2025 IPRF RIMFIRE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

The second IPRF Rimfire World Championship was held last month at the West Midlands Shooting Ground (WMSG), one of the oldest shooting grounds in the UK. Primarily a clay shooting ground, the team at WMSG has worked tirelessly over the past 18 months to transform the club into arguably the best PRS rimfire venue in the country (Maybe the world?). Woodland tracks wind their way through the hills, guiding shooters on a PRS trail of purpose-built and natural props, many of which were commissioned for the World Championships. Alongside the nearby Hawkstone Motocross track, which provided a more open area less sheltered from the wind, the shooters were in for a challenging and varied course of fire.

RUN-UP AND OPENING CEREMONY

In the days before the official opening ceremony, shooters from across the world started arriving at the venue, meeting and greeting old and new friends in the clubhouse and the Impact Bar marquee (a beer tent being a key feature of any truly British event). Shooters browsed the stalls at the Traders Village, enjoyed the delicious street food options served by the clubhouse, and warmed up on the practice range.

Most popular, however, were the ranges set up next to the zero check area, where visitors could try out a range of MDT chassis and the new Anschutz rifle. Amongst the rifles provided by MDT, the most popular proved to be the 10/22, which, when dropped into an ACC Elite, proved to be insanely accurate. The JAE Gen5 with a heavy-barreled Bergara also proved a popular choice with many people able to get their hands on this iconic piece of kit for the first time. A particular highlight was the "Who is the Fastest Josh" event, which saw the UK's Josh Martin go head-to-head with Canada's Josh Botha in a race to mag dump the 1022 in the fastest time! The Opening Ceremony was held the evening before the first day of shooting with the traditional parade of each nation, with the biggest cheer saved for the lone shooter from Switzerland, before a bagpiper in full traditional costume led the host nation out.

A short welcome speech from GBPRA Chairman Jack Crawford set the scene before the celebrations continued, mostly in and around the beer tent! With the event's tone firmly set as a celebration of the sport and friendship, shooters headed home to prepare for the competition.

DAYS ONE AND TWO – MOTOCROSS TRACK

Days One and Two were spent running the ten stages set up along the Hawkstone motocross track, which is adjacent to the shooting ground. Having walked the course of fire the day before, shooters arrived expecting high angles and tricky winds as many stages ran across the track and into the surrounding woodlands. Day One was the Ladies, Seniors, and Factory shooters, and Day Two was the Men's Open and Juniors.

Stage One was a challenging ten-target troop line with, like every stage, 12 shots in 90 seconds. The targets were lined up along the racetrack, up the hill at a 25-degree angle, meaning that bipod height was crucial. With only 90 seconds, steep angles and direction changes, there was very little time for adjusting kit once the buzzer went.

A very British stage used the bonnet ("hood") of a Land Rover to shoot at a KYL and Reset Target. For those not familiar with hunting in Britain, many a shot has been taken from these vehicles in the field! Top tip: shoot from the headlight or near the windscreen to avoid bonnet bounce. These first ten stages tested even the most experienced shooters, with the 90-second par times proving challenging and the wind catching everyone out at some point.

DAYS THREE AND FOUR – WOODLAND

Stages Eleven to Twenty were shot through the woodland tracks around the shooting ground, where the target acquisition became more challenging due to the shaded woodland rides and challenging angles.

The props looked stunning and solid, including a full-sized rooftop with a gable. From the rooftop, shooters engaged the farthest target of the match – a 205m double hanger set at the top of the hill at a 20-degree angle from the shooting position.

The MDT stage dominated the view as shooters walked up to the staging area, with a solid oak staircase leading up to the platform on top of a shipping container. From there, shooters had to engage the targets, one close and one far, from six different positions. Time proved to be the main stressor here, as there was no time to dial or parallax for every target. This stage was run by MDT representative Paige Koster, who ensured the smooth flow of shooters onto and off the prop whilst enjoying a beautiful 360-degree view of the event from the platform.

Another very unique prop was Owain's Tree, named after the son of the ground owner who used to play on the tree as a child. Shots were taken from prone under the tree and then in 3 positions moving along the tree branch, using the tree's natural shape as shooting points. One of the custom-built props was the Eley stage, with shooters engaging targets from a pile of giant Eley boxes. Again, sequencing here proved challenging, with what appeared on paper as a simple target sequence becoming truly confusing under the time pressure of 90 seconds.

RESULTS AND CLOSING CEREMONY

After four gruelling days, the results were in, and shooters descended to the area outside the Impact Bar to get the medals and trophies. Before the awards, time was taken to thank sponsors and volunteers, without whom the event would not have been possible. In particular, the ROs and spotters who had all given up their time to support the event and see the shooters through the course of fire. A notable mention here to MDT's Paige Koster, who had flown from Canada and was voted Best RO by the shooters.

In the Ladies Division, MDT shooters took a clean sweep, with Camdyn Powers finishing ahead of McKenzie Burns, and Britain's Holly Duggan rounding out the podium with bronze.

MDT also dominated the Junior podium with Dakota Wright and Reagan Stahmer taking second and third. The Junior category was won by France's Tom Mougel, another MDT-supported shooter and one of the upcoming stars of PRS in Europe. Tom had some rifle issues ahead of the competition and was going to withdraw, but, in a display of true sportsmanship, was loaned a rifle by the father of British junior shooter, Noah Smith. This was perhaps the story that truly highlights the friendship and sportsmanship that typifies this sport.

The Czechs showed great sense of humour in delivering their senior champion out of the back of a hearse, which, for those of you who do not know, is the Czech Team Captain's personal vehicle and is driven to every European match carrying kit and, it would seem, world champion senior shooters!

In the Men's Open, Team MDT's Matt Stiner finished second ahead of Canada's Matt Hui. However, the true champion of the match has to be MDT shooter Michael Blackburn, aka "Blackers," who dropped just 11 points during the whole match. Upon accepting his gold medal, he engaged in the traditional Australian custom of a "shooey", where he proceeded to down a pint of beer from his shoe to much cheering from the crowd!

Once the formalities were over, the celebrations began, with the Impact Bar beer tent again featuring heavily! Jerseys were swapped to such an extent that it became impossible to identify who was who, and friendships were deepened as people made plans to catch up again at the next World Championships in two years.

For more insights and photos, check out this article from Mac at Black Plague Precision.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ryan Charlton is a well-known member of the U.K. shooting community, having worked in the U.K. Gun Trade for over a decade. Ryan is a proficient rifle hunter who loves predator control at night. He has competed in Precision Rifle matches since 2019 and is known throughout the U.K. precision rifle community for his willingness to help new shooters. Ryan was awarded the first Outstanding Contribution Award for his role in growing the sport within the U.K. Ryan was part of the British team for both the Centrefire World Championship in France in 2022 and the Rimfire World Championship in Italy in 2023. He will be representing G.B. again in Colorado this year. He also has a regular column in the British shooting magazine Rifle Shooter, focusing on all things Precision Rifle.