[Equipment Needs] [Equipment Sources] [CMP Books]
What equipment do I need?
This section is designed to recommend the equipment you may need as for CMP shooting.
This is a sport you can start off with very little equipment or expense. Your first trip may cost you nothing in equipment (you still have to pay for the shoot and ammo). You can make due with existing equipment (like a camping bedroll or piece of old carpet as your shooting mat) and you can accumulate equipment slowly. Remember that a lot of your score is based on ability and training, not the price of your equipment.
Our group cannot sell you ammo for use outside of our monthly shoots and clinics.
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Equipment | Approximate Cost | |||||||||||||||||
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B | R | S | C | P | Eye Protection Safety is paramount. You can get simple safety goggles (hardware stores) or fancy shooting glasses. It is up to you. |
$5 and $20 on up | ||||||||||||||
B | R | S | C | P | Ear Protection Again, safety is paramount. You can use foam ear inserts, quality headset ear protectors, or fancy microphone equipped “hunter” headsets. It is up to you. Loaners are usually available. |
$0.50 and $15 on up | ||||||||||||||
B | R | S | C | P | Ammunition .30-’06 and .223 ammunition may be purchased from the CMP Match Director, but must be shot at that shoot and is required in our loaner rifles. |
$30 / 60 rounds | ||||||||||||||
B | R | S | C | L | Shooting Mat Keeps you and your equipment from getting wet or dirty while sitting or prone. Loaners are usually available. You can start with a hunk of carpeting, use camping bedrolls pad, or get fancy shooting mats |
$5 to about $80 | ||||||||||||||
R | S | C | L | Spotting Scope or Binoculars So you can see where your shots are going. You should be able to see the bullet holes 100 yards away or more. Also see the information under “Stand for Spotting Scope”. As your level increases, you can invest in better equipment. You can start with binoculars; if you buy a scope, you can start with an inexpensive Tasco, Simmons, or Bushnell scope for about $70. You might be able to find something like a Tasco 17EB at the local discount store for $35. You can go as high as $400 for a Kowa. An offset eyepiece (angled) or offset fixture on your scope stand is well worth the cost. It is very inconvenient to change your position in order to look through the scope. |
$30 on up | |||||||||||||||
R | S | C | P | Stand for Spotting Scope If you are using binoculars, the stand will free up your hands. Even inexpensive scopes may come with a short (“table top”) stand. But you will need to have some method of mounting the scope for prone (down low) and standing (normal eye level).A 35mm or video camera tripod could be used for standing. |
Included with scope (free) to $100+ | |||||||||||||||
S | C | L | Military Rifle The selection and time to purchase this is entirely up to you; most people in the group shoot M-1 Garand Rifles purchased from CMP, also many use AR-15 or similar. |
$400 and up | ||||||||||||||||
S | C | P | Empty Chamber Indicator (ECI), AKA Safety Flag When inserted into the rifle chamber, occupies the space where the chambered round would be, and has a visible indicator (flag). Provides externally visible evidence that there is no round in the chamber, i.e., the rifle is safe. Every rifle on the line must have one of these. |
$2 | ||||||||||||||||
S | C | P | Sling This helps during sitting and prone rounds. It can be a fabric web (U.S.G.I. surplus), M1903 leather style, or whatever material you select. However, for matches, you must use the standard fabric or leather styles. Turner is a good name. |
About $5 up to $50 for leather | ||||||||||||||||
S | C | P | Shooting Mitt or Glove Increases your ability to grip and reduce movement from the pulse in your support hand. You can start out bare-handed, wear winter or ski gloves, or leather work gloves. |
$15 on up to about $90 | ||||||||||||||||
S | C | P | Data Book To record the behavior of you and your rifle in all different kinds of conditions. This also allows you to record how you progress. |
$5 on up | ||||||||||||||||
S | C | P | Shooting Jacket Anything from a Mil-Surplus Marine rag-jacket to the Creedmoor Leather Hardback. When you are first starting out, you can get by with your “street” clothes. Try to avoid wearing nylon jackets and ski coats as you will not get good elbow support when standing (they’re slippery). |
$45 up to $350 | ||||||||||||||||
C | P | Advanced Shooting Glasses In addition to providing eye protection, removable and various color lenses, advanced shooting glasses can provide prescription safety glasses, as well as providing varying diopters in the individual lenses to focus your eye on the front site. |
$$$ |