National Rifle & Pistol Championships

Marine Marksmen Train At PI For 1952 National Championships

Parris Island's rifle range has always been the place to got to see some real shooting. However, if one should visit "A" range currently, he would witness a variety of shooting that is nothing short of sensational.

Here, crack shots from the world's finest Corps of marksmen are training for the 1952 national championships. They are members of the U. S. Marine Corps Rifle and Pistol team captained by Lt.Col. Stephen J. Zsiga. Forty-nine of the men are training to enter rifle competition, while 16 of the men are slated to fire the pistol.

Team members, who were selected by Col. Zsiga, began arriving here the latter part of June. They represent 17 different far flung posts of the Corps Composted of officers and enlisted men, ranging from a major on down to a Pfc., the majority on the team members are seasoned competitors in marksmanship matches.

One famous member of the group, TSgt. W. W. McMillan is currently representing the United States in the Olympic pistol team match at Helsinki, Finland. Three other team members are firing with the pistol team at the Internationals.

The pistol team has completed training and is presently at Harrisburg, Pa., for the North Central Regional Pistol Tournament to be held there the 18th, 19th and 20th of this month. The tournament is sponsored by the Harrisburg Hunters and Angles Association and the Pennsylvania State Police.

The National Pistol Championships are scheduled to be held in Jacksonville, Fla., August 15th through 19th. The Marine dead-eyes will be out to unseat present champion, MSgt. Huelet Benner, USA.

The next big event which the Marine team will enter is the High Power Rifle Championships scheduled to be held at Fort Benning, Ga., August 27th through September 2d. The 1951 National champion in that event is Lt. R. E. de LaHunt, a member of the present team.

Other winners in last year's matches who will compete with the team this year are: MSgt. M. Beebe, who took the division B title in the Navy Cup Match; Sgt. Guy Lambert, who won the Marine Corps Cup Match; and 2d Lt. Morris C. Owens, winner of the President's Match.

The team has already gotten off to a good start on a successful year. In June they garnered the coveted Elliott Trophy at the matches held at Camp Lejeune. On that winning squad were: 1st Lt. Burl B. Bevers; TSgt. W. L. Deloache, TSgt. E. L. Hayes, and TSgt. J. A. Davenport. Coaching was MSgt. W. A. Phinney.

If team spirit and hard work is the ticket, the team is sure to click. Every day they are to be found on the range firing from the 200 yard mark on back to the six hundred yard line. The work on the business of sighting in and ever perfecting form is never finished.

The Parris Island BOOT, Friday, July 18, 1952

Shooters in Action

Ready on the right! Ready on the left! Ready on the firing line!

Three seconds later the targets turn, facing the shooters, the signal to place the bullets where they'll count the most.

The commands and the action following will be a familiar sound and sight next Friday when the national rifle and pistol championships get under way at Jacksonville, Fla.

The grand pappy of all America's sporting events, held two years before the first derby was ever run and 30 years prior to the original World Series of baseball, will draw the national crowns.

First conducted in 1873, it will be the 67th renewal of the historic event. No meets were held during the war years.

While the pistoleers and small-bore marksmen will do their shooting over the Florida range, the high-power rifleman will do their trigger pulling at the world famous infantry school at Fort Benning, Ga.

Competition will extend over three weeks with the handgunners doing their best to wrest the title away from M/S Huelet Benner of Fort Kobe, Canal Zone. Ensign Mason Kline is the present holder of the small-bore crown. The civilian sporting rifle championship is held by Thomas Barnes of Billings, Mont. Holder of the military high-power program is 2nd Lt. Remes De La Hant, Marine Corps, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Pistol events will begin Friday, Aug. 15, continuing until Sunday, Aug. 24 Small-bore rifle championships get under way Thursday, Aug. 21, and close on the 24th. The big bore races open Wednesday, Aug. 27, and end Tuesday, Sept. 2.

The annual convention of the National Rifle Assn., sponsor of the tournament will be held Aug. 15 to Aug. 24.

The NRA shifted its traditional events to the South this year after a Pacific program last year. San Francisco was the site of the pistol and small-bore races. The Marines staged the high-power events at Camp Matthews, Cal.

Turtle Creek Man Given Chance

Pistol shooters will face a formidable foe in Benner, three-time champion. He took the honor from one of the greatest pistol shooters ever to sight on a target, Harry Reeves of the Detroit police.

A real threat to the master sergeant will come from Sgt. William McMillan, Turtle Creek, who has come to the front fast in the last year while shooting for the Marine Corps. In his early 20s, Sgt. Bill has everything it takes, the keenness of the eye and the steadiness of the hand of youth.

Small-bore Rifle Champion Kline will defend his crown against a whole field of topflight contenders. Kline took the championship last year at San Francisco from Robert E. McMains of Dallas, Tex., who, with 1948 Champion Arthur Cook of Washington, will lead the competition against him. Small-bore contenders have been in closer competition than pistol shots so that this field promises to provide an array of equally matched shooters.

The Jacksonville Rifle Club and Jacksonville Police Pistol Range, the hosts, have provided a new 100-target range for the competition.

Civilian and military high-power rifle contenders, who met at Camp Matthews last year, compete on the Fort Benning range this year at the invitation of the U.S. Infantry Training School.

Among the traditional national awards for which shooters will compete are the Navy Cup, Leech Cup, the Marine Corps Club and the Wimbledon Trophy, donated by Princess Louise of England and originally placed in competition in 1875.

Winner of the famous President's Match will be rewarded with a letter of commendation from the President, a White House tradition dating from the term of America's outdoors president, Theodore Roosevelt.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 12, 1952

Tampan To Compete In 1952 National Pistol Championships

WASHINGTON, D. C., Aug. 14. — (Special) — W. E. Todd, 5506 Cherokee Ave., Tampa, will compete in the 1952 National Pistol Championships to be held in Jacksonville, Aug. 15-19, the National Rifle Association announced here today.

The Jacksonville matches, to be held in conjunction with the association's annual convention, will be the NRA's 67th annual pistol competition. Matches last year were in San Francisco.

Todd will join a field of 350 of the nation's top pistol shots in competing for the national title now held by M/Sgt. Huelet Benner of Fort Kobbe, Panama Canal Zone.

Tampa Morning Tribune, Friday, August 15, 1952

Three Army Shooters Take Pistol Lead; Tampan Scores Well

JACKSONVILLE, Aug. 15 — (AP) — Three Army men from Ft. Benning banged into the lead for the national pistol title today, leaving the defending champion and favorite back in sixth place.

After the first of three days of shooting, the lead was shared by Sgt. B. C. Curtis, Lt. Col. T. J. Sharpe and Warrant Officer O. K. Weinmeister. Each had 879 points out of a possible 900.

During the shooting, the front sight loosened on the pistol of Sgt. Huelet Benner and he dropped many points before he borrowed another gun. Benner, national champion for past three years and winner of an Olympic gold medal in pistol shooting last month, stands sixth with 875.

Behind the three leaders from Ft. Benning come Marine Sgt. William McMillan 878 and William T. Toney, El Paso, Texas, 876.

Next after Benner are Harry Reeves, former champion from Detroit; J. S. White, Tampa, and J. C. Forman, Shreveport, La., each 874.

Today's firing was with .22 caliber pistols. Saturday's will be with .38 and Sunday's with .45.

Tampa Morning Tribune, Saturday, August 16, 1952

White Takes National Pistol Lead

JACKSONVILLE, Aug. 16. — (AP) — A Floridian, relatively unknown among the country's top shooters, took the lead here today in the 67th national pistol championships.

He was Joseph C. White, Tampa, who scored 868 with a .38 caliber pistol to add to the 874 he shot with a borrowed .22 Friday. That gives him a total of 1742 points out of a possible 1800 at this point in the three-day individual championships.

Defending champion Sgt. Huelet Benner, Fort Kobe, Panama, shot his way from sixth to second place with an 866 today for a total of 1741 points.

Two Marines tied in third place are Lt. Col. Walter Walsh, Washington, D. C., and Lt. Thomas Mitchell, Quantico, Va. Mitchell shot 869 for the day's top score to move all the way from 14th place. Both now have 1740 totals.

Tied at 1739 in fourth place were William T. Toney, El Paso, Tex.; Harry Reeves, Detroit, and J. C. Forman, Gross, Mich.

Reeves, national champion for seven straight years, is one of the favorites of this year's championships. Final day of individual shooting with .45 caliber pistols is Sunday, when team competition begins.

Tampa Sunday Tribune, Sunday, August 17, 1952

Toney Wins National Pistol Title; Benner Finishes Second

JACKSONVILLE, Aug. 17. — (AP) — A lanky Texan shot his way to victory in the National Pistol Championships here today, to break up an 11-year, two-man monopoly of the title.

Winner was William T. Toney, Jr., U. S. Border Patrol agent from El Paso, with a total score of 2604. Second with 2601 points was defending Champion Sgt. Huelet Benner, Fort Kobe, Panama, who alternated with Detroit's Police Lt. Harry Reeves to monopolize the championship for the past 11 years.

Third was Lt. Col. Walter Wash, Arlington, Va., with 2595, and Lt. T. C. Mitchell, Camp Lejeune, tied for fourth at 2594 with Lt. Col. Thomas Sharpe, Fort Sill, Okla. Reeves was fifth with 2593.

Mrs. Marie Hulseman, Baltimore housewife, won the national women's title with 2444 points.

In the women's division, Mrs. Jerry Fontanella, Miami Beach, was second with 2440, and Mrs. Lucille Chamblis, Winter Haven, third with 2400.

More than 400 competed.

Tampa Morning Tribune, Monday, Augsust 18, 1952

Marines, Army Share Pistol Shoot Honors

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Aug. 20 (AP) - The Army took individual and the Marines team honors here yesterday in the National Trophy pistol match, sponsored by the U.S. Congress.

Capt Bert C. Curtis shot 283 in the .45-cal match to win the individual title. The Marines set a new record of 1,116 to win the team title.

Sgt William McMillan of the Marines was second in individual shooting with 282 and W. T. Toney, new national pistol champion from El Paso, Tex., was third with 279.

In team shooting, the Army was second with 1,096, the U.S. Navy third with 1,084, the U.S. Border Patrol and the St. Louis police team tied for fourth at 1,060.

The National Trophy match was originated in 1903 by special act of Congress.

Stars & Stripes, August 21, 1952