CAMP PERRY, Ohio – Returning to the National Matches for the first time since 2016, 1st Lt. James Minturn, 29, of the U.S. Marine Corps shooting team made himself comfortable on the ranges as he claimed both the Three-Gun and Four-Gun Aggregate competitions during the Games portion of the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) National Rifle Matches. Minturn accumulated scores of 865-21X and 1156-30X, respectively, in the events.CAMP PERRY, Ohio – Returning to the National Matches for the first time since 2016, 1st Lt. James Minturn, 29, of the U.S. Marine Corps shooting team made himself comfortable on the ranges as he claimed both the Three-Gun and Four-Gun Aggregate competitions during the Games portion of the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) National Rifle Matches. Minturn accumulated scores of 865-21X and 1156-30X, respectively, in the events.
The CMP National Games matches feature a variety of vintage and modern rifles fired in recreational-style competitions. The events provide unique challenges to competitors while also celebrating the legacy of each remarkable firearm on the historic grounds of Camp Perry – home to the National Matches for over a century.
“It was a little chaotic, but it was good,” Minturn said of his 2021 Camp Perry showing. “I had a lot of new rifles that I had never touched before, so I had no zeroes – so that was fun.”
Minturn has been to the National Matches several times, even as a junior, and made the most of his 2021 experience by firing in CMP’s Highpower events in July, followed by the traditional National Trophy Rifle matches and the National Games Matches the following week in August. He also fired in the National Air Gun events and the concluding National Long Range Matches.
It had been about eight years since Minturn had fired vintage-style, leaving him to resort to a mix of borrowed rifles from friends and family to use on the range during the Games events.
“When I was a junior, my dad would come out (to Camp Perry) – we would shoot highpower and in addition we would start doing the vintage, so I just keep doing it,” Minturn said. “I typically try to fire as much as I can.”
“It’s an interesting and fun experience,” he added about the CMP Games events at the National Matches.
This trip, Minturn brought along his wife, dual Active Duty Marine Maj. Crystal Pearl, to get a first-hand look at the National Matches. The pair met through highpower about 10 years ago and used the 2021 National Matches as an enjoyable family outing and a way to reintroduce Pearl to the sport of competitive shooting.
“It was a lot more relaxed than I expected it to be,” she said of her first National Matches experience. “Jim has all of these trophies and plaques in his room (from previous National Matches), and I thought this was going to be tens-of-thousands of people and really intense and I’m not going to be able to make the time hacks for things – but it actually was really nice and friendly.”
Donned in her Marine Corps uniform, Pearl enjoyed the vintage matches so much that she fired in the M1 Garand match four times in a row. She was also the second highest scoring woman in the Modern Military Match.
“I think everyone gets excited to see the Marines out here, so I got to ride their coat tails a little,” she joked. “But I think maybe next year I’ll practice. It was a ton of fun.”
On his path to his aggregate victories, Minturn earned the overall win in the Springfield Match with a score of 292-11X.
Leading both the John C. Garand and Vintage Military competitions was Doug Armstrong, 61, of Lexington, North Carolina. Past aggregate winner Brian Williams, 47, of Granby, Massachusetts, was the overall competitor in the Modern Military event. He also earned the top spot in the National Carbine Match – missing the current record score by just one point.
Earning High Junior honors in three of the four Garand/Springfield/Vintage/Modern Military events was Dustin Carr, 20, of San Diego, California. Carr is also the current junior national record holder in the Vintage Military Match.
Andrew Beaver, 19, of Indianapolis, Indiana, claimed the fourth event – clearing a score of 279-3X in the Modern Military Match. His sister, Meghann Beaver, 22, earned High Woman in Vintage Military.
Others earning High Woman honors included Kerri Lewis, 45, of Middletown, Rhode Island, in the Garand and Springfield events as Cindy Bailey, 49, of North Ridgeville, Ohio, topped the Modern Military Match. Kerri’s score of 282-4X during the Garand Match was a new National Match Record for the High Woman category.
Sgt. Shane Butler, 30, of the U.S. Marine Corps, led the Springfield M1A Match, sponsored by Springfield Armory, with an overall score of 382-7X. Following closely in second and earning the High Civilian title was Brian Williams with 380-6X.
In the National Vintage Sniper event, team Lathrop-Weller (John Lathrop and Keith Weller) nabbed the win in the Manual class with a combined score of 392-14X. The Semi-Automatic class was led by Double D (Douglas Armstrong and Glendale Rutherford), with 373-13X.
Leading scorers of the National CMP Games Matches:
National M1 Carbine:
Overall: Brian Williams, 47, of Granby, Massachusetts – 379-8X
High Junior: Madelyn Schnelle, 14, Crawfordsville, Indiana – 344-1X
High Woman: Maisey Loucks, 26, Mechanicville, New York – 330-5X
High Senior: David Schnelle, 65, Crawfordsville, Indiana – 360-4X
High Grand Senior: Frank Gill, 70, Oil City, Pennsylvania – 351-3X
National John C. Garand:
Overall: Douglas Armstrong, 61, of Lexington, North Carolina – 292-7X
High Junior: Dustin Carr, 20, of San Diego, California – 284-7X
High Woman: Kerri Lewis, 45, of Middletown, Rhode Island – 282-4X **NEW National Match Record**
High Senior: James Martin, 65, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – 290-6X
High Grand Senior: Robert Steketee, 66, Haslett, Michigan – 288-6X
National Springfield:
Overall: 1st Lt. James Minturn, 29, of the U.S. Marine Corps – 292-11X
High Junior: Dustin Carr, 20, of San Diego, California – 275-3X
High Woman: Kerri Lewis, 45, of Middletown, Rhode Island – 278-4X
High Senior: Frank Gill, 70, Oil City, Pennsylvania – 286-5X
High Grand Senior: Thomas Schettig, 77, Cresson, Pennsylvania – 276-2X
National Vintage Military:
Overall: Douglas Armstrong, 61, of Lexington, North Carolina – 287-8X
High Junior: Dusting Carr, 20, of San Diego, California – 277-4X
High Woman: Meghann Beaver, 22, of Indianapolis, Indiana – 250-2X
High Senior: Richard Nowicke, 63, Beverly Hills, Michigan – 284-8X
High Grand Senior: Robert McKenzie, 72, Vineland, New Jersey – 275-4X
Vintage 1917 Enfield Match: David Clark, 53, Osceola, Indiana – 285-7X
National Modern Military:
Overall: Brian Williams, 47, of Granby, Massachusetts – 296-10X
High Junior: Andrew Beaver, 19, of Indianapolis, Indiana – 279-3X
High Woman: Cindy Bailey, 49, of North Ridgeville, Ohio – 277-4X
High Senior: Donald Schedler, 66, Mentor, Ohio – 294-10X **NEW National Match Record**
High Grand Senior: Glenn Ward, 70, Bellevue, Nebraska – 280-11X
National Three-Gun (Garand/Springfield/Vintage Military) Aggregate:
First: 1st Lt. James Minturn, 29, of the U.S. Marine Corps – 865-21X
Second: Douglas Armstrong, 61, of Lexington, North Carolina – 864-22X
Third: Michael Filozof, 56, Alden, New York – 854-24X
National Four-Gun (Garand/Springfield/Modern Military/Vintage Military) Aggregate:
First: 1st Lt. James Minturn, 29, of the U.S. Marine Corps – 1156-30X
Second: Thomas Morley, 61, Washington, Pennsylvania – 1139-29X
Third: Brian Williams, 47, of Granby, Massachusetts – 1134-23X
Springfield M1A:
Overall: Sgt. Shane Butler, 30, of the U.S. Marine Corps – 382-7X
High Civilian: Brian Williams, 47, of Granby, Massachusetts – 380-6X
High Service: SSgt. Michael Martinez, 33, Oceanside, California – 376-6X
High Junior: Thomas McGowan, 16, Hortonville, Wisconsin – 364-8X
High Woman: Hanne Brantner, 51, Greencastle, Pennsylvania – 359-5X
High Senior: Robert Steketee, 66, Haslett, Michigan – 375-5X
High Grand Senior: John Kurek, 71, Jacksonville, North Carolina – 358-3X
National Vintage Sniper:
Manual:
- Lathrop-Weller (John Lathrop and Keith Weller) – 392-14X
- Martinez-McMillan (Joseph McMillan and Maj. Richard Martinez) – 390-9X
- Watson Squared (James Watson and Curt Watson) – 389-11X
Semi-Auto:
- Double D (Douglas Armstrong and Glendale Rutherford) – 373-13X
- Blind Squirrels (Richard Rudes and Jeremy Best) – 368-3X
- William-MacKenzie (Brian Williams and Alex MacKenzie – 353-8X
View a complete list of results of this and other 2021 Camp Perry National Rifle Matches at https://ct.thecmp.org/21nmrifleresults.
CMP Competition Games
CMP offers competition games, consisting of rifle and pistol matches, throughout the country. Rifle and Pistol Marksmanship 101 classes, along with other marksmanship clinics, are also held throughout the year. Find out dates, locations and additional details at https://thecmp.org/competitions/cmp-travel-games/.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.
