TALLADEGA, Ala. – After recording multiple records and wins at last year’s Talladega D-Day event, Chance Cavin, 39, of Madison, MS, returned to do the same at this year’s event.
Held at the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama, the annual Talladega D-Day commemorates the Allied Forces landing at Normandy Beach in France during World War II through a variety of vintage rifle and pistol competitions. The 2026 schedule also included special shotgun events.
Cavin’s wins included the Garand Match (tying the record he had set at last year’s event), with a score of 294-12X, and the Springfield Match, firing a score of 289-7X – just one x-shot under the current record.
He went on to set a new record in the Special 4-Gun Aggregate Match, breaking the one he had set last year, with a score of 1160-39X. He also broke his own record in the Roosevelt Commemorative Match he had set back in 2023, with a score of 293-13X.
The 2026 Talladega D-Day welcomed over 250 individuals who traveled in for the event, including three generations of the Townsend family: Luther (grandpa), Clint (son) and Gabe (grandson). The trio fired in several different events on the schedule, with Gabe marking his first time firing in the Vintage Sniper Team Match.
Other top performers of the 2026 Talladega D-Day event:
Rifle:
Benchrest VMR:
VMR: Mark McDaniel, 66, Culpeper, VA – 292-7X (Springfield)
Sniper: Franklin Thompson, 60, Lebanon, TN – 298-11X
Garand Iron Man EIC:
Service M1: David Ficklin, 65, Spartanburg, SC – 448-3X
As-Issued M1: SGT Jonathan Wood, 41, Kenner, LA – 455-8X
Garand: Chance Cavin, 39, Madison, MS – 294-12X
Springfield: Chance Cavin, 39, Madison, MS – 289-7X
Vintage Military: Kyle Kirschenmann, 62, Tellico Plains, TN – 290-5X
3-Gun Aggregate: Chance Cavin, 39, Madison, MS – 867-26X
Roosevelt Commemorative Match: Chance Cavin, 39, Madison, MS – 293-13X
Special 4-Gun Aggregate: Chance Cavin, 39, Madison, MS – 1160-39X
Carbine: Chance Cavin, 39, Madison, MS – 356-4X
Vintage Sniper:
Manual: Boomers (Ken Lore, Keith Schachle) – 394-16X
Semi-Auto: Shenanigans (Ryan Brady, Cody Kornegay) – 374-11X
Vietnam Era: Southern Indiana Rifle and Pistol Club Team 1 (Jerry St. John, Donald Abbott) – 396-16X
Rimfire Benchrest:
O-Class: James Murphy, 58, North Olmstead, OH – 361-3X
T-Class: James Fletcher, 74, Whitney, TX – 395-14X
TU Class: Daniel Henk, 77, Seneca, SC – 388-13X
M-Class: W.G. Williams, 65, Tallapoosa, GA – 387-9X
Pistol:
As-Issued 1911: Scott Godwin, 52, Auburn, AL – 363-5X
Military & Police Pistol: Kyle Kirschenmann, 62, Tellico Plains, TN – 358-9X
Shotgun: Chip & Tyler (Tyler Smith, William Welch) – 168
See a complete list of results at https://ct.thecmp.org/TalladegaDDay26Results.
TALLADEGA PREMIER EXPO: Don’t forget to attend the 2026 Talladega Premier Expo, set for Saturday, June 27! The event is open to the public, featuring a variety of vendors across the 500 acres of Talladega Marksmanship Park.
Guests will receive personal interaction with products and will even be able to test them on the range. We’ll also be offering a special look at our new production M1 Garand and will be hosting a Tisas 1911 giveaway! Tickets are only $20. Learn more and register online at https://tmp.thecmp.org/cmp-premier-shooting-expo/.