Team USA Wins Precision Rifle World Championships

AMERICAN SHOOTERS WENT TO FRANCE THIS MONTH TO DOMINATE, NOT LIBERATE.

The first-ever World Championship of Precision Rifle was held in France August 6-12, 2022. 

250 shooters from 26 nations arrived at Militaire Camp de Bitche to compete for the world title in precision shooting.

Hosted by the FRPRA – French Precision Rifle Association, this 7-day event was divided into 6-classes. Open, Limited, Ladies Open, Factory, Senior, and Military & Law Enforcement. Each division has different rifle requirements.

Shooters were grouped by teams representing their nationalities while also competing as individual shooters.

Team USA crushed the competition taking first place in the Open, Limited, and Ladies divisions.

Great Britain & Northern Ireland took first place in the Factory division, South Africa was first place in the Senior division, and Norway scored first place in the Military & Law Enforcement division. 

American Austin Buschman became the first world champion with a score of 158 impacts. Fellow American PRS legend Morgun King scored second place with 157 impacts.

Payton Grimes took top prize in Ladies Open with a score of 136 impacts.

In every division that an American shot in, Americans took first and second place. For overall score, American shooters took 6 of the top 10 spots.

Team USA finished the week with a top score of 396.2. Sweden came in second place with 353.8, and Norway got the bronze with 333.54.

Berger Bullets

Most of the competitors used a wide range of rifles, chassis, barrels, and optics – but something many of them had in common was the use of Berger bullets. 

• 1st Place Open – Austin Buschman, Berger 6mm 109 Grain LRHT
• 2nd Place Open – Morgun King, Berger 6.5mm 156 Grain Elite Hunter
• 1st Place Limited – Coulter Mariott, Berger 6mm 105 Grain Hybrid Target
• 3rd Place Ladies Open – Allison Zane, Berger 6mm 109 Grain LRHT
• 1st Place Senior Open – Rusty Ulmer, Berger 6mm 105 Grain Hybrid Target
• 2nd Place Senior Open – Paul Higley, Berger 6mm 109 Grain LRHT

Berger has been making huge strides in the precision competition world due to their outstanding lineup of bullets. 

“Berger 105 grain Hybrid Target and 109 Grain LRHT bullets are what I’ve used exclusively in PRS style competitions for three years,” commented Buschman. “I find these 6mm Berger bullets to be very consistent over many different charge weights and seating depths. This has allowed me to focus on developing my shooting skills rather than spend hours on load development.”

Are Bergers the way to go moving forward? We’ll have to wait and see how things shake out. 

A huge congratulations to team USA! The next world championship will be held in South Africa in 2024, and we look forward to seeing Buchman defend his title.