In the State of Montana, there are several types of high power rifle matches. The rifle matches are either three position matches or prone matches. National Match rifle competitions are commonly called "Across The Course" (XTC) matches and include NRA and Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) matches. Both XTC and Vintage Rifle matches are "three position" matches, where firing takes place standing, sitting and prone at distances from 100yds up to 600yds.
Mid Range, Palma, Long Range, Fullbore and F-Class matches are all prone matches, and can be fired at distances from 300yds up to 1000yds. All prone matches have a division for F-Class, where F-class (scope and bipod) shooters compete side by side with shooters using slings and iron sights.
Matches are open to all responsible citizens in support of the Second Amendment. New shooters are always welcome, and should contact the match director for information in advance of the match. Often times, gear, rifles and sometimes ammunition can be supplied to new shooters, so they can easily give competitive shooting a try. The rifles/gear/ammo are subject to availability and juniors are given priority. Contact the Match Director prior to the match for more info about the use of loaner gear.
In NRA Across the Course (XTC) Highpower Rifle Competition, shooters compete with either a Service Rifle or a Match Rifle. The Service Rifle division is limited to either the M1, M14, M16, M110 or their commercial equivalents such as an AR15, AR10 or M1A. Match Rifles typically are of custom make, conforming to the desires of the shooter. They are more free of regulations than are the Service Rifles. Shooting is typically done with metallic aperture, or peep, sights. New NRA rules allow the use of optics in NRA XTC matches. Match Rifles need to have either an internal magazine or external magazine capable of reloading 5 rounds quickly. CMP Excellence in Competition (EIC) matches (AKA "Leg" matches) require the use of the United States Service Rifle (M1, M14, M16, or commercial equivalents) with standard iron sights. Shooters competing XTC, usually fire at distances of 200, 300, and 600 yards (exception in Montana is Anaconda, where all firing is done at 200yds using reduced targets). In a typical 800 point aggregate match, the course of fire is a total of 88 shots. Twenty record shots are fired in each stage, plus two sighting shots. Each shot is worth a maximum of ten points, with the entire match being worth a total of 800 points. Stages include off-hand (standing), sitting rapid fire, prone rapid fire and prone slow fire.
Prone matches are fired slow fire - one shot at a time, with the target marked between shots. Prone matches include Mid Range (300-500-600yds), Palma (800-900-1000yds), Long Range (1000yds) and Fullbore (300-1000yds). Prone matches are typically broken into a few basic divisions, which are Service Rifle, Sling and F-Class. Service Rifle distinctions are noted above, while "sling" is a term often used to note match and Palma rifles that are fired using a sling for support and often iron sights. Some matches allow the use of "any-sights" on sling rifles, and shooters can then use optics if they so choose. F-Class consists of two sub divisions: F-Open and F-TR. The basic difference is that F-TR is more restrictive as the rifles need to be .308 Winchester or .223 Remington. They are also required to use a bipod and have a lower weight limit than their F-Open counterparts. F-Open allows a heavier rifle and the use of front and rear bench rest type rests. There is also no specification on caliber other than it needs to be smaller than .35 caliber.
Highpower shooters are known for the large amount of equipment that they haul out onto the range. Below is the basic equipment used along with a description of its use. All though each of these items are generally necessary, it isn't necessary to go out and buy all new equipment. In getting started, it's generally best to ask other shooters opinions about equipment. It's also much cheaper to buy used equipment rather than new.