PSSA PRS Rimfire QF3
Fatboy Tripods Winter Classic
July PSSA PRS
PSSA PRS Rimfire QF2
2024 - Third
APRS Showdown
August PSSA PRS
2023 - Winner
Burris Cold Steel Open
Horus Heatstroke Open
PSSA PRS Series
PSSA PRS Finale
May PSSA PRS
May PSSA NRL22
June PSSA PRS
June PSSA Rimfire
August PSSA PRS
August PSSA Rimfire
October PSSA Rimfire
2023 - Second
Gunsport Winter Classic
PSSA Rimfire Series
September PSSA Rimfire
2023 - Third
PSSA Rimfire Finale
2022 - Winner
2022 - Second
2022 - Third
Vortex Australian PRS Series
PSSA Rimfire Rewind
PSSA Rimfire Resurgence
June PSSA PRS
August PSSA PRS
August PSSA Rimfire
September PSSA Rimfire
November PSSA PRS
Vortex Australian PRS Finale
Burris Cold Steel Open
PSSA PRS Finale
PSSA PRS Series
November PSSA Rimfire
Kahles King of the Hill
May PSSA PRS
Fatboy Tripods Winter Classic - by Guy, 02.06.24
Last weekend I travelled to Victoria to shoot the Buchan Winter Classic, the fourth (my third) National PRS match of our 2024 season. As usual for the the Winter Classic, we experienced plenty of rain and fog which provided some visibility challenges throughout the weekend, but also offered spectacular scenic views over the range which is nestled amongst the forest in the Victorian high country.
It was a high scoring match, with really tight scores amongst the field, I dropped 5 points Saturday and 3 points Sunday, which was good enough to secure the match win by a narrow margin, with good friend Michael also dropping 8 points for the weekend, only separated on skills tie breaker. Congrats to Ash, Josh & Crossy for top 5 placings.
Thanks to Fatboy Tripods for sponsoring the match, Buchan PRC and Precision Rifle Series Australia for hosting, Aron and Luke for running the match, Nightforce for sponsoring the series and putting the NX8 on the prize table, and last but not least a big thank you to all of the volunteers who gave their time to run the event.
Horus Heatstroke Open - by Guy, 20.08.23
We headed north to Darwin, escaped the cold and found some warmer weather (the real reason we all attend this match!). Our season is coming towards the pointy end, and the USA finale qualifications are being finalised after this match.
Darwin is always nice, a relaxed environment and amazing weather. Serious and competitive, but chilled at the same time. I love coming here and always have a great time regardless of the results on match day. Butters always puts in a big effort and the locals are welcoming.
I was going into the match with an untested rifle whilst still waiting for all my own gear to arrive, this time a brand new 6.5x47 Lapua barrel. So far this year I have used a different setup at each match which has taken a toll on my results.
We started off with something different this year, stages one and two were on Friday night under lights. This was fun, it’s a first for PRS in Australia, and certainly added another element to the match. Saturday brought plenty of mirage and heat as you’d expect in Darwin, which always provides a challenge, and Sunday continue with more of the same.
I did well on the night stages, then started Saturday with a clean on the first stage, and remained consistent for most of the day, other than one bad stage where I dropped a handful of points (this was a no gear stage, not my strength). At the end of Saturday, I was in second place, with Kurt charging ahead four points clear of me, and Shawn was nipping at my heels in third place.
Sunday was a fresh start, I was in the zone, keen to catch up a few points and get on top. My day started pretty consistent, the temperature measured 44 degrees on the range, I struggled a little with overhydration and had to pay attention to what I was eating and drinking. I pulled through and started to feel better as the day went on, both with my health and shooting.
At the conclusion of the match, Kurt took out third place, Shawn finished second and I got the win. This brings my season score to 200 points heading into finale, equal first place with team Hardy shooter Anthony. I would like to say thank you to Horus for sponsoring the match, thank you to Butters for being MD, and a big thank you to all the volunteers who generously offered their time to spot, score and stage officer.
Gunsport Winter Classic - by Guy, 11.06.23
The Gunsport Winter Classis is held in the beautiful Victorian high country near a little town called Buchan, known best for a series of cave networks in the region. This match is always popular and entries sell out fast, there are a limited number of spots available due to a narrow firing line amongst the forest. Gunsport Trading, a local business, are the match sponsor with support from Kahles optics.
This was the fourth match of our national PRS season for 2023, and I was very keen to get back into shooting after missing out on the third match in Tasmania last month. Although this match doesn’t have a huge number of shooters, the field was certainly stacked with top shooters and the competition was going to be tough.
Last year we had a lot of rain in Buchan and the firing line became a sloppy mud pit, it was cold, wet, and disheartening for many. Fortunately, this year the weather was much kinder to us, and the local rifle club had put in a lot of work to build up and improve the firing line. We did not have a lot of wind, there was a slight switching breeze which varied wind holds in either direction but there was no period of strong wind during the match. The trees shadow the range, which with dark soil and grey targets provided visibility challenges for some, solid target acquisition was helpful during the low light conditions.
David Taylor was match director, and with the help of the Buchan Precision Rifle Club and a generous handful of volunteers, they put on a really good match which was enjoyed by all.
I struggled with my data on Saturday, I seemed to be up and down with my elevation which didn’t give me great confidence on the small targets, and I also had some magazine feeding issues which cost me several points, I dropped 13 points for the day and was about 10 from the lead. Sunday was much better, my data seemed to line up, I rectified the feeding issues and finally found my rhythm. I top scored on Sunday and clawed some ground back, but the damage was done on Saturday and I was too far behind to catch Ash who took the match win, I ended up second and Anthony rounded out the Podium in third. Congratulations to Steve for taking out Semi Pro and Jane for being top Marksman, female & production.
I am eagerly waiting to get my new rifle built so I can spend some time behind the same rifle and get familiar with it, but for this match I must say a massive thank you to my mate Shawn for the loan of his rifle, without his generosity I would have missed another match!
Burris Cold Steel Open - by Guy, 30.04.23
The Burris Cold Steel Open was the second match of our national PRS season for 2023, it is held in Mildura Victoria and has been sponsored by Burris Optics for multiple years.
The weather was warm and sunny as usual for this time of year in Mildura which presented some tough conditions due to Mirage and wind, many of the targets were floating with no berm or back stop behind the target to provide feedback when you miss which provided an added challenge. Simon Plush was match directing for his first time and together with his team of volunteers was able to put on a really good match with a challenging course of fire, top stuff to all involved to make this match happen.
Although I made a few silly errors throughout the match I held things together and won the match, with Dave and Shawn sharing the podium. Regardless of the result, I really enjoyed shooting this match for some reason, I feel like something changed for me personally and I was able to just shoot for fun rather than worrying about the results.
I owe a huge thank you to my friend Aron for the loan of his rifle which was absolutely hammering, without him offering his rifle to me I would not have been able to shoot this match.