Depot's McMillan Wins U.S. Int'l. Pistol Team Post

Captain W. W. McMillan, Jr., the nation's top pistol shot, and a member of MCRD Marksmanship Training Unit, fired a new national rapid fire record over the international match course to win a place on the United States International Rifle and Pistol Team which will compete in Moscow this fall.

His record breaking score of 594x600 was part of the 2355 aggregate which won him first place in the final qualifying match at Ft. Benning, Ga., according to a dispatch received from there this week.

He is the only Marine pistol shot selected as a member of the U.S. Team.

MCRD Chevron, Friday, June 27, 1958

Five Sea Servicemen Cop U.S. Shooting Team Berths

FORT BENNING, Ga. - Four Marines and one Navy man shot their way to berths on the U.S. Rifle and Pistol Team which will compete in the World Championships at Moscow in August.

The Army collected most of the spots, however, as the team went into intensive training before leaving for Europe July 14.

Marine Capt. William W. McMillan was lead selection for the International Rapid Fire Pistol Team as he fired a 2355x2400 aggregate to top his perennial foe, Army MSgt. Huelet L. Benner who had 2345.

SSgt. E. D. Duncan and TSgt. J. E. Hill won the fourth and fifth slots on the 300-meter International Free Rifle Team, while Marine Lt. Frank Briggs was named to the 10-man group.

Earlier Navy CWO Offutt Pinion of San Francisco won a position on the 50-meter Free Pistol Team.

Competitions at the world meet will include firing by the 50-meter free pistol, the International rapid fire, the 50-meter free rifle, the International running deer and the 300-meter free rifle teams.

Navy Times, July 5, 1958

4 MTU Shooters Make US Team, Moscow-Bound

Four Marine shooters, all attached to MTU, have been named to the US team which will compete in the rifle and pistol championships at Moscow next month.

Capt. William W. McMillan, Jr., the nation's top pistol shot, won a place on the pistol team last month at Ft. Benning, Ga., with a 594x600 for a new national rapid fire record.

The US marksmen leave for Europe July 15 and will compete in Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and Finland before arriving in Russia where the championships will be conducted during the second week in August.

2ndLt. Frank Briggs, former All-American collegiate shooter, and New York State Gallery Rifle Champion (1957) won a place on the 300-meter high-power rifle team along with TSgt. J. E. Hill and SSgt. Emmett D. Duncan.

TSgt. Hill won the National Service Rifle Championship in 1956 and received the Distinguished Marksman Badge that same year.

SSgt. Duncan, a Distinguished Marksman, set a new national kneeling record with a 386 during the Ft. Benning tryouts. The present world record is 385.

LtCol. Walter R. Walsh, Distinguished Marksman, will coach the US team. Two other Marines on the team are Capt. J. E. Riggs, and assistant coach, and SSgt. A. W. Hauser, and assistant armorer.

MCRD Chevron, Friday, July 11, 1958

Photo

American Rifleman, Vol. 106, No. 8, August 1958

The 25-meter silhouette pistol team: (left to right) Capt. William W. McMillan, Lt. David C. Miller, SFC Aubrey E. Smith, M/Sgt. Huelet L. Benner and SFC William B. Blankenship (not shown)

The U.S. Team For Moscow

Results of the final tryouts at Fort Benning
and the U.S. International Team's plans in Europe

From June 9 to 27 at Fort Benning, Georgia, some of the nation's best shooters competed for places on the International Team which will represent the United States at the International Shooting Union's 37th World Shooting Championships in Moscow, August 17 - 26, 1958. The competitors included 30 U.S. Army, 18 U.S. Marines, three U. S. Navy, eight Border Patrol, two Los Angeles police, one Puerto Rico Air National Guard, and 12 civilian shooters.

At the end of the final tryouts 24 rifle and pistol marksmen were selected, on the basis of performance, by the NRA International Shooting Committee for places on the 1958 U.S. International Shooting Team.

Col. Perry D. Swindler, USA (Ret'd), Team Captain, described the team as "not only the strongest but also the largest" to represent the United States and is confident it will make a good showing in Moscow.

Head Coach Lt. Col. Walter R. Walsh, USMC, stressed the strength of the pistol team, "We've got a great chance this year to beat the Russians."

Record-Breaking tryouts

The final tryouts sponsored by the National Rifle Association and conducted on the Army's Advanced Marksmanship Unit ranges, was a Mecca for record-breakers. National records were set in almost every event.

SFC Nelson H. Lincoln, U. S. Army Advanced Marksmanship Unit (USA AMU), fired a brilliant 563 record score the first day of the 50-meter slow fire pistol tryouts and posted the high total in the four-course aggregate.

His steady-shooting teammate M/Sgt. Roy L. Sutherland, USA AMU, finished second. Olympic medalist CWO Offutt Pinion, USN, made the team despite trigger trouble which plagued him the entire match. Pinion said he ran through five guns during the four-day tryouts. All slow-fire team members used .22 caliber Haemmerli free-pistols.

SFC William B. Blankenship, Lt. David C. Miller, and CWO Victor E. Maass, all USA AMU, round out the slow-fire pistol team, Maass being an alternate.

In addition to Lincoln's 563 new national record, John W. Hurst, Los Angeles policeman, established during the tryouts a new police record with a score of 549. Charles A. Rogler, Perry Point, Maryland, set a new civilian record with 541.

Each of the competitors fired 60 shots a day for four days over the 50-meter slow-fire course.

Veteran international shooter Capt. William W. McMillan, USMC, broke his own record in the 25-meter rapid-fire pistol event. He shot a 594 to eclipse the 590 he scored during preliminary tryouts at Camp Matthews, California, in March.

Olympic medalist and World Champion pistoleer M/Sgt. Huelet L. "Joe" Benner, USA, finished strong, only nine points behind McMillan in the aggregate. Benner fell a point shy of tying the Marine captain's 594 the last day of the tryouts.

Miller and Blankenship 'scored' twice during the tryouts by winning places on the rapid-fire pistol team, also. Miller, Blankenship, and SFC Aubrey E. Smith, USA AMU, fired steady "580" rounds to win berths.

The 25-meter rapid-fire course consists of 12 five-shot strings fired on five silhouette targets, one shot to a target. Four strings are fired in eight seconds, each four in six seconds each, and four in four seconds each.

A national police record was set in the rapid-fire tryouts by Joseph C. White, Jr., U.S. Border Patrol, who registered a 584 score.

Four of the rapid-fire champions used .22 caliber Hi-Standard Olympic pistols during the tryouts.

Excerpt from the American Rifleman, Vol. 106, No. 8, August 1958

Rapid-Fire Pistol Score Board

Photo Certificate
International Course
25 Meter Rapid-Fire
Place Name Agency/Service 1st Score 2nd Score 3rd Score 4th Score Total
1st Capt William W. McMillan, Jr. USMC MTU 587 592 594 582 2355
2nd MSgt Huelet L. Benner USA 582 582 589 593 2346
3rd Lt David C. Miller USA 587 587 579 586 2339
4th SFC Aubrey E. Smith USA 582 584 585 586 2337
5th SFC William B. Blankenship, Jr. USA 582 577 586 585 2330
6th SP1 Elmer W. Hilden USBP 580 576 584 583 2323
7th SFC Joseph R. Eversole USA 581 580 584 577 2322
8th SSgt Edmond S. Sarver USMC 585 585 579 572 2321
9th Lt David Cartes USA 581 568 585 587 2321
10th SFC Lawrence K. Mosely USA 578 580 575 581 2314
11th 1stSgt Robet O. Jones USMC 579 581 574 577 2311
12th 1stSgt John A. Fowler USMC 579 573 576 578 2306
13th MSgt Frederick W. Filkins USMC 571 572 577 583 2303
14th John M. Hurst Los Angeles Police 576 573 576 575 2300
15th SSgt Gerald J. Rauch USMC 574 579 579 576 2298
16th SP1 Joseph C. White, Jr. USBP 577 565 570 584 2296
17th TM1 Gasper P. DeFino USN 576 569 574 577 2296
18th SGT Emil W. Heugatter USA 577 572 575 565 2289
19th 1st Sgt Wayne L. Chapman USMC 567 561 576 567 2271
20th ADC John H. Lucas USN 580 574 545 567 2266
21st SP1 Presley A. O'Gren USBP 570 570 546 569 2255
22nd MSgt Vernon H. Woodworth USMC 560 560 564 568 2252
23rd SFC Arthur L. Ogden USA 559 566 554 562 2241
24th Maj John M. Jagoda USMC 558 552 553 571 2234

Source: American Rifleman, Vol. 106, No. 8, August 1958



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