GV hosted a Garand match 2 years ago. I sponsored Duke-Nukem to shoot the match using one of my M1. In fact I took him out shooting at Finger Lake one time before the match to give him the experience on how to avoid getting a "garand thumb". The match requires a rapid reloading during the rapid fire prone and sitting. You start with 2 rounds in the gun, followed by a full enbloc clip, all within 70 seconds and 60 seconds, respectively.
Anyway, about a month after the match Duke received a nice certificate from CMP stating that he had participated in a CMP sanctioned Garand match.
rmdye, even if I dont shoot the match to protest a ridiculously high match fee (yeah, right, it costs a lot more to shoot at the nationals, but hey, GV is not Camp Perry), I will be there to provide technical assistance to new shooters. I'll be happy to help out, including loaning some equipments (e.g. ground mat, spotting scope, sling, shooting coat, shooting glove, sight blacken, etc.). I know two GV members who are long time high power shooters (one of them is my coach), they will be there to offer technical assistance too.
Regardless the match fee, the Garand match is one match that you should shoot at least once in your life. Everytime I shoot one, I had chills goes up my spine, especially during rapid fire stage. Most of these rifles had seen combat in the defense of freedom and democracy. Think about the men who carried them, who depended their lifes on the accuracy and reliability of the M1 rifle. Think about the enemy whose lifes were taken by these rifles ... These are the rifles that won WW2, these rifles helped shaped America and the world as we know it today.
You probably can tell, how much I love them. Duke got his M1 from me. It was hard for me to let it go. I put so much TLC into that rifle to bring it back to its former glory. Had it been someone else other than Duke-Nukem, I doubt I would let the M1 go. Sorry, I always got carried away when it comes to the M1.
OZ
M1 lover/owner/shooter/historian/enthusiast
GCA (Garand Collector Association) member