[[{“value”:”
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to follow and signup for notifications!
The Precision Rifle Series (PRS), founded in 2011, has evolved into one of the most competitive and fastest-growing shooting sports in the world. What started as a small grassroots series has exploded in popularity and gone global, with over 13,000 competitors shooting in PRS-sanctioned matches in 2024!
The PRS has always focused on long-range shooting in real-world field conditions. It operates much like NASCAR or the PGA FedEx Cup: competitors shoot matches throughout the season, earn points based on performance, and each year, the top-ranked shooters are invited to the PRS Finale to crown the PRS Season Champion. That framework hasn’t changed, but almost everything else has.
Back when I shot my first PRS match in 2015, the sport was still small. The brochure I picked up at SHOT Show 2014 listed just 12 matches for the entire season (see image). Originally, the only PRS matches were flagship, two-day matches that people would travel to from across the country to compete in. Those typically include around 200 shots over 18-22 stages, with typical target distances ranging from 300 to 1000 yards. We call those “Pro Series” matches today, and they are the pinnacle of long-range competition.
The PRS Pro Series originally was mainly in the central and eastern US, with the National Rifle League (NRL) dominating the western half. But since the NRL shifted to hunter-style matches, the PRS has expanded coast-to-coast – and even internationally. There are now PRS Pro Series matches across Europe, including in France, the UK, Norway, Sweden, Italy, and more.
Over 2,000 shooters competed in Pro Series matches in 2024 – and there are a record-breaking 58 Pro Series matches scheduled for 2025!
In 2017, the PRS added the Regional Series to make the sport more accessible to newer shooters and those who can’t travel nationwide. These are one-day matches held at local rifle clubs with 8-10 stages and target distances similar to Pro Series matches. Almost 7,000 shooters competed in PRS Regional Series matches in 2024, and there are over 150 regional matches scheduled for 2025!
In 2021, the PRS added the Rimfire Series. Stages at these matches are similar to the other matches, but you use rimfire rifles (22 LR) and typically shoot 25 to 200 yards. The ammo cost and some other equipment can be significantly less for rimfire, but the overall challenge is similar. Matches can either be one or two-day events, and there are still national championships and rankings. Over 4,000 shooters competed in the PRS Rimfire Series in 2024, and there are over 200 PRS Rimfire matches scheduled for 2025!
When you combine all of those different series, you get a clear picture of how staggering the growth of the PRS has been over the past decade. It seems to be growing in every direction!
Recently, the PRS has quietly gone global – with rising participation not just in Europe but Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and more. And this is just the beginning. As more international shooters enter the arena, the sport is poised to reach a whole new level. The growth we’ve seen so far might just be the tip of the iceberg!
While the growth in participation is impressive, the level of competition is what has truly exploded. Back in 2015, if you placed in the top 10 at a PRS match, you were among the best. Today, if that same shooter time-traveled from 2015 to now and shot a 2025 match, they’d be lucky to place in the top 50! The sport has evolved in every way.
A close friend of mine qualified for the PRS Finale in 2016 and finished in the top 100 that season, but then he got busy with a young family, work, and life and didn’t compete for several years. Last year, he dusted off his rifle and joined me for a PRS regional match. It was eye-opening how much the sport has advanced since 2016! While the changes have come gradually year by year, talking with him lately about rifles, gear, and match strategy has really highlighted just how far things have come.
There are a couple of well-defined standard “skills stages,” and last year, we adjusted the most popular skills stage by adding 25% more shots and 25% more positions, changed it from 1 target to 2, and shrunk those targets by 20-40%. Oh, and the par time is typically still 90 seconds. And I’ll be honest – while they did increase the challenge, it’s rare for a good shooter to miss a single shot on that stage, and most pros finish in under 60 seconds. The PRS Skills Stage is simply a representation of how stages that were once challenging simply aren’t anymore, so match directors have to make the same kind of adjustments to every stage to separate the field. (Read Upgrades PRS Barricade Skills Stage)
Take this stat: In 2024, over 60% of Pro Series matches were decided by 2 points or less. Here is a breakdown of how many points separated 1st from 2nd over the 41 regular season Pro Series matches in 2024.
7 matches ended up in a tie after two full days and shooting 200+ rounds! 10 years ago, there were plenty of matches that were decided by more than 5 points – but that is rare with the heavy hitters that show up at every match today.
In fact, it’s normal to see 10-15 shooters at every match who are capable of winning on any given weekend. The bar is just that high now.
If you’ve never seen one of the top 25 pro shooters run a stage, you’re seriously missing out! What they can do with a rifle is unreal. They are very smooth and never look rushed – but then you realize they just cleaned a tough stage with 20 seconds to spare. Sure, the heavy rifles, sandbags, and modern gear help, but the skill level at the top feels almost superhuman!
While there used to be 12 pro matches all year, most of the elite shooters are traveling to 8-15 regular season Pro Series matches, plus the PRS Finale and the AG Cup. That means they are competing in 30 total days worth of pro-level matches each year!
Here is the number of matches that each of the guys who placed in the top 20 in the 2024 Open Division said they shot during the regular season in 2024:
Shooting just a handful of matches doesn’t cut it anymore. Most of these guys also shot the PRS Finale, AG Cup, and maybe even the IPRF World Championship! That means the average is over 13 pro-level rifle matches each year – which will turn great shooters into truly unbelievable shooters. That’s a serious investment of time, travel, and ammo. Like most sports, there are no shortcuts to the top – to achieve truly world-class performance, you have to put in the reps.
Here’s how two of the 10 ten shooters think about it: Nathan Toungate told me, “Yeah, the level of competition today is wild. Kahl Harmon and I talk a lot about random stuff, and we both agree that if you take 6-12 months off, it’s unlikely you’ll ever come back to the same level you left.”
Just qualifying for the PRS Finale today is tough! The PRS invites the top 150 shooters in the Open Division to the Finale, but even cracking that top 150 requires a serious commitment.
I checked the standings just before the 2024 finale, and the 150th shooter in the Open Division had 267.966 points. That same score would have put you in the top 50 entering the Finale back in 2017! In 2014, it would have landed you in the top 20!
Even the scores of those at the very top are rising. The chart below shows how many regular season points you needed to be ranked in the top 25 entering the Finale:
The chart below shows the number of shooters who entered the PRS Finale with a perfect score of 300 (meaning they won 3 regular season Pro Series matches). That puts them in the best place to win the coveted golden bullet with a good performance at the Finale.
At the PRS Finale, the 12 shooters with the highest season points are grouped together into Squad #1. In 2020, it took 293 points to be in Squad #1, but in the past two years, it took 297 and 298.3! You have to almost end the regular season with a perfect score to earn a spot in Squad #1 at the Finale!
In 2024, the golden bullet winner (Ben Gossett) entered the Finale with 297.2 points – but he had 23 other shooters breathing down his neck with higher season totals! Luckily, Ben had an epic performance at the 2024 Finale to secure the title of PRS Season Champ (read about it).
The PRS has come a long way since I became a member in 2016 and was issued PRS #1782. New members today are getting numbers above 20,000!
The sport is bigger, more competitive, and more accessible than ever before. It’s a great time to be involved in precision rifle shooting – but if you want to be one of the best, the bar keeps rising!
If you’re just getting started, don’t be discouraged. Every top shooter once started as a beginner. Just know that to separate yourself from the pack, you’ll need to train smart, shoot often, and – as Phil Velayo puts it – continually focus on improving by just 1%. That’s what makes the difference at the top.
© Copyright 2025 PrecisionRifleBlog.com, All Rights Reserved.
“}]]
