Official ASI-USA Rule Book
ASI, LLC strives for stability in its rules, but occasionally a line or two will change.
Action Shooting International® (ASI) events provide an opportunity to use firearms in a
dynamic environment using a minimum of equipment. ASI is a sport first and always.
Depending on the legal parameters of your area, you may add or subtract practical themes to
suit your particular desires. Whether you’re just shooting for fun, or wish to practice
competition skills, our events make room for shooters with diverse purposes in mind.
Click the link below to download the Rule Book in PDF format.
Action Shooting International Rulebook
Summary of Rulebook Changes: Revision 2.5
The ASI Rulebook has been updated for 2026, with changes aimed at making matches clearer, smoother, and more consistent for all shooters. The following updates in Revision 2.5 have been made to improve clarity, consistency, and match administration across all ASI clubs. Thank you to everyone who asked questions, shared observations, and provided thoughtful feedback throughout this process—your input directly shaped these improvements. A special thanks goes to Mike Meisner for his dedication and commitment to maintaining brevity, clarity, and focus; his contributions are invaluable.
Philosophy
- Updated wording: “practice competition skills” changed to “practice firearm handling skills” to better reflect ASI’s emphasis on safe, practical gun handling rather than competitive tactics.
Safety
- 1.3.2: Expanded reference to “start of a CoF” to the fully spelled-out COURSE OF FIRE (CoF) for consistency with glossary formatting.
- 1.3.4: Minor punctuation change (removed a comma) for smoother reading.
- 1.4.4: Corrected grammar (“must be disqualification” → “must be disqualified”).
Equipment Rules
- 2.1: “0.22lr” updated to 22lr for formatting consistency.
- 2.1.1: Combined two sentences into one paragraph for improved flow.
- No functional rule changes; edits are editorial only.
Scoring, Penalties, and Targets
Structural Reorganization
- Section 3.3 from 2025 (“Scoring areas include the perforation…”) was moved to 3.6.3 in 2026 and reworded for clarity.
Content Changes
- 3.3 (2025) removed from its original location.
- 3.6 reorganized and expanded:
- 3.6.1–3.6.3 now explicitly define scoring areas and hit values.
- 3.6.4 is a new rule:
“A target will be scored as shot. A hit shall never be removed from a target as a penalty.”
(Reason: Prevents ROs from removing hits to enforce penalties; ensures uniform scoring.)
Clarifications
- USPSA/IPSC target references consolidated into a single rule (3.6.2) instead of separate “Metric” and “Classic” subsections.
- IDPA target description simplified (“upper panel” wording clarified).
Range Commands
- 4.2.2: Removed reference to holstered starts requiring safety engaged/decocked; the rule now applies only to out‑of‑hand starts.
(Reason: Holstered starts were never intended to apply to tabletop starts, and including them created an unintended competitive advantage. Holstered firearms already follow standard holster safety rules, and aside from removing the incorrect holstered‑start reference, the start position itself did not change.) - 4.9.1: Minor grammar cleanup (“including while making ready…” → smoother phrasing).
- 4.9.3: Expanded examples of when an RO may stop a shooter (e.g., squib, firearm malfunction, range safety issue).
Match Administration
5.5 – Prop Use
- Rewritten for clarity:
- Old: “Use of a prop must be defined… shall require minimal strength or dexterity, or be adversely difficult…”
- New: “Use of a prop shall not be adversely difficult… and will require a minimal amount of strength or dexterity.”
(Reason: Simplifies and clarifies expectations for prop design.)
5.13 – Hard Cover Rule
- Expanded to clarify:
- Black tape used to divide scoring zones is not considered hard cover.
(Reason: Prevents confusion when clubs tape targets to create head/body zones.)
5.15 – Reshoots
- 5.15.3 updated:
- Removed “shooter forgets to put on hearing protection.”
- Added “firearm malfunction or range safety issue.”
(Reason: Aligns with real-world RO practices; hearing protection omission is handled before the start signal.)
Glossary
6.1 – 180 and Safe Muzzle Direction
- Corrected “participates body” → participant’s body.
6.8 – Match Director
- Simplified description of MD responsibilities; removed “as a whole” and clarified administrative duties.
6.15 – Unsafe Gun Handling
- Minor grammar improvements: clarified that incidental sweeping may result in a warning but not disqualification.
Summary of Key Additions
- New Rule 3.6.4: A hit may never be removed from a target as a penalty.
- Hard Cover clarification: Black tape dividing scoring zones is not hard cover.
- Reshoot criteria updated to reflect realistic RO decision-making.
ASI Policy on SIG Sauer P320 Firearms
Policy Overview
Apart from a few restrictions on highly competitive firearm equipment, ASI delegates decisions regarding suitable and safety of firearms to individual clubs. This policy remains unchanged: each hosting club is responsible for ensuring the safety and suitability of equipment used at their range or during their program events.
Ban on SIG Sauer P320 at ASI Events
Some ASI programs have chosen to disallow the use of SIG Sauer P320 firearms at their events. ASI fully supports these decisions and permits each program to implement its own rules concerning firearms or calibers as necessary. Local program guidelines may override to exceed ASI’s general safety and equipment standards, and it is up to those local programs to enforce their chosen policies.
Commitment to Safety
ASI is committed to maintaining the safety of all members, competitors, staff, and spectators. Given the increasing concerns from ranges and other organizations, many of which have opted to limit or prohibit the P320, ASI has clarified its position through this policy. ASI will not attempt to resolve technical debates about the SIG Sauer P320 or its variants, recognizing that the organization’s expertise in this area is limited.
