Civilian Marksmanship Program

If Colonel Townsend Whelen Had an iPhone

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Colonel Townsend Whelen spent a lifetime proving that only accurate rifles are interesting. But imagine handing him an iPhone and asking ChatGPT for a 6.5 Creedmoor load. After staring at it for thirty seconds, he’d probably ask, “What the hell is Wi-Fi?” Then he’d type, “Best accuracy load. 140 Berger. H4350. Go.” After 41 years behind a rifle, I did exactly that—and one of the best first-round load developments of my career popped out. Luck? Maybe. Or maybe AI just read a hundred years of load manuals, match reports, and internet arguments in about half a second. Either way, it didn’t pull the trigger. It just saved a little barrel life. And these days, that’s worth its weight in powder.

Compulsive Precision Disorder: Why Long-Range Shooters Are Not Normal

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Compulsive Precision Disorder (CPD) – Spend enough time around long-range competitive marksmen and you’ll notice something curious. They all have a little… something. They measure powder to the kernel, torque screws to inch-pounds, record weather conditions like NOAA meteorologists, and can spend an hour investigating a single 9-ring hit like it’s the JFK assassination.

To the average person, this borders on insanity.

To a competitive marksman, it’s called Tuesday.

The funny part? Those obsessive personality traits that might seem excessive everywhere else are exactly what the sport rewards. The target doesn’t care about excuses—it only rewards consistency. Maybe that’s why engineers, machinists, scientists, and military veterans seem to thrive on the firing line. In one of the few places on Earth where perfectionism actually pays dividends, a little Compulsive Precision Disorder isn’t a bug…

Teddy Roosevelt Built a Nation of Riflemen. Then Democrats Tried to Kill It.

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Theodore Roosevelt believed America was stronger when ordinary citizens knew how to shoot. For nearly a century, the federal government agreed—supporting the DCM, the National Matches, and even helping selected junior riflemen travel to Camp Perry to represent their states. Then came the 1990s, when Washington decided a program designed to create disciplined American marksmen was something that needed to be “terminated.” They killed the old DCM, but they failed to kill American marksmanship. The CMP survived—and the riflemen kept shooting.

I’m sorry Honey, this M14 followed me home! Can I keep it?

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Nearly 750,000 U.S. M14 rifles were destroyed after the Cold War, many meeting their end at Anniston Army Depot in the jaws of a hydraulic shear known as “Captain Crunch.” Now, history is taking a different path. Beginning in January 2027, the CMP expects to offer permanently converted semi-automatic M14s to qualified Americans for under $2,000. Every rifle sold preserves a piece of American military history while helping fund junior shooting programs, Camp Perry, scholarships, and the future of competitive marksmanship. Sometimes, the best way to honor history isn’t to put it in a museum—it’s to put it back on the firing line.