Longtime firearms journalist and media personality Michael Bane brought his trademark enthusiasm and expertise to the 2025 NRA America’s Rifle Challenge (ARC) competition held at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, this past April, and he made it clear—he absolutely loved what he saw.
Filming a special episode of Triggered amid what he described as “weather somewhere between terrifying and hellish,” Bane wasn’t deterred in the slightest.
“This is the very first America’s Challenge,” he said in his opening segment. “And it is a great and fascinating match.”
NRA America’s Rifle Challenge, a new-ish competition format from what Bane calls “NRA 2.0,” is designed to give America’s most popular rifle—the AR-15—a serious shooting sports home.
“One in every four rifles sold is an AR-15,” Bane noted, referencing mainstream reporting. “The NRA America’s Rifle Challenge program tests all the basic skills of shooting the rifle.”
At Camp Atterbury, Bane competed in the NRA America’s Rifle Challenge Level One format, focusing on core rifle skills across multiple shooting positions—standing, kneeling, sitting, prone and from behind barricades—at distances from 10 to 100 yards.
“It’s fun,” Bane emphasized. “It’s designed for fellowship. It’s also designed to make you a better shooter.”
MARKSMANSHIP SKILLS UNDER PRESSURE
What impressed Bane the most was the way ARC emphasizes practical marksmanship. Whether it was the quick three-second, 10-yard snap shots or long-range barricade drills, the competition tests shooters’ speed, accuracy and adaptability under pressure.
“I love the 10-yard stage,” Bane said. “You think you’re going to bring that AR to your shoulder and settle in? No time. You get a snap sight picture and squeeze the trigger. If you jerk it, you’ll miss.”
The 25-yard standing stage reinforces how crucial fundamentals like sling use are, while sitting and kneeling position shooting further tests competitors on their marksmanship skills.
“When do we practice sitting and kneeling? We should [do it more],” Bane remarked. “A sitting position has been very useful for me in hunting.”
He was particularly impressed with the barricade portion of the Level One ARC competition at Camp Atterbury, which involved shooting from multiple positions at steel targets.
“It’s my favorite,” Bane said. “You’ve got 12 shots and constant movement—knees, kneeling, over and through [the barricade]. The target is not the hard part, the movement is.”
DESIGNED TO GROW
ARC’s scoring system adds time penalties for missed shots, rewarding precision as well as speed. According to Bane, this keeps the discipline approachable yet rewarding for a wide range of shooters.
“The times are aggressive, but not impossible,” he said. “They’re going to make you move quickly in your shooting—and that’s one of the best parts.”
From Bane’s perspective, the NRA America’s Rifle Challenge program is an example of the NRA turning a new page.
“When I first talked to Doug Hamlin, the new EVP and CEO of the National Rifle Association, I told him the NRA would be judged not by what it says, but by what it does,” he said. “NRA America’s Rifle Challenge is an important part of that new commitment.”
BANE’S VERDICT: A MUST-ATTEND EVENT
Despite some personal hiccups—like grabbing a 20-round magazine instead of the 30-rounder he planned for—Bane walked away energized from the ARC competition at Camp Atterbury in April 2025.
“Scores were bad, but boy, they sure weren’t what I expected,” Bane said with a chuckle. “I just need to practice reloading my AR. Who doesn’t?”
Looking ahead, he’s even more excited about the future of the NRA America’s Rifle Challenge program.
“Right now, it’s all foundational, and if you have an AR—especially if you’re an NRA member—you need to be at this match,” he said.
Michael Bane has seen and reported on nearly every form of firearms competition over the past few decades. His glowing endorsement of NRA America’s Rifle Challenge sends a clear message: ARC isn’t just another competition shooting discipline.
NRA plans to release the full ARC rulebook and will begin sanctioning local matches later this summer. You can find out more at the ARC website: arc.nra.org.
“The website will go up; you’ll find out where the matches are and your club can sign up. Everything is coming together [for NRA America’s Rifle Challenge]. And, I’m very excited to be a part of it,” Bane concluded.
Be sure to watch Bane’s video from the April 2025 NRA America’s Rifle Challenge competition at Camp Atterbury, Indiana.
Show me more about the NRA America’s Rifle Challenge program.
Most Popular
