Winchester/NRA Marksmanship - challenging you!

[Scott B.]

Allow me to proselytize here for a bit about the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program.

It's the booklet that comes in all your NRA instructor and student packs that everybody ignores*. Stop doing that. You're missing out on a great skills challenge and a lot of fun.

Read about it here: https://mqp.nra.org/

If you're an instructor with students, a range with customers, a shooting club, or just an individual - you can participate in this program.

What is it? a marksmanship skills challenge / skills development program.

What kind of shooting? Pistol, Rifle, and Shotgun. Air Rifle and Rimfire are included so it's a great way to get youth shooters involved.

Rewards Earn patches, pins, medals, and a certificate.
http://materials.nrahq.org/qualificationawards.html?p=1

Skill levels

Basic Practical
Pro Marksman
Marksman
Marksman 1st Class
Sharpshooter
Expert
Distinguished Expert

Basic through Expert can be done on your own, but it's more fun do it in a group setting. Distinguished Expert must be witnessed by another NRA member. You cannot skip straight to D.E.

Special equipment needed? Targets. If distance constraints make some courses of fire unworkable, you can use scale targets. Paper plates can even be substituted for some COFs. AMMO - you will burn through some ammo with this program. Probably the most important thing you'll need is a cooperative range to shoot on. You're also going to need a lot of motivation. It really helps to have others doing it with you.

Courses of fire here: https://mqp.nra.org/courses-of-fire/

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My own adventure with the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship challenge started two years ago. Our teaching group was running this program for students and instructors. This last November, I finally completed the triple, having shot Distinguished Expert in the three disciplines; pistol, rifle, and shotgun, I received a nice letter from the NRA informing me that I was the 176th person to achieve that mark since they started the double and triple designation in 1998.

I urge you to accept this challenge. Make Texas the hotbed for the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Program in this country. You will have fun, improve your shooting skills, and make friends.

If you're in driving distance and want some help setting up or running the courses of fire, let me know. I can drag along some of my fellow NRA instructors and we'll show you the ropes or at least cheerlead.

This is proudly framed and on my "I love me" wall.




* how I know it's ignored. Our coordinator, the brave soul who tracked our progress, received a note saying that our little group had submitted more D.E.s to NRA than any other over the last couple of years for the entire country. This is a great NRA program - get involved.

[Scott B.]

What I didn't cover in my initial post was why it took 2 years to complete.

Pistol: This is where we started. Wasn't too technically challenging but it took time as we were running the NRA Marksmanship program once a month. Really a lot of fun shooting this with a group. Shot the Pistol course of fire with my EDC gun...most apparently shoot a .22 for this one. Then shot Defensive Pistol 1 and Defensive Pistol 2. Haven't tried the Bullseye sequence, but might.

Shotgun: an instructor buddy and I tackled this one as a team. We probably should have started with Trap, but got ambitious and tackled Skeet first. Took exactly a calendar year from having never shot a round to finally completing the Distinguished Expert COF, 22 or better 10x. I took a few private lessons along the way and that really helped.

Shotgun also proved to be the most expensive; 1) it took over 1,400 rounds to complete (I think it's 960 if you run straight thru), and 2) it proved so much fun that we're both hooked.

I've almost finished the Trap COF and we're considering the Sporting Clays sequence.

Rifle: I shot the Tactical Rifle COF over three successive weekends right before the end of the year with a group of other instructors. We had a lot of fun! A couple of guys shot it with their tricked out accuracy ARs and big optics. I shot it with my SBR and a red dot. Equipment flexibility makes the tactical sequence open to a wider audience.

I'm partly through the High Power Rifle sequence but since I knocked out the triple I'm not sure I'll finish it anytime soon.


You can buy patches, rockers, pins, etc, as you progress. The only ones you can't buy are for D.E.

Left to right; tie tack size pin and the D.E. medal. The pins I'll throw on a hat or something like that. The medal, I have no idea what to do with those. Kind of useless. I've got a Pistol, Rifle, and Shotgun bar for it but it's a pain to add them. And again, what the heck would you use it for? Neat never-the-less.

[Jusme]

Very cool Scott! And Congrats!!

You might make a small shadow box for the medal and hang it and your certificate on your wall.

[equin]

Congrats. Interesting program. Maybe I can do this with my sons when they’re old enough.

[mloamiller]

My wife and I completed the DE level for three Pistol CoFs - Pistol, Defensive Pistol 1 and Defensive Pistol 2 (which doesn't appear to be available any longer). We both gained several benefits from it:

• Gave us a reason and purpose for going to the range.
  Required doing more at the range than just shooting paper.
  Made us much more comfortable handling our pistols, including drawing from a holster and moving.
  Gave us something to do together as a couple.

I started shooting IDPA right after we completed this program, and I did very well from the start, I think in large part because I had completed this program. That's not to say the Winchester/NRA program is anything like IDPA; it isn't, but it does get you used to handling your pistol in different scenarios while being scored/timed.

I highly recommend it to all of my students, even in my non-NRA classes.

[Scott B.]

My wife and I completed the DE level for three Pistol CoFs - Pistol, Defensive Pistol 1 and Defensive Pistol 2 (which doesn't appear to be available any longer). We both gained several benefits from it:

• Gave us a reason and purpose for going to the range.
  Required doing more at the range than just shooting paper.
  Made us much more comfortable handling our pistols, including drawing from a holster and moving.
  Gave us something to do together as a couple.

I started shooting IDPA right after we completed this program, and I did very well from the start, I think in large part because I had completed this program. That's not to say the Winchester/NRA program is anything like IDPA; it isn't, but it does get you used to handling your pistol in different scenarios while being scored/timed.

I highly recommend it to all of my students, even in my non-NRA classes.

That's great!

DP2 is still there, they just have it rolled into the DP1 COF and not listed separatel.

[Ruger977]

Congrats on your accomplishments with the Challenge! Quick question.... for the Pistol Qualification.... what do all of the “bars” on the score sheets represent? Bar 1, Bar 2, etc. Maybe a stupid question, sorry. I’m done with Pro-marksman and Marksman and I’m ready to move forward. Just wondered if all of the bars mean that you do the same drill for every bar before moving on to Sharpshooter.

[Scott B.]

Those are used in the some of the rifle challenges. Allows them to platform up to the next level without getting too discouraged (I assume).

Just jump right ahead to Marksman 1st Class - and congratulations!

[Paladin]

Cool thread!

I'd like to get some of those awards!

[Syntyr]

This is awesome. Will have to try.

[Scott B.]

The more the merrier!

And since everybody likes stuff. Here's an annex of my 'I love me wall' at the shop. That's my triple certificate, and the individual D.E. awards and the nice letter from the NRA on completing the triple (rifle not included w/ the program, looks good though right?).

I'm not really a patches on jacket guy, so I had them put on one of my range bags. Put the D.E. rocker above the one I'm most proud of. 2 years ago I couldn't have hit a crossing clay to save my life. Now I've completed the Skeet cycle, have 6 more rounds to finish D.E. on trap and I'm working my way through the sporting clay sequence.

[Paladin]

This thread inspired me to try out the NRA Pistol Qualification on Friday.

I acquired some paper plates and the necessary targets (~$30) and put half a case of 9mm to use.

It was valuable guided practice. Shooting pro-marksman to DE took a few hours. Ran straight through the course without any re-shoots, although I will need to re-shoot the DE course for credit once I get a witness. The course was very helpful to build consistency and was also good practice with my left hand.

I also shot the Defensive Pistol 1 up through Sharpshooter. Range limitations kept me from advancing further. DP1 used a lot less ammo and is a nice starting point for those just getting started in defensive pistol.

Good day on the range! Look forward to doing more courses-of-fire next time!

[Scott B.]

Outstanding!

[Paladin]

I tried out the NRA Bullseye Pistol Qualification this weekend. Shot Pro-marksman thru Marksman 1st Class before I ran out of time.

Bullseye was a good challenge, particularly with a stock M&P9/TULAMMO that I used. I shot the courses clean, but it took more time to shoot than the other pistol qualifications. Was totally worth it. Look forward to shooting more bullseye, although I may need to switch ammo for the more difficult courses-of-fire.