SAPRF 2027 national series, championships and qualifying for selection
Centrefire and PR22 Rimfire
29 October 2026
Scope#
These rules govern the 2027 SAPRF national series and national championships for Centrefire and PR22 Rimfire. All competition is individual.
Divisions#
| Discipline | Division | Eligibility or equipment |
|---|---|---|
| Centrefire | Open | Open to all; no additional equipment rules |
| Centrefire | Ladies Open | Female shooters |
| Centrefire | Junior Open | PRS: 17 or younger on 1 January of the season. IPRF: aged 14 to 20 at the start of the calendar year, for IPRF team selection. Age verified by government issued ID; juniors must handle their rifle safely without hands-on assistance |
| Centrefire | Senior Open | Over 55 |
| Centrefire | Mil/LEO | IPRF — active full or part time military or law enforcement officers. PRS — active duty and full-time LEO: any shooter who is a full-time, active duty service member or a full-time law enforcement officer is eligible |
| Centrefire | Limited | .308 Win/7.62x51 NATO only; projectile maximum 185 gr; velocity maximum 3,200 fps, the same as all Centrefire rifles |
| Centrefire | Factory | A commercially available, complete factory-manufactured rifle, originally supplied in the manufacturer's standard configuration, subject to the applicable PRS Production Division requirements and any accessories or modifications expressly permitted under the SAPRF Factory Division rules |
| Centrefire | Hunter | South African only division. Production rifle with its factory synthetic or wooden stock (no chassis); minimum 2.5 lb trigger pull; rifle maximum US$3,000 and optic maximum US$2,500, based on the manufacturer's advertised price, not the purchase price |
| PR22 Rimfire | Open | Open to all; no additional equipment rules |
| PR22 Rimfire | Ladies Open | Female shooters |
| PR22 Rimfire | Junior Open | Aged 12 to 18 at the start of the calendar year |
| PR22 Rimfire | Senior Open | Over 55 |
| PR22 Rimfire | Mil/LEO | Active full or part-time military or law enforcement officers |
| PR22 Rimfire | Factory | A commercially available, complete factory-manufactured rifle, originally supplied in the manufacturer's standard configuration, subject to the applicable PRS Production Division requirements and any accessories or modifications expressly permitted under the SAPRF Factory Division rules |
| PR22 Rimfire | Hunter | South African only division. Production rifle with its factory synthetic or wooden stock (no chassis); minimum 2.5 lb trigger pull; rifle maximum US$2,500 and optic maximum US$2,500, based on the manufacturer's advertised price, not the purchase price |
All Centrefire rifles are limited to a maximum of .30 calibre and 3,200 fps.
Nationals and scoring#
Each National is a 1 day, minimum 100 round match. The number of nationals, their dates and venues are set by the SAPRF match calendar.
Every match day is weighted against the highest overall score of that day, regardless of division. The top shooter receives 100 percentage points and everyone else a proportional share.
Weighted score = (shooter's raw score ÷ highest raw score of the day) × 100
Championships#
To enter the championships, a shooter must be a fully paid up SAPRF member and have completed at least 1 national and 1 provincial match listed on the SAPRF match calendar. This ensures everyone at the championships has enough match experience to compete at that level.
The SA Championships is a 2-day match, weighted as a whole match to a maximum of 200 points. The Centrefire SA Championships are a minimum of 15 stages and 150 rounds, and the PR22 SA Championships a minimum of 18 stages and 200 rounds, both set out according to PRS requirements. The PRS International Match is worth a maximum of 100 points. Ties are resolved on designated skills stages, following PRS practice: more impacts wins, and equal impacts go to the faster time. Tiebreak results do not add points to the score.
Final ranking#
The SA Championships count 40% of the year score (200 of 500 points) and are weighted this way to determine the champion in each division.
| Component | Maximum points |
|---|---|
| Best 3 national results (100 each) and/or PRS International match | 300 |
| SA Championships (2 days) | 200 |
| Total | 500 |
For selection of the National Team, the SA Championships are a mandatory match and count 25% of the total score (300 points for the year and 100 points for the SA Championships, 400 points in total).
| Component | Maximum points |
|---|---|
| Best 3 national results (100 each) and/or PRS International match | 300 |
| SA Championships (2 days) | 100 |
| Total | 400 |
Only a shooter's best three national results will count towards the final ranking. These may include a maximum of two results from their home province, with the remaining result(s) coming from outside their home province. All 3 best scores may be from outside their home province. Dates and venues are published separately on the SAPRF calendar.
International shooters must compete in at least three nationally qualifying PRS or IPRF National Selection Matches to be eligible for selection. Participation in the South African Championships (SA Champs) is also mandatory for selection eligibility.
Ties on final points go to the higher SA championship score, then to the SA championship skills stage tiebreak.
A shooter with fewer than 3 counting results, including one whose nationals were all in their home province, appears on the log wherever their points place them but is not eligible for selection.
A shooter moving from Factory to Open keeps their scores, as those rifles meet the Open rules. A shooter moving from Open to Factory starts again.
Selection and colours#
Federation and Protea colours apply to Centrefire and PR22 on the same rules. The 2027 Centrefire ranking is used to select the Centrefire National Team for the 2028 IPRF Precision Rifle World Championships. See the SAPRF team selection process document.
Approved and signed#
Dr AJ Lategan
Chairman
South African Precision Rifle Federation (SAPRF)
Amendments#
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 1 November 2026 | Division-move clause simplified. The sentence "A shooter moving from Open to Factory starts again, except if the rifle used to shoot in Open was a factory qualified rifle." has been shortened to "A shooter moving from Open to Factory starts again." The exception has been removed so the rule is uniform regardless of which rifle was used in Open. All other wording is unchanged. Signed version re-published on this date. |