The type of matches that are shot in the Precision Rifle Series are nothing new. That type of shooting has been happening in the US since before 2000. If you go to the Demigodllc site, Zak (Owner of Thunderbeast Suppressors) has match reports going back to 2004:
http://demigodllc.com/articles/
The Steel Safari goes back to 1998.
http://competition-dynamics.com/steel-safari-2016/
The Steel Safari is run by Competition Dynamic (Also Zak), which is not part of the Precision Rifle Series, but offers matches that are at the same level. However, they are strictly field matches and go into more detailed things like target identification, and some of there matches are scenario based.
The Precision Rifle Series is basically a league that started in 2012. Matches of that style were taking place across the US, but were all independent. The Precision Rifle Series was conceived as a way of comparing shooters from across the country with the goal of having a championship style match of the same type that included only the best shooters. So they came up with a way of awarding points that allowed them to normalize the results of each match. They then took the sum of the best three matches of the shooters who joined the PRS and the 50 with the highest scores shot the finale.
Interest in the PRS grew rapidly. The matches were noticed by more competition shooters, military people, hunters and equipment manufacturers who all saw the practical application of the type of shooting being done in the matches. The manufacturers saw them as the perfect test platform for their products because the matches are notoriously hard on equipment (prize tables are insane because of this). PRS developed a very well organized marketing machine and a shooter interested in PRS started the Precision Rifle Blog and started posting equipment stats for the finale match, which helped the series become even more popular. A new website has now been launched to put together all of the media material for both PRS matches and Competition Dynamics matches.
http://www.conxmedia.com/
People are only calling this type of shooting "PRS style matches" because of good marketing. It's like calling a snow machine a Skidoo, a cotton swab a Q-tip or a tissue a Kleenex. Just brand recognition. Before PRS came around, the matches were called things like "practical long range matches", "tactical long range matches", "precision rifle matches", or numerous other things. I shot that type of match when I lived in the US between 2006 and 2010 before there was a PRS.
The only reason there is a lot of growing interest in this type of match in Canada is because the Precision Rifle Series and the Precision Rifle Blog have made more people up here aware of this type of shooting. Our biggest obstacle in holding matches up here is finding suitable places to hold a match. You need a range or a place to shoot where you can shoot at multiple distances in the same string. Laws and regulations prevent us from holding them on crown or private land. Fudds prevent us from holding them on many range that would work. That doesn't stop people from going out and practicing on crown land or private land, and there are many Canadians going down and shooting US matches (PRS and one that aren't affiliated with PRS).
Some are starting to show up here and as they do and they get exposure, more will come. So far there has been this type of match at the field range in Valcaltier. There are two organizations in Alberta that have matches scheduled to happen over the summer and work is being done to find a place to hold one in Ontario. Match announcement are put in the
Long Range/Precision Shooting Competitions forum. That is the proper place to look for matches.
If people want more of these matches to happen here, they have to push for them. It will be a push, like bringing IPSC and IDPA matches here was.
Me, I will be shooting several PRS matches in the US this year. I'm registered for the AI Long Range Classic, Long Range Shooting Experience, Nighforce Precision Shootout at PNTC, Kahles Precision Rifle Competition at K&M, and I will probably shoot the Gap Grind again in the fall at K&M. Over the summer, I'm going to shoot several matches at BWSA and MTC in Michigan and may make the trip to Quebec and/or Alberta if they have matches that line up with my schedule and are big enough to make the trip worthwhile.
