Back in 2016, then-NRA President Alan Cors appeared before NRA’s High Power Rifle Committee and instructed the committee to produce a program that would “get those AR platform rifles out of the closets and onto the range.” President Cors had been a longtime member of the Virginia State Rifle Team, a Distinguished Rifleman and one of the founding directors of the CMP.
As an accomplished rifle competitor himself, President Cors believed that the best way to get people to actually use those ARs was to get them onto the range shooting in NRA competition. The High Power Rifle Committee responded to President Cors’ instructions by creating what we now know as the AR Tactical Mid-Range Prone rifle program as a “provisional” competitive shooting program.
At the time, AR Tactical was designed as a beginner’s sport that could serve as a gateway to traditional High Power and F-Class competition. But AR Tactical soon took on a life of its own as a sport for serious competitors. After 10 years of experimentation, trial and error, the High Power Rifle Committee came to the NRA Board of Directors with two recommendations, both of which were approved at the Winter Meetings on January 10, 2026.
AR-Tactical Mid-Range Prone is no longer simply a “provisional” program and is now a full-fledged NRA High Power Rifle discipline. That means that AR Tactical Mid-Range Prone shooters may now win their own national championships and may now set recognized national records. At the same time, the NRA Board of Directors approved a revised and simplified set of Rules for AR Tactical.
These new rules create two categories of AR Tactical Rifle. First is the AR Military & Police (AR-M&P) rifle which is limited in caliber to either .223 cal./5.56 mm or .308 cal./7.62 mm. The second category is the AR-Any Rifle (AR-Any) which is specifically designed for those who want to shoot such popular rounds as the 6.5 Creedmoor and others falling within the range of calibers between the standard .223/5.56 and .308/7.62 used in the AR-M&P category. Magnums are permitted in this new AR-Any category.
Both categories of AR Tactical rifles are to be fired from a Harris-style folding/collapsible bipod and a soft rear bag (without ears) and both have maximum barrel lengths of 22 inches, a minimum trigger pull of 4.5 pounds and maximum scope magnification of 16x (taping is permitted). Note that F-Class-style bipods and rear bags with ears are not permitted with either category of AR Tactical rifle.
For those who like suppressors, suppressors are permitted with both rifles in those jurisdictions where possession and ownership of suppressors are legal, but muzzle brakes, compensators and tuners are prohibited. AR Tactical Mid-Range Prone will continue to be fired on the standard “sling” targets at 300, 500 and 600 yards.
When asked about the new rules and his committee’s work, NRA Past President and current High Power Rifle Committee Chairman John Sigler said, “The members asked for a simplified set of rules that were easier to understand and for certain changes to the existing rules designed for uniform fairness. Our committee listened to the members and did our best to give the competitive shooters what they wanted.”
All the new Rules approved by the NRA Board of Directors will be available online soon.
