Here is what’s going on Down Range at North Lawrence Fish and Game

Week ending Sunday November 19th 2023

The M1 Garand was made in large numbers during World War II; approximately 5.4 million were made. They were used by every branch of the United States military. The rifle generally performed well. General George S. Patton called it “the greatest battle implement ever devised.” The typical opponent of a US soldier during World War II was usually armed with a slower-firing bolt-action rifle (e.g. the Karabiner 98k for Germany, the Carcano M1891 for Italy, and the Type 38 or Type 99 Arisaka rifle for Japan). The impact of faster-firing infantry small arms, in general, soon stimulated both Allied and Axis forces to greatly increase their issue of semi- and fully automatic firearms then in production, as well as to develop new types of infantry firearms.

In 1998, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) inaugurated the John C. Garand Match and, with it, an exciting new concept in target competition. The Garand Match is a unique competition where shooters fire older “as-issued” military rifles over a course of fire that makes target shooting attractive to the average shooter. The availability of surplus M1 and other older military rifles makes target shooting accessible to thousands of shooters, many of whom do not participate in traditional target competitions. The Garand Match allows shooters to reenact military and marksmanship history and features camaraderie and a relaxed, fun-filled, yet challenging experience.

NLFG hosted the first annual Veteran’s Day Garand Match on November 11, 2023. The CMP sanctioned the match, so competitors were able to earn official CMP awards according to their scores. The most important thing is that everyone had a really good time, and more people are visiting our spectacular rifle range! We had 3 non-members compete, and one additional spectator.

Here’s the Match Line up:

  • WINNER: Mike Heaberlin – 284 – 4X
  • 2nd Place: Scott Smith – 280 – 7X
  • 3rd Place: Art Karas – 263 – 4X
  • 4th Place: Anthony Shaum – 250 – 1x
  • 5th Place: Rick Walski – 243 – 1X
  • 6th Place: Jeff Cramer and Jeff Haneline tied with 227 – 1X
  • 7th Place: Brain Williams – 214 – 3X
  • 8th Place: Bradley Williams – 214 – 2X

Our next match will be the third annual WHITE DEATH MATCH! Keep your eyes peeled for that one! It’s a lot of fun.