“There’s a certain rhythm to this stuff,” Shane LaDeau, (Suck_Less_Airgunner on social media) told me not long after wrapping up his PRS win at the Central Massachusetts Airgun Challenge (CMAC). “It’s a lot of trial and error, thousands and thousands of rounds. It’s taught me what to be.” That statement alone sums up the mindset that carried him through the match. This wasn’t a lucky day or a hot streak. It was the culmination of deliberate preparation, mechanical understanding, and an almost obsessive relationship with fine-tuning an FX Dynamic Airgun system.
Shane, based out of Templeton, Massachusetts, approached CMAC with a calm confidence rooted in repetition. “I’ve only been shooting this about a year, but I know what I do and how to do it at a high level. I know what works for me,” he explained. That sense of familiarity showed stage after stage, where his tack driver of a FX Dynamic 700 paired with Saber Tactical accessories delivered smooth, predictable performance under pressure. What stood out wasn’t just the scorecard. It was how controlled the platform looked while navigating the awkward, demanding positions that define PRS-style airgun competition.
“I’m running a FX Dynamic 700 with the Saber Tactical Panthera Rail System,” Shane said. “It’s got the front Saber Tactical rail on the front with the Saber Tactical Brass weight bridge and everything else tricked out.” The build wasn’t just about adding parts. It was about creating balance. Across every barricade, every supported position, every improvised hold, his system was locked in, which in PRS often separates the winner from the rest of the field.
![]()
The FX Dynamic Platform: Purpose-Built Performance
Shane’s rig was not simply a premium airgun. It was a tool shaped through experience and constant adjustment. Speaking about the Saber Tactical FX Panthera rail system, “It’s great, I gotta say that. Really easy to bolt up and it takes the beating that I put it through. I love it. It’s wide. It’s got the full M-LOKs.”
That wider platform and enhanced mounting flexibility allowed him to run the full Saber Tactical weight package, including the brass bridge and carefully positioned front weights. “I actually had a couple extra weights that I ended up screwing into the bridge in the front of it, just to give that little bit more balance,” he said. “You just couldn’t get it with the regular FX rail.”
The final result is a serious piece of competition equipment tipping the scales at roughly 23 pounds. Yet Shane never framed that as a drawback. “The gun right now weighs around 23 pounds and it is remarkably balanced and it is a beast to contend with — and I love it.” In the world of positional shooting, that mass works in a shooter’s favor. It settles the rifle, slows movement, and allows the system to return naturally to point of aim after each shot.
PRS stages demand uncomfortable body positions, awkward support points, and quick transitions, all while maintaining precision fundamentals. Shane knows exactly why his setup matters here. “You’re shooting from these crazy contorted positions and you still have to maintain cheek weld, trigger break, sight picture… and the way that Saber Tactical system sits just makes it possible.
Slug Selection and Velocity Strategy
For CMAC, Shane built his tune around Zan ELR 35.5 grain slugs, a choice rooted in consistency and stability. “I just tuned out for the Zan ELR 35.5s. I’m running them out 995,” he said. That velocity window gave him the balance he needed between flat trajectory and reliable grouping at distance.
Air capacity also played a critical role in stage planning. “It’s the 480cc rear bottle,” he explained. “Sometimes when you’re doing stage shooting, you’re just on the edge of not having enough shots, but that 480cc definitely gives you all those shots.” For a competitor, removing the mental burden of shot count mid-stage creates freedom to focus solely on execution.
“Knowing you’re not going to run short mid-stage… yeah, that matters,” Shane added, capturing the psychological element of competition as clearly as the mechanical one.
Tuning as a Discipline
Tuning for Shane is not an afterthought. It is a discipline in itself. “First off, I look to shot count and my minimum shots,” he said. “PRS, NRL — the most I’ve ever shot is 16 rounds per stage. So knowing that going into it, that’s what I base everything on.”
From there, his process becomes a methodical progression. “I backed the hammer out to where it’s not wasting air. I start up around 150 bar, sometimes 140 depending on what I’m going for, and then just work it up until it tunes out and I get the amount of shots and power I’m looking for.”
There is no illusion of instant success. “A lot of trial and error,” Shane repeated. “Thousands and thousands of rounds. That’s what teaches you.” It’s refinement born from patience, a willingness to fail, and the persistence to keep adjusting until the system behaves predictably under match conditions.
When discussing his final tune, he was precise. “Right now I’m running at 160 bar. I run a little bit stronger hammer, about three and a quarter on the hammer. I’m trying to get as much behind it as consistent as I can.” That pursuit of consistency is the through-line of his entire approach to shooting.
From Rimfire to Airgun and Back Again
Shane’s competitive foundation was built long before airguns entered the picture. “I’ve been shooting for about five years. Started with rimfire, running a Savage MK2 that I Frankensteined out,” he recalled. Like many precision shooters, he became deeply familiar with the quirks and frustrations of rimfire ammunition.
“I was looking at this going, I’d rather tune for ammo than stress about finding good rimfire lots,” he admitted. “So I started looking into airguns and I was like, man, this actually looks capable.”
What began as curiosity quickly transformed into full commitment. “That rabbit hole was deeper than .22, I swear to God it is. But I will not look back. I don’t think ever. These things shoot amazing.”
His perspective shifted as he saw what tuned airgun systems could achieve. “You guys are taking five shots and two of them go wild, but three hit… and with air, I’m consistently grouping and hitting targets at 350, 400 yards. They’re like, ‘How do you do that?’ And I’m like, a lot of time.”
Real-World Hunting Applications
Perhaps the most telling part of Shane’s story is how seamlessly his competition setup has carried over into practical hunting. “I never really thought about hunting with a Arca or chassis rifle,” he admitted. “I always thought these rails and chassis systems were just for competition.”
That mindset changed quickly once he began using similar setups in the field. “The more I’ve hunted with it, I’m like, dude, being able to put it into a tripod, the way it sits on a bag… I don’t think I’ll ever go back to a traditional stock ever.”
He described the stability in simple terms. “You just lay it on the bag and it sits so flat and balanced. It just sat there. I didn’t even have to touch it. That thing’s a game changer.”
For Shane, the same features that help him dominate PRS stages translate directly into ethical shot placement and repeatable performance in hunting scenarios. Stability, balance, and consistency are not luxuries. They are necessities.
The Bigger Picture
Shane LaDeau’s PRS win at CMAC is more than a single competition result. It is a reflection of how modern airguns, paired with thoughtfully designed systems like those from Saber Tactical, are reshaping the landscape of precision shooting.
“I want competition, man,” he said. “That’s what I want. I want to fight against somebody who has skills to go head-to-head.” And with his FX Dynamic platform built for control, consistency, and precision, he is doing exactly that.
This victory was not simply about standing on top of a podium. It was proof of a process, a mindset, and a system working in perfect alignment.
As Shane put it best, “It’s a game — and I love playing it.”
