Junior Rifle Advanced Program

The following is an overview of this program.

From a young shooter’s first BB gun to sophisticated air rifles, shotguns, muzzleloaders, pistols, and rifles, the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program offers family fun and enjoyment that can last a lifetime.

Qualification shooting is an informal, year-round recreational shooting activity that provides incentive awards for developing and improving marksmanship skills. It’s a drill. We set the standards; you meet the challenge! Progression is self-paced and scores are challenging but attainable. Performance is measured against established par scores and any shooter who meets or exceeds those scores is entitled to the corresponding recognition awards for that rating. It’s an honor system!

Shooters acquire the large discipline patch at the onset of the program and as each rating is earned, they are entitled to all of the corresponding awards for the rating. Each rating level has a skill rocker, medal, and certificate award that recognizes and highlights the achievement.

The courses of fire in the qualification program are designed to take shooters from beginning skill levels (Pro-Marksman, Marksman) through intermediate levels (Marksman 1st Class, Sharpshooter, Expert) up to a nationally recognized skill level — Distinguished Expert — the pinnacle of the program. By the time a shooter completes the Distinguished Expert rating, he or she has attained a proficiency level paralleling that of a competitively classified Sharpshooter.

The following information applies to the overall qualification program — all disciplines, all courses of fire.

• Eligibility
  NRA Qualification courses of fire are open to everyone — men and women, adults and youth.
• Administration
  Qualification shooting can be a self-administered activity on the honor system, or it can be administered by parents, club leaders, coaches, or instructors as part of a family, club, or group program.
• Awards
  All awards, Pro-Marksman through Distinguished Expert, can be ordered directly from the NRA Program Materials Center by the shooter or the program administrator. Awards should be ordered in advance so they are available as soon as the rating is earned — instant recognition. Ordering in advance also saves additional shipping fees.
• Safety
  When firing for qualification ratings, always follow the NRA gun safety rules.
• Rules
  Discipline-specific standards are listed with each course of fire. If specific exceptions are not made, official NRA Rules apply. Shooters who are not familiar with shooting terms, targets, equipment, positions, scoring procedures, etc., should obtain a copy of the appropriate rule book for a greater understanding of the discipline before firing for qualification. Rule books are available in the NRA Program Materials Center.
• Ratings
  Ratings in the qualification program must be earned in sequence from the beginning. While beginning ratings may be relatively easy for some shooters to obtain, these ratings and the recognition the shooters receive, keep interest high and help sustain shooters when ratings become much more difficult to obtain. NRA does not track earned ratings.
• Records
  A record of the date when each rating was achieved and the awards that were acquired should be kept by the shooter or the program administrator.
• Basic Practical Rating
  The Basic Practical rating is recommended for all participants, but is not a required rating in the qualification program. This rating is obtained by completing the practical exercise conducted during an NRA basic course of instruction. The Basic Practical skill rocker is included in all basic course student packets and is awarded by the NRA instructor upon successful completion of the course