by Talladega, Alabama is famous for its Talladega Superspeedway. This NASCAR speedway has the steepest banks and the highest speeds of any stock car racetrack in America. Soon, Talladega will be known for something else: the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park.
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| Photo courtesy of the CMP. |
Phase I of the construction of this shooting facility is now 95% done. According to a post by the CMP, they have moved almost all of the 600,000 yards of dirt needed to prepare the construction site. Phase II is also underway with some building foundations being poured and the entrance drive roadbed prepared.
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| Photo courtesy of the CMP |
The facility is scheduled to open in the Spring of 2015. It will feature a 200/300/600 yard rifle range, a 100 yard rifle range, two pistol ranges, a number of action pistol bays, a 15 station sporting clays range, and a trap range. The CMP intends for the Marksmanship Park to be the site of a number of their clinics, classes, and matches as well as other shooting events. It will be open to the public. The layout of the completed facility is shown below.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is selling granite pavers ranging in price from $40 for juniors to $250 for a double size paver to help defray the cost of the facility. Donations for pavers are tax deductible. You can find more info on those here.
I can see some long weekends in Alabama in my future. I really do need to rejoin a CMP affiliated club so as to be eligible to purchase another Garand or one of the other rifles that they have available.