The New Jersey Arms Collector's Club Inc.

The Arms Collectors would like to publicly thank the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs for the use of their Cherry Ridge Range Facility, located near Vernon, NJ. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we could not hold this shoot without their greatly appreciated help.

The place names, Trenton, Valley Forge, Morristown, the Heurtgen Forest, Bastogne, and the Chosin Reservoir evoke images of American soldiers and marines struggling not only against the enemy but against appalling cold and the miserable weather typically encountered in mid-winter war. Similar conditions existed for the Finns defending the Viipuri Gateway during the Winter War in 1939 and the Russians and Germans in WWII on the eastern front during the battles of Moscow and Stalingrad.

On Saturday January 16, 2016 the New Jersey Arms Collectors Club (NJACC) sponsored its 19th annual Historical Winter Firearms Match in honor of the American men and women who endured the rigors of winter combat from Valley Forge to Korea and to allow participants to demonstrate their personal marksmanship skills using the relics of history.

A stalwart band of military arms collectors, re-enactors, and weaponology enthusiasts from all parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York braved the early morning chill and light rain to gather at the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs' (ANJRPC) Range at Highland Lakes, New Jersey for a day of friendly competition and fine cuisine.

Match participants brought prized and collectible examples of the rifles used by soldiers in those frigid confrontations to compete for trophies and the chance to become world famous in New Jersey by being mentioned in this report. Contest rules required shooters fire 10 rounds in 2 minutes at a standard SR21-C target placed at the 50 yard line. Vintage military rifles typically have fixed battle sight settings that are set at anywhere from 350 to over 500 yards making it extremely challenging to hit the X ring on the SR21-C bull at close range.

This year there were a total of twenty (20) events in the course of fire consisting of fourteen (14) military battle themed rifle contests along with six (6) additional matches specifically designed to test the participant's skill in the use of civilian target or hunting rifles in typical winter survival like conditions.

A quick tour of the benches disclosed a gun show-like assortment of U.S, German, Finnish, Russian, Swiss, Swedish, Italian, and Yugoslav rifles along with a respectable collection of US civilian hunting and target firearms including two fine replica Sharps Model 1870 sporting rifles in 45-70.

There were Mausers, M1 Garands, a 1903A3, and a very nice Swiss Schmidt Rubin straight pull 96/11 rifle. In addition there was a large assortment of .22 caliber rifles, both civilian and military trainer models. One shooter brought a rare pre-war Simpson DSM34 .22 caliber rifle in excellent condition. On the unusual side, there was an ultra funky antique Italian model 1870/87 Vetterli Vitali rifle in the original black powder 10.35 MM caliber entered in the Alpine Defense contest competing against a more modern Swiss straight pull rifle. Also the line were Brown Bess flintlock muskets similar to those used in the American Revolution and an Enfield pattern 1853 musket like those used in the Civil War. Also of note was a very fine and rare Ljungman Swedish AG42B semi-automatic rifle whose owner vied for honors in the Scandinavian bolt event against superbly accurate Swedish model M96 and M38 Mausers.

The match commenced more or less precisely at 10:00A under the joint supervision of ANJRPC Range Safety Officers Rufus D., Milo M., and NJACC Shoot Chairman Stan G. NJACC's own huntsman Dave J. helped fortify shooters on the line by providing his own wonderful venison stew just like grandma used to make. Dave also provided hot coffee and hot chocolate for those entrants needing a warm-up and break from the cold.

Deputy Shoot Chairman Steve S. provided an unheralded but extremely valuable service by registering participants and collecting and scoring targets thereby expediting the end of match results tallying and awards process.

The rifle events were followed at 1:00P by a hearty lunch prepared for the match participants by the NJACC's own Chef d'Cuisine, Tom P., who also verified target scores and tallied match results. This year's gold star menu featured traditional boiled military grade 100% pure beef hotdogs on a bun, slathered with either warm crusted chili or smothered in sauerkraut and mustard along with a helping of gourmet pork and beans, all washed down with the finest soda available and followed by a nutritious desert of TastyKake Butterscotch Krimpets, Krispy Kreme Mini Pies, or Mrs. Freshley's Snowballs. Let the good times roll.

At the conclusion of this leisurely banquet and the usual match related banter and raillery by the contestants, the winners of the rifle events were announced by Shoot Chairman Stan G. with some very notable achievements.

High score of the day (100-2X) went to Dionigi M. using a Marlin 2000 in the Winter Olympian event. Greg M. and Paul M. both scored 99-3Xs in various events, and Molly J. scored a righteous 99-2X in the Chosin Reservoir contest. Also worthy of note, Andy G., Tom. O., and Paul M. took honors with three (3) trophies each, while Dionigi M., Jeff A., and Molly J., won two (2) contests each.

The Winter Sniper event was closely contested and resulted in two entrants having exactly the same score. Both shooters drilled the 1/4 inch X ring at 100 yards and each received the coveted Simo Hayha Trophy named for the famed Finnish sniper.

The funky Italian Vetterli 1870/87, despite being 133 years old was more than able to hold its own against all challengers and went home with the trophy in the Alpine Defense Trophy with a score of 99-3X.

The Cpt. Greist/1Lt. Haver Trophy was awarded to Molly J. who bested all other competitors in the Chosin Reservoir event with the outstanding score of 99-2x using an M-1 Garand. Last but not least, the Young Warrior Trophy went to Sam M., with a score of 25 using an AR 15.

The NJACC extends a big thank you to all match participants, range officials, and everyone else that came out and helped make the day a big success.

The Next NJACC sponsored match known as the "British Empire Shoot" will be held in April at the Shongum Sportsmen's Association Range in Oxford NJ. This premier NJACC marksmanship event is renowned for the number and variety of fine vintage black powder Martini Henry, Snider, and other British Empire firearms that contestants bring, making for an interesting and exciting day at the range.

A flyer with details will be posted on the NJACC website when the match details and logistics are finalized.