ARs in service rifle matches

[ebb]

Who was the very first person to shoot an AR rifle in a service rifle match? Was it a civilian or a member of the armed services?

 

[GotRDid]

The only competitor I knew personally that shot an AR early on in Service Rifle Competition was Jeff Bartlett of GIBrass in Owensboro, KY. He won the KY State High Power Match in 1988, held at Ft. Campbell, KY.
I was shooting a NM M14 and M852 equivilant ammo. As hot and humid as Camp Perry!
I believe Jeff was using Sierra 69 gr Matchkings at 600.

 

[10XSHOOTER]

The US Navy fielded a M-16 team at Perry in the early 70's

 

[jelenko]

The US Navy fielded a M-16 team at Perry in the early 70's

Do you know if it was modified - like free floating the barrel?

 

[Big Mc]

Who was the very first person to shoot an AR rifle in a service rifle match? Was it a civilian or a member of the armed services?

I used a M14 at Camp Perry , Pres 100 match in 1966. Finished 15th. Tommy Mc

 

[10XSHOOTER]

Do you know if it was modified - like free floating the barrel?

If I remember right. They were off the rack M-16's Nothing special done to them.
This was days before the AMU and Marine Corps teams started modifying them.
My CO at the the Navy Research Lab, Flight Support Det. Had the picture and shot on that team.

 

[cmysix]

Do you know if it was modified - like free floating the barrel?

The M16/AR15 barrel/chamber fits into the receiver and is held into place with a barrel nut the old hand guards were held in place with a spring operated ring mounted to that nut and a front mount that trapped the handguard half's in a triangular stamped metal piece just behind the front sight, the new hand guards just attach to the rear barrel nut IF your using that type. there really is no "free floating" the barrel like in a wooden stock, if you think the old style two piece hand guards were moving the barrel around I doubt it, I was trained on Paris Island SC in 1975 per NRA rules on the 200,300 and 500 yard targets and if you applied what you were taught you could shoot small groups with worn out Veit Nam Era M16's, I had never before shot a gun in my life up until that point and shot 230 points out of a possible 250. so much for a free floating barrel. Semper Fi. IF I Remember correctly the longest kill shot with an M16 is 750 yards

 

[Fuj]

Look up SGT Amanda Elsenboss Pa, National Guard for some more
current events. Annie Oakley in camo......

 

[Jeff Porter]

The M16/AR15 barrel/chamber fits into the receiver and is held into place with a barrel nut the old hand guards were held in place with a spring operated ring mounted to that nut and a front mount that trapped the handguard half's in a triangular stamped metal piece just behind the front sight, the new hand guards just attach to the rear barrel nut IF your using that type. there really is no "free floating" the barrel like in a wooden stock, if you think the old style two piece hand guards were moving the barrel around I doubt it, I was trained on Paris Island SC in 1975 per NRA rules on the 200,300 and 500 yard targets and if you applied what you were taught you could shoot small groups with worn out Veit Nam Era M16's, I had never before shot a gun in my life up until that point and shot 230 points out of a possible 250. so much for a free floating barrel. Semper Fi. IF I Remember correctly the longest kill shot with an M16 is 750 yards

Um… yeah. The front sling swivel attaches to the barrel (front sight tower ) on a standard A2 or A2 with the plastic hand guards. By using steel free float tube under the hand guards that has threads in front of the barrel nut and a sling swivel attached to it, the barrel is fully free inside the float tube and has no stress induced by slinging up tight as XTC shooters do.



All of the newer Mloc quad rails fully free
Float the barrels.

 

[hpshooter]

Um… yeah. The front sling swivel attaches to the barrel (front sight tower ) on a standard A2 or A2 with the plastic hand guards. By using steel free float tube under the hand guards that has threads in front of the barrel nut and a sling swivel attached to it, the barrel is fully free inside the float tube and has no stress induced by slinging up tight as XTC shooters do.

View attachment 1590719

All of the newer Mloc quad rails fully free
Float the barrels.

Beat me to it, put one that I purchased from White Oak in the early 80,s still on that rifle and works as intended, clearanced the muzzle end of the hand guards with a hole saw with 1/8-3/16 clearance on the tube.

 

[jelenko]

No where as early as others, but I did take a 'match rifle' based on an AR to Perry in 1992.
Gunsmith custom created the front and rear sight bases. I was using either a Mo's or Zelanek rear sight.
Shot JLK 80's at 600 and SMK 69's at 200/300.

 

[243winxb]

National Trophy Individual Rifle Match
Courses of Fire
Arms and ammunition:
1903-1906-The service rifle or carbine, US Magazine Rifle Model 1898 and service
cartridge
1907-1940-The service rifle, US Rifle Model 1903 and service cartridge
1951-Present-The service rifle, US Rifle Cal. .30 M1, or commercial equivalent, and
service cartridge
1964-Present-The service rifle, US Rifle 7.62mm M14, or commercial equivalent, and
service cartridge
1973-Present-The service rifle, Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16, or commercial equivalent,
and service cartridge

In 1967, the United States Army adopted the M16 rifle, which fired the 5.56mm round. The M16 replaced the M14

 

[ratguner]

I don't know the dates, but Derrick Martin, National Guard Team and Accuracy Speaks gun shop, did a lot of tinkering with ARs back in the early days.
May have been one of the first to bring ARs to Perry.

 

[akajun]

Frank White with compass lake developed a lot of the accuracy stuff for ar 15 service rifles in the late 80’s early 90’s
Two stage nm triggers modified from usgi triggers , free float tubes which were silver brazed onto a barrel nut, nm sights modified from usgi.
Iirc the first military team to win Perry with ARs was the amu in 95 or so. Before that the m14 ruled the roost and the USMC team usually won

 

[bpd459]

From an 80’s NRA publication

 

[ebb]

So nobody knows?

 

[jelenko]

Unless someone was tracking this very point, it would be unknown.
The post about the Navy fielding an M16 in the early 70's has got to be the first or near to it.

 

[jelenko]

The US Navy fielded a M-16 team at Perry in the early 70's

Do you know if it was modified so not capable for full auto?

 

[Jeff Porter]

So nobody knows?

Derrick Martin would. I also saw a reference to a history of AR match rifle shooting in John Feamster's "Black Magic" while digging on some other sites if anyone has a copy of that.

 

[10XSHOOTER]

Do you know if it was modified so not capable for full auto?

I don't know. the Navy may have changed out the selector and sear.