I think thats nuts and shame on them then. I shoot bolt guns for the most part, but I know that a well built AR based rifle can keep up with most of the field at the matches I shoot. Yea, there are some national level shooters, but most of the rest would do just as well with an AR, at least at mid range. I would agree, a barrel less than 30" at a 1000 yards and your giving up a lot velocity wise so maybe not the best choice, but still doable. That's unfortunate because as a group, just like NM shooting, we need to attract more shooters.