We all learn from a young age that life isn’t fair. For instance, why do I have to wear a seatbelt when the garbageman hangs off the back of the truck going down the street? You’re probably wondering what this has to do with competitive shooting.

The guy hanging off the back of the truck with one hand and a smiling ear-to-ear is probably a PRS shooter.

To say the sport of precision rifle shooting (PRS) is challenging would be an understatement. The simplest way to describe it is “running and gunning.” The competitor has to engage different size targets, at varying distances, in a certain amount of time. All this while shooting from obstacles. When I say obstacles, I mean medieval torture devices.

I have seen participants launch rounds from inside vehicles, laying on rooftops, out of simulated boats, and all manner of barricades. One time at a match out west, shooters had to perch themselves on top of a six-foot-tall boulder and shoot. My favorite was competitors had to engage targets out of the back of a helicopter in flight.

They only know what the inquisitors from the dark age have planned for them the day before the event. The only sport where I recommend having a gym membership.

The course of fire is pretty straightforward. A participant arrives at a firing point/stage. There they will encounter a range master who explains what targets, positions, and the time they have to complete the task.

Each time the shooter fires at the target, The range master will confirm a hit or miss through his spotting scope and award points accordingly. After that, the competitor goes to the next stage, and everything repeats. After the event, the shooters with the most points make their way to the podium.

This sport has its roots firmly planted in sniper training. The story, as I understand it goes like this. Special operators were returning from missions overseas. (Post-op briefings) Afterward, they would tell their trainers what would have helped them better facilitate their tasks.

For instance, an operator returned from a mission and expressed the need to engage better targets running across alleyways. In response, the trainers built a mock-up of an Alleyway. That process continued until there was a comprehensive training course for running and gunning. It was only a short time until that morphed into this sport.

I hope I have answered the question, what is the precision rifle series? If that doesn’t sound like a sport you would be interested in, I suggest a riveting sport called golf.

I will catch hell for that joke, but the emails will amuse me during breakfast.

by Mac R

Shooting sports

5 Gun Nation is one of the world’s largest competition shooting websites. We have multiple articles on shooting sports and adding more all the time. If you can’t find it here. We are working on it. – Mac R