Most individual and team matches use the 50-shot NRA National Match Course (NMC), 80-shot NRA Regional Match Course (RMC), or CMP Service Rifle equivalent. These events are referred to as “across the course” matches, because they are shot at a variety of distances from the target. Each match, with the exception of the CMP’s three-stage President’s Match, has four stages. Sighters are shot in NRA matches but not in CMP matches. Also, NRA matches allow Service Rifle and Match Rifle categories, but CMP matches only allow Service Rifles! Don’t bring a match rifle to a CMP EIC match!

NRA High Power Rifle and CMP Service Rifle matches now have different rules for the rapid fire stages, which can be a little confusing. The main two differences are that CMP requires starting from a standing position and having a closed bolt on an empty chamber with magazine loaded, while the NRA requires starting from position (sitting or prone) with an open bolt and magazines on the ground.

For the NRA NMC, the following course of fire is shot:

Standing, 200 yds., slow-fire (10 shots in 10 minutes)
Sitting or kneeling, 200 yds., rapid-fire (10 shots in 60 seconds)
Prone, 300 yds., rapid-fire (10 shots in 70 seconds)
Prone, slow-fire, (20 shots in 20 minutes)

For the NRA RMC, the first three stages are doubled. For the CMP President’s Match, the sitting stage is omitted and the 600 yard stage is only 10 shots.

CMP Info:
http://www.odcmp.com/Competitions.htm

NRA Info: (difficult to navigate!)
http://www.nrahq.org/compete/

- Doug