The recent Rimfire Precision Rifle Series (RFPRS) Championship in Pevely, Missouri, saw seasoned professionals like “Whisper” Wilson and “Zenith” Jenkins dominate the field with surgical precision. Yet, amidst the low-stress environment and near-perfect SD/ES numbers from their Lapua Midas+ and Eley Tenex lots, a palpable ennui hung heavy. In a post-match panel, several former professional centerfire (CF) competitors, now fixtures in the lucrative RF circuit, voiced a unanimous, almost desperate, plea: they want more.
“Frankly, the lack of catastrophic barrel failure is becoming monotonous,” stated Jenkins, famed for his 6.5 Creedmoor prowess before his 'pivot' to rimfire. “My Vudoo V-22 with its Benchmark .900" straight taper barrel just… lasts. Where’s the existential dread of a velocity node shift costing me a stage? My DOPE card for 100 yards is a joke, a mere handful of clicks. I yearn for true 15 MPH full-value wind calls that actually demand a 3.2 MRAD hold, not just a subtle gust off the barricade.” Wilson concurred, adding, "I miss the challenge of truing data for a 2800 FPS projectile at 1200 yards. Here, truing means confirming my 3-inch drop at 75 yards is actually 3.05 inches. It's too predictable."
The consensus: the rimfire discipline, while technically demanding, lacks the inherent, brutal financial and physical punishment that defined their professional CF careers. They miss the sheer logistical nightmare of chasing a sub-0.3 SD/ES with bespoke 6mm Dasher handloads, the punishing recoil of a .300 PRC that tests positional stability, and the constant threat of a $900 barrel suddenly dropping 50 FPS. Calls were made for mandated .22LR loads that introduce unpredictable fliers, barrels with 500-round lifespans, and perhaps, a small, yet entirely disorienting, spin drift effect that requires complex calculation for shots under 100 yards. The RFPRS, it seems, must become more inconvenient to satisfy its elite.
