FAST Idaho Debuts Auto-Rifle Division for Registered Machine Guns
Russell Phagan, founder and match director of Firearms Action Shooting Trials (FAST), walked The Firearm Blog through FAST Idaho on the latest episode of Behind the Gun. The match ran October 9-11, 2026, at the Parma Rod and Gun Club in Parma, Idaho, and XTech Tactical presented it. The weekend marked the first time FAST ran its Auto-Rifle division. Competitors brought registered machine guns and rifles equipped with forced reset triggers (FRTs). Phagan built the event around long par times, hard targets, and enough physical work to wear down the shooter. The episode, numbered #241, was published October 29, 2026.
Key Details
The facts that matter from the broadcast are straightforward:
- Event: FAST Idaho, October 9-11, 2026
- Location: Parma Rod and Gun Club, Parma, Idaho
- Presenting sponsor: XTech Tactical
- Host: Behind the Gun, The Firearm Blog's podcast, episode #241
- Guest: Russell Phagan, founder and match director of FAST
- Debut division: Auto-Rifle, open to registered machine guns and FRT-equipped rifles
Phagan also has a background in competitive shooting. He is a veteran competitor and one of the people behind InRangeTV's Brutality match series. He returned to the show after a previous episode covered the Auto-Rifle division before any competitor had fired a stage. This follow-up covers what actually happened on the range. The conversation focused on four areas: why FAST matches look the way they do, how Phagan lays out a stage, how competitors should think about equipment selection, and what else happens at a FAST match. Phagan put heavy emphasis on physical demand. He designed the stages to strain the shooter, not just test accuracy. The broadcast did not publish a competitor count, scoring breakdown, or winner list in the material available here, so check the FAST site for official results.
Background
FAST sits in a niche between practical shooting and action-style competition. Its format rewards long-distance, multi-position work and hard targets, which pushes shooters to think about gear as carefully as technique. The Auto-Rifle division fills a gap that most matches leave open. Machine guns have been legal for civilians to own only when they were lawfully possessed and registered under the National Firearms Act before the May 19, 1986 Hughes Amendment cutoff, and new transferable machine guns are not available to civilians. Owners of registered machine guns must follow NFA transfer and storage rules, and they cannot simply bring one to any range.
FRTs have a rougher history. ATF reclassified several forced reset trigger designs as machine guns in a 2023 letter to Rare Breed Triggers, which changed how owners and manufacturers viewed the parts. Litigation followed, and the government's position on FRTs has remained contested since. Earlier in the Supreme Court's term, Garland v. Cargill (2024) struck down the ATF's bump stock rule, holding that a bump stock does not convert a rifle into a machine gun under federal law. That ruling does not decide FRT status, but it shows that the statutory definition of a machine gun still gets litigated, and that courts will read the text closely.
Why It Matters for Gun Owners
If you own a registered machine gun, FAST's new division gives you a sanctioned place to shoot it under match conditions. That matters because most ranges will not let you run select-fire guns, and most matches do not offer a class for them. The FRT portion matters just as much. Owners of FRT-equipped rifles now have a competition category where their setup counts, which might draw more shooters into the sport. Anyone thinking about entering needs to check federal and state law first. Idaho is a permissive state for firearm ownership. Many states are not. California and New York, for example, restrict or prohibit civilian machine gun possession outright, and some states treat FRTs differently from federal law. A machine gun that is legal to bring to Parma may be a felony in your home state. Before you travel to any match with a registered machine gun or FRT-equipped rifle, confirm the transport rules along your route, check local law, and keep your NFA paperwork in hand. Physical conditioning matters too. Phagan built these stages to tire people out, so plan for long days, heavy loads, and extended time on your feet.
DownRange Analysis
A competition division does not create a constitutional right, but it shows how the Second Amendment works in practice. Under the Bruen framework, the government must justify firearm regulations by pointing to historical analogues. Machine gun restrictions have survived challenges so far, and courts have consistently upheld the 1986 cutoff against Second Amendment attacks. FRT litigation is where the question gets sharper, because the argument turns on whether a part that changes trigger function converts a semi-automatic rifle into a machine gun. A match that regularly puts FRT-equipped rifles on the line sends a clear message that these guns are not fringe equipment. For the market, expect more demand for compliant, documented builds and for accessories that hold up to hard use. For gun owners right now, the move is simple. Shoot the match if the paperwork is clean and your state allows it. Watch the FRT cases closely. And keep the receipts, the transfer records, and the state law printouts in one place. FAST Idaho showed that the sport is ready for this division. The legal framework will decide how long it lasts.
