Precision Rifle Series


The Precision Rifle Series is a long range and precision rifle based shooting sport derived from practical shooting. The series have a championship style where competitors collect points from thirty matches spread across nearly twenty states, and thereby are ranked across the nation. Top ranked competitors get to compete in the last match of the season which is the "Precision Rifle Finale". The number of competitors has increased from 164 in 2012 to over 2,000 by 2018.
The competition seeks to find a balance between speed and precision, and targets can both have known and unknown distances.
Shooting distances can vary from between 10 and 1,000 meters/ yards, and thus the competitor needs to have good knowledge of their firearms ballistics. The primary focus is on long range shooting, and a competition usually consists of several courses of fire. Each course usually has a set maximum time, and the shooter is awarded points according to how many targets they manage to hit during that time. Both cardboard and steel targets are used, and the targets presented are usually relatively small. In the PRS-series for instance, usually between 0.3-0.9 MIL.

Rifles

Long range sniper-style rifle matches at various ranges from unconventional shooting positions became popular in the 1990s. PRS rules established in 2012 stipulated rifles used by competing shooters must fire bullets with a diameter not greater than at muzzle velocities not greater than per second. These limits are intended to prolong the life of the steel targets used in matches. There are six competitive categories for rifles firing such bullets.
Bolt action rifles:
Gas-operated reloading rifles:
Most competitors use variable-magnification telescopic sights. Cartridges firing 6mm or 6.5mm bullets are popular because low recoil often enables shooters to observe whether they have hit or missed a target to assess whether another shot is required before moving on to the next target.
Many competitors also use shooting bags to create a stable platform to rest their rifles.

Affiliations

PRS today has affiliate clubs in eight countries: