How do you practice for PRS?

[308pirate]

I use a tiered approach:

Dryfire
Rimfire (air gun probably similar)
Centerfire

Yep

Hell I was doing that when I was shooting service rifle about 20 years ago.

I made 6 moa black circles on 3x5 cards and placed them at 10 yards in my basement. I'd suit up and either practiced individual skills (like getting into position), build offhand endurance, or even simulate shooting a complete match.

I also bought a Compass Lake 22 service rifle upper. In many ways highpower was way ahead of the curve with developments like heavy .224 bullets, 6.5 amd 6 mm match cartridges (David Tubb, Joe Hendricks, Dennis DeMille, and Dave Emary), and heavy use of rimfire trainers.

 

[PracticalTactical]

Here's a simple point that shooting an air rifle has helped me to reinforce... The effect of cant.

We all know canting a rifle will throw the shot left or right, but you will not get that feedback from dry firing alone.

The air gun clearly throws the shot when canted so it provides a feedback mechanism that you will not get from dry firing alone.

 

[Dthomas3523]

......except that you can train not to cant the rifle without live fire.

Next terrible example.

 

[BLKWLFK9]

You can gain a ton from not even pulling a trigger. Building positions under time is critical. Hell, you can remove your trigger from your rifle and become a better shooter. Build the position, break position, build position, break position. If you can build a position from scratch and get your reticle on target under 10 seconds, youre ahead of the game. Target acquisition eats up more time than anything. You dont need recoil to improve there.

 

[deersniper]

People who've never competed have this unrealistically low idea of how much work it takes to be competitive even at the local level.

That’s why I’m glad I started comps.

Cuts you down to size
Gives you incentive to get better
Gives you goals
Sorts your gear/routine / technique / etc in ways nothing else can

 

[Trever]

Practice??? I practice at next match I do not recommend

 

[Albrecht 65!]

I’ve been reluctant , but I think you have to dry fire ….

 

[ECK]

I used to suck really bad. I still suck, but I’m starting to see improvement where I suck a little less. Things that helped me:

1. Find a shooting buddy who is also trying to improve. Misery loves company.
2. Shoot more matches. It wasn’t until I started NRL22 that I started to see improvement because I was shooting more and learning how to manage the different positions.
3. Practice 1-2 X a week if you can, rimfire if you‘re retired and on a budget like me.
4. Work on getting into position, finding your target and getting first shot off in <15 secs. Start from standing w/ gear in hand like you do at a match. Do it off a barricade, tire(s), tank trap, cinder blocks, ladders, whatever you have. More awkward the better. Do it from standing, kneeling, prone.
5. Learn how you need to position your body in the different positions so you don’t have to change it up on the clock.
6. LOWER YOUR DAMN MAGNIFICATION. Ask me how I learned that.
7. REMEMBER TO LOAD YOUR GUN before the buzzer goes off. See above
8. Picked this up from one of the Burris sponsored shooters: DIAL your dope, find the TARGET in the scope, close the BOLT, then SHOOT. I have those four words written on a piece of tape on my stock to remind me.
9. Keep a range/match diary. Write down stuff like kneeling behind a single truck tire is for young rubber people, prone is better even tho it takes longer to get down and back up. Two tires stacked on top of each other is doable for a double knee yoga move. Standing with legs as wide a part is more stable than standing like a tin soldier. Feels gay, but whatev. A hit is a hit.
10. I used to time out on multiple position stages bc I was fiddle farting around with movement, taking too long to build each position, hunting for the target (sometimes shooting the wrong target). So I did #4 and #6 a lot in practice (dry and live) over and over again. Having #1 above also helps critique and remember: misery loves company.
11. Wind. Yeah… find somebody else to talk about wind. I suck at calling wind.
12. Learn to spot your misses so you can correct (I may suck at wind, but if I can spot my miss I can usually get shot #2 on target)
13. Get a Schmedium with heavy fill. Or make your own like I did at first and experiment with everything from airsoft pellts to rice, but then get a Schmedium.
14. Get good glass. Forget the rifle for now and the caliber debate. Get good glass with a reticle you like.
15. Go do something else that you’re decent at now and then. Makes you feel better about life and yourself (for me, I also shoot USPSA and am semi decent at it -at least at the local club level).

 

[Jeff Todd]

I'm really curious how many of you guys go about practicing for PRS competition.

I was speaking with a few of the top shooters at my last match and was told by one of them he shoots around 8,000 rounds a year in practice and another guy said he was well over double that. Well that's just great if you're rich but for the rest of us, we need a more affordable solution.

Myself, I have a variety of methods, each to focus on specific needs.

The first is motor skills. I have a 4x4 practice cactus in the basement and I shoot from 10 yards with a pretty good repeating PCP pellet rifle that closely replicates PRS style setup. The goal here is to develop stable shooting positions, work on transitions, speed and dialing the scope to simulate windage and elevation calls. I have graph paper targets where I always aim at one place but must dial the scope to hit elsewhere on the target to simulate long range shots.

The second goal is ballistic calibration. I do this from a bench with both 22LR and center fire. I start every practice day here and confirm that my muzzle velocity changes are tracking with temperature changes as well as ballistic drop data in my Garmin 701.

Third is firing from made up PRS style obstacles at close range, like no further than 200 yards. I do this at close range so I can eliminate wind call errors and focus on position and timing work. I don't want a wind call to distract from my position work and shooting.

The fourth stage is doing it like a match out to longer distances. Here I have to make wind calls and make sure ballistic data is right.

So... How do you guys do it?

Do you have any sort of structured approach to PRS practice?

 

[Jeff Todd]

I'm really curious how many of you guys go about practicing for PRS competition.

I was speaking with a few of the top shooters at my last match and was told by one of them he shoots around 8,000 rounds a year in practice and another guy said he was well over double that. Well that's just great if you're rich but for the rest of us, we need a more affordable solution.

Myself, I have a variety of methods, each to focus on specific needs.

The first is motor skills. I have a 4x4 practice cactus in the basement and I shoot from 10 yards with a pretty good repeating PCP pellet rifle that closely replicates PRS style setup. The goal here is to develop stable shooting positions, work on transitions, speed and dialing the scope to simulate windage and elevation calls. I have graph paper targets where I always aim at one place but must dial the scope to hit elsewhere on the target to simulate long range shots.

The second goal is ballistic calibration. I do this from a bench with both 22LR and center fire. I start every practice day here and confirm that my muzzle velocity changes are tracking with temperature changes as well as ballistic drop data in my Garmin 701.

Third is firing from made up PRS style obstacles at close range, like no further than 200 yards. I do this at close range so I can eliminate wind call errors and focus on position and timing work. I don't want a wind call to distract from my position work and shooting.

The fourth stage is doing it like a match out to longer distances. Here I have to make wind calls and make sure ballistic data is right.

So... How do you guys do it?

Do you have any sort of structured approach to PRS practice?

I shoot stages .. sometimes shooting exact stages in a previous match.. being member where club matches are have all the obstacles and targets are normally still out.. I’m not rich , but I’ve improved from sending rnds down range.. I dryfire too just to improve technique and wobble zones .. I started shooting the smallest targets too.. makes a 2 MOA target a snap.. I also like to practice using timer and 105 second times moving and changing distances.. mixing it up.. I average 1,000 rnds anmont.. this year

 

[mikeshaw2]

As I have looked to start shooting PRS matches it's become apparent to me that I'll never be competitive cause I can't shoot several hundred rounds a month for practice, with financially or even having the time to go shoot several times a week.

I'll have to shoot for fun mostly, as the practice schedule some of these guys maintain, is crazy

Get a .22 Try to mimic your big rifle as much as possible.

No, you're not going to get recoil management training, but ammo's cheap for .22s

I need to get XLR chassises for my CZs...

M

 

[CHRIS RINER]

I'm really curious how many of you guys go about practicing for PRS competition.

I was speaking with a few of the top shooters at my last match and was told by one of them he shoots around 8,000 rounds a year in practice and another guy said he was well over double that. Well that's just great if you're rich but for the rest of us, we need a more affordable solution.

Myself, I have a variety of methods, each to focus on specific needs.

The first is motor skills. I have a 4x4 practice cactus in the basement and I shoot from 10 yards with a pretty good repeating PCP pellet rifle that closely replicates PRS style setup. The goal here is to develop stable shooting positions, work on transitions, speed and dialing the scope to simulate windage and elevation calls. I have graph paper targets where I always aim at one place but must dial the scope to hit elsewhere on the target to simulate long range shots.

The second goal is ballistic calibration. I do this from a bench with both 22LR and center fire. I start every practice day here and confirm that my muzzle velocity changes are tracking with temperature changes as well as ballistic drop data in my Garmin 701.

Third is firing from made up PRS style obstacles at close range, like no further than 200 yards. I do this at close range so I can eliminate wind call errors and focus on position and timing work. I don't want a wind call to distract from my position work and shooting.

The fourth stage is doing it like a match out to longer distances. Here I have to make wind calls and make sure ballistic data is right.

So... How do you guys do it?

Do you have any sort of structured approach to PRS practice?

We leave our props at the range so I can go out to range and use the props. I will practice dry fire on them and live fire. I practice getting into positions better more so than even the shooting. I am fortunate that I can use the same range and same props for practice. I know some people that do stuff at home like with a ladder etc and do dry fire.

 

[Dirtrax]

I’ve yet to shoot PRS but I can say from my USPSA days ALWAYS shoot on the clock. Much if not most of what has been said previously is sound advice except for using matches as a primary training tool.

Everything you practice goes out the window until you learn to do it on the clock. So you can build a solid position, GREAT! How long did that take? Found your target? How long did that take?

In the beginning it’s not about beating the clock but rather understanding how much time actually passes. Write this shit down and see how much time you cut as you become comfortable with the process. Being able to quantify your progress with the tasks of preparing for the shot and improving on them gives you insight. Feeling like things are improving doesn’t cut it. Measure it or go home.

Buy and use a shot timer. It’s such a powerful tool. The biggest freak out most newbie’s have is not having a sense of time. I’m guessing that’s what a lot of folks are practicing by going to matches for practice whether they know it or not.

 

[Rio Precision Gunworks]

I’ve yet to shoot PRS but I can say from my USPSA days ALWAYS shoot on the clock. Much if not most of what has been said previously is sound advice except for using matches as a primary training tool.

Everything you practice goes out the window until you learn to do it on the clock. So you can build a solid position, GREAT! How long did that take? Found your target? How long did that take?

In the beginning it’s not about beating the clock but rather understanding how much time actually passes. Write this shit down and see how much time you cut as you become comfortable with the process. Being able to quantify your progress with the tasks of preparing for the shot and improving on them gives you insight. Feeling like things are improving doesn’t cut it. Measure it or go home.

Buy and use a shot timer. It’s such a powerful tool. The biggest freak out most newbie’s have is not having a sense of time. I’m guessing that’s what a lot of folks are practicing by going to matches for practice whether they know it or not.

The main reason people tend to use local matches as practice/training is the lack of a place to properly train with their rifle on props. And a lot of that is thinking you need 400yds or more to train for PRS.

A PRS barricade or similar, 100yds, and a shot timer will prepare you for 80% or more at matches.