Sport shooting in the United States
No single body runs American target shooting. The NRA sanctions conventional pistol and rifle, the CMP governs service and military-rifle matches and runs the National Matches at Camp Perry, and USA Shooting governs the Olympic events. Benchrest has bodies of its own: IBS for group and score shooting, IR 50/50 for .22 rimfire at 50 yards.
Much of the paper is shared — CMP bullseye and smallbore matches are shot on NRA-numbered targets — and both the NRA and the CMP run postal matches, fired on marked targets at your home range and mailed in for scoring.
Gun licence in the United States
- No federal licence: a dealer records each sale on Form 4473, runs a NICS check, and sells rifles and shotguns from 18 and other firearms from 21.
- 14 states and the District of Columbia require their own licence, permit or certificate to buy or own a gun, such as Illinois’s FOID card and New York’s pistol licence.
- Suppressors and short-barrelled rifles: $0 NFA tax since 1 January 2026, no federal registration enforced since 9 October; check your state, many expect NFA items registered.
Federations
Targets
NRA
Writes the rules for US conventional target shooting — bullseye pistol, smallbore, high power, F-Class and air gun.
CMP
Federally chartered: runs the National Matches at Camp Perry and governs service rifle and pistol, as-issued military rifles and rimfire sporter.
IBS
International Benchrest Shooters sanctions benchrest matches: centrefire group and score shooting out to 1,000 yards, and .22 rimfire score at 50 and 100 yards.
| Target | Weapon | Distance | Scoring area |
|---|---|---|---|
| IBS 50yd Rimfire (old green card) | Rifle | 50 yd | 57.15 mm |
| IBS 50yd Rimfire Rifle | Rifle | 50 yd | 57.15 mm |
USRA
IR 50/50: .22 rimfire benchrest at 50 yards or metres, 25 record shots a card, one per bull — a perfect card is 250 with 25 Xs.
| Target | Weapon | Distance | Scoring area |
|---|---|---|---|
| USRA IR50/50 50yd Rifle | Rifle | 50 yd | 38.1 mm |
Sources: NRA International Style Pistol Rules, 2025, Competitions Drug Control Policy; CMP Highpower Rifle Competition Rules, 29th edition (2026), CMP as National Governing Body; rule 8.0; National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules, 15th edition, appendix; CMP Bullseye Pistol and Smallbore Rifle Rules, 2026, rules 5.6.2 and 6.2; NRA Competitions, “Postal matches”; NRA rule books; IBS Official Rules for Rimfire Score Competition, 2026, V.D; IBS, “Disciplines”; IR 50-50 Rulebook, revised 20 December 2025, rules 6.1 and 10.8, read on .