Why doesn't PRS/NRL have a power factor like handgun competition?

Memberberries · Dec 11, 2024

There seems to be a lot of mixed feelings on PRS/NRL because it's turned into a niche game where rifles are 25-30lbs with ultra light recoiling rounds to where you can free-recoil off a barricade and spot your hit.

Handgun competition went through this a long time ago and in order to mitigate the issue they came up with power factor to force recoil management into the equation. Would it bring more diehards back in or drive people away to have a max weight and min muzzle energy for something similar to shooting in IPSC Majors but for rifles?

ma smith · Dec 11, 2024

PRS is an open-development class, not a "handicap" class shooting sport.

memilanuk · Dec 11, 2024

Why doesn't PRS/NRL have a power factor like handgun competition?

I thought that was what NRL Hunter was? Weight limits, min power factor requirement, blind stages, range on the clock, emphasis on 1st round hits, penalties for needing a second or third shot, rather than being "IPSC with a bolt gun".

jinxx4ever · Dec 11, 2024

NRL has both weight limits and power factor

jinxx4ever · Dec 11, 2024

NRL has open 12 & 16lb weight limit with a power factor of 380,000 (bullet x velocity) any mods you want to add, Factory class is 12lbs 380,000 power factor no modifications to rifle. Nice thing about NRL, no pop guns

Emerson0311 · Dec 11, 2024

jinxx4ever said:
NRL has open 12 & 16lb weight limit with a power factor of 380,000 (bullet x velocity) any mods you want to add, Factory class is 12lbs 380,000 power factor no modifications to rifle. Nice thing about NRL, no pop guns

2700fps with a 144 out of a 6.5CM is not too hard to do.

ma smith · Dec 11, 2024

Memberberries said:
Would it bring more diehards back in or drive people away to have a max weight and min muzzle energy...

PRS is a single-balance shooting sport. All the fudd guns in peoples closets are 2 point rest designs. There's really no amount of fudd logic that will make a 2pt rest rifle shoot well at 1pt of balance shooting.

Step 1 of growing PRS as a sport is increasing access of new shooters to rifles designed around 1-point of balance shooting, that don't cost min $3,000.

ma smith · Dec 11, 2024

Emerson0311 said:
2700fps with a 144 out of a 6.5CM is not too hard to do.

Short barreled hunting rifles aren't going to make power factor in NRL alot of the time. NRL finally got around to letting guys shoot box ammo even if it didn't make PF because the issue with guys hunting 18-20in bbls (or Tikkas, etc) and wanting to shoot 6.5cm but they were too slow to make PF.

All that is relevant for new shooters looking at "the cost of entry"...ie if they need to buy a $800 longer barrel or $1-2k for a bunch of reloading gear to make power factor thats ...its just another barrier to entry.

SD3Gunner · Dec 11, 2024

jinxx4ever said:
NRL has open 12 & 16lb weight limit with a power factor of 380,000 (bullet x velocity) any mods you want to add, Factory class is 12lbs 380,000 power factor no modifications to rifle. Nice thing about NRL, no pop guns

wrong. bullet wt times velocity divided by 1000. So a 107gr 6mm going 2840fps is 303.9 PF

memilanuk · Dec 11, 2024

SD3Gunner said:
wrong. bullet wt times velocity divided by 1000. So a 107gr 6mm going 2840fps is 303.9 PF

Looks like 6 mil is only allowed in Factory class, with some caveats:

c. There is no minimum Power Factor (PF) for the Factory division, however the Factory Division hunter’s PF will be used in the case of a tiebreaker. Factory rifles chambered in 6mm/.243 or greater, with a cartridge overall length of 2.700″ or greater (per SAAMI-ANSI Max cartridge length standards), with a maximum muzzle velocity of 3275, will be allowed only in the Factory Division.

Otherwise, both Open Light and Open Heavy have the same language regarding caliber / power factor:

b. Minimum Power Factor (PF) is 380,000. The Bullet Weight in (gr) multiplied by Muzzle Velocity in (fps). For example, 143 gr @ 2670 fps = 381,810 and makes the minimum. With a Muzzle Velocity maximum of 3275 fps 6mm with 115gr will not be able to make the minimum PF.

c. Use of factory sealed box ammunition, .264” (6.5mm) and 130gr or above, is not subject to meeting the PF requirement under this section, however PF will be used in the case of a tie.

jinxx4ever · Dec 11, 2024

memilanuk said:
Looks like 6 mil is only allowed in Factory class, with some caveats:

Otherwise, both Open Light and Open Heavy have the same language regarding caliber / power factor:

your right, i had forgotten about all the crying several years back about the 6mm/243 not being allowed because it wouldn't hit the power factor. Then they changed it

Emerson0311 · Dec 11, 2024

ma smith said:
Short barreled hunting rifles aren't going to make power factor in NRL alot of the time. NRL finally got around to letting guys shoot box ammo even if it didn't make PF because the issue with guys hunting 18-20in bbls (or Tikkas, etc) and wanting to shoot 6.5cm but they were too slow to make PF.

All that is relevant for new shooters looking at "the cost of entry"...ie if they need to buy a $800 longer barrel or $1-2k for a bunch of reloading gear to make power factor thats ...its just another barrier to entry.

The short barrel thing in milk toast cartridges is not a thing around here. Maybe a shortie 300 though. Hell, Tikka’s 6.5CM is 24”.

1911Shootist · Dec 12, 2024

I cut my hunting rifle down to 20”, and it’s a Tikka, lol. She’s slower than slow, but 143 ELDX will stay fast enough to go past my ethical range before velocity drops past published minimum for expansion.

My NRL Hunter rifle with a 24” Bartlein doesn’t make PF reliably with factory 140 ELDM or Sig 140 SMK ammo. I’m not too concerned about tie breakers, so it doesn’t bother me.

R_A_W · Dec 12, 2024

jinxx4ever said:
Nice thing about NRL, no pop guns

& PF as tie breaker offers incentive to bump up

SD3Gunner said:
wrong. bullet wt times velocity divided by 1000. So a 107gr 6mm going 2840fps is 303.9 PF

Why are you dividing by 1000? Did NRL Hunter change the rules or are we just making stuff up?

SD3Gunner · Dec 12, 2024

R_A_W said:
& PF as tie breaker offers incentive to bump up

Why are you dividing by 1000? Did NRL Hunter change the rules or are we just making stuff up?

i guess idk how NRL does it but uspsa and multigun you divide by 1000. and if you google how to determine bullet pf it will tell you the same thing...

memilanuk · Dec 12, 2024

SD3Gunner said:
idk how NRL does it but uspsa and multigun you divide by 1000

From the NRL Hunter rules (quoted above, too):

b. Minimum Power Factor (PF) is 380,000. The Bullet Weight in (gr) multiplied by Muzzle Velocity in (fps)

Lawnboi · Dec 12, 2024

I can’t understand power factor when many people are hunting with a lot less. If we are talking practical.

I can understand it for spotting hits on plates.

Rippey715 · Dec 12, 2024

Lawnboi said:
I can’t understand power factor when many people are hunting with a lot less. If we are talking practical.

I can understand it for spotting hits on plates.

Average target distance is 450 yards for this game. From a practical standpoint it would not be advisable to take ethical hunting shots with less than a 6mm at 450 yards or farther. That would be my guess as the most pracitcal explanation of power factor.

Lawnboi · Dec 12, 2024

Rippey715 said:
Average target distance is 450 yards for this game. From a practical standpoint it would not be advisable to take ethical hunting shots with less than a 6mm at 450 yards or farther. That would be my guess as the most pracitcal explanation of power factor.

I understand that’s how a lot of people think. That said I hunted this year with a 22 creedmoor and am building a hunting dasher for next year.

NateVA · Dec 12, 2024

Lawnboi said:
I can’t understand power factor when many people are hunting with a lot less. If we are talking practical.

I can understand it for spotting hits on plates.

I see it as their way of taking the 6mm gamer cartridges out of it. However I agree about it having no practical correlation to hunting. You have to keep in mind though that 99.9% of hunters do not understand how bullets work or kill things.

Mike Casselton · Dec 13, 2024

Because, recoil hurts...

How many times have you read people complaining about the recoil of their 6.5 Manbun in a 22# rifle?

FFS, put them behind an 8# 338 Win Mag

Win a RIX Storm S3 Thermal Imaging Scope!

Why doesn't PRS/NRL have a power factor like handgun competition?

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