Morgun King, the 2025 PRS Season Champion, recently detailed his complete rifle and gear setup with precisionrifleblog.com, revealing a few surprises regarding his philosophy on rifle balance and his unexpected choice of factory ammunition. His rifle, in ready-to-fire configuration including scope and accessories, weighs 21 pounds, but King emphasizes that overall weight is secondary to proper balance.
King believes that a heavy but improperly balanced rifle can be as detrimental as a lightweight setup, describing it as cumbersome. He criticizes the common practice of adding rear weight kits, calling it one of the worst things a shooter can do for balance. He notes that many shooters mistakenly believe a rifle is perfectly balanced if it rests neutrally when a hand is placed under the magwell, asserting this only serves offhand shooting, not the positional stages prevalent in PRS.
For optimal performance on positional stages, King advocates for a front-heavy bias that mitigates muzzle jump. His recommended method involves measuring the length of the shooting bag, halving that measurement, and positioning the rifle's balance point at least that distance forward of where the rifle contacts the bag, typically the front of the magwell. For instance, with a 10-inch bag, the balance point should be between 5 and 6 inches forward of the magwell. An extra inch or two beyond this minimum provides even greater stability, leveraging the rifle's weight to resist upward movement. This precise balance, King explains, causes the gun to settle more effectively, improving feel and reducing wobble.
Perhaps the most significant revelation from King’s setup is his ammunition choice: he is the first PRS Season Champion to use mass-produced factory ammunition. King relied on 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition manufactured by Eagle Eye Ammunition throughout his championship season. Eagle Eye Ammunition boasts a formidable track record, having also been used to win the US Army Special Operations Command International Sniper Competition at Fort Bragg for the third time, with over half the field and the top four teams utilizing their products. They supply ammunition to prestigious military units, including the US Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU).
Notably, the top three finishers in the 2025 PRS Season each used a different caliber, reinforcing that world-class performance is achievable across various cartridge platforms. Morgun King’s willingness to share his specific insights and gear choices underscores the collaborative spirit within the precision rifle community, offering invaluable lessons for serious competitors.
