Sunday, November 10th, 2024
Our Annual Veterans Day Matches will be held on Sunday, November 10th, 2024 at 9:00 am.
In celebration of our veterans, Manatee Gun & Archery Club will host several “military-style” rifle and pistol matches, with some rules relaxed to accommodate a wider segment of our veteran shooting community. Veterans will organize into teams representing their branch of service or may join a team representing a different branch to help balance the teams.
This year we are introducing two new matches- a “Modern Drone Warfare” match to be held at our 5-Stand range, and a “Pistol Challenge” match to be held at our Pistol Challenge Course.
All veterans and their supporting family members and friends, both club members and non-club members, are eligible to compete. In addition to veterans of the military branches, civilians and LEOs may also compete. Veterans and their supporting family members and friends shoot for free at MGAC on Veterans Day and may choose to compete or shoot for recreation, with competitors taking priority over recreational shooters. Non-veterans MUST be accompanied by a competing veteran to participate.
Matches will run simultaneously on the main firing line from 9:00 am until approximately 1:00 pm and cease-fire/ range cold conditions will be coordinated during this period for maximum efficiency, to accommodate target changes and the rotation of competitors. Timekeeping and cease-fire conditions are common across all matches on the main line.
Competitors will compete individually, and their scores will be added to an aggregate score for their team or classification (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force, Army National Guard, Air National Guard, LEO, or Civilian). The range will be cold for fifteen minutes between rotations. We will likely be able to do at least six rotations, allowing individual competitors to compete in all matches if desired. A free lunch will be served at 12:30 pm (free beverages available all day), all targets must be turned in by 1:45 pm, and the winners will be announced at 2:00 pm.
Match Details:
Our “Classic Service Rifle Match” is intended to honor the history of U.S. military issue service rifles (M1, M1 Carbine, M14, M1903, M16, M4), however any rifle chambered in 5.56, 7.62, or .30 caliber with iron sights may be used. The use of a bipod, rifle sled, rear bag, or any type of fixed support is not allowed, however, the use of a wooden block or sandbag forward of the receiver is allowed. The use of optics is not allowed. This match will be held on our main line and twenty shots on an NRA SR-1 target at 100 yards will be used for scoring.
Competitors may compete in the “Classic Service Rifle Match” with each type of classic service rifle they own. For example, a competitor may compete twice- once with their AR-15 and again with their M1 Garand. We encourage veterans with a vintage service rifle collection to compete with multiple rifle platforms.
Our “Modern Service Rifle Match” is intended to honor the M16, however any semi-automatic rifle chambered in 5.56, or 7.62 with a removable magazine and either iron sights or optics (set to 6x power magnification or less) may be used. The use of a bipod, rifle sled, rear bag or any type of fixed support is not allowed, however, the use of a wooden block or sandbag forward of the receiver is allowed. This match will be held on our main line and twenty shots on an NRA SR-1 target at 200 yards will be used for scoring.
Competitors may compete in the “Modern Service Rifle Match” with each type of modern service rifle they own. For example, a competitor may compete twice- for example, once with their AR-15 and again with their AR-10. Don’t be shy, dig deep into your safe;)
Our “Precision Rifle Match” is intended to honor the M24, however any bolt-action rifle (up to .30 caliber), equipped with optics (no restrictions on magnification setting) may be used. The use of a bipod or rear bag is allowed. The use of a rifle sled or vice is not allowed. This match will be held on our main line and twenty shots on an NRA SR-1 target at 300 yards will be used for scoring.
Competitors may compete in the “Precision Rifle Match” only once- so choose wisely;)
Our “Pistol and Revolver Matches” are intended to honor the history of U.S. military issue sidearms, however, there are no strict requirements outside of the caliber, type of firing mechanism, and the use of iron sights. The use of optical sights, lasers, or red dots is prohibited. Four sets of five rounds will be placed on a target board with four NRA B-3 targets at 25 yards for scoring. There will be three separate classes for this match:
- M1911 .45 ACP-Style Auto Pistol
- M9 9mm Luger-Style Auto Pistol
- M1917-Style .38/.357/.45 Revolver
Our “Pistol Challenge Match” will be held on our Pistol Challenge Course, and participants will be scored for the “timed pistol steel rack portion”. For this course of fire, a participant may use any pistol acceptable under the published Pistol Challenge Course SOP and make three attempts at the steel rack, for both time and accuracy. Each miss will be penalized, so accuracy is key. The best time wins. Eligible competitors will require a token, and one token will be provided for free upon check-in at the office.
Our “Modern Drone Warfare Match” will be held at our 5-Stand range. At the 5-Stand, participants will be scored for each drone (clay pigeon) successfully destroyed, out of a possible 25 “drones”. Any shotgun and ammo acceptable under the published 5-Stand SOP is allowed. The highest number of “drones” destroyed in a single round of 25 wins. Eligible competitors will require a token, and one token will be provided for free upon check-in at the office.
Awards for Top Scoring Competitors for Each Match:
In addition to bragging rights, top-scoring competitors in each match will be awarded MGAC apparel!