Martin Hickey, 270-996-8417, vonmannteuffel@yahoo.com
11th Annual Vintage Military Rifle Match
Please join us for the 2026 Vintage Military Rifle Match to be held at the Green River Gun Club in Bowling Green, KY on Saturday, August 1st, 2026.
This event is first and foremost about bringing together military firearms collectors & enthusiasts for day of shooting and socialization. The match structure we use is simple and designed to allow someone just entering the hobby to be able to shoot with people who have 30+ years of experience at events like the CMP Travel Games or the Talladega 600.
The match is open to military rifles that were in production prior to 1970 that are in “original” configuration. This year’s event will feature three divisions – open sights small caliber carbine, open sights service rifle and scoped sniper. The carbine competition will be shot at 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 & 200 yards. The open-sight rifle competition will be shot at 100, 125, 150, 175, 200 & 300 yards. The scoped sniper competition will be shot at 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 300 & 400 yards.
We may also include an additional course of fire to challenge the skills of this year’s shooters. More to follow as we get closer to August 1st.
There will be an outing for dinner and socialization on the evening of Friday, July 31st for those who are interested.
Guidelines
- Military carbines and rifles are defined as a government issued firearms to a national defense force, which include national police organizations. Only military carbines and rifles are acceptable for this match.
- An example of a military carbine is the M1 Carbine.
- An example of a military rifle is the Gewehr 1898.
- An example of a non-military rifle is the Springfield M1A Scout Squad Rifle.
- All Rifles
- Must have been in production in 1970 or earlier.
- Must be in as-issued condition.
- No fiberglass stocks, special bedding (glass bedding, etc.), match triggers or other special accurizing are permitted.
- Scoped Rifles
- A strap-on, lace-on or detachable wooden cheek-piece may be used if it was original to the rifle when used for sniping purposes.
- Sights must be original issue optical sights with as-issued reticles or sights may be commercial replicas of as-issued optical sights.
- Replica sights may have only crosshair, post, or post with crosshair reticles.
- Scope mounts and rings may be original or reproduction replicas.
- Scope rings may be sleeved or modified to accept a non-original scope diameter.
- Carbine Ammunition/Caliber
- Carbines will be limited to small caliber ammunition, ie. 30 Carbine, 9mm, 7.92x33mm Kurz, etc.
- Standing Exceptions
- Re-barreling with a barrel of as-issued dimensions is permitted. A replacement barrel must have the same exact contours and cuts as the original as-issued barrel.
- Re-sleeving to restore a rifle to a safe, firing condition is permitted. The rifling of the sleeve must have the exact contours and cuts as the original as-issue barrel.
- Replacement of a damaged part with new made “to original” spec replacement parts is ok. i.e., A Model 1898 Krag-Jorgensen that was sporterized and has been restocked in newly made furniture that was manufactured to the original spec.
- Parts that must be present to be 922 Compliant
Course of Fire
- Conditions
- Rifles may be fired seated from the bench or standing/off hand.
- Bench Shooters may shoot off their own backpack, simple bag rests or sandbags. Lead sleds, rifle rests, stock rests, stands, vices, etc. are not permitted.
- Process Flow
- Shooters will be paired together in teams of two. One will shoot, the other will spot.Shooters will have the opportunity to engage each target during the course of fire twice before having to move on to the next target. Optimally, each shooter will engage each target once, score and move through the course of fire successfully.If a shooter hits the target on the first round, they will receive 10 points. If they miss and shoot a second time and hit the target, they will receive 5 points. If they miss the target twice, they will receive 0 points.The Spotters will score the shooter.We will shoot from 4-5 shooting benches.If the number of attendees dictates that we need to shorten the time between shooting orders, we may have interleaved fire. This will be accomplished by the next shooter in the order starting to engage targets when the first shooter is halfway through their course of fire.
- At the end of the first string of shooting is complete, shooters and spotters will switch.
Additional Notes
- Two-man teams will be assigned to squads to increase ensure an orderly flow of fire.
- Please bring spotting scopes and/or binoculars if you have them.
- The first weekend of August is typically warm in Kentucky. If you have a portable, battery powered shop or jobsite fan, feel free to bring it and put it to use while shooting.
- Steel core and armor piercing ammunition is not authorized for use on any Green River Gun Club Range.
- This year the Green River Gun Club is making a change to how we manage the front gate for matches that are open to guests. The gate will be pinned open until the event/match start time. At that point the match director or an assistant will close the gate. All participants will be issued a gate exit code that is valid for the day of the match. Based on the new process, it is going to be imperative that everyone be on time this year.
- Please arrive with your rifle zeroed and ready to go. Depending on how many people attend this year’s match we may or may NOT have time for everyone to shoot five rounds to verify their zero.
- We recommend bringing 50-75 rounds of ammunition for every rifle you plan to shoot.
- Chamber Flags are recommended but not required.
- Eye & ear protection MUST be worn on the firing line when the range is HOT.
Fee Structure
- Compete in one Division – $30.00
- Add an additional rifle or division + $5.00.
- Youth Shooters – $15.00
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via messenger, by email at vonmannteuffel@yahoo.com or by phone at 270-996-8417.
Visitors are always welcome.
