Thinking of doing a "Backyard PRS Style Match"

[Downeast]

I'm thinking of inviting some friends over for an ad hoc PRS style match. I have a 800 yard range (1,000 if the creek doesn't rise) with steel targets (12 X 18) set at 200 yard increments. My question is what would be a simple (i.e., cheap) course of fire/number of stages? I've never attended a formal match, and the nearest is a bit over 3 hours away. I have more steel of various sizes available if needed. Scoring is by number of hits with a time limit I guess?

Last year we had an FU Class match and it was a lot of fun. It was at 600 yards, 10 shots in 15 minutes at a standard black F Class target. There were no sighters and since you couldn't see the holes and no one was stupid enough to stand downrange and mark targets it was quite a challenge, hence the name FU Class. The kid next door won it with a stock Ruger RPR in 6.5 Cm. He got 8 out of 10 shots in the 10 ring (6 X's) and 2 in the 9 ring. All without seeing one bullet hole.

So, any helpful hints as to constructing simple stages (how many?) and other PRS style info would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, I'm located in SE NC so if anyone is close you are welcome to join in the fun (???)

 

[Dave Marshall]

There are loads of PRS videos on YouTube. It’s a very diverse, flexible discipline so there aren’t many definitive answers to your questions. You’re really only limited by your range facility and your imagination.

 

[Downeast]

That's where I've been researching mostly is youtube. Most of the videos are guys shooting to music. I guess I could dig around in the attic and see if I still have a 1980's "boom" box.

What they lack are size of targets, plans for stages, strings of fire, time, etc. They are great entertainment but lacking in basic information. For instance, I have 4 inch targets hanging at 400 yards. That's 1 moa! Would that be a realistic stage for the average shooter? Most likely not. I guess your right Dave, the best thing to do is just "wing it" and have fun.

 

[Knotwild]

What a great idea. Since it is in your backyard, you get to make the rules. My Dad once invited everyone to the river for a raft race. Everyone was in the water and racing.

He just didn't tell anyone the real race wasn't in the river, it was on the dock with a board game he had made himself.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

That's where I've been researching mostly is youtube. Most of the videos are guys shooting to music. I guess I could dig around in the attic and see if I still have a 1980's "boom" box.

What they lack are size of targets, plans for stages, strings of fire, time, etc. They are great entertainment but lacking in basic information. For instance, I have 4 inch targets hanging at 400 yards. That's 1 moa! Would that be a realistic stage for the average shooter? Most likely not. I guess your right Dave, the best thing to do is just "wing it" and have fun.

That 4” target gets a bit tougher shooting from a rope strung between 2 posts chest high. Thats what you gotta think of. Or one 4x4 post 8” high with nothing on it for a rest- think tree rest shooting squirrels

 

[Delfuego]

2 to 3 MOA is the average size for targets and a good place to start. We usually run 10 round stages at 2 minutes (or 90 seconds). You can setup stages with 2-5 pieces of steel and re-engage (2 shots, then engage next target). Some stages will only have one target and multiple shooting positions (PRS barricade for example). I have old match books that outline the stages.

I would seriously reach out to some experienced PRS/NRL guys in your area. They will be a ton of help getting you started. I would also shoot a local match to get a better understanding.

 

[pirate ammo]

Ge

Most of the videos are guys shooting to music

t some Def Leopard and Scorpions to listen to.

 

[Milo 2.0]

If you are not into driving the 3 hrs to shoot a match, which most are not geared for novices, even though someone has to start somewhere, find your props you may want to incorporate, build a wood barricade, grab some 55 gal drums, maybe a cable spool, upright or tipped, etc... Then set some steel and shoot it, both in wind and calm conditions, the wind can become a 2nd dimension.
Make some choices, we set up impromptu crap all the time and have some fun all the time, as range owner, you cannot tailor make it for yourself, lol, which does happen here at times.
Your 12x18 plates are more than generous prone or from a bench to 800, even 1k, but those same plates positional at 3-500 become way more difficult. Smaller plate prone stages, bigger per difficulty factor.
Time yourself, it will not be much fun if 60% of the shooters time out on most stages, so set par times according to the skill levels of individuals you invite.
8 stages first go would be awesome, you can shoot the same coarse prone with tight times, then add a prop and more time, 2 in 1.
A guy has to be proactive in scoring also, just say you have 70 possible points, you can't have an average score of 60, with the winner scoring 69 and 4 tied for 2nd place with 68, nor can the winner get 25 points with an average of 10, you want to do this again. Everyone needs to have fun, and all need to walk away with things to improve on, adjust the coarse of fire next match.

We frequent a range where you shoot downhill to 300 yards, with a creek at 290, then it finally evens back out around 900, but we do an AR 15 shoot where we set headbanger targets, body 12x16", with 6x9" flopable heads, a couple off hand ones at 100-150, then the majority from 250 to 325 yards, with some in the creek, only heads visible. Sometimes we incorporate a Texas star offhand at 50 yards, or a dueling tree at 100 with 4" plates. It gives each guy an opportunity to game the coarse, go quick with a red dot, which gets tough at 325, or use a high mag scope for pinpoint accuracy but tougher offhand, or show up with a 1-6 power optic. We shoot it twice, best score and time wins. No one has ever walked away from that shoot disgruntled.
Your possibilities are endless, which was the point of my last paragraph, have some fun with it!

 

[Downeast]

Thank you everyone! This is what I need and what a great site indeed!

 

[NV_Dmax]

Check out the Nrl22 website. I run the NRL22 rimfire match here in my hometown and they have the course of fire for their rimfire matches that you can download. that is a great place to start as it’s designed aound simplicity. you can just scale up their designto centerfire. one thing I try to do is make 1 brutal stage and 1 easy stage and the rest challenging but doable. i had a match with a bumch of easy stages and it was rather boring. people seem to enjoy the challenge.

you can shoot from just about anything as long as the shooter can control the rifle; wire spools, liquid container drums, various sized tires, posts with horizontal dowels, rocking chairs, cars, unsupported prone, offhand, weakside/strongside....your imagination is truly the limit.

Targets should be 1-3 MOA. You can go smaller for prone supported stages.

 

[R.Morehouse]

Have a waver for the shooters to sign.......C.Y.A. ...........

Regards
Rick

 

[Downeast]

I had an attorney friend of mine type up a waver for me.

 

[300_whisper]

Think of crazy shooting positions, having a field of targets but you can only engage a certain type, shoot off saw horses, 4x4 fence post, stacked rail road ties, shooting your rifle turned 90 degrees sideway so your windage is now your elevation, shoot 1000 first, then 500, then 250 then back up, known distance targets, unknown distance, the possibilities are endless.

 

[300_whisper]

Paint targets red, green, yellow, white black and set at 300 yards. Give them 1 minute to memorize the target firing sequence. You have to engage the targets in a certain order.

Also, know your limits, set up targets in line at 100 yards. You shoot largest to smallest targets. For every hit it’s a point, and if you miss you get no points. So it’s up to the shooter to decide if he keeps moving to the smaller target or just take the points they scored.

 

[Forward543]

Find a balance of stressors in you stages. If you have tiny targets (.3or .4 mil) make more stable positions with 2 minutes. Close and generous targets? (.6 to 1 mil) Make a boat load of position switching, with short time. Common stages are:
5 position,1-2 targets, 90 sec- 2 minutes depending on size of target and positions
3 position, 3-4 targets 90 sec - 120 sec depending on difficulty
1 position 3-5 targets with altered engagement.
Pro level shooters should get 80-90% for the match
Mid level 50%-70%
Entry 20%+
If any stage averages below 50% hits it should be redesigned for next time. Knowing your shooters ability and being meticulous about cof will make the matches better.

Attending matches, checking out nrl 22, and thinking out your cof will go a long ways. Go shoot one match somewhere else and it will make way more sense, but recognize not all matches have a good cof.
Good luck.

 

[Sheldon N]

Spend some time watching the National Rifle League channel on YouTube. They have videos of all their major matches and have detailed stage breakdowns with explanations and then you get to see how a shooter tackles it. Watch a couple dozen of those and you’ll have a good idea of how to set up your match.

 

[Hoodoo]

The great thing with having that many steel plates, is you can reuse the same plates by just changing positions. Here's an example of your "typical" stage at a match.

Stage 1: Barricade - 8 Shots, 2 Minutes time limit.

Shoot 2 shots from each position at 600 yard plate. (Kneeling from left post, standing from left post, standing from right post, kneeling from right post)

Stage 2 : Wire Wheel - 8 Shots, 2 Minutes time Limit.

2 Shots from each position on 600 yard plate. 2 Shots from under wheel (prone) 2 shots on middle of wheel, 2 shots from left top of wheel, 2 shots from right top of wheel. (This is assuming the wire wheel is in it's standard position, not laying on its end.)


Here's another common stage, which would work great for your range. This is typically done with little positional movement.

Stage 3 : Know your Turrets - 10 Shots, 2 minutes 30 seconds time Limit.

From on top of the wire spool (Flipped on it's end, so your shooting semi prone across the top) take 1 shot at each target in the following order.
Target A : 400 yards
Target B : 500 yards
Target C : 600 yards
Target D : 700 yards
Target E : 800 yards

Now reverse order with 1 round each. (Keep in mind you would shoot Target E twice in a row.)


Something like that would be a blast, especially if there are 4 or 5 guys, you could come up with endless stages, just keep throwing out different targets, more advanced positions etc as you get more comfertable. You can do alot of different options with only a handful of plates depending on what you have to shoot off of. Make one stage shooting off a pickup. 2 shots from front bumper, 2 shots through a back window, 2 shots prone underneath, 2 shots from back bumper etc.

 

[bobcat93]

Are you completely crazy or just single?..inviting this Motley Crue to your house hahaha...
Sounds like a great excuse to grill a bunch of food, burn through some ammo and have a great time meeting new people with a common goal.
Damn..if i wasnt a hermit and had social skills i could of thought of that..
Hahaha...love it..ive been to an event like this at another forum. Plinking rimfire and cook out
We had a blast every one treated the hosts property like it was there own.it felt special
It was a beautiful day.
If you have the space, and the courage i bet you wont regret hostsing a little private event..

 

[xswanted]

Some general rules when considering stage setup for PRS style shooting:

1) If the stage is heavy on movement it most likely should not be heavy on targets. I.e if you have a 10 position stage, most likely you’ll have one target. Or if you have a five position stage, two targets per position is common.

2) If the stage is from a prone position, then as many targets as applicable could be used. Typical no more than 10 or 12.

3) Props (the things you shoot from) should be stable and support the weight of the rifle. The “rope tied between posts” is a terrible idea from a safety standpoint. Many MDs want their match unique and fail to realize how unskilled some of the competitors may be and create unsafe or overly complicated props. A prop should be stable enough to support the weight of a properly balanced rifle with very little or no input from the shooter. If you want the match more difficult increase movement or decrease target size.

4) Par time for stages should be the same throughout. Don’t have multiple different par times for your stages.

5) Scoring should be consistent throughout. 1 point per impact or 10 points per impact. Don’t use equations to figure out how many points you can lose or gain. Hit the target, get points.

6) stage descriptions need to be AS SIMPLE as possible. Find the dumbest and smartest person you know and have them read the COF to see how they interpret it. For example…….

Simple: assume we are using a large wire spool for the prop that is parallel to the shooting line. Positions are top of the right wheel, center and top of the left wheel. Targets are 8” at 400 yards, 10” at 600 yards and 12” at 700 yards.

Shooter will begin standing with all gear in hand, rifle at the high ready, mag in bolt back. On the command to engage, shooter will advance to the spool, build a position one of the three available options and engage targets near to far with one shot each. Repeat this sequence for the remaining two positions.

This gives the shooter the option to pick where they start on the prop, states how to start, and specifies a target engagement order.


Not simple:

Shooter will shoot the three steel targets from each of the three positions on the spool. The shooter must shoot the targets from the close one first from each position.

This example isn’t overly concise or specific. It also doesn’t specify a target order other than the first shot.


Dont make stages overly complicated to start, you want people to hit targets. Some MDs have the idea they don’t want the shooters to hit many shots, which is silly.

You don’t want people coming in and cleaning the whole thing and you don’t want people coming in and hitting 50% or worse on very stage.

It’s a lot of fun and addictive to do.

 

[kojaone]

Make it fun. NRL and PRS.take to much $ gear.Start out simple,prone,one bag and a bipod.Old and young ones can use a benchSomething like Cortina's 500 yd KYL challenge,stretch it out to 1000 yds,like the Texas plinking fellow.Ernie Bishop's Wy-Shot is simple and fun,Handguns only ,bag and a bipod, 5 different stages, each stage is 200yds - 1400 yds and you have to walk a fair piece also.