Have you ever wondered what’s it like shooting a bullseye from 800 yards away with an AR10-type rifle? If your answer is yes, then PRS is probably the sport for you. Similar to snipers, competitors who take part in precision rifle shooting hit targets at varying distances from a variety of positions. PRS is also the acronym for the Precision Rifle Series, which is the governing body of precision rifle shooting. Considering the growing popularity of precision rifle shooting, the following lines are going to help you find out more about PRS.
What Is Precision Rifle Shooting?
While most people you ask will tell you that the Precision Rifle Services is a discipline for using bolt-action rifles during competitions, PRS has expanded its series by including a gas gun division as well, which uses rifles such as, AR10s and AR15s. The first official PRS series competition took place back in 2017 at the CORE Shooting Solutions range in Florida.
The first official PRS series competition took place back in 2017 at the CORE Shooting Solutions range in Florida. While most people you ask will tell you that the Precision Rifle Services is a discipline for using bolt-action rifles during competitions, PRS has expanded its series by including a gas gun division as well, which uses rifles such as, AR10s and AR15s (you can build your own AR15 by getting an 80% lower receiver using this link).
Since the PRS is just a single league amongst many similar leagues that have been formed since the initial PRS series competition, the PRS itself is divided into various clubs that are spread throughout the US, such as, Central, Pacific Northwest, Northwest, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and Rocky Mountain. Apart from these, there’s also an international club where matches are held outside the US that also comes under the PRS banner.
What Makes Precision Rifle Shooting Different?
While PRS is not the ideal way to describe this new sport, it has been responsible for spreading interest in the sport and in garnering support from those in the shooting industry. As a result, there’s been an influx of customized rifles, scopes and other gear that have been designed or tweaked specifically for precision rifle shooting. This has also helped spark interest in new shooters who are looking forward to taking part in this new style of shooting that’s off the beaten path.
What makes precision rifle shooting different from sharp-shooting is that you can shoot from just about anywhere. From shooting from on top of a roof to aiming at the target while perched atop a car, PRS allows shooters to get creative while taking part in a precision match. The major draw of precision rifle shooting is the ability of shooters to take aim from just about any position. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any rules for taking part in PRS.
Precision Rifle Rules
Precision rifle shooting has a lot in common with traditional 3-gun shooting, as in, the matches are held across the US, with each club following their own rules, in a sort of “outlaw” format. That being said, over the best few years, efforts have been made to bring together various matches under a single umbrella, as in, using the same rule sets, which is the first step towards creating a national championship. Keeping that in mind, what the Precision Rifle Series has done for precision shooting is a lot similar to what 3-Gun Nation did for 3-gun.
When it comes to gun options in PRS, competitions are divided into the bolt gun series and the gas gun series. These two divisions are then further divided into other divisions, which depend on the preferences of the particular club the competition is being held in. This means that the choice of caliber, the rifles used and the point system varies depending on the club.
For instance, there are competitions where the ranking of a participant in the competition is determined by the number of points they are about to gather during the competition, pretty much like any other competition, while in other games, it is used to determine whether or not the participant will be invited to the overall championship match that’s to be held at the end.
The Bolt Gun Series uses bolt action rifles, but many participants who take part in that competition shoot in the Open Division, where there are no rules except for the caliber of the gun being used. Nowadays, the calibers that are most commonly used in PRS competitions are 6.5mm cartridges or less.
In the tactical division, shooters are allowed to use 5.56 NATO or .223 Remington rifles or 7.62 NATO or .308 Remington rifles. The Production division is considered to be the most limiting when it comes to rules and regulations since it only allows participants to use factory-configured listed weapons that cost less than $4,000.
Those who want to take part in PRS using a variant of AR10s or some other semi-automatic rifle will have to take part in the Gas Gun Series, which also includes an Open Division, but participants will have to choose between the ‘Tactical Light’ or ‘Tactical Heavy’ divisions. There is no Production division in the Gas Gun Series.
In the Bolt Gun Series, you will get to take part in a points system that is based on the number of targets that have been successfully hit during a single match. In the Gas Gun Series. The participant’s final score is mainly determined according to the time it takes them to shoot all of the targets in a single match. The other factor that will determine the end result of the Gas Gun Series will be any misses or penalties for the participant not following the rules and regulations of the game.
What Gun Should You Use?
One of the advantages of taking part in precision rifle shooting competitions is that you are not going to need a special gun. In fact, the hunting rifle you use or the AR-10 or AR-15 is going to be perfectly fine to take part in your first PRS competition. For those who are just starting off with precision shooting, it is important not to take the gear you use too seriously.
This is mainly because you are going to have plenty of time to choose the gizmos and guns later on once you have improved your ability to shoot the target while taking part in “club” or “fun” matches. It is not until you take part in National Level Matches that you will have to take the rifle caliber you use seriously.
If you are wondering where you can go to get your shooting fix, then remember that the Precision Rifle Series is just one of many leagues that you can take part in, which means, there are plenty of options.