Welcome to one of the fastest growing shooting sports in the world. 

 

That may seem presumtious, however, one of the main leagues - the Precision Rifle Series out of the US is expanding to multiple countries in 2024 and we have seen 6 different ones added in the last 3 weeks alone. Not to mention that for Canada, we now have a National Level organization(s) that are qualifying top tier shooters to compete for Team Canada internationally.

 

We have been fortunate enough that the Canadian Rimfire Precision Series was started here a few years back, and for smaller distance ranges, they developed the Outlaw Rimfire Precision Series which is what we host at both Courtenay and Victoria ranges.

 

In the fall of 2023, we were the 6th club in Canada to join the NRL22 Rimfire Series as well. So, lots of different options for leagues, but the bottom line is that they all use the same skillsets / similar props and stage design and encourage signifigant skills development.

 

In the summer of 2024 we were the 1st club in Canada to join the P.R.O. Series for Rimfire. This US based league uses a more skills based approach to rate shooters vs equipment catagories. The matches are essentially the same (miscellenous props / positional shooting) but the scoring is different. 

 

At the local and regional level, we focus on skills developement, community building and fun. And yes, "competition" - however most of that at the entry level is against your own previous scores.

 

 

Equipment

So, we'll do out best to keep this simple, because, like many hobbies, the "rabbit hole" can get very deep quickly.

 

First of all - don't get all gear / research crazy and spend money based on the latest Youtube videos or Reddit threads.

 

Come on out to a match or an open house and any of the clubs running the matches here on Vancouver Island and chat with the folks that are there about what they are shooting any why they chose that.

 

To get setup for this sport you can spend anywhere from $1600  - $10,000 and there are plenty of nuances in that range.

 

Essentially though you will need:
 

• Rimfire .22 caliber rifle, majority shoot bolt action.
• 2 X 10 round magazines. 
• Scope with adjustments - min 16X recomended - 24X is most common.
• Bipod - recommended.
• Shooting Bag - recommended.
• Decent ammo that works with your firearm (tested for 50 yard and 100 yard accuracy to start).
• Eye and Ear Protection.
• Willingness to listen and learn.
   

That's the "coles" notes version. We will get into more details in future blog posts and will provide some great links on the right hand side of this page.

 

You will find these shooters at every range very friendly and willing to help you learn and understand every step of the way. It's a great chance to get some mentorship and direction before spending $$ on items that you won't really need.

 

One final suggestion / thought: You will never be "ready" to shoot a match by watching videos or practicing on your own.
The learning happens on the shooting line when you can experience the positions and elements. If you are getting "ready" before coming out, just learn how to adjust your scope for different distances and know your bullet speed. Everything else can be done with the support of your fellow shooters. Seriously. That's how this sport operates at the Club and Regional level.