American Ri eman Guide: Precision Ri e Series

Precision Ri e Series

One of the most exciting shooting sports available today is the Precision Ri e Series—better known simply as PRS. It is a discipline that requires competitors to master the fundamentals of ri e marksmanship and external ballistics in settings that are both fun and challenging.

BY KEITH WOOD

hannon Kay, an active-duty infantry of cer and former Special

Operations sniper, climbed into the bed of the 4x4 pickup and rested his ri e’s fore-end across the tattered foam insulation that covered the vehicle’s roll bar. The rules required the ri e to be in contact with the bar, which meant that the shooter had to bend at the waist or squat rather than sit or kneel for stability. Even standing on solid ground, I could see the truck move on its worn suspension; I can’t imagine what that bounce looked like through a powerful optic. At the tone of the buzzer, the stage required the shooter to engage each small “head apper” target at 320, 356, 382, 429 and 460 yds. in under 90 seconds. Out of the dozens of shooters that ran through that stage, only Kay achieved a perfect score.

The stage was just one of 20 at the two-day CORE Classic match held at CORE Shooting Solutions in Baker, Fla., in September of last year. The CORE Classic was one of 30 matches across the nation that made up the 2017 Precision Ri e Series (PRS)—a calendar of matches that constitute an overall points race during the course of the year. For lack of a better analogy, the PRS is like NASCAR’s Cup Series for long-range ri e shooting. Longrange “sniper-style” ri e matches started springing up around the country in the 1990s and slowly built momentum as part of the mainstream of competitive shooting. As they gained popularity, organizers sought out a mechanism to create a championship atmosphere in the sport—the Precision Ri e Series was born out of that desire and held its inaugural season in 2012. As civilian interest in long-range shooting has snowballed during the past decade, the PRS has grown exponentially; in 2012, there were only 164 PRS members, today there are more than 2,000.

PRS matches feature targets—usually steel—positioned anywhere from 200 to 1,200 yds. from the ring line. The closest target at the CORE match was 262 yds., and the farthest was at 840. A typical stage requires the shooter to engage multiple targets at varying distances, often from different shooting positions and in varying wind conditions. All of this takes place under extremely tight time constraints—the skill level displayed by the top professionals in this sport is astounding. An example stage from the two-day CORE

The “On The Rocks” stage required the competitors to engage 10 steel targets from ve improvised positions within 90 seconds.

Classic required shooters to hit ve targets of decreasing size on a “Know Your Limits” rack at 800 yds., then transition to a second position and hit ve more targets, all in under 90 seconds. A minute and a half sounds like an eternity until it is divided by 10; but, allowing for a few seconds to transition to the second shooting position, that means the shooter has less than 10 seconds to engage each 800-yd. target and reload!

In order to be competitive in the series points race, a shooter must compete at a high level in numerous matches across the nation throughout the year. There are 30 points race matches per season, spread across nearly 20 states. Prizes for each match include cash and gear from a prize table that is donated by match sponsors. Unlike most shooting sports, the Precision Ri e Series has some serious prize money at stake. Cash prizes at the CORE Classic ranged from $500 to $5,000, and everything from Accuracy International ri es to Kahles scopes were handed out as prizes. As great as that sounds, what the professional shooters really care about are the points. The points race culminates in an annual championship match—last year’s nale was held at FTW Ranch in Barksdale, Texas, one of the most impressive shooting facilities in the nation. At the 2016 nale, the cash purse for the match totaled $75,000, including $25,000 for the winner. If the rst-place shooter also won the PRS points race for the season, he would bring home $50,000 cash from that match—no pressure.

Unlike some shooting disciplines, the PRS rule book is relatively short—fewer than 30 pages including the various appendices. The idea is to leave as much leeway as possible to the match director’s imagination while taking advantage of the strengths and weaknesses of each respective match location and to maintain the organic roots of the sport. The rules themselves primarily address safety and fundamental course setup, as well as what equipment can be used in the respective divisions of the Bolt Gun (Open, Tactical and Production) and Gas Gun (Open, Tactical Light and Tactical Heavy) series. The one universal rule of the PRS is that, regardless of division, bullet diameter cannot exceed .308" and muzzle velocity cannot exceed 3200 f.p.s. This rule exists to ensure the longevity of the steel targets used during matches. Unless the individual course of re prohibits their use, competitors are generally allowed to use shooting aids such as bipods, camera-style tripods and bean bag-style “cheater bags” during matches.

Guns Of The PRS

Competition almost always drives innovation, and the ri es used by serious PRS competitors have evolved into highly specialized tools to meet the competitors’ needs. The Open Division of the PRS is dominated by custom ri es, with factory guns from Accuracy International and Surgeon Ri es being the only real exceptions. A typical PRS setup will feature a custom Model 700-style action from De ance Machine or Surgeon Ri es, a heavyweight premium barrel tted with either a muzzle brake or a sound suppressor, a stock from McMillian, Manners or one of the chassis-style stockmakers, such as AI or Masterpiece Arms, and a detachable-box magazine.

The vast majority of competitors use powerful variable-magni cation optics made by Kahles, Vortex, Schmidt & Bender or Nightforce due to their durability and repeatable adjustments. The eld is dominated by ri es chambered in 6.5-mm and 6- mm cartridges, with the latter being increasingly popular among top shooters. One might think that highvelocity cartridges would be popular in the PRS, but it is actually quite the opposite. Mild-mannered cartridges, including the 6.5 mm Creedmoor, 6.5x47L, 6 mm Creedmoor, 6x47L and 6 mm Dasher are all popular choices among competitors. Besides the inherent accuracy of these rounds, their low recoil, high ballistic coef cient, long barrel life and relatively at trajectories make them ideal choices for this type of shooting. Wind drift can make or break a long-range shot, and each of these cartridges fare well in that department. In PRS, it is also crucially important that a shooter be able to determine whether a shot was a hit or a miss, and these cartridges are all conducive to that, especially when a brake or suppressor is used.

This custom-built rig—a left-hand action from De ance Machine with a heavy, cutri ed, match-grade barrel, Manners stock, Harris bipod and Kahles ri escope— is a typical setup for PRS.

There are two major categories of match styles in PRS: eld matches and position matches. Field matches are usually shot from the prone or over natural barriers using a bipod or bag, and require minimal movement on the shooter’s part during the stage. Position matches are far more athletic in nature, and usually require competitors to move rapidly between improvised positions using arti cial barriers while on the clock. The CORE Classic, the match I observed for this article, was a positional type whose course of re was designed by George Gardner of GA Precision—one of the sport’s pioneers. As a general rule, the targets at positional matches are set at closer ranges due to the movement and unorthodox shooting positions required. Labor Day weekend is pretty steamy in North Florida, and the CORE match pushed the physical endurance of the competitors. Those who were in poor physical shape or who didn’t stay hydrated paid the price over the course of the two-day event.

Field matches tend to be held in the wide-open spaces of Western and Midwestern states, and often employ longer shots, many of which are beyond 1,000 yds. A third, yet smaller, category of matches known as Extended Long Range (ELR) push the target distances even farther. As an example, at the Q Creek ELR match in Wyoming last June, targets ranged from 500 to 1,800 yds. Shooters in the ELR matches often take advantage of larger cartridges due to the distances, and the .300 Norma Mag. is a popular choice.

Brian Dennis, director of PRS and an active competitor in the series, recently purchased the company. “I decided to buy the series because of my love for it—I want to grow it. I’m not here to make money on this, I’m putting everything back into the sport. We want to attract as many shooters as possible, and one of the ways to do that is to push the sponsor money down to the shooters and to the local clubs.”

Dennis also recognizes some of the challenges of bringing new competitors into the sport and is working to address them. “The problem for some new shooters is that you show up at a match and you’re shooting with the best in the world—it’s like playing golf against Tiger Woods and you’re hitting from the same tees. Not only can that be intimidating, but, if the course is hard enough to challenge the pros, it’s likely so dif cult that most shooters will get discouraged quickly.”

During the next few years, the PRS hopes to incorporate rules designed to allow new competitors to transition into the sport in an educational and enjoyable way. New participants will be assigned to shoot alongside professionals, who can mentor them during the matches. The new entrant will also shoot a modi ed course of re on each match stage that meets their abilities. For example, in a stage where the pros might engage 10 targets in 90 seconds, the new shooter may only be required to shoot ve. This arrangement will help novices improve with every match while having the enjoyment of nding success within their skill level—the same way that golf tournaments employ a handicap. New shooters are also encouraged to take advantage of local club matches where the overall environment is more conducive to learning. Club matches are usually single-day events, so they require less of a time commitment and may not require overnight travel. There are currently 42 PRS-af liated clubs located across the nation.

The second barrier to entry for new participants is nancial: A competitive ri e setup for the PRS Open Division can easily top $10,000, not to mention match entry fees, the cost of ammunition and travel expenses. To address this issue, the PRS has a Production Division where competitors are required to use off-the-shelf production

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Assorted ri es and gear set up during the two-day CORE Classic. Chassis-style stocks, like those on the front two ri es shown here, are becoming increasingly popular among PRS shooters.