F-Class

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F-class exists because one man defied the traditions of his country's shooting sports authority, or so the story goes.  George Farquharson, a Canadian rifle competitor, was struggling to maintain his competitiveness while his increasing age weakened both his eyes and his muscles.  George was having trouble seeing long range targets using iron sights, and wasn't able to hold the traditional postures of positional shooting.  So, George petitioned the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association (DCRA) to create a classification/sport that would permit him to use magnified optics and shoot only in the prone position with his rifle supported by the ground.  The DCRA did so, establishing "F-Class" (named for George Farquharson).  In doing so, they kicked off an evolution in rifle shooting competition that seeks to combine the extreme precision of short-range benchrest shooting for group with the extreme accuracy demands of shooting for score.  It stretched those out to ranges up to 1,000 yards , and then added the requirement for sustained precision/accuracy demanded by extended strings of fire. The new sport forced competitors to evolve their rifles, ammunition, wind-reading skills, rifle-handling approaches, shooting gear, and hand-loading skills/techniques.  F-Class is now one of the fastest growing shooting sports and is shot world-wide.

F-Class competition is typically divided into groups based on the distance being shot, the characteristics of the rifle/ammo/range gear permitted, and even by the qualifications of the participating shooters.  At CTSA, Shooters are scored separately based on equipment division only.

F-Class competition is generally separated into midrange and long-range.  Midrange is defined as between 300 and 700 yds, while long-range is between 800 and 1,000 yds.  All F-Class matches are shot at 500 yds at CTSA (midrange).

F-Class participants compete in one of four equipment divisions: F-T/R, F-Open, Sling, or F-Bench/Challenger.  Scores are compared only between shooters in the same equipment divisions and awards are presented to winners in each.  See the Equipment section and/or the NRA F-Class Rulebook for more information on the F-Class equipment divisions.  

The Bench/Challenger division is "unofficial" and is offered at CTSA to permit participation of  shooters who don't otherwise fit into the official divisions.  Can't get up and down from Prone? Shoot from a shooting bench in the Bench/Challenger category. Don't have a rifle that adheres to the NRA F-Class rules?  Compete anyway at CTSA in the Bench/Challenger division.

Shooters who compete in NRA-sanctioned/registered matches earn "classifications" based on their shooting performance, and their scores are only compared to other shooters with the same classification at many clubs.  For example, shooters who record 120 consecutive rounds in official competitions and achieve scores that are between 91.5% and <94% of the possible maximum, achieve a classification of "Sharpshooter".  Other classifications range from "Marksman", to "Sharpshooter", "Expert", "Master", and "High Master".  At CTSA, Classifications are ignored and we all shoot together.

Shooters compete in the separate divisions based on the rifle/ammunition/range gear they use.

• F-T/R (Target Rifle) requires the rifle to be limited to only .223 Remington or .308 Winchester chamberings.  It can weigh no more than 18.18 lbs (8.25 kg), and may only be supported by a bipod and rear "sand bag".  The weight of the attached bipod is included in the total weight of the rifle.

• F-Open is only limited by restricting calibers to those less than .35, and to rifle weight ≤22 lbs (10 kg).  F-Open rifles can be supported by bipods, bags, or even mechanical front rests, and a deformable rear bag.

• Sling shooters must comply with equipment specifications in sections 5.1.1 or 5.1.2 of the CMP High Power Rifle Rules for M16/AR15-Type Service Rifles or CMP Alternative Rifle specifications.  Optics are limited to 4.5X magnification, must be single-loaded, and must be fully supported by the shooter.

• Bench/Challenger shooters can use any rifle/ammo/bipods/rests/bags approved by the Match Director.  

• Muzzle brakes and suppressors are generally excluded, however the Match Director may permit their use in the Bench/Challenger division on an individual basis.  At present, neither muzzle brakes nor suppressors are permitted in either F-T/R or Open divisions (New, unofficial divisions are being announced by the NRA that will add new equipment categories to encourage new competitors and include common equipment such as suppressors.  Stay tuned for updates!).

F-Class used to be shot on standard MR or LR targets, sized proportionally depending on the range being shot.  For example, the MR-65 target (shot at 500 yds) has a central (bullseye) ring (called the "X-ring") is 1 MOA in diameter, and the larger outer rings increase by 1 MOA increments.  I.E., the X-ring is 1 MOA in diameter, the 10-ring is 2 MOA, the 9-ring is 3 MOA, etc.  This target is still used for the "Sling" division according to NRA's High Power Rifle rules.  Around 2007, the NRA changed the target(to make it more challenging) for the F-T/R and F-Open divisions by reducing the size of the scoring rings. Now, the X-ring is 1/2 MOA in diameter, the 10-ring is 1 MOA, the 9-ring is 2 MOA, etc.  There is some minor variation to these measurements for official targets at various ranges, but in general the relative proportional sizes remain consistent.  

• The targets used at CTSA for F-T/R, F-Open, and Bench/Challenger competitors are the NRA MR-65FC (F-Class center) over the full MR-63 target.  This combination produces an X-ring of 2.5", a 5" 10-ring, 10" 9-ring, 15" 8-ring, 20" 7-ring, 25" 6-ring, and a 30" 5-ring (all with black backgrounds).  

• The targets used at CTSA for Sling competitors are the NRA full MR-63, with an X-ring of 5", a 10" 10-ring, 15" 9-ring, 20" 8-ring, 25" 7-ring, and 30" 6-ring (all with black backgrounds), and a 36" 5-ring with a white background.   

All shots hitting within the background-colored area of any ring are scored as receiving that ring's value of points.  Shots that  touch or break the dividing line between scoring rings are awarded the value of the higher ring.  I.E., a shot falling cleanly within the 8-ring is scored as 8 points.  If the bullet touches/breaks the white line separating the 8- and 9-rings, the shot is scored as 9 points.  Any shot falling within the 10-ring is awarded 10 points, even if it falls inside the central X-ring.  Shots falling in the X-ring don't receive additional points, but the number of X's are recorded to break ties.  

Scores are totaled for all record shots in a match and the score is displayed in a format as: the total number of points followed by the total number of X's.  At CTSA, our matches generally consist of 20 rounds for record for a total possible score of 200 points.  A competitor who lands all 20 rounds within the 10-ring, and has half of those (10) fall within the central X-ring, would end up with a score of 200-10X.

CTSA uses the ShotMarker system of electronic targets in place of having shooters physically pull and score targets during matches.