NRL22 and NRL22X — Fun, Affordable Rimfire Tactical Matches

The National Rifle League (NRL) started off sponsoring major centerfire tactical matches, similar to PRS competitions. That proved successful so the NRL added a .22 LR Rimfire series, called NRL22. The NRL22 rimfire discipline has been a major success, as rimfire guns are fun to shoot and ammo is very affordable. Now there are way more NRL22 matches than NRL centerfire competitions. The most popular NRL22 matches have drawn up to 200 rimfire competitors. And now there is a companion rimfire long-range series, NRL22X. Learn more about NRL22 and NRL22X at NRL22.org.

NRL22 is a great way to get into competition shooting with minimal expense. There are six (6) classes: Base, Open, Ladies, Young Guns (8-16), Old Guns/Adaptive, and Air Rifle. Base Class is for the budget-minded shooter — the combined MSRP of Rifle and Optic may not exceed $1200.00 (so you could spend $700 on a rifle and $500 on a scope for example). That keeps the sport affordable. Open, Ladies, Young Guns, Old Guns, and Air Rifle Classes have no price limits on Rifle and Optic. Visit NRL22.org to find an NRL22 match near you.

The NRL also sponsors NRL22X matches. These involve significantly longer distances for greater challenge. In 2023 there were 15 major NRL22X matches, culminating in the NRL22/NRL22X National Championships in Maxton, NC on July 7-9, 2023.

The two videos above from Long Range Shooters of Utah feature footage from the January 2019 course of fire from the NRL22 Rimfire Competition Series. Note the snow-capped hills in the lower video. Useful commentary explains how competitors establish their shooting positions.

How to Participate in NRL22 and/or NRL22X
If you want to get started in NRL22 or NRL22X competition, you’ll need an NRL22 annual membership. These run from $25-$60 depending on class and discipline. CLICK HERE for annual membership information.

NRL22 Membership Benefits Include:
– Eligibility to participate in all NRL22 matches
– Eligibility to participate in all NRL22X matches
– Welcome gift (not all welcome gifts are the same)
– Scoring and Ranking for all events
– Newsletters and updates
– Eligibility for special NRL22 raffles and giveaways
– Access to special NRL discounts from participating sponsors

NRL22 Publishes Monthly Courses of Fire
This video from a Utah NRL22 Match features shooters from four rimfire classes. With the NRL22 program, scores from from local matches like this are ranked against scores from other matches nationwide. In advance of match dates, NRL22.org publishes 5 courses of fire to be used in that month. Each course of fire will always include 2 prone stages, 1 positional, 1 barricade, and a fifth that can be any of those. Details of the course of fire, including target distances, target sizes, time limits, and barricade profiles, are listed at NRL22.org.

Official NRL22 Rimfire Steel Target Package
To facilitate consistent NRL22 match scoring, there is a popular NRL22 Rimfire Steel Target Kit. Crafted by JC Steel Targets from AR500 steel, this kit from JC Steel Targets includes 8 hanging targets, 4 KYL (Know Your Limits) targets, plus all needed hangers. That’s lot of steel and hardware for $394.95. There is also an official 2020/2021 Expansion Target Package with 5 more hanging targets for $79.95.

About NRL22 Tactical/Practical Competition
The goal of NRL 22 is to make Precision Rifle competitions more available to every community. However, nearly all localities have access to 100-yard ranges and most shooters own a .22 LR rifle. The NRL22 program is designed so any facility with a 100-yard range can host matches. Participants at local NRL22 events can then attend a National Championship. NRL22 now has six classifications: Open, Base, Ladies, Young Guns (8-18 age), Old Guns/Adaptive, and Air Rifle. The NRL22 and NRL22X disciplines are continuing to grow in popularity.