| Shooting competitions for factory and service firearms | |
| Nickname: | Service rifle, Service pistol, Production, Factory, Stock |
| Mgender: | Yes or no, depending on competition format |
| Type: | Shooting sport |
| Equipment: | Handgun or rifle |
| Venue: | Shooting range |
| Olympic: | No |
| World: | No |
| Paralympic: | No |
Shooting competitions for factory and service firearms refer to a set of shooting disciplines, usually called service rifle, service pistol, production,[1] [2] [3] factory, or stock; where the types of permitted firearms are subject to type approval with few aftermarket modifications permitted. The terms often refer to the restrictions on permitted equipment and modifications rather than the type of match format. The names Service Rifle and Service Pistol stem from that the equipment permitted for these types of competitions traditionally were based on standard issue firearms used by one or several armed forces and civilian versions of these, while the terms production, factory and stock[4] often are applied to more modern disciplines with similar restrictions on equipment classes.
Service firearm competitions can refer to whole disciplines like NRA Service Rifle by NRA in the U.S. and the Tir aux Armes Règlementaires competitions by the French Shooting Federation, or it can refer to a subset of equipment classes within one shooting discipline, such as the Production division in practical shooting, F-Class F/TR (Standard) in F-Class and several national disciplines within bullseye and field shooting. The types of handguns or rifles permitted for these types of competitions are often rugged, versatile and affordable compared to custom competition firearms used in separate equipment classes within the same type of shooting disciplines.
Equipment classes for factory or service firearms are usually restrictive in nature in that most modifications generally are prohibited, and upgrade and replacement parts usually must have been produced by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). In comparison, other more open equipment classes usually are permissive in nature, permitting most equipment and modifications as long as the firearm still functions safely, while also satisfying some minimum requirements like for instance a weight limit, size restriction or a type of sights (i.e. any iron sights, red dot or scope sight).
The modern ISSF 300 meter standard rifle event has roots dating back to at least the 19th century as a service rifle competition, and the early championships had a true army rifle event where the rifle model used was provided at the host country's choice. Today's format created in 1947 allows for custom firearms, and as such is no longer a service rifle competition. However, shooting disciplines requiring equipment type approval continues to enjoy large popularity in several other national and international disciplines due to simple equipment rules. For instance national service rifle competitions are popular in the United States by NRA,[5] the United Kingdom by NRA UK[6] and in Scandinavia.