Updates Summary

The 2023 Regular Season of NRL22 ended on 4/30/23.

 

CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT SEASON RULES

 

2023 NRL22 RULES AND REGULATIONS

Official 2023 Rules and Regulations as written by the NRL22 commission.

Mission

The goal of the NRL22 is to make Precision Rifle shooting more available to every community. The NRL22 understands that the shooting community is fascinated with Precision Rifle, but most localities are not fortunate enough to have a 1000-yard range. However, nearly all localities have access to 100-yard ranges and most shooters own a 22 rifle. The monthly course of fire, NRL22 Standard Target Package and standard barricades are all intended to be turnkey solutions to simple, fun and affordable Precision Rifle matches. Local clubs may use and submit scores for the monthly courses of fire to compete with the entire country. Additionally, local club’s Match Directors are encouraged to run supplemental courses of fire as well. We recommend tailoring additional courses of fire to the taste of your shooters. Longer ranges, more complicated barricades, run and gun, easier or harder additional courses of fire are just a few ways that you can expand your matches. Please share your creativity with the NRL22 community, as it just may show up in next month’s course of fire for the entire country to shoot! Have fun, stay safe, and if ever there was an opportunity to take a kid shooting, THIS IS IT!!!

Directory for the 2023 NRL22 SEASON

SECTION 1, NRL22 Organization and Responsibilities

A.  Executive Staff

B.  Support Staff

SECTION 2, Safety

A.  General Rifle Safety

B.  Rifle Safety While at a NRL22 Match

C.  Rifle Safety During Your Stage

D.  Safety Violations and Penalties

SECTION 3, Local NRL22 Match Format

A.  NRL22’s Responsibilities

B.  Shooter’s Responsibilities

C.  Match Directors Responsibilities

D.  Range Officers Responsibilities

SECTION 4, National Championship match format

A.  National Championship Rules

SECTION 5, Rifle Rules, Divisions, Scoring, 2023 Schedule, and National Championship Qualification

A.  Rifle Rules

B.  Divisions

C.  Equipment and Positional Shooting

D.  Scoring

E.  2023 Season Schedule

F.  National Championship Match Qualification

SECTION 6, Sportsmanship

A.  Good Sportsmanship

B.  Unsportsmanlike Conduct

C.  Cheating

D.  Penalties for Unsportsmanlike Conduct and Cheating

ADDENDUM

A.  Tank Trap Plans

B.  Rooftop plans

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SECTION 1, NRL22 Organization and Responsibilities

A. Executive Staff

The NRL22 has an executive staff whose responsibilities include day to day operations, media, match operations, logistics, marketing and finances. The President appoints the executive staff. For the 2023 season, the Executive staff is as follows:

  1. President / Media Director – Travis Ishida
  2. Director of Match Operations – Tyler Frehner
  3. Marketing Director – Brittney Weldon
  4. Coordinator – Dominic Thompson

B. Support Staff

The NRL22 has a support staff whose responsibilities include all things match related. Rules, course of fire, equipment, and Match Director support. The Director of Match Operations appoints the Support staff. For the 2023 season, the Support staff is as follows:

  1. Janae Frehner
  2. Levi Sanderson
  3. Lynn Bigelow
  4. Paul Dallin
  5. Ruth Soucie

SECTION 2, Safety

A. General Rifle Safety

1.   Always point your rifle in a safe direction. Never point a rifle at anything you don’t intend to kill or destroy.

2.   Always keep your rifle unloaded until ready to use. Treat all rifles as though they are loaded even if you believe otherwise.

3.   Keep your finger out of the trigger guard until you are ready to fire.

4.   Know your target and what is beyond.

5.   Always wear proper eye and ear protection and ensure others have the same before firing.

6.   Never use alcohol or drugs while shooting.

7.   Individual Range safety rules always supersede NRL22 rules.

B. Rifle Safety While at a NRL22 Match

1.   Due to the many different types of 22 rifles, chamber flags are essential equipment to quickly ensure rifles are in a safe condition. NRL22 will take many steps to ensure that chamber flags are easily obtainable and available.

2.   NRL22 competitions are always cold ranges. All rifles are to be unloaded, with magazines out, or empty and actions open. Rifles shall only be loaded, or magazines inserted when directed by the Range Officers. Chamber flags shall be utilized and kept in the action until directed to be removed by the Range Officer.

3.   Ground rifles in a proper rifle rack, or wherever the Range Officer/Match Director designates as a safe location and direction.

4.   Rifles with removable magazines must be used. Rifles with fixed tubular magazines are not allowed as they are more difficult to make safe.

5.   When moving to another shooting location, always ensure the rifle is pointed in a safe direction.

C. Rifle Safety During Your Stage

1.   Always wait for the Range Officer’s command of “load and make ready” until you insert or load the magazine and remove the chamber flag.

2.   Stages always begin with magazine in and bolt to the rear unless specifically directed by the stage description.  If a rifle is unable to keep the bolt back to the rear, such as a semi-automatic, then the rifle must have an empty chamber.

3.   Any movement or barricade transition must be done with the action open and an empty chamber. The only exception to this rule will be with the use of semi-automatic rifles but only at the approval of the Match Director. If the MD allows this, the shooter must engage the safety, and yell “safe” loud enough for the RO to hear with ear protection.

4.   During movement, the 180 rule must always be adhered to. The 180 rule refers to only pointing the rifle within 90 degrees of straight forward. There may be stages when a Range Officer reduces the 180 rule even more. Always follow directions and be aware of where you are pointing your rifle.

5. Sky-bolting is never allowed during a match. Sky-bolting refers to when a shooter closes the bolt before they are looking through their scope and on target. The bolt must only be closed when the shooter is directly behind the scope and on the target. 

D. Safety Violations and Penalties

1.   Violation of the cold range rule: Any shooter who has violated the cold range rule shall be issued a warning. A second violation will result in a stage zero. Next violation will result in a match DQ and removal from competition. This includes a live round in the chamber, magazine inserted, a closed action, or chamber flag not being used.

2.   Muzzling and/or violating the 180 rule: Muzzling or flagging is pointing or sweeping another person’s body with the muzzle of a rifle. There will be no warning of this unsafe act. If any shooter muzzles any other attendee, that action shall result in match DQ and removal from competition. It will be the duty of the RO to inform the MD of the infraction, and the MD’s call to issue the match DQ.

3.   Unsafe transitioning: Transitioning on a barricade, movement without having the action open, or sky-bolting will result in the Range Officer having the shooter correct the situation, then move back to the previous firing position before resuming the course of fire. A second violation will result in a zero for the stage. A third will result in the shooter getting a match DQ and removal from competition. If the match allows for Semi-Automatic rifles to move with a closed bolt with the safety engaged, the same rule applies if the shooter does not either engage the safety and/or yell “safe”.

4.   Negligent Discharge (ND). A Negligent Discharge is defined as any round unintentionally discharged from a firearm during a transition, movement, and/or weapons manipulation; or a round intentionally discharged during a ceasefire period. The competitor shall receive a match DQ and removal from competition.

5.   Accidental Discharge/Mechanical Failure (AD). An Accidental Discharge is defined as any round unintentionally discharged from a firearm due to a mechanical failure. The participant will be removed from the event until he or she can repair the rifle to safe working order. All stages and points will be forfeited during this down time.

6.   False Starts. Firing before the start signal will result in a zero for the stage.

7.   If a Match Director judges a shooter to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol during competition, the shooter will receive a match DQ and be removed from competition. The shooter will not be allowed to drive from the competition while still intoxicated.

SECTION 3, NRL22 Local Match Format

Special Note: It is not the intention of NRL22 to tell any local club how to conduct their matches. Most of the below information is to be utilized as a guide if that club is new. The exception are the rules with an “ * ”. These rules are to be followed as closely as possible if that club wants to be included in the National competition.

A. NRL’s Responsibilities

1.       * The NRL22 will provide a local monthly course of fire. The local monthly course of fire will always be a total of 5 stages. It will be distributed one week before the intended month (example: the December 2022 Course of Fire will be released November 24th, 2022) and will only be run during that month. Because the course of fire is known to all, it can be practiced, and allows clubs to have their Match Directors and Range Officers participate with no advantage. Because those 5 stages will be the same across the nation, all clubs will be able to participate in a larger nationwide competition. The local monthly course of fire will always have 5 stages which may consist of prone, barricades, positional or a combination of any 3. To help accommodate clubs of different experience or wants, each stage will have 2 options. Option 1 will be 100 yards or closer and utilize the NRL22 Standard Target Package and standard barricade list. Option 1 is considered to be the standard Course of Fire. Option 2 will be more “advanced”. Option 2 could have various modifications to the stage such as, but not limited to, reduced times, magazine changes, additional positions, or targets that are further than 100 yards but will not exceed 200 yards. Option 2 will not utilize the NRL22 Standard Target Package and it will be up to the Match Director to acquire additional targets. The Match Director will choose to set up each stage as either  Option 1 or Option 2 so that the entire club is shooting the same targets at the same distances. Option 2 may be used in one or multiple stages or not at all. Most steel targets will be 10 points per hit with some exceptions and each month’s 5 stage course of fire will not be less than 500 points… One of these 5 stages will be designated as a timed stage to help reduce ties. The timed stage will be conducted as follows:

●  The Range Officer shall utilize a simple stop watch that can time down to a tenth of a second. (0.1 seconds)

●  The time starts when the Range Officer says “start” or “engage” which also starts the stage.

●  The shooter shoots the stage. After the last shot is fired, the shooter says “Done” loud enough to be heard over hearing protection.

●  The Range Officer records the time down to a tenth of a second.

●  0.1 bonus points shall be awarded for each second remaining.

●  Example: The course of fire is 120 seconds with 10 target engagements. The shooter hits all 10 targets for 100 points. The course of fire was completed in 111.3 seconds. The shooter is awarded 0.87 bonus points for time remaining. The shooter’s score for the stage would be 100.87.

2.       * The NRL22 has designed a Standard Target Package. The NRL22 Standard Target Package may be purchased on the NRL22’s web page. The NRL22 web page will also have the Standard Target Package plans available for free if anyone should choose to make the Standard Target Package themselves. If the Match Director utilizes option 1 for the entire course of fire, the NRL22 Standard Target Package will provide enough targets so that all 5 stages can be shot at the same time by different squads. The NRL22 Standard Target Package is: 1/4”, ½”, ¾”, 1” KYL Targets, 2×1″, 3x 1 ½”, 3x 2”, 3x 2 ½” 3x 3”, 4”, 5” and 6” circles all constructed of ¼” AR 500 steel, along with 12 target hangers all constructed of 3/16” AR 500 steel.

3.       * The NRL22 will provide a Standard Barricade List for the 2023 season. This list of standard barricades will be very simple, affordable, and mostly common items. These items will be utilized in different monthly courses of fire, so they do not need to be obtained until that month.The standard barricade list is: 6 foot A-frame ladder, 5 gallon plastic bucket, 2 gallon plastic bucket, 3 cinder blocks measuring 8”x8”x16” , 10 feet of any rope, a folding chair with an open back , 3 used pickup truck tires that can be obtained for free at any tire store or junk yard(overall diameter between 28-32”), a 55 gallon plastic drum, a saw horse with a shelf on the bottom, a tank trap (Instructions to construct the tank trap are in the addendum section, Thanks Steve Lowe from Yuma Matchmasters!), and a rooftop (Instructions to construct the rooftop are in the addendum section, Thanks Lynn Bigelow from Hobble Creek NRL22!)

4.       * The NRL22 will gather and publish local monthly match scores from all participating clubs for a flat fee of $35 per month per club. This will allow every club’s participating shooters to be able to compete with every participating shooter in the entire nation every month. The NRL22 will utilize the local monthly scores to track who qualifies for the NRL22 National Championship Match and as one way to distribute sponsor’s prizes. Match Directors will be required to submit scores to the NRL22 if they have NRL22 members competing in the match and are advertising the match as a NRL22 sanctioned match. The NRL22 will only track NRL22 member’s scores. NRL22 membership will be valid for both NRL22 and NRL22 X Leagues. Shooters will have a 7 day grace period to purchase 2023 NRL22 membership. NRL22 membership shall be $60 for adults and $25 for Young Guns. 

5.     The NRL22 will shop for and promote sponsors through media efforts. Sponsor’s donated prizes will be distributed every month by that sponsor’s wishes. NRL22 will do a monthly YouTube Live show to award prizes. Members will get their name entered into the drawing every time they shoot a match throughout the month. Winners will be notified by email and social media of the prizes they have won. (Example: Product X wishes for their prize to go to the top overall shooter. Every club’s top overall shooter will be put in a random number generator and awarded that prize.)

B. Shooter’s Responsibilities

1.   Shooters will  treat Match Directors and Range Officers with respect at all times. From time to time, disagreements arise between shooters and match officials. This is fine, so long as mutual respect and calm communication occurs. The Match Directors ruling is always final.

2.   All participants in NRL22 matches are looked upon as Safety Officers. Any participant that witnesses an unsafe act is to call for a ceasefire and stop the unsafe act. The participant should then inform the closest Range Officer of the act.

3.   It is the shooter’s responsibility to know the NRL22’s Rules and Regulations prior to a competition.

4.   Shooters should actively participate in any stage briefing to move the shoot along smoothly.

5.   Shooters shall understand that at the beginning of the stage, when asked by the Range Officer “Shooter do you understand the course of fire?” If they give an affirmative answer, that will be their last opportunity to get clarification. Because of this, arguments that they did not understand anything about the stage, or its targets are invalid.

6.   Shooters should be good squad mates by helping police brass, helping Range Officers when directed, and providing coaching to other shooters after their stage is complete. Help setting up and taking down the match is also a big help to the club.

7.   Sponsors are very important to the NRL22. It is encouraged that the shooter writes emails thanking the sponsors that supported the competition.

8.   Shooters may participate in multiple different divisions in one month, however, only the first division that is participated in counts for official score. Shooting multiple entries in the same match is not allowed for the shooter’s first match of the month. However, once the shooter’s official match has been completed for the month, multiple entries would be left to the discretion of the MD.

9.   Shooters may participate in multiple different clubs in one month, however, only the first match that is participated in counts for official score.

10.   Shooters will only be allowed to take a position on any prop while on the clock and shooting the stage. This will ensure that they don’t gain an advantage and helps to move the match along; however, this rule is at the discretion of the Match Director. Shooting props cannot be moved nor positioned in a different manner unless the stage description clearly states to do so unless it must be repositioned to ensure it is safe for use. When shooting off any prop/barricade, the rifle must be primarily supported by said prop/barricade to ensure the spirit of the stage is met.

C. Match Directors Responsibilities

1.   Match Directors are responsible for the overall direction of a match. He or she is the person in charge at that event.

2.   The monthly course of fire is intended to be as inclusive as possible for as many communities as possible and to provide an avenue for each locality to compete in the larger national match for prizes, points, and qualification. It is only 5 courses of fire. Local Match Directors are encouraged to run additional courses of fire with maximum creativity suited to their range and shooter’s tastes. Perhaps run and gun, pistol, or longer range is what your club likes. Please share your favorite stages with the NRL22 community on social media.

3.   Match Directors must have a scoring system that allows for quick tabulation of points and must allow shooters to see their scores after the stage. Using a system that makes the shooter sign or acknowledge their score is encouraged. If utilizing paper scoring, rain should be accounted for. If using electronic scoring, failure of equipment and battery life should be accounted for and paper backup should be available. The use of tablets is highly encouraged. It allows for accurate and timely tabulation of scores, without manually calculating scores. Additionally, the use of tablets allows for the Match Director to verify any alterations to scores and to quickly submit scores to the NRL22 and for shooters to see their raw score.

4.      *  Match Directors shall provide no less than a 30-minute sight in period to zero your rifle. If the Match Director choses to, he/she can have multiple targets at various distances for shooters to verify and/or gather D.O.P.E. (Data on previous engagements); however, this is not mandatory. Note, it is not the Match Director’s responsibility to provide targets for this period but may do so if he or she chooses to.

5.      *  Match Directors must provide match scores within 7 days after the end of the match  and pay the score tracking fee if they are utilizing the NRL22 COF, advertising their match as a NRL22 match, and have NRL22 members that attended their match.

6.   *At the beginning of the season, the club’s Match Director must log onto the NRL22 web site and register his or her club and pay $20. This money will be used to create a club page on the NRL22 web site. The web site will also be updated so that new shooters can search for clubs close to them or in any area of the country.

7.   Sponsors are very important to the NRL. Match Directors are encouraged to pass along an email to all shooters after the competition with the email address for every sponsor for thank you notes.

D. Range Officers Responsibilities

1.   Range Officers are any person assisting in running a competition, not including the Match Director. They can be the person running a stage, a spotter, the sign in person, or anyone that the Match Director acknowledged, as working the match.

2.   Range Officers should understand all Rules and Regulations prior to the start of the competition to ensure the safety of all participants. Any Range Officer witnessing unsafe acts shall call ceasefire and correct the unsafe act as soon as possible.

3.   Range Officers that are running a stage shall have complete knowledge of the stage that they are responsible for. They should conduct a stage briefing for all shooters prior to each stage and assist in target location on stages that allow for prior target knowledge. After the stage briefing, the squad will have 5 minutes to prep before the first shooter is called. Once the stage begins, the Range Officer shall run every shooter though that stage as close to the same as humanly possible. Match Directors shall ensure that Range Officers utilize standard commands at their competition. (Encouraged standard commands are as follows. “Shooter, do you understand the course of fire?” If no questions are asked, then “Shooter clear to load and make ready”. Once the shooter makes his or her rifle ready, “Shooter Ready?” Once an affirmative is obtained, “Standby”, then the start tone should follow.

4.   Range Officers that are serving as spotters are responsible for calling hits or misses. Utilization of standard calls is encouraged. Standard calls are “impact” or “impact left target” or “reengage”. Spotters should use loud clear voices when calling stages. Calling wind and D.O.P.E.  corrections during the stage is not allowed but encouraged after the stage is complete. The only exception to this rule is found in Section 5, B. 2.

5. Impacts on a target only count when the actual steel target is hit. Depending on the manufacturer, a target may have a small piece of steel where the target stand goes through, that part is still considered the target. In addition, the stem of a KYL is considered part of the target but impacts near the hinge or the crossbar are not allowed. Impacts on target hangers, stands, and/or straps will not count as an impact. If a target moves after a shot has been fired, then that shot will be recorded as an impact, unless the Range Officer is able to clearly determine that the impact was not made on the steel target but rather the target hanger/stand/strap. If a range officer determines that a shooter is intentionally shooting the hinge or crossbar of a KYL rack, this activity can be deemed as cheating and is grounds for match DQ.

6.   Anytime a Range Officer is not able to settle a grievance presented by a shooter, he or she shall request the Match Director to make the final judgment.

7.   From time to time, reshoots of stages will occur for reasons such as a ceasefire being called, prop malfunction, or target failure. The Range Officer may offer a reshoot anytime he or she thinks it is warranted based on those conditions. A shooter may also request a reshoot to the Range Officer. If the Range Officer denies the request, the shooter may request to bring the issue to the Match Director. The Match Director’s ruling is final. The Match Director shall also inform the shooter if they are able to request another reshoot in the remainder of the competition. Reshoots may be complete stage reshoots or starting in the middle of the stage with points and time consistent with the stoppage. The score on the reshoot will be the only score used.

8.   Range Officers will ensure that the shooter’s chamber is cleared and chamber flag/block inserted prior to them moving their rifle off the firing line.

SECTION 4, National Championship match format

A. National Championship Match Rules

1.   The NRL22 National Championship match shall consist of at least 170 rounds fired, and at least 15 individual stages. Having a sight in and D.O.P.E. gathering time is mandatory. Targets shall be at distance for shooters to gather elevation and environmental data.

2.   The National Championship match will not release any information regarding stages or props beforehand.

3.   No single stage should be worth 1.5 times over the amount of another stage. Additionally, a stage in which a single shot removes all points without the opportunity to earn any back is discouraged.

4.   It is understood that many ranges operate for profit and shutting a range down is not possible. Also, that train ups assist in profits for the range. Therefore, shooting at the range prior to a competition is allowed. Shooting on the range’s props is also allowed. However, shooting specific stages before the competition must not be allowed for any reason. For these reasons, it is important that the Match Director be involved or at least has knowledge of events taking place at the range prior to his or her competition so having common stages and/or course of fire does not occur.

5.   No National Championship competitor may be allowed to assist in forming the stages course of fire or assist in setup of the match. Range Officers and the Match Director are all dedicated to that event and shall not participate in the match.

6.   From time to time, reshoots of stages will occur for reasons such as a ceasefire being called, prop malfunction or target failure. The Range Officer may offer a reshoot anytime he or she thinks it is warranted based on those conditions. A shooter may also request a reshoot to the Range Officer. If the Range Officer denies the request, the shooter may request to bring the issue to the Match Director. The Match Director’s ruling is final. The Match Director shall also inform the shooter if they are able to request another reshoot in the remainder of the competition. Reshoots may be complete stage reshoots or starting in the middle of the stage with points and time consistent with the stoppage. The score on the reshoot will be the only score used.

7.   There will be a tiebreaker stage at the National Championship Match. The tiebreaker stage will be designated as such in the shooter booklet. The tie breaker will be conducted in the same fashion as the monthly timed stage. In the event of a tie, the Match Director shall have the shooters repeat the tie breaker stage until the tie is broken.

8.   Shooters may only participate in one division at the National Championship. This means the shooter is only eligible to win their division they signed up for. For example, if a female shooter signs up to shoot in the open division, then she will only be able to win in that division. 

SECTION 5, Rifle Rules, Divisions, Scoring, 2023 Schedule, and Championship Qualification

A. Rifle Rules

1.   Rifles must be chambered in .22 Long Rifle. This cartridge is the most common and available rimfire cartridge. At these ranges it also most closely mimics centerfire cartridges at Precision Rifle. 17 HMR, 22 Magnum and like rimfires cartridges are not allowed.

2.   Any .22 Long Rifle chambered rifle may be used, however, rifles with removable magazines must be used. Rifles with fixed tubular magazines are not allowed as they are more difficult to make safe. 

3.   Any scope, iron sights, or electronic sights may be used. However, magnified rifle scopes with externally adjustable turrets and reticles designed to assist in holdover and measurement are highly recommended.

4.      Competitors may participate in the Air Rifle, Young Guns, OG / Adaptive, or Ladies division with an Air Rifle provided they meet the other requirements for the division they choose to compete in.

5.  Competitors may only utilize one rifle in a competition. If a breakage occurs, the competitor must get permission from the Match Director before using a different rifle.

B. Divisions

1.   Shooters must pick one division to shoot at the beginning of a local monthly shoot or the National Championship. The shooter is only eligible for placement in the division in which they signed up. For example, if a female shooter with a base rifle signs up for Ladies division and wins the entire shoot, she will only be recognized for the placement in the division in which she signed up for. In this example, that would be the Ladies division.

2. The Base division is intended to be budget oriented. It is also intended to be a division to allow an introduction to this fantastic shooting discipline. Any rifle system that comes in under a combined MSRP of $1200 shall be eligible to compete in Base division. This combined MSRP price is for the rifle and scope only. It excludes scope rings and bases, bipods, suppressors, data card holders, magazines, spare magazine holders, auto bolt releases, aftermarket triggers, extended magazine releases, weight kits, hand grips, bolt knobs, and barrel tuners – these examples are considered accessories to the rifle. Factory barrels may be threaded to accept a suppressor. The only authorized adjustments to the rifle itself are as follows: adjustments to the stock to get proper cheek weld and bedding of the stock. Base rifles must remain in their factory configured stock. If a barreled action is removed from the factory stock and placed in an aftermarket stock not available by the manufacturer and not available as an option to purchase as a complete rifle or chassis, then that rifle will be classified as an Open division rifle. Rails of any type utilized to mount a bipod may be added. Rifles and scopes that are out of production are difficult to check the MSRP. The NRL22 will allow certain popular rifles and scopes that are out of production to compete. The NRL22 will provide a list of discontinued rifles along with MSRP’s that will be used to calculate the $1200 limit. Base division shooters should be mindful that manufacturers may change the MSRP of their products from time to time. Neither price changes nor discontinuations of products are the fault of the NRL22. However, the production status and MSRP on June 1st will be considered valid for the entire 2023 season. At sign in, the Match Director shall inspect the rifle and ensure that the combined MSRP comes in under $1200. If it goes over, the shooter shall compete in the open division. This determination and interpretation of the Base division rules are solely decided by the local Match Directors for their own clubs; however, it should be adhered to as closely as possible. Any communications regarding Base division rules to NRL22 staff will not be replied to. You will need to check with your local match director. For the National Championship however, these rules will be followed to the letter. There will be a gunsmith present at the NRL22 National Championship for Base division rifle inspections. A list of popular rifle and scope MSRPs and discontinued rifle and scope MSRPs will be included in the monthly course of fire.

3.   Young Guns will be any shooter between ages 8-16. Age requirement is allowable as soon as a child turns 8. Young Guns must be no older than 16 at the time of the first day of the season. A parent or guardian must be present with the shooter, who will take responsibility for the actions of the Young Gun. Young Guns must be able to operate their firearm safely by themselves with no hands-on assistance from the parent or guardian. However, verbal coaching is absolutely acceptable and encouraged. Calling shot placement corrections should be reserved until after the stage is complete however, this is acceptable during the stage for newer Young Guns or Young Guns that are struggling. Young Guns may sign up to compete in the Base, Open, Ladies, or Air Rifle division and would be subject to that divison’s rules.

4.   Ladies division is for the female shooter. Ladies may sign up to compete in the Base, Open, Young Guns, or Air Rifle division and would be subject to that division’s rules.

5.   Open division shooters have no restrictions on the rifle.

6.   Air Rifle division is for shooters using a rifle that operates with compressed air to fire a pellet or slug.. Projectiles cannot exceed 85 grains and must be .35 caliber or lower. Projectiles must be mass produced. Tethered tanks are not allowed. 

7.   OG / Adaptive division will be available to any shooter older than 60 years old or any shooter that has special needs/considerations. It will be up to the Match Director to determine special needs. It is up to the OG / Adaptive division participants to have reviewed the course of fire prior to the local match. Before the match begins, the Match Director shall hold a meeting with all of the OG / Adaptive participants to discuss the course of fire and all agree on any changes/scaling to accommodate the OG / Adaptive division. An example would be utilizing a bench instead of shooting prone. OG / Adaptive division may abide by Base, Open, or Air Rifle division rules.

C. Equipment and Positional Shooting

1.   Unless mentioned in the course of fire, any equipment may be used. The only exception to this is tripods and shooting sticks, which are never allowed. NRL22 shooters are considered to be the most welcoming participants in any shooting sport. Sharing of equipment, especially to new shooters, is highly encouraged. The bipod is not considered equipment and is part of the rifle system; however, it cannot be used to support the rifle while shooting in any unsupported position. The bipod does not have to be removed while shooting in an unsupported position. A sling is designed to provide a way to carry the rifle and also to assist in unsupported positional shooting. The sling may attach at 1 or 2 points to the rifle. It may have cuffs or adjustments to aid in unsupported positional shooting. A sling is the only authorized piece of equipment that may be used in any unsupported position.

2.   The standing unsupported position means both legs are fully erect with both feet flat on the ground and the rifle being supported by a sling, hand and/or shoulder.

Kneeling unsupported position means that one knee must be in contact with the ground, the other knee may be on the ground. The shooter may also sit on the leg that is on the ground. The rifle can only be supported by the knee, sling, hand and/or shoulder.

In the unsupported seated position, the shooter must have their butt on the ground. The shooter may use their knees, sling, hand and/or shoulder to support the rifle. 

In the prone unsupported position, the shooter will be laying flat on the ground with the rifle being solely supported by the shooter’s hand and/or shoulder, a sling may be used as well. It is never acceptable to have any part of the rifle, or any part of the hand, resting on the ground to support the rifle. The ground includes a mat, tarp, bag, glove, coat, etc. 

D. Local Match Scoring

1.   Local Match points for the 2023 season will be acquired by the shooter by competing in any of the 11 sanctioned NRL22 local monthly competitions of the 2023 season (June of 2022 to April of 2023). Although we will have local shoots in May, those shoots will not count for the National Championship qualification but will have prizes.

2.   Each division’s winner will be awarded 100 points. Match points will be based off the percentage of the winning shooter for each division. (For example, if the winning shooter scores 480.87 points, and the second-place shooter scores 460.21 points you would divide 460.21 by 480.87 and multiply by 100 to end up with 95.70 points) Points will be rounded to the hundredth.

3.   Environmental conditions, slight difference in Course of Fire interpretation, use of the different options in the course of fire and local match sizes are inevitably going to be different. For all these reasons, the winner of any division in any local shoot is equivalent to any other winner. Example: The open winner of the Las Vegas local match scores 485/500 points with no wind and 30 shooters. The open winner of the Albuquerque local match scores 230/500 points with sustained 30 MPH winds and 12 participants. NRL22 sees both scores as the same 100 points and both winners along with any other local match winners are eligible for a chance at any prizes designated for the Open division winner.

E. 2023 Schedule

1.   The local monthly matches to qualify for the 2023 National Championship will take place from June 2022 until April 2023.

2.   There will be a local match for fun, prizes, and practice in May 2023.

3.   The National Championship will take place in July 2023.

F. National Championship Match Qualification

1.   The NRL22 will be responsible for conducting a National Championship match at the end of the season. The National Championship will take place July 7-9, 2023 in Maxton, North Carolina and hosted by the 2020 NRL22 National Champion, Chris Simmons. Further specific details will be disclosed closer to the match date.

2.   50% of the National Championship match participants will come from NRL22 and 50% will come from NRL22 X. For NRL22 qualifications the NRL22 Executive Staff will determine how many shooters qualify from each local club by NRL22 membership and average participation according to how many shooters can be hosted. Local Match Directors will determine which shooters have the first available slots by their clubs’ shooters best 3 scores from June of 2022 to April of 2023. If that shooter does not choose to accept the invitation, the Match Director shall go to the second-place shooter. This process shall continue until all spots are filled. If the Match Director cannot fill all his or her allotted slots, they shall inform the NRL22 that they are surrendering X number of slots so those may be allotted to other clubs.

3.   10 slots for the National Championship will be awarded to International NRL22 shooters. International NRL22 clubs will be responsible to determine which shooters will attend from their country.

4.   The National Champion in each division and the rest of the rankings will be determined solely by the National Championship match’s points.

SECTION 6, Sportsmanship

A. Good Sportsmanship

1.   Good Sportsmanship is one of the founding principles of NRL22 and is highly regarded by the NRL as a whole. Good sportsmanship helps grow the sport, creates positive role models, and is impressive to the sponsors. It is not something that can be quantified but is easy to recognize by all participants.

2.   NRL22 will have a special trophy presented to a shooter or someone who has stood out during the season to make this sport better at the National Championship match whom the NRL Board of Directors votes as deserving.

B. Unsportsmanlike Conduct

1.   Unsportsmanlike conduct is taken very seriously by NRL22.

2.   Examples of bad sportsmanship include treating participants or range staff with disrespect, unwarranted complaining, throwing tantrums, or being unpleasant.

C. Cheating

1.   NRL22 defines cheating as: acting dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage in competition. Examples of cheating are:

2.   Sabotaging another shooter’s equipment.

3.   Using illegal modifications in the Base division.

4.   Altering or destruction of score sheets.

5.   Any other act as deemed unfair/cheating by a Range Officer or Match Director.

D. Penalties for Unsportsmanlike Conduct and Cheating

1.   Any shooter who is deemed as acting in an unsportsmanlike fashion will be subject to any penalty that the Match Director deems appropriate including warnings, stage zero’s and/or match DQ and being removed from competition.

2.   The only penalty appropriate for cheating shall be the Match Director issuing a match DQ and the competitor being removed from the competition.

ADDENDUM

A.    Tank Trap Plans (Credits to Steve Lowe, MD and Mike Robinson, Assistant MD, Yuma Master Matches)

B.     Rooftop Plans (credit to Lynn Bigelow)

DOWNLOAD PDF 2022 RULES AND REGULATIONS