I don’t know if it qualifies or not as I was never in Cadets, Reserves, or Reg Force.
I owe M39A2 and Kevin Keon much thanks for turning me to the dark side. Several years ago I had seen notices for the local Service Rifle comps but never paid much heed to them. I had never shot a military rifle but decided to give a WWII match a go. On calling the organizer (thanks Peter!) he suggested I give Kevin a call as he might have a spare rifle I could shoot instead of my hunting rifle, and give the match a try. Kevin didn’t know me from Adam, but provided his own tuned SKS and ammo, gratis. Even more importantly he and M39A2 gave a huge amount of patient coaching through my first course of fire. Of course, I didn’t hit bugger all…but I did put some on target. The hook was set at that point and what followed sealed my appreciation for the competition, the gear and the people.
History, and specifically military history, has always fascinated me but I had never heard 6 rifles all firing at once before. To this day I still remember the first string of 2 or 3 Garands, a couple Enfields and a Poison-Maggot or SKS open up together and how cool it was. To top it off, I then got to give it a try for myself on the firing line and was totally reeled in.
Soon after, I bought a Norc M305, took the late & famous home gunsmithing course, and started going to matches.
With actually going to a range and shooting more than 5 rounds on a target a season, including quality instruction on marksmanship, it all greatly increased my confidence on a realistic basis. When I went hunting the following season, even though I used a different rifle, I knew what shots I could make and not be fooling myself.
Service rifle taught me that a rifle is a rifle is a rifle. My M305 performs the same function and comes down the same line as the M700 Remington hunting rifle that the guy beside me on the bench at the range is shooting…even if he thinks they are worlds apart and argues “those military guns” have no purpose and should be banned (but not his hunting rifle, of course). At a hunting rifle shoot at the local fish and game club two years ago I shot my open sight service rifle against a dozen such guys with tricked out “hunting” rifles, and had to smile at their genuine positive reaction when I finished in the top five. I hoped that at the end at least one went back home to think over his position about rifles in general, and not segregating them into foolish categories.
Service rifle also taught me the best way to encourage new shooters is to get them out there shooting. Share your gear and your ammo, call it paying it forward or a random act of kindness if you really need justify it, which you shouldn’t . I gladly lend my AR to a new shooter and don’t get all bend out of shape because someone else put some fingerprints on it. The ammo is only a couple a bucks and I get to take my girl home even if someone danced with her, so that’s good enough for me. However the new shooter, even if unfortunately they never come back to a match again, at least now knows that a black rifle isn’t “scary” as the media and anti’s make it out to be. At most, you have helped a new shooter into a great sport.
Finally, Service Rifle pleasantly showed me that some of the most interesting, unselfish, and unpretentious people are service rifle shooters. It’s the people I find why I keep coming back, time after time.
It was, and is, worth the price of admission.
!!! But guys..the sight of round's going out of the tank barrels and flying over the field..probably one of the most beautiful thing i ever saw..wow !
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