Dakota Wright: From First Shots to the U.S. Rimfire Team

Dakota Wright was 16 when she first picked up a .22LR. Within days, she entered her first match. Since then she has shot for the United States at two IPRF Rimfire World Championships. Most of her story below comes from our October 2024 post, updated with her world championship results.

Two IPRF Rimfire World Championships

In 2023, Dakota competed at the IPRF Rimfire World Championship in Italy and placed 3rd in the Ladies Division (Shooting Sports USA).

In 2025, she shot for the U.S. Precision Rifle Rimfire Team at the IPRF Rimfire World Championship in England and placed 2nd in the Juniors Division (U.S. Precision Rifle Association).

How did Dakota get started?

Dakota started with pistol shooting, but she wanted something more dynamic. Once she found rimfire precision rifle matches, she was hooked. As of October 2024, she was shooting two to three matches most weekends and had shot 145 matches in about two years.

Her dad got her interested and often competed alongside her. “One of the best parts of shooting is being able to spend time with my dad. Plus, I get to travel and meet incredible people,” Dakota said.

What keeps her shooting?

The people, first. “I’m so grateful to be part of this brotherhood. It’s full of amazing people,” she said.

She also has a clear idea of what goes into a good match. “Shooting isn’t just about pulling the trigger. It’s a mix of 25% rifle and ammo, 20% positioning, 50% mental strength, and that final 5% of ‘other’ factors.” That balance, she said, keeps her motivated and learning.

Her advice to new shooters is to ask questions and give it time. “It takes time to understand the discipline, but it’s worth it. Stick with it, and the fun will follow.”

Her matches and rifle, as of October 2024

By October 2024, Dakota had shot the PRS national finals twice and competed at the 2023 NRL championship. Her sponsors were Rachel Precision, Kahles Optics, MDT and Fat Boy Tripod.

Her rifle was a Rachel Precision build on a RimX action with a Shilen barrel, in an MDT ACC chassis, with a Kahles K525i on top and an Erik Cortina tuner on the muzzle.

She ran it with a Fat Boy Tripod and SideChick, a Kestrel, a LabRadar, a Vortex rangefinder and Armageddon Gear accessories. She also carried chamber flags, tools and extra parts to her matches.

What does she say about her barrels?

In her testimonial, Dakota wrote: “I’ve never gotten a barrel that didn’t shoot lights out from Randy, and he still tries to learn and critique things with each one.”

What’s next?

In October 2024, Dakota was still in high school. She hoped to join the military, ideally the Army Marksmanship Unit, and to study psychology and sociology in college.

Read more about Dakota on our Shooters page, or see how we build PRS .22LR rifles.