The old DCM

[DustyRusty]

I began shooting the CMP matches at Camp Perry just after the DCM became the CMP. Reflecting on the stories of those days recently, I attempted to find information about the organizations responsible for the legacy we enjoy today. I find it interesting that it is difficult to find references to, stories about or the history of the old DCM.

IF memory serves, the old DCM, "The Director of Civilian Marksmanship," was a post in the US Army filled by a Coronel. The army officer assigned to the post was called "Director, Civilian Marksmanship," or "The DCM.” It was run this way from its inception in the Teddy Roosevelt days until about 1996 or so. When the Army had to give it up, (a political story) congress created the CMP, "Civilian Marksmanship Program." The civilian running the new CMP is also called "The Director of Civilian Marksmanship”. This morphing of the program and the similarity of the terminology used, to me, has created some difficulty in research involved in re-telling the story.

So, please consider this an invitation to describe the days of the DCM (pre 1996). The available firearms, the ammo & the matches.
Were there more shooters at Camp Perry back then, or less?

 

[W.E.G.]

https://thecmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/A-Brief-History-of-the-CMP.pdf

 

[W.E.G.]

https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/NOCASE-AGO_1956-04-000-WEB-0.pdf

 

[W.E.G.]

A report on the feasibility and advisability of some policy to inaugurate a system of rifle practice throughout the public schools of the country : National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet A

9 p

archive.org

 

[W.E.G.]

NBPRP seminal publication

 

[hps1]

The Director of the DCM was, indeed an Army Colonel in 1983 when I organized our gun club's high power rifle program and we signed on as a DCM affiliated club w/Jr. division.

The requirements, as I remember them required having an NRA certified instructor and a weapons custodian (could be the same person). The DCM would issue affiliated clubs (w/Jr. division) up to 9 M1 Garands and IIRC 10 or 12 .22 RF target rifles + a free ammo allotment, based on the number of shooters who shot in DCM affiliated clinics & matches. Clubs filed reports to DCM of numbers participants in these events and could pick up ammo at Camp Perry or Red River Arsenal or pay for secure shipping, but the ammo was free. Shooting a match also qualified the (adult) shooters to purchase a Garand from the DCM for $98. A couple of years later they went up to $110, IIRC.

Shortly before Army support for DCM was withdrawn (as OP stated, a political move) all of the rifles issued to each club were offered for purchase by the clubs at great prices. Shortly thereafter, the CMP was established to continue where DCM left off. As I understand it, all surplus rifles and ammo in possession of the DCM were turned over to the CMP at that time.

Shot all the Tx state rifle matches back then but never could get away long enough to get to Perry myself so can't comment on participation there. State matches as well as state service rifle matches were well attended at Camp Bullis near San Antonio up until 9/11 when civilian use of Army base ranges became increasingly restricted if not prohibited IIRC.

Regards,
hps

 

[lilguy]

I used to shoot American Legion/ Cook County Rifle Association high power matches back in the late 70s early 80s. That was a different time, a better time. DCM provided rifles to our club.

 

[Gordon]

A report on the feasibility and advisability of some policy to inaugurate a system of rifle practice throughout the public schools of the country : National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet A

9 p

archive.org

View attachment 1174056

A primer on why we won two world wars

 

[DustyRusty]

Thank you for the assist. Your info bootstrapped me to more info.
I have this so far.

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title36/subtitle2/partB/chapter407&edition=prelim
https://www.swatmag.com/article/a-nation-of-riflemen-civilian-marksmanship-program/
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2568.html
https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR2500/RR2568/RAND_RR2568.pdf
https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/reso...dren-to-the-intoxicating-use-of-firearms.html
https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/best-deer-cartridges/463854

 

[Will Munny]

A primer on why we won two world wars

That would be a stretch to say the least.

 

[natman]

I got my Garand from the DCM. It was before computerized background checks, so it took months between payment and delivery. The upside was it was $165 delivered to my door.

 

[trackskippy]

I got my Garand from the DCM. It was before computerized background checks, so it took months between payment and delivery. The upside was it was $165 delivered to my door.

Thats what my wife and I paid for ours, and it was close to a year, start of the paperwork until the gun arrived at the post office. They were pretty rough guns back then too.

We used to shoot the DCM matches once a month at our local club. $5 registration went to the club, and you got a free ammo draw from the DCM for the match.

 

[22250Rem]

Got my Garand from the CMP in October of 1996. I had sent in all the needed paperwork and check for $265. (IIRC) back in early summer of 1995. When I sent the check it was made out to the DCM. In the fall of 1995 they sent me a letter stating that they had already sold their quota of rifles for that year, and that I would be put on the list for 1996. By October 1996 when the rifle arrived, by way of UPS, or Fed-Ex, (I forgot which), it came from the CMP, so the DCM / CMP transition occurred sometime between the summer of '95 and the fall of '96, based on my experience. This was during the Clinton Administration, and I was joking about the semi-automatic assault rifle that I mail ordered from Bill Clinton.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Were there more shooters at Camp Perry back then, or less?

I don't have exact numbers, but, in short...yes. It has long been common knowledge in the Service Rifle world that Service Rifle/High Power (and I suspect Bullseye Pistol as well) are dying. They've been losing ground to USPSA, 3-gun, run n gun type competitions for years-especially among younger shooters.

Purely anecdotal, but I started shooting Service Rifle with a Garand in 1992. Just at my local small town club matches we would often have as many as 20-30 competitors every match. I left the game for a long time and returned to it about 3-4 years ago. We average about 10 competitors on any given match day. By comparison, the run n gun league in which I compete has over 80 competitors who compete every week. Frankly, I don't know how Service Rifle will survive.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

That would be a stretch to say the least.

You beat me to it. Indeed, I would argue that the existence of DCM has next to nothing to do with America's victories in the World Wars. But that would surely be deemed off topic.

 

[Will Munny]

You beat me to it. Indeed, I would argue that the existence of DCM has next to nothing to do with America's victories in the World Wars. But that would surely be deemed off topic.

Yeah I was trying to be generous, but suffice to say it had nothing to do with the victories in either World War.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Yeah I was trying to be generous, but suffice to say it had nothing to do with the victories in either World War.

If I were to be generous, I might agree that participation in DCM matches might have contributed to some (unknowable number) individual soldiers' survival, or at least high qual marks in basic training, but that's about it.