How to Shoot PRS

For future reference, you're sky loading a lot. Break that bad habit or you could get a DQ. Most matches I've shot, that's a warning on the first offence and stage DQ if it's continued through the match.

Aside from that, just work on target acquisition and efficiency in movement and position building. Practicing those things is really what made me improve my match shooting.

CShooter92 said:

For future reference, you're sky loading a lot. Break that bad habit or you could get a DQ. Most matches I've shot, that's a warning on the first offence and stage DQ if it's continued through the match.

Aside from that, just work on target acquisition and efficiency in movement and position building. Practicing those things is really what made me improve my match shooting.

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Could you explain "sky loading" . Thanks

Closing the bolt before you've acquired the target in the scope.

Downtown said:

Closing the bolt before you've acquired the target in the scope.

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Thanks - much appreciated.

Rob01 said:

Only place I have seen "sky loading" called is NRL22 matches.

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All the WYCO matches also prohibit it.

Rob01 said:

Only place I have seen "sky loading" called is NRL22 matches.

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I've seen guys warned for actually sky loading (loading the rifle while it's pointed in the air), but I've never seen anyone warn for (or DQ a shooter for?) closing the bolt when the rifle grounded and pointed at a berm, just because the shooter isn't in glass.

Must be a regional thing.

Tx_Aggie said:

I've seen guys warned for actually sky loading (loading the rifle while it's pointed in the air), but I've never seen anyone bitch about (or DQ a shooter for?) closing the bolt when the rifle grounded and pointed at a berm, just because the shooter isn't in glass.

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No rule that I'm aware of here out West and no one is going to get a DQ for it, but in our safety briefs we'll talk about it and we also coach new shooters not to be in the practice of sky loading.

Scary to watch a new shooter throw their rifle on a bag on the prop, close the bolt with the rifle pointed 20 degrees above the horizon, then watch them jostle around trying to get their body in position and find the target, scooting the bag around and moving the rifle, etc etc. Much safer in the long run (and more efficient) to build position, aquire target, then close bolt. If I saw the original poster transitioning at a match (like at 3:35 on the video) I would catch him after the stage and give feedback not to transition that way.

Closest thing in the PRS Pro Series rulebook is this:

1.4.7 Movement or transition during a COF with a round in the chamber or a closed bolt will result in the shooter being stopped, forced to clear their chamber and made to move back to the last shooting position while still on the clock for a first offense. Once the shooter has returned to the last firing point, he or she will continue with the rest of the COF. A second offense will result in a stage DQ. Third offense will result in a removal of the offending shooter from the competition. Semi- Automatic Rifles are the only exception to policy that will be granted.

The question is... at what point is it "movement" during the COF? If it were a left right transition with two targets from the same shooting position I would argue you can't pan left-right with a round in the chamber. Sky loading is pretty similar.

Most of the NDs I've personally witnessed at matches have been with the gun pointed down range while the shooter is already at his/her shooting position.

It might not be in the rules but i consider closing the bolt on a round while your gun is down, and your chin is still above your scope as you scan for landmarks and at the same time finish settling into your final position, unsafe on a crowded range.

LE, MIL, Hunters, Public / Private Land shooting is a different story, in the context of a crowded range with a number of new shooters the blanket rule should read somewhat like: Shooter should be settled at the final shooting position for the active target with at least the target somewhere in the picture.

Newer and experienced shooters tend to "hunt" more for targets out in the West simply due to the terrain these events are held at. Scanning/shifting/ ect with the gun hot happens a lot more out here and you can't expect everyone to have the same level of discipline.

People that shoot a lot on square ranges are the first to flag the shit out of the masses when they show up for their semestral/yearly match.

I don't mean this to be a rant but i think it should be called out especially considering that the venues these matches are held at (especially in the West) have the actual physical addresses of the middle of fucking nowhere and hardly anyone carries trauma kits or a sat phone with the notable exceptions of the more organized events (NRL / 2 Day PRS/ NF ELR / CD ect ...

First of all, I commend you for posting this for constructive criticism. Kudos for that. I’d be mindful of the 45° degree rule. Some matches have stages 90° to one another. It was hard to tell on the first stage but looked like a few transitions could’ve been iffy. Rifle off the bag and straight back pointed down range to the next position. Always try to err on the side of safety even if it does cost a few extra seconds.

Rob01 said:

Only place I have seen "sky loading" called is NRL22 matches.

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You should have seen this russian dude at quantico a few months back. He would chamber a round before he was even in position. I mentioned that would be a warning and DQ at some ranges and is SUPER unsafe, asking him if he could wait till he is on the target before chambering a round. He told me "This is how I have always shot matches, no one ever said anything and I have been doing it for years". Oh and he finished last in the squad and probably bottom 25% of the match.

Its a saftey issue more than anything IMO. I don't want to RO next to some clown who is still moving with a chambered round and a hair trigger.

Folks get warned and DQ'd in NRL Hunter matches for sky loading. I've seen it happen in every match from Utah to Oklahoma.

Rob01 said:

I was getting guys calling me for sky bolting at a NRL22 match in TN when moving down a ladder the rifle would be put through and on the bag and down range and I drop bolt as I drop on rifle behind scope. That’s BS.

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This is exactly what's happening in NRL Hunter. If your eye is not behind the scope you're getting warned or a stage DQ. I will say, though, that NRL Hunter has a ton of 'hunters' who've never shot competitions and they have a tough time not sky loading.

Honest question…. If you’re chambering a round and it sticks, you pull your head up slightly to see wtf is happening, finish chambering and put your head back down. Is that a warning or DQ situation?

Around the 4:11 mark on the video… I know I’ve done this as well

You keep your gun downrange while troubleshooting... no problem there. My suggestion is in light of the risk that someone without muzzle discipline could pose if they are trying to beat the clock with a hot gun.

Rob01 said:

Hell no. That’s not safe. I am talking about being in position and rifle down range but just not behind scope. Definitely not about chambering before in position or moving with chambered round. That’s just stupid. I was getting guys calling me for sky bolting at a NRL22 match in TN when moving down a ladder the rifle would be put through and on the bag and down range and I drop bolt as I drop on rifle behind scope. That’s BS.

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Yea man it was awkward trying to ask him to be safe and basically being told to F off lol.

Ideally it would be nice if people waited to aquire target in scope before chambering a round. It's a good habit and most of the top shooters do this. Saves you from an ND. As long as people aren't moving or breaking position with a chambered round, you kinda got to leave some flexibility IMO. Especially with newer shooters who are already task saturated and trying to find a target on the clock.

Mr. F said:

Most of the NDs I've personally witnessed at matches have been with the gun pointed down range while the shooter is already at his/her shooting position.

It might not be in the rules but i consider closing the bolt on a round while your gun is down, and your chin is still above your scope as you scan for landmarks and at the same time finish settling into your final position, unsafe on a crowded range.

LE, MIL, Hunters, Public / Private Land shooting is a different story, in the context of a crowded range with a number of new shooters the blanket rule should read somewhat like: Shooter should be settled at the final shooting position for the active target with at least the target somewhere in the picture.

Newer and experienced shooters tend to "hunt" more for targets out in the West simply due to the terrain these events are held at. Scanning/shifting/ ect with the gun hot happens a lot more out here and you can't expect everyone to have the same level of discipline.

People that shoot a lot on square ranges are the first to flag the shit out of the masses when they show up for their semestral/yearly match.

I don't mean this to be a rant but i think it should be called out especially considering that the venues these matches are held at (especially in the West) have the actual physical addresses of the middle of fucking nowhere and hardly anyone carries trauma kits or a sat phone with the notable exceptions of the more organized events (NRL / 2 Day PRS/ NF ELR / CD ect ...

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After some thought, I think my initial reaction was wrong. And probably a product of shooting in one area where this definition of "sky loading" isn't really enforced. Inertia and lack of reflection on my part, I guess.

Anyways, I can appreciate what you're saying here. In precision rifle events, we treat the bolt handle as the safety on a bolt gun.

If I were hunting with a loaded rifle (bolt closed on a round in the chamber, safety on), I wouldn't take the safety until I was on glass with an animal in the sight picture. And when I shoot a gas gun, the safety is on right up until I have the target in the sights and am ready to take a shot.

So if the bolt handle is used as the safety in competition (since we don't move with loaded bolt guns and the actual safety is hard for an RO to see), the bolt should stay open until the sights are aligned on the target. Period.

And closing the bolt early should be treated the same as taking the safety off early on a gas gun.

Tx_Aggie said:

If I were hunting with a loaded rifle ..., I wouldn't take the safety until I was on glass with an animal in the sight picture.

So if the bolt handle is used as the safety in competition ,,,, the bolt should stay open until the sights are aligned on the target.

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I'm going to need to remember those two statements when I hear someone complaining about skyloading. Perfect.

You should not close the bolt until the target is acquired and your ready to engage the plate when shooting PRS

Rob01 said:

Yup same here. Only in NRL22 did I see guys crying about it. Closing bolt with rifle not down range as in up or down isn’t something that should be allowed but once you put it up on a prop and close the bolt and get behind rifle then that is not “sky bolting” but they call it anyways. Must be a new rule since the sports have gone to being called the barricade benchrest and guys using 4-8 ounce triggers. Mine are all over a pound so I am not worried about slam fires.

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A well made trigger should not slam fire no matter how light it is set if it is set within its designed limits. In IHMSA we use 2.5 ounce triggers and they Must pass a drop test. Should the sear release during said test, the shooter won't be DQ's but that handgun will not allowed in the match. I have three XP-100's, all with Del Taylor triggers, the heaviest is set at 3oz and they are as reliable as the hate in a democrat towards firearms.)

If ro’s are going to call “sky loading” as a stage dq based on their own interpretation what that means, then NRL and PRS should address it by rule. (By not addressing it, maybe they have actually addressed it and people should recognize that???)

Sky loading is closing the bolt with the gun in the air to me (ahem, “SKY loading”). If you’re behind the scope and close the bolt on target, that’s not skyloading even if you subsequently adjust your cheek weld. But some people, even in this thread, view the latter as skyloading. It isn’t in the NRL or PRS rules, which govern movement and transitions between targets (good rules, well-vetted). Subjectivity is the bane of objective scoring, so define it and remove the subjectivity as best as possible.

1. It’s not hard to not sky load.

2. It can save you from a DQ

3. It can save a range from getting shut down.

4. You have to draw a clear observable delineation between what is and isn’t sky loading. Eyes behind glass is as clear as it gets.

I see no problem with requiring it, it just makes sense. If you need to sky load to beat par time, you’re doing it wrong.

1911Shootist said:

4. You have to draw a clear observable delineation between what is and isn’t sky loading. Eyes behind glass is as clear as it gets.

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Ummm….a person can sky load while looking through the scope.

Go watch someone that’s new to shooting a scoped rifle, try to shoot multiple targets in a hurry, if you don’t believe me.

Agree on all your other points.

Absolutely zero reason to close a bolt unless you have your crosshairs on the plate you are planning to engage.

If you are timing out and think that sky loading will save you time…you are doing it wrong.

The integrity of the sport is more important than the individual.

There isn’t a single benefit to sky loading and all negative consequences to shooter/range/league…pretty simple to see the correct path.

Some actions can be too stiff to operate while maintaining a cheek weld (in my experience Savage actions can get sticky in dusty conditions). Ultimately, it is important to make sure your rifle is pointed in a safe direction and your finger is off the trigger until you're ready to fire.

I RO several matches a year in the midwest and the expectation is that you've found the target and are in glass before the bolt is closed. I might let it slide if you're looking over the top of the scope at the target and close the bolt, depending on the situation. I suppose these might be range rules and not PRS rules, but it's just the way things have always been done around here.


Coming off the rifle to dick with a turret or adjust a bag without opening the bolt will get you a polite request to do so and shooters have always been quick to comply. Picking your rifle up to change positions with the bolt closed on a spent round will also get you a polite request.

Chambering a live round and then picking your rifle up will get you yelled at with a DQ on the way if you don't correct the situation immediately.

Sorry to bring this back, but I am just trying to better understand sky loading. I’m all about being safe with firearms so if it makes sense I’m all for it.

I’m also not trying to be an asshole, but which of the universal gun safety rules is someone breaking by sky loading? You could argue muzzle awareness, but they should be oriented down range anyway. Again, going back to them breaking one of the four if something were to happen.

Then you have props like shooting from ropes or beams suspended from ropes or chains. No way you are on target when you manipulate the bolt to chamber a round.

I’ve also seen people shooting from tank traps and t posts that have their rifle slide off. And good on them, they kept it from hitting the ground and by following the 4 rules, nothing happened. How does sky loading fit into that?

Is ANYTHING with a Glock sky loading?

I’d just never heard of sky loading until I started shooting PRS matches, and even then I didn’t hear about it until the last few years.

It’s one thing to say “hey it’s the rules, do it.” Which at that point there’s no debate. But is it safer? They’d have to be breaking one of the universal 4 to have a safety incident, which at that point does it matter if they sky loaded or not?

Again, not trying to be a dick. I just want to know.

Yankee88 said:

Sorry to bring this back, but I am just trying to better understand sky loading. I’m all about being safe with firearms so if it makes sense I’m all for it.

I’m also not trying to be an asshole, but which of the universal gun safety rules is someone breaking by sky loading? You could argue muzzle awareness, but they should be oriented down range anyway. Again, going back to them breaking one of the four if something were to happen.

Then you have props like shooting from ropes or beams suspended from ropes or chains. No way you are on target when you manipulate the bolt to chamber a round.

I’ve also seen people shooting from tank traps and t posts that have their rifle slide off. And good on them, they kept it from hitting the ground and by following the 4 rules, nothing happened. How does sky loading fit into that?

Is ANYTHING with a Glock sky loading?

I’d just never heard of sky loading until I started shooting PRS matches, and even then I didn’t hear about it until the last few years.

It’s one thing to say “hey it’s the rules, do it.” Which at that point there’s no debate. But is it safer? They’d have to be breaking one of the universal 4 to have a safety incident, which at that point does it matter if they sky loaded or not?

Again, not trying to be a dick. I just want to know.

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Prolly because if youre shooting beyond the target (think nd) with a high powered rifle, you have no idea where that bullet will impact which is one of the universal rules of shooting. Kinda like pointing your rifle straight up and shooting... that’s how I interpret it anyways..

Yankee88 said:

Sorry to bring this back, but I am just trying to better understand sky loading. I’m all about being safe with firearms so if it makes sense I’m all for it.

I’m also not trying to be an asshole, but which of the universal gun safety rules is someone breaking by sky loading? You could argue muzzle awareness, but they should be oriented down range anyway. Again, going back to them breaking one of the four if something were to happen.

Then you have props like shooting from ropes or beams suspended from ropes or chains. No way you are on target when you manipulate the bolt to chamber a round.

I’ve also seen people shooting from tank traps and t posts that have their rifle slide off. And good on them, they kept it from hitting the ground and by following the 4 rules, nothing happened. How does sky loading fit into that?

Is ANYTHING with a Glock sky loading?

I’d just never heard of sky loading until I started shooting PRS matches, and even then I didn’t hear about it until the last few years.

It’s one thing to say “hey it’s the rules, do it.” Which at that point there’s no debate. But is it safer? They’d have to be breaking one of the universal 4 to have a safety incident, which at that point does it matter if they sky loaded or not?

Again, not trying to be a dick. I just want to know.

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If you sky load and then have an ND or AD with your muzzle pointed over the berm, backstop, hill, or whatever else it is, can you guarantee that bullet isn't going to strike something 3 miles down range you don't want it to? The answer is no, you can't.

So unless you're using the safety on a bolt gun, which no one in the PRS is doing, the reason for not waving a rifle that's ready to fire around in the air should be pretty self explanatory.

Not trying to be a dick either, I just can't possibly imagine any argument in favor of chambering a live round with the muzzle pointed into the great unknown.

Yankee88 said:

Sorry to bring this back, but I am just trying to better understand sky loading. I’m all about being safe with firearms so if it makes sense I’m all for it.

I’m also not trying to be an asshole, but which of the universal gun safety rules is someone breaking by sky loading? You could argue muzzle awareness, but they should be oriented down range anyway. Again, going back to them breaking one of the four if something were to happen.

Then you have props like shooting from ropes or beams suspended from ropes or chains. No way you are on target when you manipulate the bolt to chamber a round.

I’ve also seen people shooting from tank traps and t posts that have their rifle slide off. And good on them, they kept it from hitting the ground and by following the 4 rules, nothing happened. How does sky loading fit into that?

Is ANYTHING with a Glock sky loading?

I’d just never heard of sky loading until I started shooting PRS matches, and even then I didn’t hear about it until the last few years.

It’s one thing to say “hey it’s the rules, do it.” Which at that point there’s no debate. But is it safer? They’d have to be breaking one of the universal 4 to have a safety incident, which at that point does it matter if they sky loaded or not?

Again, not trying to be a dick. I just want to know.

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The basic safety rules are the absolute bare minimum.

There’s literally no way you can argue that not chambering a round until your sights are on target isn’t absolutely safer than having a round chambered with the muzzle pointing in different directions.

You can’t even devil’s advocate against that logic.

Whytry85 said:

Prolly because if youre shooting beyond the target (think nd) with a high powered rifle, you have no idea where that bullet will impact which is one of the universal rules of shooting. Kinda like pointing your rifle straight up and shooting... that’s how I interpret it anyways..

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But that’s still breaking the universal rules. See what I mean?

Ksracer said:

Not trying to be a dick either, I just can't possibly imagine any argument in favor of chambering a live round with the muzzle pointed into the great unknown.

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It’s literally impossible to logic this any way that empty chamber isn’t more safe than not.

Rio Precision Gunworks said:

The basic safety rules are the absolute bare minimum.

There’s literally no way you can argue that not chambering a round until your sights are on target isn’t absolutely safer than having a round chambered with the muzzle pointing in different directions.

You can’t even devil’s advocate against that logic.

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What are your thoughts on shooting from suspended props?

Yankee88 said:

But that’s still breaking the universal rules. See what I mean?

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I do. Which is why I answered your question of “which of the universal gun safety rules is someone breaking by sky loading?”. It’s an added safety measure. No different than chamber flags and bolt back/mags dropped after stages. No bullet/no bang.

Rio Precision Gunworks said:

It’s literally impossible to logic this any way that empty chamber isn’t more safe than not.

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Beat me to it..

Yankee88 said:

What are your thoughts on shooting from suspended props?

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If the wobble is larger than the target/berm, IMO, that is not safe.

I have personally declined to shoot stages in local matches that I don’t believe are safe.

Guess I phrased that wrong, of course an unloaded gun is safer than a loaded one. Again, I’m all for safety if it makes sense, especially if it’s just a match.

I fail to see how not sky loading doesn’t make sense.

While we are on the subject, it's a good time to bring this up....expecially for newer and/or less experienced shooters when it comes to positional shooting and such.....

If at anytime during a match or practice or anything.....if your wobble, be it due to your own fundamentals or the prop....or whatever else....so so much so that you might not be able to account for that round.....don't take the shot/s. Just because a stage or prop is in a match, doesn't mean it's safe by default. And just because your personal ability doesn't allow you to make a shot.....also doesn't mean the stage/prop is unsafe by default.

You may find yourself being require to use something like a rope/chain/550 cord as a front rest. You may not be very versed in building the proper position (far different than just putting a bag on a prop and balancing the rifle). However, other shooters my be experienced enough that they are able to clean or very close to clean the stage. If you find your wobble is outside of the safe impact area (berm, etc).....don't be afraid to either shoot very few shots or no shots at all. You're still responsible for those rounds you are sending.

Same goes for anyone who is RO'ing a stage. If you can't account for a shooter's rounds and feel they are missing the berm/impact area.....don't be afraid to stop them. Its far better to either start them back from where you stopped them, start them over, zero them, or even DQ someone than to continue to let rounds be fired that may be leaving the impact area.


It's getting fairly rare now for MD's to have props that are unstable enough for this to be an issue, but still needs to be a consideration for shooters as well as ROs. Same goes for when a shooter might have an extra rev dialed in or something wrong with their rifle. If at any point the shooter or the RO can't account for the rounds.....just stop and reassess.

Not accounting for rounds is essentially the same as sky loading (its actually worse since a round has actually been fired) and it's very important to be aware of.

A simple explanation as to why not. Go to an old range with a tin roof over the firing line. Count how many holes are in the roof. Enough Said.

Rio Precision Gunworks said:

While we are on the subject, it's a good time to bring this up....expecially for newer and/or less experienced shooters when it comes to positional shooting and such.....

If at anytime during a match or practice or anything.....if your wobble, be it due to your own fundamentals or the prop....or whatever else....so so much so that you might not be able to account for that round.....don't take the shot/s. Just because a stage or prop is in a match, doesn't mean it's safe by default. And just because your personal ability doesn't allow you to make a shot.....also doesn't mean the stage/prop is unsafe by default.

You may find yourself being require to use something like a rope/chain/550 cord as a front rest. You may not be very versed in building the proper position (far different than just putting a bag on a prop and balancing the rifle). However, other shooters my be experienced enough that they are able to clean or very close to clean the stage. If you find your wobble is outside of the safe impact area (berm, etc).....don't be afraid to either shoot very few shots or no shots at all. You're still responsible for those rounds you are sending.

Same goes for anyone who is RO'ing a stage. If you can't account for a shooter's rounds and feel they are missing the berm/impact area.....don't be afraid to stop them. Its far better to either start them back from where you stopped them, start them over, zero them, or even DQ someone than to continue to let rounds be fired that may be leaving the impact area.


It's getting fairly rare now for MD's to have props that are unstable enough for this to be an issue, but still needs to be a consideration for shooters as well as ROs. Same goes for when a shooter might have an extra rev dialed in or something wrong with their rifle. If at any point the shooter or the RO can't account for the rounds.....just stop and reassess.

Not accounting for rounds is essentially the same as sky loading (its actually worse since a round has actually been fired) and it's very important to be aware of.

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Well said. Bottom line: we are responsible for every round that leaves our barrel until it comes to a stop.

Yankee88 said:

Sorry to bring this back, but I am just trying to better understand sky loading. I’m all about being safe with firearms so if it makes sense I’m all for it.

I’m also not trying to be an asshole, but which of the universal gun safety rules is someone breaking by sky loading? You could argue muzzle awareness, but they should be oriented down range anyway. Again, going back to them breaking one of the four if something were to happen.

Then you have props like shooting from ropes or beams suspended from ropes or chains. No way you are on target when you manipulate the bolt to chamber a round.

I’ve also seen people shooting from tank traps and t posts that have their rifle slide off. And good on them, they kept it from hitting the ground and by following the 4 rules, nothing happened. How does sky loading fit into that?

Is ANYTHING with a Glock sky loading?

I’d just never heard of sky loading until I started shooting PRS matches, and even then I didn’t hear about it until the last few years.

It’s one thing to say “hey it’s the rules, do it.” Which at that point there’s no debate. But is it safer? They’d have to be breaking one of the universal 4 to have a safety incident, which at that point does it matter if they sky loaded or not?

Again, not trying to be a dick. I just want to know.

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I’ve personally watched a jersey shooter ND on a stage. Dude shoots a lot of rounds every year…it happens. Let’s say he was sky loading on that stage and sent the bullet over the trees into a kid playing in a yard.

That ruins several lives and destroys one. And it changes our game forever.

No skyloading. It’s not even debatable. End of story.

Doesn’t matter if it breaks one of the 4. They aren’t the end all be all anyway. There are at least another 50 rules to gun safety…

I wish you people would just stop trying to justify it or come up with devils advocate situations. It’s plan ignorant. Sky loading is not as safe as closing your bolt when on target. Period.