Matthew and Kevin Kennerson Build Own Rifles for 2024 Eastern CMP Games

Back at the Eastern CMP Games in April, I was making my way down the dirt road at Camp Butner that connects Range 4 to the Rimfire Range, camera equipment in tow, when a minivan pulled up beside me and offered to take me the rest of the way. It wasn’t a terribly long walk, but it was getting hot, so I was thankful for the offer. I was met with two friendly competitors: Matthew and Kevin Kennerson, father and son, from New Boston, N.H. We got to chatting, and they shared with me that they spent the winter building their own rifles from scratch to compete with at the event. 

Kevin is a recent college graduate and Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, currently navigating his new job. Both he and Matthew were looking for some quality father/son time and a new project to work on together. With a solid foundation in marksmanship provided by their involvement in a program called Project Appleseed (a rifle training and American heritage group), it was a natural transition to CMP competitions. Matthew joined Project Appleseed as a student after going into remission from his colon cancer. He quickly climbed up the ranks to instructor and is now the deputy state coordinator.

Matthew previously competed in the CMP New England Games, held each September in Vermont, and knew immediately that he wanted to compete again. He set his sights on the Eastern Games in North Carolina, this time recruiting Kevin to join. They dove in headfirst and decided to build their own rifles for the occasion. They took advantage of a buy-one-get-one free sale on lower receivers at their hometown gun store. For the rest of the build, they sourced parts locally to pay homage to their home state of New Hampshire, using Green Mountain barrels and Sampson handguards.  

No project would be complete without its fair share of obstacles. Kevin’s new job requires him to work during snowstorms, and with how frequent they were last winter, they couldn’t sight in the rifles until the Friday before Eastern Games. Another hurdle for them was the sights they ordered – they were the wrong height for their rifles. So, they two-day shipped the correct ones and put them on the night before they made the drive to North Carolina. On the way, they stopped at Matthew’s brother’s house in Virginia and were able to sight them in there.

Both Matthew and Kevin competed in the GSMM (Garand, Springfield, Vintage/Modern Military) rifle match and used the same rifle. Although they each built one, there was a weight issue with one due to a changed stock. In the Modern Military category, Matthew finished 47th, with a score of 264-4X, and Kevin finished 25th, with a score of 274-10X.  

Kevin competing with the rifle that they both built from scratch for the competition while Matthew keeps score.

The pair also competed in the Rimfire Sporter matches. In the T-Class, Matthew’s score was 564-18X, and Kevin’s was 570-18X in the Tactical Class.  

Besides enjoying their time spent together, Matthew and Kevin relish in the energy that the high level of competition produces at CMP matches. They mainly focus on bettering their own game, leveraging the knowledge and expertise of fellow competitors to improve.

Matthew said, “People here are very willing to share what they know. We have learned so much from people who are just willing to share. They’ll give advice, if you ask, and it’s been very, very helpful.” 

The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.