Interested in the origins of F-Class, an internet search lead me to this Ontario Rifle Association website.
http://www.ontariorifleassociation.ca/node/75
From the ORA website, “To make competitions fair, there are 3 recognized subdivisions of F Class, based upon the rifle used. Open Class, Restricted Class and Factory Class. All F Classes shoot the same course of fire, alongside each other.”
Their governing body is the ICFRA. I downloaded and read the ICFRA rules for F-Class. The rules only address two classes, F-Open and F-T/R and do not support the Factory Class.
As most of you know, the NRA rules only support F-Open and F-TR (Restricted in ORA) and do not provide rules for a Factory class. The result is, new shooters showing up with out-of-the-box factory rifles such as 243 Ruger Precision Rifle are competing against custom F-Open rifles that are clearly outclassing the beginners’ rifles. Similarly, custom built F-TR rifles coming to the firing lines today have a decided advantage over a factory varmint rifle in 223 or 308. Probably, the only factory rifles today that are capable threats are the Savage Target Rifle Series. Under the ORA class guidelines, I think the Savage F-Class rifles would be excluded from the Factory Class as a “Specialist TR” rifle.
IMHO I see the ORA classes as being friendlier to shooters wanting to try a new shooting sport but who are not able to commit the funds to a custom build. Perhaps after a season of shooting in a Factory Class, a new shooter will become hooked and willing to adjust priorities for a custom build.
There is going to be a natural progression of technology development in any evolving competitive sport, from its’ inception to maturity. That’s just the nature of competitive human beings. On the fringe there will always be a group of people who are more casual and just enjoy the experience of competition. Eventually their shooting techniques and wind reading skills will progress to a point where they are shooting to the potential of their equipment. At that point they will have to decide what they want out of the sport. By shooting against other competitors on a more level playing field, they will have a better measure of their skill set and less frustration about their standings in the ranks.
There was a similar progression in the Silhouette Shooting sports. This was a sport with humble beginnings where factory rifles were quickly replaced with offhand specific stocks and the cartridge refinement race was on. One quick glance at the NRA Rifle Silhouette Rulebook quickly illustrates the expansion of the rules to accommodate the broad spectrum of disciplines applicable to the sport.
It was said to me by a fellow shooter that F-Class is “the red-headed stepchild” of the NRA High-Power Rifle division. So, the rules are kind of an addendum to the Hi-Power rules. With the aging shooter population, older shooters are able to take their match rifles to the F-Class firing line and still remain active. I also see F-Class as being a sport that has the potential for drawing in more fringe shooters who have a good varmint rifle in the closet but don’t have the funds to own a class-built rifle. I would also like to see the sport draw more junior shooters. Why shouldn’t the NRA rules be structured to provided shooters an entry level class, offering a more level playing field?
http://www.ontariorifleassociation.ca/node/75
From the ORA website, “To make competitions fair, there are 3 recognized subdivisions of F Class, based upon the rifle used. Open Class, Restricted Class and Factory Class. All F Classes shoot the same course of fire, alongside each other.”
Their governing body is the ICFRA. I downloaded and read the ICFRA rules for F-Class. The rules only address two classes, F-Open and F-T/R and do not support the Factory Class.
As most of you know, the NRA rules only support F-Open and F-TR (Restricted in ORA) and do not provide rules for a Factory class. The result is, new shooters showing up with out-of-the-box factory rifles such as 243 Ruger Precision Rifle are competing against custom F-Open rifles that are clearly outclassing the beginners’ rifles. Similarly, custom built F-TR rifles coming to the firing lines today have a decided advantage over a factory varmint rifle in 223 or 308. Probably, the only factory rifles today that are capable threats are the Savage Target Rifle Series. Under the ORA class guidelines, I think the Savage F-Class rifles would be excluded from the Factory Class as a “Specialist TR” rifle.
IMHO I see the ORA classes as being friendlier to shooters wanting to try a new shooting sport but who are not able to commit the funds to a custom build. Perhaps after a season of shooting in a Factory Class, a new shooter will become hooked and willing to adjust priorities for a custom build.
There is going to be a natural progression of technology development in any evolving competitive sport, from its’ inception to maturity. That’s just the nature of competitive human beings. On the fringe there will always be a group of people who are more casual and just enjoy the experience of competition. Eventually their shooting techniques and wind reading skills will progress to a point where they are shooting to the potential of their equipment. At that point they will have to decide what they want out of the sport. By shooting against other competitors on a more level playing field, they will have a better measure of their skill set and less frustration about their standings in the ranks.
There was a similar progression in the Silhouette Shooting sports. This was a sport with humble beginnings where factory rifles were quickly replaced with offhand specific stocks and the cartridge refinement race was on. One quick glance at the NRA Rifle Silhouette Rulebook quickly illustrates the expansion of the rules to accommodate the broad spectrum of disciplines applicable to the sport.
It was said to me by a fellow shooter that F-Class is “the red-headed stepchild” of the NRA High-Power Rifle division. So, the rules are kind of an addendum to the Hi-Power rules. With the aging shooter population, older shooters are able to take their match rifles to the F-Class firing line and still remain active. I also see F-Class as being a sport that has the potential for drawing in more fringe shooters who have a good varmint rifle in the closet but don’t have the funds to own a class-built rifle. I would also like to see the sport draw more junior shooters. Why shouldn’t the NRA rules be structured to provided shooters an entry level class, offering a more level playing field?
Last edited:
.....if having an aftermarket barrel would still count.
Guess I need to sit down and read the DCRA rules more thoroughly before this summer!
