NRA America's Rifle AR-15 Competition Coming In August

The competition wing of the National Rifle Association has a new match for AR-15 shooters. The America’s Rifle Challenge, or ARC, is a new competition focused on getting gun owners to compete with the rifles they already have. It blends elements of traditional matches with practical and action matches, broken up into two levels for beginner and experienced shooters.

Competition @ TFB:

• New CMP Rimfire League Announced at Lake Erie Arms
• TFB Interview: Eirik Larsen (Team HK) - IPSC Rifle World Shoot 2024
• My First Pistol Match: CMP Excellence In Competition .22LR and Service Pistol
• Getting Started in CMP Service Rifle Competition
• From 6.5 to 6mm – What the PRS Pros Use by PRB

If the name America’s Rifle Challenge sounds familiar, that is because it is. The NRA has hosted a similarly-named competition with Daniel Defense in prior years. This updated program is based around local club matches. The stages are designed to work on common firing ranges, with Level 1 matches being fired at 100 yards or even reduced courses like 25-yard indoor ranges. Unlike many practical shooting matches, the stages are described in detail in the rulebook, with numbers of shots fired at certain targets in certain time limits. These are somewhat reminiscent of stages seen in police and military weapons qualifications.

ARC offers three classes for rifles in the provisional rulebook. Stock class guns are limited to unmagnified sighting systems, and no tripods or bags are allowed. Limited class rifles can mount two sighting systems, one magnified, with a maximum magnification of 8x, and unattached support bags are allowed. Open division guns can utilize up to three sighting systems with no limitations, and bipods, tripods, and bags are all allowed. In open division, the maximum magazine capacity is 45 rounds, while the other divisions are capped at 30. All classes are limited to .223/5.56, 7.62/.308,, or .300 Blackout. Funnily enough, the aptly named 6mm ARC is not an approved cartridge. But NFA items like SBRs and silencers are allowed!

You can access the provisional rulebook here, but it requires you to sign up with a name, phone number, and email address to access it. The ARC launches August 4th, so stay tuned for more

From the NRA:

“NRA is going back to its roots and is launching a new and vital competition and training program, America’s Rifle Challenge (ARC). Beginning on August 4, 2025, this nationwide competitive shooting and training program will open for your participation. ARC is designed to help the everyday responsible AR owner use and excel with their AR through competition and training. As part of the ARC program, we’ll provide modernized, specific AR training and competitions at clubs around the nation for beginners and for AR owners seeking to gain a higher level of skill. Additionally, the ARC Program supports the use of rimfire ARs and pistol caliber carbine (PCC) ARs. ARC also supports suppressors for training and competition.”