The PRS Skills Stage, a critical component of every PRS Two Day Major Competition, underwent a significant update in early 2024, reshaping expectations for speed and precision. This overhaul replaced the singular "old skills stage" format, which involved 8 shots from 4 positions, with three new standard stage options, each demanding 10 shots from 5 positions. The previous benchmark, a 25.92-second clean by Francis Colon, no longer directly applies, creating a clean slate for competitors to establish new standards.
Among the new options, Option #1, featuring a big/small target setup, has emerged as the most frequently selected by match directors. With the introduction of these varied formats, competitors have sought clear benchmarks for performance. To address this, precisionrifleblog.com undertook an analysis, compiling stage data from four of the largest PRS Pro Series matches over recent months, each hosting over 175 shooters. This deep dive examined clean runs, one-miss runs, and overall time distributions, providing the first substantive context for the updated stages.
The analysis, according to precisionrifleblog.com, reveals critical benchmark times for various classes of shooters achieving a clean stage (all 10 shots on target). For Option #1, a clean run under 60 seconds positions a shooter firmly within the top 25% of competitors, while pushing a clean time below 45 seconds signifies elite-level performance. During the data collection, Ben Gossett achieved a remarkable 37-second clean run at a K&M match, a testament to incredibly efficient movement, maintaining target acquisition between shots, and stable rifle manipulation during bolt cycling, as noted by precisionrifleblog.com.
The Skills Stage’s importance extends beyond individual performance metrics. It frequently acts as a "drag race" due to its role as the sole timed stage in a two-day match, with recorded times serving as a tiebreaker. This function is far from theoretical; last season, seven PRS pro matches, with over 200 rounds fired, were decided by Skills Stage times. Furthermore, Nightforce sponsors a substantial incentive, donating an ATACR 7-35x56 scope, retailing for approximately $3,600, to the shooter with the fastest clean run at every PRS pro match. This winner also retains their prize table position based on overall match finish, further intensifying the pursuit of speed without sacrificing precision. While Francis Colon’s techniques, detailed in his video on the older stage format, remain applicable, the new 10-shot, 5-position stages demand renewed attention to optimizing transitions and shot cadence. Precisionrifleblog.com encourages competitors with verified faster clean runs on the new standard Skills Stage options in pro matches to share their data, anticipating further time reductions as the season progresses.
