New Categories of F-Class Rifles - 2026

[davidjoe]

Man, those scope rings are 'interesting' . . .

Yeah, they are just as beautiful as the pipe-like, three screw Savage barreled action with its nut, red safety bladed trigger, and bolt release of stamped steel, protruding upward, right where we must always see it.

And the other side is hinged with a giant pin. They are clam shells. Someone was really determined to send a message back then. I don’t know what stirred them up about existing rings, but they were deeply offended, lol.

 

[JLT]

Yeah, they are just as beautiful as the pipe-like, three screw Savage barreled action with its nut, red safety bladed trigger, and bolt release of stamped steel, protruding upward, right where we must always see it.

And the other side is hinged with a giant pin. They are clam shells. Someone was really determined to send a message back then. I don’t know what stirred them up about existing rings, but they were deeply offended, lol.

They sure made their point. Then they spiked the ball.

Appearance and profligate use of material aside, the metal work is really quite good! Bet they don't come loose!

 

[anon]

"Price - The manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of the
new, out-of-the-box rifle without bipod, scope or other attachments
or accoutrements may not exceed $3,000."

This is different than the original info, now it is rifle only. That helps, but, unfortunately, I can't make weight with my gen 1 RPR. I have spoken with both CMP, and NRA about an RPR not making weight, oh well ...

 

[davidjoe]

My thought is the NRA desired to make this very specific weight limit a significant part of the challenge.

Certainly, the lower a weight limit is, the more critical every fraction of an ounce is. Take my gun for example, those rings were uncomfortably tall for a flat comb stock, but there was no room to strap on a riser.

In fact I switched to a non-swivel Harris because it is a few ounces lighter, and my lower, Nightforce aluminum rings were also lighter.

I’m there with scope caps off on my scale and scope of choice. I could drop to the 14X Mark 4 and be a good number of ounces under, but it is materially less optimal in power and its thick reticle.

Things I don’t think are legal, - drilling out a factory stock, removing the unused rear steel sling stud, running a Target Savage without all the screws, and shaving or replacing a heavy solid rubber factory butt pad.

Things I do believe legal would include milling off unused portions of an installed picatinny rail and altering the bipod with lightening cuts.

 

[anon]

When speaking with Bill? from the CMP it was stated that the RPR was considered one of the anticipated rifles or targets for the Production class.

 

[davidjoe]

When speaking with Bill? from the CMP it was stated that the RPR was considered one of the anticipated rifles or targets for the Production class.

Sniper Central did a comprehensive review and put the weight at 10.7 pounds by itself, so if Ruger beefed them up more recently, then old is gold.

That is actually less (by a lot) than Savage says the LRPV weighs, which is an average of 11.0, - and yet I am making 14.0.

You just can’t attach your favorite things. I want to commiserate with you - but you actually have a built in rail, while I bedded a Warne steel rail back when I was trying to make mine heavier.

I bet you have a swivel bipod and scope well over 30 ounces. I like 3 screw 50 BMG rings on everything, even rimfire, steel, X high with an adjustable cheek stock, but I’m just not getting any of these if I want to try to shoot a record at 14 pounds.

Barreled action 25 shots in, is priority one and an ultra stiff stock that never works loose is priority number 2.

The rest is like an old muscle car’s factory tires, generally round will suffice.

 

[anon]

The current RPR is listed as 12.5lbs by Ruger. Whatcha gonna do with the remaining 24 ounces?

My Gen 1 is lighter, not at home to reweigh it.

My 8.5-25 Leupold is listed at 22oz. Not sure what the Geissele mount weighs but I needed the scope forward when sling shooting.

The Atlas that has the integrated pic mount is ounces less than my lightest Harris. A short BCM pic rail weighs less than the factory Ruger part.

I don't care, I'll shoot in Any.

 

[Belly Benchrester]

I like this but concerned how are F class match directors supposed to keep up with awards? Also are nat records kept for the new classes?

 

[Jdne5b]

I like this but concerned how are F class match directors supposed to keep up with awards? Also are nat records kept for the new classes?

Every registered match recognizing the new classes will have a potential record for a while. Relying on NRA to process them and post online quickly could be frustrating.

 

[davidjoe]

The current RPR is listed as 12.5lbs by Ruger. Whatcha gonna do with the remaining 24 ounces?

My Gen 1 is lighter, not at home to reweigh it.

My 8.5-25 Leupold is listed at 22oz. Not sure what the Geissele mount weighs but I needed the scope forward when sling shooting.

The Atlas that has the integrated pic mount is ounces less than my lightest Harris. A short BCM pic rail weighs less than the factory Ruger part.

I don't care, I'll shoot in Any.

The new precision class is basically Open Class but off a bipod. If a big factory rifle was too heavy for that 14 pound class, it would surely make the 22 pound limit for F-Precision (lavishly kitted), where they are all still using Harris style bipods.

I agree that the newer RPR really hems one in.

At its weight, you’d need to look at optics like 10.5 pound Benchrest guns use. 24 ounces for a bipod, scope and rings would still be doable, technically. Superficially the scope and rings sure won’t be a photogenic matchup with that rifle. Such a feather weight scope may lack light gathering and resolution at distance that your eye tries to compensate for, hour after hour.

If it were mine I might sacrifice power and put a bright and clear, but super low magnification, straight tube, high quality service rifle type scope on it. The rifle would look tactically coherent, at least.

 

[323]

Every registered match recognizing the new classes will have a potential record for a while. Relying on NRA to process them and post online quickly could be frustrating.

Not very many MD are doing registered tournaments unless its for a regional or state championship. Most are going the approved tournament route its easier and less paperwork.

 

[davidjoe]

If you build it, they will come, so the famous line goes. I hate to think the golden age of factory rifles may now behind us, but just a few automobiles ago (one if you chose wisely) who would have ever thought it would be hard to find a 700?

The NRA’s brand new F-Production class seems to be the result of looking at the American made rifle landscape, us gray hairs and what we load into our custom wagons at matches, and then the income prospects young people have these days, and answering the question of what can we do on our end?

A coupe of observations. First, it is absolutely correct that anyone could have already brought a factory rifle to any match without a rule change that included a new record recognition.

Second, is it true the class shouldn’t appeal to shooters who already have custom equipment.

This is analogous to ARA and ABRA - I believe serious .22 match shooters have rifles at home for every division including factory and they enjoy every division, but are generally compelled to focus on one at a time. The factory division is often the most competitive at a match. You must win where you didn’t load the ammo, you didn’t build the gun, and the most shooters compete.

But, if factory classes were not recognized unto themselves, who is to say these numbers, and that level of competition, would exist at .22 matches in factory rifles? What is more, the market and potential uses for really good factory .22’s would be severely diminished.




I think this last round of rule changes is just in the nick of time. The Savage LRPV is 20 years old this year, and I hope it sees 30. Its domestic peers from 2006 are all gone. I started the match journey with them, as others have. My favorite ones were kept, but without much of a role for a long time.

The rifle is dimensionally at the limit of the new rules, which probably reflected older CMP rules.

These are hard to find, and maybe that has been true for some time. We cannot seem to count on permanency anymore, and with such limited inventory I have 2 new 6BR’s and one .223 that will each stabilize my choice of heavy bullets. I do plan to shoot both of the new, non-provisional classes with Open.

I don’t often suggest buying something, but a bump in retail demand for these guns cannot be a bad thing in ensuring we don’t lose them.

 

[Alantra]

Um, what about us lefty’s in the production category…. That greatly reduces our options…. Unfortunately my 700 is no longer stock, but it’s right handed. A lot of manufacturers don’t put out all production models for lefties. Not to mention availability. I can walk into most shops that will have 50-100 rifles and maybe have one or 2. Am I missing something? My gunsmith already won’t make or sell me left handed bullets.

 

[jxb]

Um, what about us lefty’s in the production category…. That greatly reduces our options…. Unfortunately my 700 is no longer stock, but it’s right handed. A lot of manufacturers don’t put out all production models for lefties. Not to mention availability. I can walk into most shops that will have 50-100 rifles and maybe have one or 2. Am I missing something? My gunsmith already won’t make or sell me left handed bullets.

I don't see this being a huge issue for F-class, I always found right bolt handy when shooting sage rats from a bench even though I do generally prefer left bolt. Meaning lots of right handed shooters are getting left bolt for a reason, so us lefties have lots of choices for right side bolt in production models and they have few left side

 

[NZ_Fclass]

F-Limited is what F-TR should have been in the first place. Would have saved PILES of money and time for the competitors. With the addition of a scope and bipod, true "Palma" rifles and shooters are once again competitive.

Lane

We have this class in NZ already - FTR Classic. It's likely to get rolled up with FTR soon - scores are really no different - and some shooters switch between the classes to try for an advantage.