Choosing the gunsmith that you’ll trust to chamber your rifle is critical. This article will share which gunsmiths the very best precision rifle shooters in the country turn to for their competition rifles.

It’s especially important with this topic to start with a balanced perspective: If a gunsmith is on this list, they are clearly capable of building a bolt action rifle that is competitive at the highest levels. That’s both objective and obvious, right? What if a gunsmith isn’t on this list? That does NOT mean they’re second-class, but also just because someone is a “gunsmith” doesn’t mean they can build a world-class, precision rifle. Not all gunsmiths are created equal! Like all professions, some folks outperform others, because of attention to detail, level of experience, tools/equipment they use, processes they’ve established, and frankly whether they have the internal drive to always improve and hone their craft. So just because a gunsmith lives in your area, doesn’t mean he is the best – that is a bias we should be aware of. Also, just because someone ended up on this list doesn’t automatically make them better than others – that is another bias we should be aware of.

Okay, with that out of the way – let’s dive into the data!

Most Popular Gunsmiths Among Pro PRS Shooters

There were actually around 67 different gunsmiths represented among this group, but almost 50% of those were only used by 1 shooter. Because of how long the list was, I limited the chart below to the gunsmiths used by 3 or more of the top shooters surveyed. However, I provide the full list of gunsmiths that shooters listed on the survey later in this article.

On the chart above, the various colors represent where a shooter landed in terms of season rank in the PRS. For example, black indicates shooters who finished in the top 10, the darkest blue is people who finished 11-25, and the lighter the blue, the further out they finished in overall standings. The chart legend itemizes the ranks each color represents, but basically, the darker the color, the higher the shooter’s overall ranking.

Stuteville Precision was the most popular gunsmith among these top-ranked shooters, representing 15 of these shooters. That included 2 shooters in the top 10 and a total of 6 in the top 50. Stuteville was also the most popular gunsmith when I last did this survey 5 years ago (see the data), so they were able to hang onto that top spot.

Stuteville Precision is owned and operated by Wade Stuteville, who was the 2012 PRS Season Champion and a true OG legend in this sport. Before Stuteville Precision, Wade was a founding partner, designer, and General Manager at Surgeon Rifles, who built hundreds of high-end, custom rifles each year. When that operation was moved from Oklahoma to Arizona, Wade decided to stay in Oklahoma and open his own shop, Stuteville Precision. Wade also partnered with Tate Streater to design the Impact Precision action, which dominates the PRS world (see the data). Frankly, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone more knowledgeable about precision rifles in the world than Wade Stuteville. That’s why so many of these top shooters put their trust in him for their barrel work.

Walls Rifles was the next most popular gunsmith, with 11 shooters from this group of top marksmen, including 1 in the top 10. Joe Walls is the man behind Walls Rifles. Joe previously did gunsmithing under the name Exodus Rifles, but over the last few months, he launched Walls Rifles. Like Wade, Joe is another OG legend in the PRS. Joe Walls has been one of the top shooters in the PRS since its inception around 2012. He placed 11th overall in that inaugural 2012 season, he’s placed in the top 5 in the season standings multiple years since then, and he is also STILL represented among these pro shooters in this year’s survey! Joe finished the 2023 PRS Season ranked 129th in the Open Division and is ranked 8th in terms of lifetime PRS points. There can’t be more than 5 guys total that have been performing at a pro level from 2012 all the way through 2023, and Joe is among them.

There were 9 shooters that said they did gunsmithing on their rifles themselves. Wouldn’t it be cool if you had the equipment to do that?! These were all people who didn’t run a gunsmithing business.

5X5 Precision was the 3rd most popular gunsmith, with 9 of these top shooters sporting a barrel that he chambered, including 2 in the top 50. Chad Heckler is the owner of 5X5 Precision. Chad has a mechanical engineering background and is a world-class PRS competitor. Chad won the 2021 AG Cup, which is the match with the highest cash payout annually (meaning the competition is extreme). He has finished in the top 10 in overall season rankings multiple years and landed 24th overall in the 2023 PRS Season Open Division. Chad is also the host of the Miles to Matches podcast alongside Francis Colon.

5X5 Precision hasn’t been around long, so it’s impressive how quickly they climbed to be one of the most popular gunsmiths among the pro-level shooters in the PRS. So, where does the name “5X5 Precision” come from? Here is what Chad told me: “The term ‘5X5’ is rooted in the communications within military forces through WWII to mean ‘I understand you perfectly.’ The first number represented the signal strength of radio communication, and the second number represented the signal clarity on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best. While the term 5X5 is not used much anymore, it is synonymous with ‘Loud and Clear’ – meaning the best possible transmission of communication and understanding. My customers are asking me to make something very specific, and it must meet their expectations for performance and reliability. I named the company 5X5 Precision because I want them to know that I understand them perfectly and I plan to deliver something that meets or exceeds their expectations.”

Preece Precision also had 9 shooters represented among these top 200 ranked shooters in the PRS Open Division, including 1 in the top 10. Garret Preece is the Master Gunsmith and owner of Preece Precision, and he also competes, placing 141st in the 2023 PRS Open Division. Preece Precision is based out of Ogden, Utah, which is just north of Salt Lake City.

Next up, we have GA Precision (GAP), with 7 shooters represented and 2 of those in the top 50. GAP has been on this list of gunsmiths the top pro PRS shooters have been using longer than anyone else, all the way back to the inaugural year of the PRS in 2012 (see the data). They were the most popular gunsmith among the pros for several years in a row and always has several shooters represented. GA Precision is a household name in the precision rifle community, so I doubt they need more of an introduction.

Brian Allen of ATeam Precision built the rifles for 7 of these top-ranked shooters, including 2 in the top 50. Like some of the others, Brian is an accomplished PRS competitor who has been ranked as a pro-level shooter since 2014, with his top finish at 5th overall in the 2017 PRS Season. Brian is based in northeast Louisiana.

TS Customs had 6 shooters represented among these top PRS competitors, including 1 in the top 50. TS Customs is owned and led by Travis Stevens in South Dakota. TS Customs was one of the top gunsmiths the last time I published this info, and I covered them in detail in that article. Travis has placed in the top 20 in the PRS Season standings in prior years. Travis is one of the younger gunsmiths on this list, but as the entire industry seems to be moving over to computer-controlled equipment that needs a programmer as much as an operator – being from a younger, tech-savvy generation could be an advantage. Travis went to gunsmithing school but also went to school for CNC programming. So, TS Customs is a “full CNC shop.” Travis has invested in some advanced equipment and tools, including an 8,000-pound Doosan CNC Lathe. It’s not just the equipment that is advanced though. TS Customs is very agile as a company, with a typical turnaround time on a custom barrel of just 2-3 weeks.

Keith Baker of ICE Rifles built rifles for 5 of these shooters, including 1 in the top 10 and another in the top 25. Keith Baker has shot 140+ PRS matches and has more lifetime PRS points than any other shooter – by a long shot! So, he is another OG legend in the PRS world. And Keith is still winning national-level, two-day matches – including a win just a couple of months ago at the 2024 MDT Frostbite. Keith is the Head Gunsmith and Design Engineer at ICE Rifles, which stands for Innovative Competitive Engineering. If you asked Keith why you should choose ICE Rifles, here is what he says, “A rifle built by ICE Rifles is a rifle built by me. I will use my experiences, my obsession with detail and dedication to quality, and my drive to constantly evaluate, innovate, and advance to build the best rifle and equipment I can. Every time.”

Roberts Precision Rifles also had 5 shooters represented, including 1 in the top 10 and another 2 in the top 50. That is another name that has consistently been on this list of top rifle gunsmiths for 10 years. Aaron Roberts is the gunsmith behind Roberts Precision Rifles, and he’s got an extremely impressive resume, including an extensive military career followed by becoming a lead instructor at the world-renowned Blackwater Training Center and the Captain of the Blackwater Shooting Team. He’s one of those guys who has a high attention to detail and demands a lot out of his firearms – which sounds like the making of a great gunsmith! Roberts Precision Rifles is based out of Spring, TX.

RIP Precision Rifles had 4 shooters represented out of this group, including 1 in the top 25. RIP is based out of Leander, TX. It is led by Wes Ripley, who has 20+ years of experience in custom firearms design and manufacturing. Wes is also one of these top 200 ranked shooters, finishing 2023 at 130th in the Open Division.

Short Action Customs (SAC) also had 4 rifles represented, with 1 of those finishing in the top 50. SAC was founded by Mark Gordon in 2009, and they’ve been a mainstay on this list since 2014. A couple of years ago, Mark approached me to help him analyze and publish a ton of bullet jump data that he’d gathered over years of building rifles and testing loads (see the bullet jump research here). I got to know Mark as we worked on that project together, and I’ve never met anyone with the same passion and obsessive approach to optimizing every facet of the rifle system. He is extremely intelligent and brings a methodical and creative approach to troubleshooting issues and identifying root causes. For example, one rifle that SAC built had occasional flyers. Through an exhaustive process, Mark eventually found that it seemed to be related to inconsistent ignition. By simply swapping the trigger, the bullets suddenly all went into the same hole. But, many gunsmiths would have stopped there – the rifle now shoots, ship it, and move on! Instead, Mark bought a rail gun, rigged it up with high-speed sensors, and used his electronic target system to evaluate a variety of triggers in order to understand what it was about a trigger design that caused inconsistent ignition. It wasn’t good enough to know that it worked or even have a theory as to why; he wanted to get to the bottom of it and prove it with data and a scientific process so he could avoid that problem from ever cropping up again on a rifle with his name on it. That is a perfect example of Mark’s relentless and unconventional approach to his craft of building precision rifles. For more examples, just go to the SAC YouTube Channel and watch his videos about processes and products they’ve developed.

And I have to point out that the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) had 3 shooters represented, including 1 in the top 10 and another in the top 25. The gunsmith at the AMU is Ben Gossett, who has been high up on the leaderboard in the PRS for several years now. Ben won the 2022 AG Cup in dramatic fashion by cleaning all of Day 3. That is the match with the largest cash payout of the year, and it only includes the top pro shooters. So, the stages are designed to challenge those top-tier shooters, meaning they are hard! They have tiny targets and tight times, and Ben Gossett earned the nickname “Mr. Clean” by literally hitting every target on every stage of Day 3 to win the AG Cup! You can watch Ben killing it on the Shooting USA episode below:

Ben is the gunsmith who chambers AMU rifles. While virtually all of these other shooters are doing this as a hobby, the AMU guys are competing as their full-time job. So I would bet that group of shooters is very demanding, but clearly, Ben does a great job on their barrels and setting up their rifles.

Other Gunsmiths Used By 3 Shooters

Here are the other gunsmiths that were represented by 3 of these top 200 ranked shooters in the PRS Open Division:

• Buddy’s Armory
• Rachel Precision
• Radix Precision
• S&S Precision
• Schur Firearm Sales (SFS) Customs (Jake Schur)
• Spartan Precision Rifles

Other Gunsmiths Used By 1-2 Shooters

Here is the remaining list of gunsmiths that were provided by 1 or 2 of the shooters who finished in the top 200 in the 2023 PRS Open Division:

Pre-Fit or Custom-Chambered

One of the interesting trends in gunsmithing is related to pre-fit barrels, which are basically barrels that are pre-chambered for a specific action and can be installed by the end user. If you aren’t sure what a pre-fit is, I’d highly recommend you read this article: Pre-Fit Barrels: Everything Your Gunsmith Wishes You Knew.

Here is a look at how many of the 200 top-ranked Precision Rifle Series shooters are running pre-fit barrels compared to a barrel that was custom-chambered for their specific action:

35% of the top-ranked shooters are using a pre-fit barrel, and 65% said their barrel was custom-chambered for their specific action. There were 3 guys who placed in the top 10 in the overall PRS season rankings who said they were running a pre-fit on their competition rifle: Austin Orgain, Austin Buschman, and Kyle Mccormack. Those 3 guys represent 3 PRS Championships and a World Championship, so they aren’t just top shooters – they are the best of the best. And those guys are choosing to run pre-fit barrels! I don’t personally know all of the top shooters, but I do know those 3 guys and can say they are extremely competitive. They want to win more than most people can understand. Don’t get me wrong, they are very nice guys who help other shooters – but if they thought a pre-fit barrel was hurting their precision one bit, they absolutely wouldn’t be running them.

So, it is clear that pre-fit barrels are accurate enough to win matches in the PRS. In a recent interview, I asked Austin Orgain, “What kind of precision are you looking to get out of a rifle before you have the confidence to take it to a match?” He said, “At least 0.5 MOA at 900 yards. If I’m checking it on a really windy day, I mostly just look at the waterline and mostly ignore left-to-right dispersion. I don’t want anything that has more than 2-3 inches of vertical at 900 yards.” 3 inches at 900 yards equates to 0.32 MOA. I also asked Austin Buschman what kind of groups his competition rifle shot, and he said his average 5-shot group was probably around 0.1 mils, which is 0.34 MOA. While their answers were different, it’s funny they were both around 0.32-0.34 MOA. Now, are pre-fit barrels accurate enough to win a Benchrest match? Many might argue no, but that’s not my area of expertise, so I’ll stay out of that argument!

Let’s slice the data another way that will provide insight into how many of those top gunsmiths are chambering pre-fit barrels, at least according to what the shooters said on my survey. The chart below shows every gunsmith that had 3 or more shooters represented among this group, and you can see the breakdown of how many shooters said they were running a pre-fit or a barrel that was custom-chambered for their rifle from each gunsmith.

It looks like every barrel from Stuteville Precision was a pre-fit, which was Wade’s plan when designing the Impact action. TS Customs also had 100% pre-fit barrels. Most of the others were a mix of pre-fit or a barrel custom-chambered. There were also several gunsmiths where none of the shooters using them said they were using a pre-fit.

Finally, we’ll slice the data one more way to provide some insight into where the guys running pre-fit barrels finished in terms of overall rankings. Were all the guys running pre-fit barrels lower in the rankings? Again, the data below is limited to those gunsmiths who had 3 or more shooters represented.

When The Man Running The Company Shoots Competitively

You probably noticed that many (if not most) of these gunsmiths also compete at a very high level in the PRS. That isn’t a coincidence. It reminds me of an article that I read in SNIPER Magazine back in 2014. Here is the excerpt:

WHEN THE MAN RUNNING THE COMPANY SHOOTS COMPETITIVELY, GOOD THINGS HAPPEN.
_______ heads up _______, and he loves to shoot. I’ve run into him a few times at various matches around the country and always walk away impressed that a guy with a gun company is out there field-testing his products in perpetuity. I don’t know what his ammo budget is, but I’m envious. … Competitive shooters often take time off work and spend an entire weekend thrashing themselves and their equipment while trying to shoot small targets from various positions as quickly as possible. They will shoot substantially more rounds in training and competition than the vast majority of law enforcement officers and military service members will in uniform. Often, competitive shooters also pay for everything themselves. These are very devoted and demanding people. _____ built his reputation and his company by selling these people rifles. If there was the smallest problem, he heard about it. … It is the ultimate way to test and develop products.”

While that article was actually talking about John Paul of JP Enterprises, you could have just as easily filled in the blanks with many of the names on this list. That’s the truth!

One of my very closest friends recently started shooting PRS and NRL Hunter matches, and he’s already run into some rifle issues. He has owned high-end, custom hunting rifles for years, but he recently told me, “I’ve never run my rifles this hard – not even close.” He’s now firing several hundred rounds, out for multiple days in the dust and wind, and expects his rifle to perform perfectly every time he gets behind it – as he should! While he’s owned the rifle he’s now using in competitions for years, as he started competing, he is quickly finding all the weak links in his rifle system. I believe you should absolutely expect a lot from your rifle, but that doesn’t mean all rifles can perform at this level. In fact, most can’t.

The truth is we are a very demanding crowd. We put our rifles through a lot, and we expect them to be perfect. We might be the hardest group to sell rifles to! If we have problems, the gunsmith is going to hear about it. It’d certainly be a lot easier to sell expensive rifles to rich hunters who might only fire 5-10 shots per year out of it. Most of those guys can’t shoot tiny groups at 800 yards – so even if the rifle was off, they wouldn’t know it!

It seems evident that the people who serve this crowd of shooters the best are competitive shooters themselves. They know what we demand from our rifles, and that first-hand knowledge allows them to provide that level of performance to their customers. Like Chad Heckler said about 5X5 – gunsmiths who shoot competitively understand these pro shooters perfectly, and they’ll deliver something that meets or exceeds their expectations.

So, for those on this list who have built their reputation on serving a crowd of shooters like us – I tip my hat to you! 😉 Well done, fellas!

Coming Up Next

If you enjoyed this content, there is more to come! Over the next few months, I’ll be publishing a ton of data on what the top precision rifle shooters are using. Check out the other “What The Pros Use” articles that have already been published.

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