Noah's Journey into PR22 and Precision Rifle

“Never give up the chance to try something new.... you never know where it will take you” .... Mum & Dad.

It’s the start of the season and some people will be looking in from the outside, wanting to give Precision Rifle a go but the voices in their heads keep saying..... “I don't know what to do”, “ I am not good enough”, “I don't have the right gear”, “I need more practice first”, “ I don't want to look stupid”……. There is always a reason not to try something new. These are some of the many excuses we tell ourselves.

Mum and Dad always tell my brother and I, to never turn down the chance to try something new and this is basically how I got into Precision Rifle. Dad saw that the GBPRA were holding an “Introduction to Precision Rifle Course” in South Wales, a good 6 hours away from us. We knew next to nothing about Precision Rifle, except for a few YouTube videos we had watched. Dad had been messaging Christian Westcough from the GBPRA and listening to the GBPRA podcasts for quite some time before we made the plunge. All the usual fears and doubts were playing in the back of our minds as we drove down, but also that excitement when you step into the unknown.

No Gear & No Idea! .....

It was 7th January 2023 and we had driven down to Monmouth the night before, to attend the GBPRA Precision Rifle 1 course (PR 1). All we had was a couple of boxes of .22lr ammo, no rifle, no barracked bags and basically no gear and no idea! Just excitement & enthusiasm to give something new a go!

The venue was an old Victorian Railway Tunnel that had been converted into an indoor shooting range, which was lucky, as outside the weather was awful! We were met by three guys from the GBPRA, a grumpy-looking South African, Andre Mills (sorry Andre!), Jack Crawford and Adam Sinfield. I didn't know it at the time but they would all become great friends and be massively supportive in my progression, I will always be grateful to them.

The other attendees started to arrive and we all did that awkward “dance” of trying to work out what experience everyone had. Although everyone looked equally nervous, it soon became clear that most of the other attendees had some level of experience and that I was the youngest by a good 25 years!

The day started with a classroom session about the basics of rifle shooting and Precision Rifle. It was pitched at just the right level. The experienced guys picked up key pointers to the specifics of shooting Precision Rifle as a discipline and the new guys (Dad & I) started to get a grounding in the basics. The topics covered were The Background & History of PRS, PRS Events & Competitions, A Typical Day at a PRS Competition, Kit/ Equipment, Rifle Divisions, Marksmanship Skills & Positional Techniques. The instructors were keen to get everyone shooting to gain as much practical experience as possible out of the day. So we quickly moved from the classroom to the range.

Andre, Jack and Adam split us up into small groups of three or four. They had set up three different “Stages” so that everyone could have a go at different types of barricades/obstacles. The stages were designed to illustrate the basic shooting positions in Precision Rifle of Prone, Kneeling, Low Standing and Standing. The instructors demonstrated how to transition from one position to another most efficiently and the importance of building a comfortable stable firing position.

“Just use my gun and ammo, don't worry about it....”

After a safety brief, it was our turn to give it a try. Everyone then went to get their gear, which ranged from one guy who seemed to have everything to us... I felt a little out of place, then I heard a friendly voice from behind me, it was Adam. “Here Noah just use my gun and ammo, don't worry about it”. We started with an empty magazine just practising moving, building positions and dry firing, under the watchful eyes of the instructors. Once they were happy that we had a grasp of basics and could see that we had taken on board safely moving only when we had the bolt open and back with the muzzle always pointing down range, we moved on to live fire.

For some reason, I felt under pressure now that I had live ammo in the rifle, but under the calm and steady instruction from Jack Crawford, I could feel my nerves slip away as the impacts became more frequent. Jack turned to Dad and said, “The boy can shoot!”

After lunch, the rain had stopped so we headed to the outdoor range with targets out to about 250m. This was a whole other ball game, now we had a strong wind and bigger distances to deal with. With some practice and guidance from the GBPRA guys, I was soon back on target. We then headed back to the indoor range for a debrief before we all headed home.

I had a great day and learned absolutely loads! Most of all it was FUN! I had not really been that interested in rifle shooting, as I found target shooting a little boring. PRS on the other hand was far more dynamic, fast moving and fun!! As we packed up to leave Adam casually dropped into the conversation that the GBPRA needed more Juniors for the upcoming World Championships in August.

On the long drive home, Dad and I talked excitedly about the day and how much fun it had been. We both thought it would be great to enter a few competitions and see where it would take us. Dad said he would contact Adam and ask about the process. Obviously, with no experience and such a lot to learn, there was no chance of being invited to UK Team selections shoots but if we continued to enjoy this sport, it would be something to aim for in 2-3 years.

Finding a PR22 competition was harder than Dad had anticipated! We ended up driving back down to Monmouth from Yorkshire a few weeks later for our first competition. Dad and I were a bit nervous but everyone made us feel very welcome. The encouragement and advice kept coming all day; along with a steady flow of any gear we didn't have from other competitors who would hand us bipods, bags, tripods etc. 

Over the next few months, we shot more and more and we were amazed when I received an invitation to the UK Team selection shoots. I was one of the few juniors shooting PR22 at the time, so this probably helped a lot. Which then led to the fantastic opportunity to shoot in the UK Junior PR22 team at the PR22 World Championships in Italy in August 2023. 

Fast forward 24 months, two World Champions later and another in the pipeline in August, the PRS and in particular PR22 scene has exploded in the UK. I now have four regular PR22 ranges within 2 hours of me. 

I suppose what I am trying to say is there has never been a better time to get involved in PRS and/ or PR22. Like most things, taking the first step is always the hardest but it's well worth it. You will be rewarded with a lot of great days out shooting, an amazing friendly community of like-minded people and the chance to be part of an exciting growing sport that is PR22. Like me, you never know where it will take you.....