I believe the intent for FM class was to get new shooters out, and for them to bring along whatever rifle they had buried in the closet.
The idea was to give them a taste of long range, so they would continue shooting.
For a new shooter to bring out his old varmint rifle, only to have to compete against a 6.5/284, will quickly either send the new shooter home permanently,
or send him to the gunstore to buy another 6.5/284. With HP scope.
Then immediately comes all the reloading equiptment. So all of a sudden, its
no small expense. Or small commitment.
There needs to be some breathing space, before the big expense.
In another post I had commented that I thought there should be an FO class, and an everything else F class.
But after further thought, there has to be a spot for the beginner with his varmint rifle. Shooting against other beginners with other varmint rifles.