DPS competitions in 2024 and how to start them

The year 2024 will be quite interesting for Dynamic Precision Shooting people, because certain changes have taken place in Europe and interesting new possibilities have opened up for us Czechs as well. And not only for experienced shooters, but also for beginners. And here's what it's all about...

Dynamic Precision Shooting is experiencing a big boom in Europe and is taking off in style. Both classically with centerfire rifles and relatively recently with rimfire rifles. In both cases, the IPRF World Championship has already taken place in Europe (centerfire rifles in France in 2022 and rimfire in Italy in 2023), which significantly increased this interest.

And in the 2024 season there are some news and changes. Above all, the American PRS - Precision Rifle Series has grown in the same format to Europe...

Pictured are the PRO Series competitions, which are at least two days long and are intended for the best shooters. And they also count towards the now PRS world series. That's great news for top shooters. The point is that the competitions will receive a uniform system, rules, ratings, and in this PRO Series it will basically not matter if you are placed in Spain or Norway, because the difficulty will be comparable. And for these PRO competitions at the highest level...

Also the PRO competitions will be comparable to the competitions in the USA, which is the cradle of the sport. Under the new owner, PRS is really expanding all over the world. Both the level and the rules are very much converging with the top IPRF competitions and this trend will continue.

The PRS - Precision Rifle Series is a private entity and is a competition for individuals regardless of nationality. The culminating event is the finals in the USA, where individual shooters must qualify.

IPRF - International Precision Rifle Federation is an international federation uniting individual national associations. It is a sports federation similar to, for example, football or Olympic federations. The pinnacle event is the World Championship, where national associations select national teams to represent the country. So it's more of a team event, although individuals are also announced...

So much for the top level. But how to start? Here we have a rather interesting option - competitions in Slovakia organized by the RDA Precision Rifle Team.

In 2024, the organizers have slowed down a bit, and their competitions this year are absolutely ideal for novice shooters. The winter season is over, but there are still a few more to come in the spring season, and they tend to be great!

For us Czechs, it is completely ideal due to the distance and also due to the fact that we still get along with the Slovak language - so we can feel almost at home there. But this does not mean that other nationalities are at a disadvantage, because both the organizers and the referees work together not only in Slovak, but also in English, and at a very good level.

It is also advantageous for beginners that the target distances are up to 500 meters. And this is a distance where even a beginner can be relatively worry-free. It's not that the wind doesn't play a role - it does - but it's still not that demanding and those who are used to shooting at 300 meters can handle it relatively well. Trust me, shooting at 700 - 1,000 meters is much more difficult...

RDA's competitions are really well prepared and set up, the situations are very interesting, everything is completely clear and known in advance (you can prepare in advance), everything is clearly marked and clear on the situations - simply organized at a fantastic level! Especially for a beginner shooter, it will help a lot to be as little confused as possible and to know what to do and the like. Plus the refereeing team is absolutely fantastic and all the referees will help everyone within the rules. Their approach is truly exemplary. And I must also mention that the atmosphere is generally extremely friendly - you will be really happy there, because you will definitely enjoy it!

And as a bonus, we offer what we have already offered in the past - if anyone is interested, we can take you with us (transportation) and help with the transfer of weapons and paperwork, accommodation and help you with everything on the spot. Especially for shooters who are starting out with this discipline or going abroad for the first time, it means a lot - that someone will help them with everything and they won't have to do it alone... The 2024 season is unique in this respect. It would be a shame not to use it!

In addition to centerfire rifles, the 2024 season will also be important for rimfire rifles. Because this year the qualification for the IPRF World Championship 2025 will take place again. In the last one we did extremely well and were the second most successful country behind the USA, ahead of Great Britain. And this year will be important for qualification and preparation. Rimfire rifles can be shot very well in our country, because it is a distance of up to 250 meters, and that is possible in the Czech Republic. In addition, there are many good shooters here, and the rimfire is also easier and cheaper to operate, so it is an ideal option for us. Also this year, our ST8 team is preparing a series of these rimfire competitions, which we will inform you about soon...

However, it should be noted that even though rimfire competitions are shot according to the same rules and in the same manner - they cannot be considered "centerfire rifle training" as the two disciplines are quite different. It may look similar, but it's definitely not the same... But more on that topic another time.

Simply put, the 2024 season is set up better than any time in the past for Dynamic Precision Shooters. Whether it's beginner shooters or experienced and good shooters... Both with rimfire and with centerfire rifles. I don't know about you, but I am excited