My son and I are taking a rainy day off together, so I'll add little chunks/ramblings through the day as we try out our/his new Nintendo Switch:
Matches are generally broken up 40-50% prone, the balance as positional shooting. That means a blend of all stages which are all prone (dive on your face and engage targets from one position) and stages which start or end prone, and transition to positional shooting from obstacles or barricades. Most targets are 2-4MOA, but almost always with a few targets within the match which might be as small as 1/2MOA. Some MD's will write stages to restrict gear, but for any stage, if you want to use it, it has to be in hand when starting - meaning you can't have a pack full of crap laying near the shooting position. Ranges under 350 are rare, and past 1200 equally so. Here are some types of stages, positions, obstacles, etc I've seen to be common.
Troop line stages: Every match I've been to has had some form of troop line stage. Dive prone at the signal, engage targets at various ranges, usually near to far. One or two shots each, sometimes hit to advance. Example: Start standing 10yrds behind firing line, rifle staged, mag in, bolt back. At signal, go prone and engage targets with 2 shots each near to far. 515, 642, 729, 825, 955. 10 rounds, 90 seconds.
TYL/KYL Stages: Usually single position - 4 or 5 targets of decreasing size on a rack. Hit to advance. Test Your Limits = hit to advance, score = targets hit. Know Your Limits = start over if you miss, score = the highest number of targets hit in a string. Usually repeat the sequence, so a guy who doesn't miss would go large to small, large to small. KYL's force the shooter to consider their round count and their capabilities under the conditions. For example - 10rnds total, 5 targets large to small. You hit 1, 2, and 3, miss the 4th, hit 1, 2, and 3 again, if you miss, you'll start over at zero and only have 2 rounds left. So you can bet on yourself to hit #4 the second time, or you can bow out and keep your 3.
Windows/Portholes: Shoot targets from multiple window positions in a wall or from a conex box like
@taliv pictured above. It might be a left and right target, engage both from each of 5 windows. Or a near and far target from each of 4 windows. Or it might be 1 round each from each of 8 windows - this is a separator stage, as building 8 positions in 90 seconds is PUSHING the pace.
Rooftop: Every match I've fired has had a rooftop stage, typically used the same way - 3 positions, sometimes coupled with another obstacle. Example 1: 2 shots with both feet on the ground on the right side of the rooftop, 4 rounds from the top of the rooftop with both feet ON the rooftop, 2 rounds with both feet on the ground on the left side of the rooftop. 8 rounds in 90seconds. Example 2: 2 rounds each from 2 squares of the cargo net at the 350yrd target, then 2 rounds from right side of rooftop, both feet on ground, 2 rounds from top of rooftop, no feet on ground, 2 rounds left side, both feet on ground. 10 rounds, 90 seconds.
All Holds/Dial 1: Can't touch your scope once the clock starts. You can either have your scope set to your 100yrd zero, or to ONE of the target ranges of the stage. I've seen this one also used as a separator stage, where 3 barricade positions on 3 targets at different ranges were used, so the shooter had to remember to hold 3 ranges while moving 3 different positions. Throw some wind on top of that and guys will forget to float their POA in space. It can be super fun, but also super frustrating.
Barricade: 3-5 positions on a barricade, whether it's the perimeter steps or portholes. The PRS Barricade Skills stage is 1 target, 2 shots from each of 4 positions. Other designs might mix a lot of different toys into the barricade demand: Example 1: Targets = 2 coyotes at 560yrds, one boar at 680yrds, one shot at each target from each of 3 positions = 9 shots in 90seconds, 3 positions. Example 2: Big & small targets at 525yrds, engage both from each of 5 positions.
Vehicles: Every match I've shot has had at least one vehicle stage. Examples: Start sitting in the passenger die of a pickup, jump out at the buzzer, and shoot coyote targets from prone on the flatbed. Another stage, shoot from the rear bed, through the cab, and from the hood of am HMMWV, or through the port turret of the HMMWV, from a helicopter cabin, out the driver's window or over the bedrail of a truck, from the rear seat of an old Willys.
Common Obstacles: Tractor Tires, concrete culverts, cattle gates, scaffold panels, telephone poles, rooftops, fallen tree limbs, corrugated drain tile, Fiberline spools, railroad ties, 4x4 tank traps, rooftops, boat simulators, window walls (connex boxes or free standing walls).
Examples of stages I recall (not outlined above, and recognizing I'm pulling the ranges out of my ear, but approximate to what we shot):
1) 8rnds in 2min, 4 positions. Start standing, port arms, at signal, go prone on left side of large pipe, fire 2 shots at 730yrd target, move to top of pipe and fire 2 shots at 570yrd target, move to prone with rifle inside of pipe, fire 2 shots at 570yrd target, move to prone right side of target, 2 shots at 730yrd target. I thought I had a sneaky game plan, of wedging my shoulders and chest in the diameter of the pipe - it was incredibly stable, but my brake made it feel like someone was place kicking my face through a pillow with each shot.
2) 12rnds in 90 seconds, prone at 730yrds, 3 targets. Big to small twice, change mag, and change to support side, repeat.
3) Start standing at port arms behind the swinging platform, on signal, build position on lower level of platform fire 2 shots at each target at 350, 425, and 500yrds, then move to standing on swinging platform with rifle on upper level, fire 4 shots at IPSC at 500.
4) Start standing behind provided tripod (with hog saddle, which happens to be at that awkward height too tall for prone, but too low for sitting/kneeling). At signal, hit to advance 435, 565, 655, 805, and 880yrds, remaining rounds to be fired at 955yrd target. 10rnds in 90 sec.
5) Start standing with pistol at low ready, mag in, slide locked back, unlimited pistol rounds, engage 5 pistol targets with two impacts each at 25-40yrds, hit to advance, clear pistol and stage on table, advance to conex and engage Big & Small targets at 550 with one shot each through 5 different windows, 2 diamonds, 1 rectangle, and 2 squares. Pistol impacts not for score, but only to advance to rifle. Pistol + 10 rounds in 2min. **This ended up being a separator stage because most guys are getting into the conex with 45seconds off of the clock, or even worse, since they'd rush the pistol, then they'd have a little over a minute left to cross the full length of the conex and build 5 positions. I took my time, took 11 shots on the pistol, had a 31rnd mag loaded so I wouldn't have to change mags, and I was on my rifle by 23sec off of the clock. Finished my 10 rifle rounds with plenty of time remaining, where a lot of guys timed out because they'd end up taking 15 or more shots on the pistol and have a mag change.
6) Tic Tac Troop Line - start standing behind the tic tac toe board (window frame # hung on a horizontal axle), at signal, shoot 500, 600, 700, and 800 yrd targets near to far then change position and engage far to near. 8 shots in 90 seconds. **This one required the shooter to have more than just a normal free recoil, gamechanger bag trick, as the barricade moves. Some guys tried to go prone and kinda wedge the frame, but about the time they'd get set up, they'd realize the crown of the range blocked the targets, so they'd have to move. Guys using a tripod as a rear support blaze through, guys trying to balance the frame really struggled.
7) TYL + Confirm or Troop Line + Confirm: Either way, A) TYL + Confirm, TYL Rack at 487 and confirmation target at 550. Engage TYL rack, hit to advance, hitting confirmation target before moving onto next TYL target. B) Troop Line + Confirm - Engage targets near to far, hit to advance, hitting confirmation target before moving onto next range target. 10rnds in 90sec. Just adds some mental work for the shooter, and requires twice as much dialing. On Troop + Confirm, a guy can dial the confirmation and hold the ranges, or dial the ranges and hold the confirmation target, or dial all of it.
8) Deer Blind: Start standing outside of the deer blind with the rifle leaning inside. On signal, enter and engage targets through the window while seated, 4 prairie dogs at 350, 2 coyotes at 570, and two rounds on the hog at 855. 8 shots in 90 seconds. The bad news in this stage, even as a relatively young mid-30 something, relatively flexible/nimble, and NOT sporting an overweight dad-bod, the box blind was about a half size smaller than I really could shoot comfortably. The window was small, and a suppressed rifle was REALLY long and ungainly trying to go from leaning to out the window. The provided chair was about 6" shorter than needed for the window, so I ended up sitting on top of my pump pillow, and the window was too small (short) to use a barricade bag. I threw a pair of gloves under my forend to nest the rifle better than nothing (before I added the Area419 rail). I think my first round was somewhere at 30-35 seconds, and I had to BLAZE through to get to the hog before time ran out.
Lots of other stage designs, but this gives an idea of some of the things a shooter should expect to face.
Match Day Weather & Lighting Challenges: Shooting will last throughout most of the day, so if wind dies off in the midday heat, guys who were on a stage in the morning might have fought wind which sucked, and the guys midday had it easy. Alternatively, there might not be much mirage to deal with in the morning, then it becomes more brutal as the day heats up. You might also see some targets in the shadow of a ridge/berm which are really easy to pick out when the sun is low in the morning, but then wash out as the sun moves - or vice versa, where a target was easy to see in the light, then blends in as the shadow moves over them. Some targets are easy to pick out for the first few squads because they're still painted, but later squads might have a grey splattered target blending into a caliche berm. Rain might move in, or off, etc. So it can be a little different than some other games where targets are painted or pasted for every shooter, or where most of the guys are on the line at the same time.
Range Set up Challenges: Targets in grass fields or in front of brush piles or tire stack berms won't give any splash response, so a guy needs to be mindful of his recoil management to try to watch for trace and target response, else they won't pick up any info from their previous shot. This is really important for troop lines, where the closest, big target might give you a wind clue which will come in handy for the farthest targets. If you call a 12mph wind, but your impact is on the downwind edge of a .5mil target, you want to manage your recoil to be able to see the target swing response, realize you hit the downwind edge, and add the equivalent of .2mil more wind for your next target down range - aka, correct your wind call based on how your target swung. Naturally, if you throw one in the dirt and see the splash, correct based on that response. I've heard some shooters would even shoot at something on the berm, instead of a target in a grass field, if they've been having troubles reading wind, just so they can get a reading.
One nasty trap new shooters can fall into: Short range stages generally mean some aspect of the stage is very difficult. Either the targets are small, the positions are tough, or the speed requirement is high. When I see an 1100yrd stage, I expect to do very well as long as the wind isn't doing kartwheels. When I see a 350yrd stage, I ready myself to push the pace hard, otherwise I won't get through all of my shots.
The PRS Skills stages in the rulebook are decent primers for what a shooter should have for competency. There are things like boat simulators, movers, 1/4moa targets, intermittent targets, off-hand shooting, etc which will challenge most shooters, but the bread and butter skills are in the 4 Skills stages. Barricade, prone, odd size object, building and rebuilding position, mag changes, panning transitions, target string sequences, hold overs... The only complaint/criticism I'd have is the prevalence of mag changes - which may not be so relevant in matches, but is good practice to operate your rifle on the clock in case you run into unexpected feeding issues.
