Courtesy Photo | Grand Island, NE— Spc. Jacob Hetherington engages a target to start a stage during...... read more read more
USAMU PAO
FORT BENNING, Ga. – The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) competitive shooting teams work daily to be the best marksmen in the world. Here is a review of their accomplishments for the week ending August 20.
Competitions
International Rifle
2017 NRA Mid-Range National Championship
USAMU International Rifle team member Sgt. 1st Class Eric Uptagrafft from Spokane, Washington, secured the National Rifle Association Mid-Range, Any-Rifle title in Camp Atterbury, Indiana held July 15 -20. Even though the competition allowed the use of optics, Uptagrafft won the Any-Rifle title using non-magnified iron sights.
2017 NSRA Smallbore Meeting
USAMU’s International Team also competed in the 2017 National Smallbore Rifle Association’s Smallbore Meeting at Bisley, England, held August 10 - 20. The NSRA is the national governing body for all Smallbore Rifle and Pistol Target Shooting in the United Kingdom, including airgun and match crossbow shooting. Sgt. 1st Class Eric Uptagrafft from Spokane, Washington, won the two main individual aggregates and fired the high score during the Roberts Trophy Team Match. Sgt. 1st Class Hank Gray from Garden City, Kansas, ran away from the competition with his Double English Match win. Gray shot two extremely high scores on a difficult range to secure his victory while Uptagrafft finished second in the match. Team USA, which included Uptagrafft and Gray, won the Roberts Team Match against Great Britain. The Roberts Team Match, which consists of 10-member teams from both countries, is conducted every eight years between the USA and Great Britain in Bisley, England. Historically, it has been very difficult for the visiting team to win.
Shotgun Team
2017 Fort Worth Open Skeet Match
USAMU’s Shotgun Team competed in the 2017 Fort Worth Open Skeet competition in Fort Worth, Texas, held August 1 - 7. Pvt. 1st Class Christian Elliott from Greenwood, Indiana, won the Gold and Sgt. Hayden Stewart from Columbia, Tennessee took home the Bronze. Elliott was in championship form after shooting a perfect 125 out of 125, plus a 58 out of 60 in the final to secure a victory. Stewart shot a solid 123 out of 125 but was edged out in the final for Silver by two-time Olympic champion Vincent Hancock.
34th Annual Grand Prix International Cernay
USAMU’s Shotgun Team performed well in the 2017 Grand Prix International Cernay Trap match held in Cernay, France held August 7 - 16. Staff Sgt. Derek Haldeman, from Sunbury, Ohio, Sgt. Seth Inman from Lexington, Missouri, Spc. Alex Rennert from Miami Beach, Florida, and Pvt. 1st Class William Hinton from Lawrenceville, Georgia all participated in the competition. This was a 250-target plus final match. Haldeman, Inman and Hinton all made the finals placing fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. Due to the International Shooting Sports Federation’s decision to eliminate the Double Trap event from the Olympic Games, 2017 has been a year of rebuilding for AMU’s men’s trap team. The 2017 Gran Prix was a large international match with 140 participants. Having three competitors in the final shows that the AMU team is moving in the right direction to place Soldiers on the USA Olympic Shooting Team in Tokyo 2020.
2017 ISSF Junior World Cup
Pvt. 1st Class Christian Elliot, from Greenwood, Indiana, competed at the 2017 International Shooting Sports Federation Junior World Cup in Porpetto, Italy, held August 15 - 20. Elliott made the top six final by shooting the second highest qualification score on a very challenging range. Elliott has been collecting medals this year as a result of some outstanding performances. He will represent the United States and the U.S. Army at the fast approaching ISSF World Championships in Moscow, Russia in September.
Service Rifle
56th Annual Interservice Rifle Championship
The USAMU’s Service Rifle Team completed its summer season at the 56th Interservice Rifle Championship at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, held July 25 through August 4. The team dominated the Interservice Championships by placing 11 shooters in the top 15 positions during individual championship.
Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Green, from Covington, Louisiana, won the individual championship and set a new national record by firing a 998-52x. National records were also set in the 200-Yard Slow Fire and Rapid Fire stages by 2016 Olympian Spc. Dan Lowe, from Olympia, Washington, and Sgt. Ben Cleland, from Sylvania, Ohio, with a 200-13x and 200-18x, respectively. During the long range series, Staff Sgt. David Bahten, from Sonora, California, won the Service Rifle Category and set a national record in the 600-Yard Slow Fire Match with a 200-13x. The Open Rifle Category was won by Staff Sgt. Amanda Elsenboss, from Waterbury, Connecticut. During team competitions, USAMU crushed the existing 10-man team record in place since 1999 by firing a 4942-231x. USAMU teams also won the Marine Corps Commandant Director’s Championship six-man team match, Infantry Team Trophy Match and the 1000-yard six-man team matches.
The Interservice Rifle Team Championship is an annual must-win match for USAMU’s Service Rifle Team. This event establishes total team dominance over all other services, both active and reserve components, and combined with the Dogs of War Trophy from Camp Perry, is the pinnacle of rifle team marksmanship. Currently, the USAMU Service Rifle Team owns both.
Action Shooting
Precision Rifle Series (PRS) Peacemaker DMR Gas Gun Match
USAMU’s Action Shooting Team member Staff Sgt. Tyler Payne from Minneapolis, Minnesota, competed and won the Open Division at the 2017 Peacemaker Designated Rifle Marksmen (DRM) Gas Gun Precision Rifle Series (PRS) match held in Glengarry, West Virginia, held July 27 - 31. Payne is the defending series champion.
PRS matches replicate combat-style sniper shooting. By competing in and winning these events, AMU Soldiers refine marksmanship techniques to share throughout the Army.
2017 USPSA Area 3 Championship
Two Soldiers from the USAMU Action Shooting team competed at the 2017 United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) Area 3 Championship at Grand Island, Nebraska, held August 3 - 7. Spc. Jacob Hetherington from Prescott, Arizona, took home first place in the Production Division while Staff Sgt. John Browning, from Griffin, Georgia, finished sixth in the Limited Division.
USPSA stages are designed to challenge shooters to think on their feet and develop stable firing positions no matter what the obstacle.
2017 Rocky Mountain 3-Gun World Championship
USAMU’s Action Shooting Team dominated the podium at the Rocky Mountain 3-Gun Championships in Raton, New Mexico. Staff Sgt. Tyler Payne, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, secured a first place win in the Heavy Scope Division, and Staff Sgt. Joel Turner, from Anderson, South Carolina, brought home first place in the Open Division. Sgt. 1st Class Dan Horner from Suffolk, Virginia, earned second place in the Tactical Scope Division, while Sgt. 1st Class Kyle McMaster from York, Pennsylvania, placed second in the Limited Irons Division. USAMU Soldiers also secured a first place win in the team event to wrap up a fierce display of dominance.
Lethality
Instructor Training Group
4/2 Calvary Marksmanship Training
Five USAMU Soldiers traveled to Germany to conduct intensive marksmanship training focused on developing junior reconnaissance leaders to build and maintain lethal teams and squads through effective training management and coaching.
Thirty-six Soldiers from the 4th Squadron, 2nd Calvary Regiment in Vilseck and Grafenwoehr, Germany, attended training with USAMU from July 29 through August 11. The Soldiers were trained on basic and mid-range rifle marksmanship and pistol marksmanship, which included weapons handling, holds, range estimations, data gathering, and refining zeros.
This was a great opportunity for USAMU to support the Army’s overall warfighting effort
For more information about the USAMU and our teams check us out on social media sites, Facebook: @USAMU1956, Instagram: @usamu1956, Twitter: @USAMUSoldiers and YouTube. As well as our home website at http://www.usaac.army.mil/amu/.
The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit wins national and international shooting competitions, supports Army marketing engagements, and advances small arms lethality to demonstrate Army marksmanship capability, connect America to its Army and enhance marksmanship effectiveness in combat. USAMU is part of the U.S. Army Marketing Engagement Brigade and Army Marketing and Research Group.
| Date Taken: | 08.25.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 08.29.2017 14:14 |
| Story ID: | 246436 |
| Location: | FORT BENNING, GA, US |
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