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You know NASCAR? Yes, I’m talking about the racing-cars-in-a-circle NASCAR. Before NASCAR, there were just a bunch of unaffiliated, regional car races. NASCAR brought structure by unifying those races, and created the idea of a season … and an overall champion. NASCAR identified the top races across the country (that were similar in nature), then combined results and ranked competitors. The Precision Rifle Series (PRS) is like NASCAR but for rifle matches.
The PRS is a championship-style point series race based on the best precision rifle matches nationwide. PRS matches are recognized as the major league of sniper-style rifle matches. These matches aren’t shot from a bench or even on a square range. They feature practical, real-world field conditions and some improvised barricades and obstacles to increase the difficulty from “tough” to “you-have-to-be-kidding-me.” You won’t be able to take all shots from a prone position, and time stressors keep you from getting too comfortable. Typical target ranges are from 300 to 1200 yards, but the PRS allows match directors to be creative with their stage design to test different aspects of precision shooting. You might start off the day with a stage that engages targets at various distances from 400 to 1200 yards, then shoot off a rooftop at 10”, 8”, and 6” targets at 600 yards, then fire at a target at 400 yards from 10 different positions on boulders and logs … plus 7 more stages, and then come back tomorrow and do 10 more! Many stages involve some type of gaming strategy, and physical fitness can also come into play. For a shooter to place well in multiple matches, they must be an extremely well-rounded shooter who is capable of getting rounds on target in virtually any conditions or scenario. It is a combination of both speed and accuracy.
The PRS is one of the fastest-growing shooting sports. Today, the PRS has around 40+ major, national-level Pro Series two-day matches each year across the country (and several more in Europe), as well as 400+ regional PRS one-day matches. And that is all just centerfire matches! The PRS has also expanded into rimfire matches and has hundreds of those every year. As of 2023, there were over 15,000 shooters competing in PRS rifle matches.
At the end of each year, match scores are evaluated, and the top-ranked shooters are invited to compete head-to-head in the PRS Finale Match. Overall season rankings are a combination of a shooter’s top 3 matches from the season + the shooter’s score in the finale.
Think of the best shooter you know … it’s very unlikely that person is good enough to even break into the top 100. Competing against these guys is humbling! It’s incredible what these guys can do with a rifle. For example, one match in Oklahoma I was in had a station that required you to engage 4 steel targets scattered at random distances from 300 to 800 yards, and you only had 15 seconds! I think I hit 2 and rushed my 3rd shot. I didn’t even get the 4th shot off! But one of these guys cleaned that stage with 4 seconds to spare! Yep, he got 4 rounds on target at distance in 11 seconds. That’s the caliber of shooter we’re talking about. It’s very different from Benchrest or F-class. But make no mistake … these guys are serious marksmen.
To find out more about the PRS, visit PrecisionRifleSeries.com or watch this video to see it in action.
PRS have regulations? If so where can I find the list. Aiming more towards ballistic software/range finders, etc.
Well, the PRS doesn’t have regulations … but the individual PRS matches have regulations. They vary some match-to-match, but you can look up the matches on the PRS website and then go see the details for those individual matches to find their rules and regulations.
Thanks,
Cal