The stated aim of CAFSAC is "to encourage operationally relevant marksmanship through competition and professional development." CAFSAC is open to teams of competitors from both the Regular Force and Primary Reserve Force of the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as well as selected international teams and domestic police. The competition includes individual and team matches in Service Rifle and Combat Pistol, with the Light Machine Gun. CAFSAC also determines the annual winners of the Queen's Medal for Champion Shot for the Regular Force of the Canadian Forces and for the Primary Reserve or RCMP. As well, the matches are used to select the team that will represent the Canadian Armed Forces at the British Army's Central Skill at Arms Meeting, conducted annually at Bisley, Surrey. Since unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, the Queen's Medals have predominately been won by members of the Canadian Army.. Between 2009 and 2019, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force each won five Regular Force Queen's Medal and the Royal Canadian Navy won one. The Regular Force Queens' Medalist for 2009 was a member of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Regular Force Queens' Medalists for 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2018 were officers of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The matches were initially conducted by the DCRA. The Canadian Forces assumes responsibility for the matches for a four-year period during the 1970s, before handing the matches back to the DCRA. In the late 1980s, the Canadian Forces again assumed responsibility for CFSAC. The competition was suspended for a few years in the early 2000s. Recently, it has undergone significant changes to make it more operationally relevant to modern soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen. Competitors must use issued equipment and accessories and specialized items such as shooting gloves or target rifle slings are not permitted. The matches are conducted in what is referred to as "Full Fighting Order," which consists of tactical vest, helmet, ballistic eyewear and hearing protection.
Matches
Matches 11 to 17 are Service Rifle matches, Matches 21 to 26 are Combat Pistol Matches and Matches 31-34 are Canadian Army Skill At Arms Meeting matches.
Match 11 - Normandy
Match 11 - Normandy, is a five-stage, 52-round service rifle match with deliberate shooting, snap shooting against moving targets and a run-down conducted in the prone, kneeling and standing positions at 200 and 100 metres.
Match 12 - Defence of Canada
Match 12 - Defence of Canada, is a six-stage, 60-round snap, and snap movers service rifle match conducted in the standing and kneeling positions at 100, 75, 50, and 25 metres.
Match 13 - Vimy
Match 13 - Vimy, is a five-stage, 52-round service rifle match comprising deliberate, rapid fire, snap shooting and snap shooting against moving targets with two run-downs conducted at 300, 200 and 100 metres.
Match 14 - Pursuit to Mons, is a five-stage, 52-round deliberate and snap-shooting service rifle match with run-downs that begins at the 500-metre firing point and proceeds down-range to the 100 meter firing point. There are a number of required shooting position changes and competitors engage targets in the standing, prone and kneeling positions engaging targets at each firing point.
Match 15 - Stage 2 Queen's Medal for Champion Shot
Competitors for Match 15 - Stage 2 Queen's Medal for Champion Shot are selected based on their scores in Stage 1. It is a five-stage, 52-round service rifle match from 500 to 100 metres in the standing, kneeling and prone positions with run-downs that is a repeat of Match 14 - Pursuit to Mons. The winners of the Queen's Medal for Champion Shot are known at the end of this match and the two winners are "chaired" off the range by their fellow shooters.
Match 16 - Canadian Ranger Open is open only to members of the Canadian Rangers and may be shot with either the current C7-series service rifle or with the.303 Lee–Enfield Number 4 Mark 1 bolt-action service rifle that is the standard-issue weapon of the Canadian Rangers. It is a three-stage, 36-round deliberate-fire service rifle match conducted at 600, 500 and 400 metres. It is the longest-range rifle match at CFSAC.
Match 17 - The International is a five-stage, 52-round service rifle match with deliberate shooting, snap shooting and snap shooting against moving targets from 400 to 100 metres with run-downs, shot in the prone position.
Match 21 - Basic
Match 21 - Basic is a five-stage, 56-round combat pistol match with deliberate, rapid and snap shooting, an emergency magazine change and fire and movement in the standing and kneeling positions from 25, 20, 15 and 10 metres.
Match 22 - Advanced
Match 22 - Advanced is a four-stage, 48-round combat pistol match with deliberate and "double tap" shooting, an emergency magazine change and fire and movement in the standing and kneeling positions from 25, 20, 15 and 10 metres.
Match 23 - Qualifier
Match 23 - Qualifier Match 21 - Basic is a five-stage, 40-round combat pistol match with deliberate, rapid and rapid fire while moving in the standing, kneeling and prone positions from 25, 20, 15, 10 and 5 metres.
Matches 24 - 26
Matches 24, 25 and 26 are combat pistol matches that are changed annually and are kept secret from the competitors until they arrive at the range to commence the matches.
Match 31 - Soldiers' Cup
Match 31 - Soldiers' Cup is the centre-piece of the Canadian Army Skill At Arms Meeting and is a service rifle and light machine gun match starts with a 3.6 kilometre run that includes an obstacle course prior to commencing the shoot. The section of eight soldiers then shoots a snap-shooting match with run downs that commences at the 500-metre firing point and advances to the 25-metre firing point.
Match 32 - Assault Group CASEVAC
Match 32 - Assault Group CASEVAC is a Canadian Army Skill At Arms Meeting match that requires a fire group of four soldiers to evacuate a casualty on a stretcher from the 500 metre point through three obstacles to the 400 metre firing point. At the 400-metre firing point, four riflemen, each with two X 5-round magazines, will engage reactive targets. Scoring is "all targets down the fastest with highest number of rounds remaining."
Match 33 - Service Rifle Falling Plates
Match 33 - Service Rifle Falling Plates is a four-competitor, elimination heat match where the team commences at the 300 metre firing point, runs down to the 200 metre firing point and engages 10 12 inch X 12 inch steel falling plates. The first team to shoot all the plates down wins the heat.
Match 34 - Combat Pistol Falling Plates
Match 34 - Combat Pistol Falling Plates is a four-competitor, elimination heat match where the team commences at the 30 metre firing point, runs down to the 10 metre firing point and engages 12 12 inch X 12 inch wooden falling plates. The first team to shoot all the plates down wins the heat.
Trophies and Prizes
Queen's Medal for Champion Shot
Two Queen's Medal for Champion Shot are awarded annually since 1991: one to a member of the Canadian Forces and one to a member of the Canadian Forces or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who obtains the highest aggregate score in stages one and two of the Queen's Medal Competition. A comprehensive list of Regular Force winners can be viewed at and Reserve Force / RCMP at
The Letson Trophy
The Letson Trophy is awarded to the Regular Force 12-competitor rifle team with the highest aggregate score. Winning team members will wear the Letson rifle pin on their service dress uniform for the remainder of their careers.
The Clarence R. Smith Trophy
The Clarence R. Smith Trophy is awarded to the Reserve Force 12-competitor rifle team with the highest aggregate score. Winning team members will wear the Smith rifle pin on their service dress uniform for the remainder of their careers.
Allard Trophy
Highest team aggregate score for a four-person Regular Force combat pistol team for Stage 2.
