Questions about American Marksman?

American Marksman is a three-level national tour of target shooting competitions in which competitors begin at the local level and attempt to advance to regionals, and ultimately, to the national championship event. Along the way, filming will take place for a television show that documents the competition and competitors.

American Marksman is for amateur competitors only. As long as you meet our eligibility guidelines (see below) and are eligible by law to participate in a firearms shooting competition in your home state, city and/or county, you are eligible.

The first step in registering is to create a profile on AmMarksman.com. You do this by clicking either "Join the Competition" (about half way down the homepage), by clicking "Register" in the lower-right corner of the homepage, or by clicking "Log In" at the upper-right corner of the homepage. Any of these three methods will take you to the 'Sign Up' screen. This is where you will create your profile for American Marksman by entering your personal and contact info and selecting the appropriate waiver (see Waiver section a little down further in this FAQ page). You will receive an email (at the address that you entered) letting you know that your profile has been created but that you ARE NOT registered to shoot yet. You can return to actually finish the process at your convenience.

To be officially registered to shoot the local qualifier, you must complete the second portion of the registration process (selecting your gun type, selecting your range and completing payment). When you have successfully finished creating your profile, a screen will pop-up that will say "It's Go Time!". This page must be completed for you to be actually registered to shoot. Once you have completed this portion of the process, you will see a screen that says "Success!" and provides you with your confirmation code. You will also receive a second email letting you know that your registration is complete and giving you details on the next steps.

REMEMBER! You are not completely registered to shoot the local qualifier until you have completed all the above steps!!

Local qualifying will begin in March of 2016 and will run through May of 2016. The Regional Championships will take place beginning in late June and will go through the end of August. The National Championship will take place in January of the year following. The very first National Championship will take place in January of 2017.

We will announce Regional & National Championships here on this site in the coming weeks.

American Marksman offers the following competition categories: Junior (12 to 16 years of age), Women's Open, Military/Law Enforcement and Men's Open.

For the Junior category, competitors must be 12 to 16 years of age at the time of competition at each of the levels. In other words, if a competitor is 16 years of age at the time of registration, qualifies for regional level, and turns 17 before the regional event, he/she will be moved to Open category (depending on gender) for regionals. It follows that a competitor that is 16 at the time of regional finals, qualifies for nationals, and turns 17 before the national event, that person will be moved to the Men’s or Women’s Open category for the national event.

NOTE: The state of New York has extremely restrictive laws regarding minors shooting handguns, even in a range facility. Please click here for an explanation of ages that are eligible due to these laws. This deals only with ranges in the state of New York.

For the Women's Open division, any female over the age of 17 may compete.

For the Men's Open, any male over the age of 17 may compete.

For the Military/Law Enforcement division, any veteran, current or retired military member or law enforcement agency member may compete. Note: For the purposes of American Marksman, any military or law enforcement officer that is part of any special unit or team whose members are selected due to shooting skill will be considered a professional and not eligible to compete.

Note: Each competitor may only compete in ONE division. A competitor may register for any division that he/she fits into according to the rules above. In other words, a Junior shooter cannot compete in the Open divisions, and conversely, anyone 17 years of age or older cannot compete in the Junior division. Once the division is chosen at registration, that designation will follow the competitor for as long as he/she remains in the competition.

Yes. When you register the system will require you to choose a local qualifying range at which to participate from the list of approved local qualifying locations.

Please feel free to let your range management know about us. If they have interest in being considered as a local qualifying location, please have them call 303.575.1935 or send an email to [email protected] with "Local Range Inquiry" in the subject line.

Once you have registered for the local level and have your confirmation code, starting on March 1, 2016, you can go to your selected range during the days/times that American Marksman is being offered. The staff of the local qualifying ranges will lead you through the contest and upload your scores for you.

Be sure to check the days and times that your selected range is offering the local competition. Just begin local qualifying OVERALL begins on March 1, your range may not offer the contest on the very first day of qualifying. If a range profile on the site states that they are offering the contest on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 pm - 7 pm, that means that every Tuesday and Thursday from March 1 - May 31 from 2 pm - 7 pm.

CHECK YOUR RANGE DAYS AND TIMES!!

Please note that at most ranges, you will be charged range fees to be able to participate. These range fees are not part of your registration fee and are not kept by American Marksman. Some ranges are offering deeply discounted range fees for American Marksman competitors. Please call your local range to verify range fees.

American Marksman is not providing guns and ammo for the local qualifying round. If you have your own .22 caliber firearm, you are welcome to bring it and use it to try and qualify, as long as it fits the firearm guidelines in the official rules available on the bottom of the homepage at www.AmMarksman.com.

If you do not have your own firearm, you may rent one from the qualifying range that you selected, provided the range offers rental. Please check the profile of the range you are considering on www.AmMarksman.com to ensure that rentals are available. If they are not and you need to rent, please search for a local range that offers rentals.

Ammo is also not provided for American Marksman for the local qualifying level. You will need 50 rounds of .22 LR (rim fire) ammo for each registration. You may bring your own or you can purchase from the local range, if available.

American Marksman will provide firearms and ammo for the Regional and National championships, should you advance.

You can view real time leaderboards in each region and category by visiting www.AmMarksman.com during the local qualifying period. The top 125 shooters for each firearm type in each category in each region will advance to the Regional Championship round.

The website and leaderboards are optimized for mobile viewing, allowing you to keep up with the standings on your phone. Smartphone users, you just need to bookmark the website/leaderboards on your phone screen. When you bookmark the site, it will appear on your screen just like an app. You will be able to view current standings by simply touching the bookmark on your screen, saving the time and hassle of opening a browser.

No. At the local level, you may register and attempt to qualify as many times as you would like. If you choose to try again, you must register and pay match fees again by logging into your account that was created at the time of initial registration. All scores will be kept in the shooter's profile, but only your best score will be submitted to the leaderboards.

Match fees for the local qualifying level are just $20 per registration if you choose either handgun or rifle. You may select both rifle and handgun for just $35. Your match fee at the local level gets you one qualification attempt and 2 target sheets.

Please note that at most ranges, you will be charged range fees to be able to participate. These range fees are not part of your registration fee and are not kept by American Marksman. Some ranges are offering deeply discounted range fees for American Marksman competitors. Please call your local range to verify range fees.

If you qualify for regionals and/or nationals, there will be separate match fees charges for each level. If you qualify, you will need to pay the registration fee for the next round at the time you register for that next round.

The diameter of the bullseye is 2.66" and the diameter of the outer ring is 6.44". The entire sheet itself is 22” x 35".  The target should be hung or attached to the target stand/hanging system with the bottom of the sheet at 4 feet off the ground. 

All firearms at the local level will be your choice of either .22 rifle, .22 handgun, or both. Please see the rules tab for a detailed description of what firearms are allowed.

You can pick up your target sheets at the range that you selected as your local qualification location.

Yes. You may purchase official American Marksman targets in packets of 25 at www.nationaltarget.com.

At the local qualifying level, all competitors in all divisions will compete with .22 caliber (rim fire ammunition) rifle, handgun, or both. You will choose rifle, handgun, or both during the registration process. As you qualify and advance, you will be presented with new challenges and different firearms/calibers. Target distance shall be 20ft for handgun and 30ft for rifle.

No. In order to qualify, you must register and participate in all levels.

To ensure Amateur status, American Marksman will follow the guidelines below:

• No one that has any level of sponsorship in the shooting sports may participate. This includes a shooting contract of any kind including cash, product of any kind or reimbursement of match fees by a third party. This rule does not apply to shooters in the Junior division who have received match fee reimbursement, as long as they satisfy the rest of the eligibility rules.
• No one that has ever placed in the top 10% of any major competitive shooting event on this list in any division or category may participate. Please note that for USPSA, this rule extends to the top 15%.

*Clarification on GSSF matches: American Marksman considers any match listed under the 'Match' tab on www.gssfonline.com as a major match. Any indoor league match listed under the 'Indoor League' tab on www.gssfonline.com is not considered a major match.


• No one that has ever been ranked in the top 10% of any national competitive shooting organization’s classification system may compete. As mentioned above, for USPSA, rule extends to the top 15%.

*Clarification for USPSA: anyone that has attained Grand Master or Master status, in any category, is not eligible. Shooters that have only attained Class A or lower ARE eligible.    

*Clarification for IDPA: anyone that has attained Master status, in any category, is not eligible. Shooters that have only attained Expert status or lower ARE eligible.    

• As mentioned above, any military or law enforcement personnel that is a member of a special unit or team that has selection criteria based on shooting skill will be considered a professional and not eligible for American Marksman.
• Note: Participants in the Boomer Shooter program ARE eligible for American Marksman, as long as they do not violate any of the above criteria.
• If American Marksman discovers that any competitor that is in violation of these rules, that competitor will be removed from any current and/or pending competitions and will not be refunded for any match fees or other expenses incurred.

*To see a list of events that American Marksman considers as 'national competitive shooting events', please click the highlighted text in bullet point #2 above.*

No. Minors must be registered by legal parent/guardian. The parent/guardian must also be in attendance at the competition, at all levels. Each state has it's own laws regarding minor status. When you register, please make sure you select the option from the waiver list that applies to you.

Film crews will be on location at selected local qualifying ranges on pre-selected Range Days and at all Regional Championship events and the National Championship event. You will have the opportunity in the future to submit a video to us letting us know why we should follow your progress and consider you for the TV show. American Marksman makes no guarantees that any particular participant, spectator or competition venue will be shown on the television show.

Any person selected for filming will be required to fill out a waiver/release. No exceptions.

The show will air on both Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel.

The first criteria for being on American Marksman is that you must have at least one paid registration for the local qualifying round listed in your profile on www.AmMarksman.com

As a general rule of thumb, the shooters that make it the farthest in the competition will have a better chance of making the show.

Coming soon: You can send us a video telling us why you think you should be on the show. Stay tuned for instructions and details!

At the local level, competitors are attempting to qualify to receive a bid to the Regional Championship round.

At regionals, competitors are attempting to qualify to receive a bid to the National Championship. Additionally, the top 10 competitors in each category at each regional championship will receive individual awards.

At the National Championship, participants will compete for the title of the American Marksman and a prize package that will include cash and gear/items from sponsors.

There are nine (9) regions in American Marksman:

Rocky Mountain Region: Colorado, Utah, Wyoming

Northwest Region: Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho

Southwest Region: California, Hawaii, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico

Mid-South Region: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi

Midwest Region: Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa

Great Lakes Region: Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky

Southeast Region: Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee

Mid-Atlantic Region: North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey

Northeast Region: New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island

Participants that qualify for Regionals are required to attend the regional championship assigned to his/her area.

If you have a conflict with your assigned regional championship, please send an email to [email protected] with "Regional Conflict" in the subject line. In the body of the email, please describe your conflict with your assigned regional championship and indicate which of the other regional championship events you would like to attend.

Please note that only true conflicts with scheduling will be considered for approval.

Submission of the email DOES NOT guarantee approval. Each case will be reviewed on its own merits. American Marksman staff will return contact to the competitor within three (3) business days of submission.

For questions, please call 303-575-1935 or click on "Contact Us" below to send an email to the general inbox.