Advanced Marksmanship PRS training

[Btmann45]

my new years resolution was to take some time and make myself happy, i fell into a slump of working and and drinking and my hobbies went out the window. so i am changing it up. i am spending this year getting all the best equipment together so that i can compete in prs matches. i need imput on the very best places to get training i have looked at rifles only and also gun site. anyone been to either one of them. i live in kentucky so anything close by would be great but i am willing to travel. i have dabbled in long ranger shooting for a while but am pretty much self taught. i am putting together an aiax in 6mm creed with a zero comp 5-27x. my gear will not be my down fall it will lie on the lack of training. a problem that i am going to try and fix

 

[Sheldon N]

You've got online training available here, plus in person training closer to your neck of the woods at K&M in Tennessee. Lots of smaller one-day matches available in Kentucky on the east side (once all the COVID stuff blows over). You can check out the club series matches on this list.

Precision Rifle Series - Southeast Region

The Precision Rifle Series is the preeminent rifle organization in the world, structuring a yearly points race for both the PRS Pro Bolt Gun Series and the PRS Regional Series. The PRS Championship Shooting Series is synonymous with precision rifle shooting.

www.precisionrifleseries.com

I'd say sign up for the online training courses here on SH, take a class at K&M early on, and start shooting 1 day club matches as soon as you get your rifle. Get a good foundation to avoid bad habits, then go and learn by doing. No sense in training to get "good enough" for matches, just go and have fun and progress. It will take time so enjoy the process.

 

[Btmann45]

You've got online training available here, plus in person training closer to your neck of the woods at K&M in Tennessee. Lots of smaller one-day matches available in Kentucky on the east side (once all the COVID stuff blows over). You can check out the club series matches on this list.

Precision Rifle Series - Southeast Region

The Precision Rifle Series is the preeminent rifle organization in the world, structuring a yearly points race for both the PRS Pro Bolt Gun Series and the PRS Regional Series. The PRS Championship Shooting Series is synonymous with precision rifle shooting.

www.precisionrifleseries.com

I'd say sign up for the online training courses here on SH, take a class at K&M early on, and start shooting 1 day club matches as soon as you get your rifle. Get a good foundation to avoid bad habits, then go and learn by doing. No sense in training to get "good enough" for matches, just go and have fun and progress. It will take time so enjoy the process.

well you hit one of my fears. my thought process was that if i got some good training under my belt before i start to compete i would be a blank canvas. if it start doing stuff on my own im sure i will have tones of bad habits. i am an extremely competitive person and i feel like i need a foundation before i go off half cocked. i saw k&m when i was looking for the local match lineup.

 

[Sheldon N]

well you hit one of my fears. my thought process was that if i got some good training under my belt before i start to compete i would be a blank canvas. if it start doing stuff on my own im sure i will have tones of bad habits. i am an extremely competitive person and i feel like i need a foundation before i go off half cocked. i saw k&m when i was looking for the local match lineup.

It's a valid concern but i wouldn't over emphasize it. In competition you'll want to have that foundation for good marksmanship. Solid engagement with the rifle, recoil management, smooth clean trigger pulls and follow through, etc. However there are a ton of things you won't really encounter until you go out and shoot a match... time pressure, adrenaline, target acquisition and position building, the mental aspect of memorizing a stage course of fire and having a plan of attack, dealing with wind in the midst of all of it, etc.

Don't let your competitive side get too worried about being ready for a match so that you will do well, everyone gets humbled in their first match. Just go and have fun with no expectations, and like you said avoid building any bad habits.

 

[1moaoff]

You cant buy hits on target with the best gear either.. buy the best you can. But honestly you will want to change gear later after you learn more and develop preferences and see what works for you.
Buy a decent not best rifle and scope. Buy lots of ammo and shoot it.... then buy more ammo and shoot it... you need practice more than anything.

 

[sleeplz]

If you have the cash, buy the best gear and shoot lots of ammo. I would say its probably more helpful if you look up free material or low costing online courses. Snipershide is decent and modern day sniper is coming up with videos soon as well. Build an ok foundation so that your not going to a class and being overloaded. You would just end up wanting to go again. I'd say practice the basics, go to matches, have fun, take notes on a notebook, and ask guys tons of questions. Self-practice tons of reps until they become unconscious thought.

This way, you go to a class with a solid foundation and you can absorb tons of material. And you'd have an instructor that can tweak your small mistakes instead of building you from scratch.

I know when I was shooting USPSA/IDPA, I practiced tons of draws and dummy/ball drills. I went to a local match to test my skills and this guy was talking about his Chris Costa class experience and how it was totally awesome. He got smoked and was at the bottom of the ranks. This is just from my experience on the subject of learning things, just do what feels right for you.

 

[superde]

I would buy a used Impact or Defiance built gun (depending on who spun the barrel - although most are good these days) out o the PX here, and take the money you saved and take a class. You aren't downgrading, just being thrifty. It's much easier to start getting the right fundamentals at first instead of trying to overcome ingrained bad habits. Rifles Only is my go to, as I have been going there for 16 years to either learn or shoot a comp. Jacob is an excellent instructor, and has taught a lot of the people who now teach. If K&M is close I would go there. Shannon has built a first class shooting facility, and between him and Brian Allen you will get great instruction.

 

[Btmann45]

so the gear I chose to go with was the accuracy international ax with a 26" bartline barrel 1x7.5 twist chambered in 6mm creedmoor, I got the zero comp 5x27 scope with there new ret mpct3. Its sitting in spurh rings. I know I may want a custom rig after I start competing but I have always want an A.I. after much thought it is what I pulled the trigger on and it should be here today. I will post pics when I get my hands on it. Thanks for all the feedback. Hopefully it will serve as a good base.

 

[lash]

Any of the above available places will be a good start. Rifles Only and K&M both are excellent training facilities. Unlike some others, I feel that proper training up front is worth more than just sending rounds down range without the right fundamentals. Get your rifle and gear set up and get it zeroed and then get to a class at one of these sites.

 

[Btmann45]

Any of the above available places will be a good start. Rifles Only and K&M both are excellent training facilities. Unlike some others, I feel that proper training up front is worth more than just sending rounds down range without the right fundamentals. Get your rifle and gear set up and get it zeroed and then get to a class at one of these sites.

This was my thought but to each his own. I know how to shoot I have been shooting and hunting since I was a child but you don't know what you don't know. I would like basic fundamentals to check what I already do, but 100% learning my scope and being very comfortable, environmentals/ kestral, professional help with data. Are all things that I think would help me alot. I don't know how to practice that stuff with out being shown first. I could go out and fumble my way through but I want to do this right. I really want to pass this stuff down to my daughter and hopefully a son one day.

 

[SouthFLShootin]

I started shooting PRS this past year, so by no means an expert, but I'm having a lot of fun with it and doing pretty well. I am lucky enough to be friends with a pro shooter that took me under his wing and showed me a lot of things and tips and tricks I wouldnt have ever thought about myself.

IMO, getting a solid foundation to build off of is pretty critical. Whether you are able to use the information found here on the forum, YouTube or a in person class is a decision you will have to make based off your time, financial situation and learning style.

I'm 2 hrs from a range that has the facilties to actually practice live firing, so I dryfire 3 to 4 times a week for about an hour off a barricade I have at home. Really focusing on building steady positions under time constraints and pulling the trigger without the reticle bouncing. Dry firing has been a game changer for me and its a hell of a lot cheaper than going to the range. However, there is no way around the need to get to shoot once or twice a month to learn how to deal with wind, recoil, dope calculations ect...
I started shooting production and won two matches in that class and switched over to open and finished 7th in my first open PRS match two weeks ago. As long as I'm getting these results, I'm going to keep up this training reutine. I was in the same boat as you, and now I have a hobby that I'm hooked on and look forward to. Also, the people you will meet in this sport are amazing.

 

[2muchcowbell]

i saw k&m when i was looking for the local match lineup.

I took a comprehensive (4-day) course from K&M in October of 2018, and I can vouch for the quality of instruction there. Shannon is a fantastic instructor, and the ranges out there are top-notch. It's also a good opportunity to look through everybody's glass and check out their rigs (if they let you).

In my class, we actually had a small competition at the end of the instruction period, and we also practiced a few times under time pressure, so you'll have a taste of what it's like to compete.

I honestly can't recommend them enough. If K&M was in Texas, I'd go there as often as possible.