ACE IN TWO WORLDS Pistol champion Doug Koenig finding success in Precision Rifle Series’ Production Class too.
Doug Koenig, center, took top honors in the Production Division at July’s Hornady Precision Rifle Challenge in Evanston, Wyoming, while his fellow Team Hornady members also did well.
PHOTOS BY DOUG KOENIG
T
o say Doug Koenig is a champion with the pistol would be an understatement. In his 31-year professional shooting career, he has won more than 80 national and international championships, including the Bianchi Cup an astounding 19 times, the NRA World Action Pistol Championship nine times, the Masters International 20 times, the World Speed Shooting Championship three times, and the Sportsman’s Team Challenge 20 times, among many other accomplishments. Koenig’s mastery with the pistol is clear. But for the past three years, he
has embraced a new challenge – that of precision rifle shooting. As Ruger’s shooting team captain, Koenig competes in Precision Rifle Series’ Production Division, using the Ruger Precision Rifle in competition. Whereas most PRS competitors use custom gear, Koenig says that shooting production rifles has its benefits. “I think the advantage of the Production class is that the price point stays lower than that of the open guns,” he says. “I think that it is definitely the best starting point for new shooters wanting to get started in the long-range
rifle sports. They can spend more of their money on practice ammunition (rather) than worrying about spending a ton on the equipment at the start. I like showing that you can be very competitive with a production rifle.” Indeed, in just a few years on the PRS circuit, Koenig has been very successful, notching many top-10 and top-20 finishes – all while shooting a firearm that costs a fraction of what many of his competitors are using. And if that wasn’t enough for Koenig, he also recently served as match director for the inaugural Koenigamericanshootingjournal.com 27
