People get too hung up on equipment issues. You don't need a custom rifle with a special stock and trigger and expensive sights and match ammo. The basic marksmanship skills taught are designed to apply to any type of rifle, open sights, receiver sights, or scoped, and get the shooter able to shoot a 4 Minute Of Angle group out to 500 meters. The Army Qualification Target was designed around a standard M1 Service Rifle with issue ammo, hence the timed stages that require a mag change with 2 rounds and 8 rounds. A sling certainly makes it easier to hit a 1" target at 25 meters consistently (or a 4" target at 100 meters, or a 20" target at 500), but anybody who can do it without one has my admiration. Part of the history taught at the Appleseed matches is that the original Revolutionary War riflemen were selected for a Rifle company on their ability to hit a head-sized wooden shingle, offhand, no sling, with a flintlock rifle at 250 yards. Those guys could really shoot, and a big part of that was being completely familiar with their own rifles. If you've got a rifle that shoots well for you, that's the one to bring; no need to shell out big bucks for a shiny new toy, unless you just want one. I'm using my old bolt-action Mossberg, which I also used for head shots on squirrels as a kid.