NRA Competitions

An NRA Competition is a competition authorized in advance of firing by the National Rifle Association.

The program, range facilities, and officials must comply with standards established by the NRA.

The types of sanctioned tournaments are listed in Rule 1.6.

A Sanctioned Tournament is a series of matches covered by an Official Program.

Matches may be all individual matches, all team matches, or a combination of both.

Matches may be all fired matches or a combination of fired and aggregate matches.

A tournament may be conducted on one day, successive days, or may have intervening days between portions.

Before being publicized, the sponsoring organization must agree to comply with current regulations.

The sponsor must receive notice from NRA that the competition has been authorized.

The local sponsor must agree to conduct the competition according to NRA rules.

Rules may be modified by the NRA in the General Regulations for that type of competition.

The local sponsor must agree to comply with the General Regulations published by the NRA.

The General Regulations can be found in the Appendix of the Rule Book.

The NRA may refuse to authorize any competition that cannot comply with requirements.

The NRA may withdraw its authorization for any competition that does not comply with requirements.

National Championships are organized by the NRA to form the National Matches, with officials appointed by the NRA. These are Registered tournaments.

Sectional Championships are arranged between the NRA and a local sponsoring organization. These are Registered tournaments.

State Championships are annual tournaments authorized and/or conducted by State Rifle and/or Pistol Associations affiliated with the NRA. These are Registered tournaments.

Registered Tournaments may be authorized by the NRA after application has been filed by the sponsor. National Records may only be established in Registered Tournaments.

Approved Tournaments may be authorized by the NRA after application has been filed by the local sponsor.

Sanctioned Leagues (shoulder-to-shoulder or postal) may be authorized by the NRA. League scores are used for classification.

Postal Matches are organized by the NRA and publicized through Shooting Sports USA announcements and/or special mailings.

Special Tournaments may be sanctioned by NRA for types of shooting not otherwise part of the NRA program.

A Match is a complete event as indicated in the program for awarding specific prizes. It may consist of one or several stages.

A Stage is a portion of a match consisting of one or more strings fired in one position, distance, time allowance, or target.

An Open Match is open to anyone, but may be limited to United States citizens and/or NRA members if stated in the program.

A Restricted Match limits competition to specified groups (juniors, women, police, civilians, veterans) or specified classes (Masters, Experts, Sharpshooter, Marksmen).

A Classified Match gives awards to winners and to the highest competitors in specified classes. Classification may be by the National Classification System or other means.

An Invitational Match limits participation to those who have been invited to compete.

A Squadded Individual Match assigns each competitor a definite relay and target by the Statistical Office. Failure to report forfeits the right to fire.

An Unsquadded Individual Match does not assign a definite relay or target. The competitor reports to the Range Officer and is then assigned.

A Re-Entry Match permits the competitor to fire more than one score for record. Scores from re-entry matches shall not be used for classification purposes.

A Squadded Team Match assigns teams a definite time to fire. The entire team must report and fire as a unit.

An Unsquadded Team Match allows teams to report at any time within program limits. The entire team must report and fire as a unit unless the program provides otherwise.

An Aggregate Match is an aggregate of scores from two or more matches. Entries must be made before the competitor begins firing in any of the matches comprising the aggregate.

A Postal Match is a competition where competitors fire separately on their home ranges and submit scores or targets to NRA Headquarters for evaluation and ranking. Scores must be witnessed.