Marksmanship. Fundamentals. Competition.
Some shooting sports are built around speed. Others recreate history.
Service Rifle and Service Pistol competition is about mastering the fundamentals of marksmanship.
The EGC Service Rifle & Service Pistol Program gives Eustis Gun Club members an opportunity to challenge themselves through structured competitive shooting based upon the traditions and standards of the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP).
Under the direction of EGC Match Director Frank, these matches provide experienced competitors and members interested in discovering a new shooting discipline an opportunity to develop accuracy, consistency, firearm control, positional shooting skills, and confidence through organized competition.
Whether your goal is competition or simply becoming a better marksman, Service Rifle and Service Pistol offer something that never goes out of style:
Master the fundamentals. Make every shot count.
What is the Civilian Marksmanship Program?
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is a federally chartered nonprofit organization dedicated to firearms safety, marksmanship training, competition, and youth development.
Its roots reach back to the early 20th century and the national effort to improve civilian marksmanship and firearms proficiency. Today, the CMP provides training opportunities, establishes competition rules, sanctions matches, supports youth marksmanship programs, and conducts some of the country's most recognized competitive shooting events.
CMP competition encompasses numerous shooting disciplines, including Service Rifle, Service Pistol, As-Issued Military Rifle, Rimfire Sporter, Smallbore, Air Rifle, Air Pistol, Action Pistol, and other competitive marksmanship programs.
Through EGC's Service Rifle & Service Pistol Program, our members have an opportunity to participate locally in a shooting tradition that extends far beyond our range.
What is Service Rifle?
Service Rifle is a traditional form of competitive marksmanship based upon rifles associated with U.S. military service.
Traditional Service Rifle competition challenges shooters through multiple firing positions and courses of fire.
The modern AR-15 platform is commonly seen in today's Service Rifle competition, while CMP competition also preserves opportunities involving historic American military rifles such as the M1 Garand, M1903 Springfield, M14/M1A, and other qualifying military-style rifles through its various competition programs.
Traditional Service Rifle competition challenges shooters through multiple firing positions and courses of fire. Depending upon the match, competitors may encounter:
- Standing — Slow Fire
Precision shooting from the unsupported standing position. - Sitting or Kneeling — Rapid Fire
A timed stage requiring both positional stability and efficient firearm handling. - Prone — Rapid Fire
Combining a stable shooting position with the demands of a timed course of fire. - Prone — Slow Fire
A precision stage where consistency, sight alignment, trigger control, and the ability to read shooting conditions become especially important.
The result is a discipline that rewards far more than simply putting rounds downrange. Shooters learn to understand their firearm, their sights, their position, their trigger control—and themselves.
What is Service Pistol?
Service Pistol brings the same emphasis on disciplined marksmanship to the handgun.
CMP Service Pistol competition is part of the traditional Bullseye Pistol shooting program and combines slow, timed, and rapid-fire shooting under established courses of fire.
Rather than movement through stages, the challenge is consistency.
Grip- Stance- Sight alignment- Trigger control- Recovery- Repeat.
It's a demanding discipline where small improvements in technique can make a very noticeable difference on the target.
For EGC members who want to strengthen their fundamental handgun marksmanship and experience structured pistol competition, Service Pistol provides an excellent challenge.
Competition With a Purpose
You don't have to be preparing for a national championship to benefit from competitive marksmanship.
One of the greatest values of organized shooting sports is that competition gives shooters a reason to practice with purpose. Instead of simply measuring how many rounds you fired, Service Rifle and Service Pistol allow you to measure progress.
Your scores provide a benchmark. Your targets show where you can improve. Different firing positions expose weaknesses in technique. And shooting alongside other EGC members creates opportunities to learn from competitors with more experience.
That makes this program valuable not only to competitive shooters, but to EGC members who simply want to become more capable and disciplined marksmen.
New Competitors Welcome
Never shot a Service Rifle or Service Pistol match before? Come see what it's about.
EGC members interested in the program are encouraged to attend, meet Match Director Frank and our participating shooters, observe how the match operates, and ask questions about firearms, equipment, courses of fire, and getting started.
Competitive shooting doesn't have to begin at a national match. It can begin right here at Eustis Gun Club.
Learn. Practice. Compete. Improve. That's what EGC Shooting Sports are all about.