later events included military and civilian teams and the best marksmen in the country. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shooting sports</span> Sports involving firearms used to hit targets

Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms and bows/crossbows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Hathcock</span> United States Marine Corps sniper (1942–1999)

Carlos Norman Hathcock II was a United States Marine Corps (USMC) sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills. Hathcock's record and the extraordinary details of the missions he undertook made him a legend in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was honored by having a rifle named after him: a variant of the M21 dubbed the Springfield Armory M25 White Feather, for the nickname "White Feather" given to Hathcock by the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marksman</span> Person who is skilled in shooting

A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting. In modern military usage this typically refers to the use of projectile weapons such as an accurized scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle to shoot at high-value targets at longer-than-usual ranges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marksmanship badges (United States)</span> US military and civilian decoration

In the United States (U.S.), a marksmanship badge is a U.S. military badge or a civilian badge which is awarded to personnel upon successful completion of a weapons qualification course or high achievement in an official marksmanship competition. The U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps are the only military services that award marksmanship qualification badges. However, marksmanship medals and/or marksmanship ribbons are awarded by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Air Force for weapons qualifications. For non-military personnel, different U.S. law enforcement organizations and the National Rifle Association (NRA) award marksmanship qualification badges to those involved in law enforcement. Additionally, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) and the NRA award marksmanship qualification badges to U.S. civilians. Most of these organizations and the U.S. National Guard award marksmanship competition badges to the people they support who succeed in official competitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squad Advanced Marksman Rifle</span> Designated marksman rifle

The Squad Advanced Marksman Rifle (SAM-R) is a semi-automatic designated marksman rifle developed and used by the United States Marine Corps. It gave users the capability to provide fire in support of a rifle squad, providing precision fire in support of an assault, and aid in observation and adjusting of supporting arms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badges of the United States Marine Corps</span> Military badges of the U.S. Marine Corps

Insignia and badges of the United States Marine Corps are military "badges" issued by the United States Department of the Navy to Marines who achieve certain qualifications and accomplishments while serving on both active and reserve duty in the United States Marine Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System</span> Sniper rifle

The M110 Semi Automatic Sniper System is an American semi-automatic sniper rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round. It is manufactured by Knight's Armament Company, developed from the Knight's Armament Company SR-25, and adopted by the U.S. military following the 2005 US Army Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schützenfest</span> Gathering, sport competition, festival, tradition

A Schützenfest is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Pierce (figure skater)</span> American ice dancer

Dallas "Larry" Pierce was an American ice dancer. He was the 1961 U.S. national champion with Diane Sherbloom.

William D. F. Leushner was a competitive rifle shooter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morris Fisher</span> American sport shooter

Morris "Bud" Fisher was an American sport shooter and United States Marine Corps shooting instructor. He competed at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics and won five gold medals in 300–800 m rifle events. He ended his Olympic career in 1924, as shooting was not part of the 1928 Games, and long-distance rifle events re-appeared only at the 1948 Olympics, when he had long retired both from active competitions and military service.

Statistics of American Soccer League in season 1930.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Walsh</span> Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and sport shooter

Walter Rudolph Walsh was an FBI agent, USMC shooting instructor and Olympic shooter. Walsh joined the FBI in 1934, serving during the Public enemy era, and was involved in several high-profile FBI cases, including the capture of Arthur Barker and the killing of Al Brady. He served in the Pacific theatre during World War II with the Marine Corps and, after a brief return to the FBI, served as a shooting instructor with the Marine Corps until his retirement in the 1970s.

Kelly Bachand is a competitive shooter and a member of the United States National Rifle Team. He is also known for competing in the first season of History Channel's marksmen competition Top Shot.

Brian Zins is a retired United States Marine Corps Military Police Gunnery Sergeant. He is also a competitive shooter known for his proficiency with the M1911 pistol with which he holds various NRA records. He is also known for competing in the second season of History Channel's marksmen competition Top Shot.

Hezekiah Leonard Clark Jr. was an American veteran of the United States Marine Corps and the United States Army who served during the Korean War and Vietnam War eras. He was a champion marksman, and as of 2014, one of only thirty-four triple-distinguished shooters: Distinguished Rifleman, Distinguished Pistol Shot, and Distinguished International Shooter.

Joseph John Zaleski was a Canadian football player and coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashburton Shield</span> Rifle marksmanship trophy

The Ashburton Shield is an historic trophy for target rifle shooting in the British Isles. It is awarded annually to the winning team of VIII at the Schools' Meeting, held at Bisley by the National Rifle Association. The competition is open to teams of cadets from, predominantly, Combined Cadet Force units based in public and private schools.

The Sovereign's Prize is a British fullbore target rifle shooting competition. It is the climax of the National Rifle Association's annual Imperial Meeting and is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious prizes in the sport globally. The prize is typically referred to as the Queen's Prize or the King's Prize depending on the incumbent British monarch.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Morrow, Shayne. "A straight shooter (and then some): Local 17-year-old heading to England to compete with the Canada's national rifle team", Alberni Valley Times , Alberni, British Columbia, volume 54, number 97, May 21, 2003, page 1. (subscription required)
  2. ↑ "U of T Medicine Celebrates Its Trailblazers", "Dr. Oronhyatekha (Class of 1867)", Temerty Faculty of Medicine website, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Kelly, Ann. "Owen Sound native wins shooting medals", The Sun Times , Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada, April 7, 1979, page 9. (subscription required)
  4. ↑ "European News", Daily Evening Express , Los Angeles, California, volume XI, April 5, 1876, page 3. (subscription required)
  5. ↑ "The International Rifle Match", The New York Herald , New York, New York, whole number 14,138, May 8, 1875, page 5. (subscription required)
  6. ↑ "The American Team Abroad", The New York Herald, New York, New York, whole number 14, 243, August 21, 1875, page 6. (subscription required)
  7. ↑ "Former Olympic Shooting Team member hired as USA Shooting coach", Rapid City Journal , Rapid City, South Dakota, issue 45709, February 21, 2019, page C4. (subscription required)
  8. ↑ "Johnson aims for Olympic gold", Daily Press , Newport News, Virginia, 95th year, number 4, Neighbors section, January 4, 1990, page 14. (subscription required)
  9. ↑ "Marines Victorious in Sesqui-Centennial Match", Holyoke Daily Transcript , Holyoke, Massachusetts, number 13,883, September 20, 1926, page 3. (subscription required)
  10. ↑ "Third Time Winner", The Chattanooga Daily Times , Chattanooga, Tennessee, volume XXXVI, number 262, September 2, 1905, page 2. (subscription required)
  11. ↑ "Idaho Guard Going to Camp Perry", The Idaho Daily Statesmen , Boise, Idaho, forty-fifth year, May 27, 1909. (subscription required)
  12. ↑ "US Infantry still Leads", The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, volume LXXVIII, number 54, August 23, 1910, page 11. (subscription required)
  13. 1 2 3 "Marine Gunmen Win Rifle Match", The Muncie Morning Star , Muncie, Indiana, volume 45, number 149, September 24, 1921, page 8. (subscription required)
  14. 1 2 "Bay State Wins Class A Honors", The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, September 28, 1923, volume CIV, number 90, page 25. (subscription required)
  15. ↑ "National Rifle Team Match Is Won By Marines", The Marshal Messenger, Marshall, Texas, 49th year, number 100, September 25, 1925, page 1. (subscription required)
  16. ↑ "State Guardsmen Take 74th Place at Rifle Matches", Every Evening , Wilmington, Delaware, volume LXII, number 222, September 17, 1929, page 4. (subscription required)
  17. ↑ "D.C. Marksmen Take Top Honors", The Sunday Star, Washington, DC, number 1,382–number 31,911, September 13, 1931, Part 1, page A-6. (subscription required)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.