22LR PRS Small Caliber Big Challenge - Andy Sterling
After my previous offering of a perspective of jumping in at the deep end of PRS, what about a more gentle introduction?
To be fair whilst the diminutive 22LR may be considered and humble round it's not to be perceived as any less of a challenge than its bigger sibling the centre fire when it comes to match day.
It offers all the nuances of full-bore PRS completion without the expense, both in terms of kit and especially ammo and is a great introduction to the world of PRS shooting.
The usual suspects are in attendance along with a group of youngsters and new shooters of all ages and gender, it's perhaps the most diverse set of shooters you ever encounter at a competition.
We tend to engage targets from 25 to 250 meters which is a bit of an ask in high winds for the tiny 40grain bullets but it creates a condensed centre fire feel and the targets are sized in reflection to the accuracy limitations of the calibre at such distances – for example on a stage this weekend at an IPRF 22LR world championship qualification match we engaged steel plates at 200 Meters of 250mm 200m and 150mm or 10’, 8’ and 6’.A shot at each in reducing size then change position and repeat 4 times – so 12 shots in 2 minutes form 4 designated positions off the barricade ( This would be more like 150mm maximum for centre fire at 200 Meters and might go down to 50mm at a very tight match)
The beauty of this type of PRS is ammo even at its most expensive is £15 for 50 and most matches are 100-150 rounds of ammo. There’s also no recoil and very little noise so its suits people learning the sport. The scores tend to be more tightly grouped as it's more forgiving than centre fire (until the wind gets blustery) and this shooting does seem to flow a bit faster. Other than that the fundamentals of shooting PRS remain the same so it's a great way to hone your skills at a fraction of the cost. You don’t really need such expensive optics as the distances are far less and the targets are proportionally bigger, in fact, a decent air rifle scope is ample to start with but it must dial precisely so speak to the team at Optics warehouse and they will point you in the right direction.
As a beginner, I tend to fare better against the top shooters in 22LR and managed a reasonable 10th place from 30 entrants, just on the heels of the top class which as usual showed why they are some of the best shooters on the globe.
If you want to try your hand at PRS perhaps 22LR is the best way to get a feel of what this addictive sport has to offer and you will as always find a friendly engaging bunch of like-minded men, women and youngsters keen to help you enjoy a great day out shooting with likeminded people. I recommend looking on the GBPRA Facebook p[age for match and practice dates, come along and have a go!
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