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Best .22 target match rifle money can buy

The 52 B is Is NOT as desireable as the C and D. There is only so much that can be done with that trigger. The scope is a good one although if it is a Barrel Mounted unit is not as popular with todays shooters.

Try and find a match near you and most rimfire shooters will be glad to help you find what you are looking for. Remember most serious shooters are looking for the "Flavor of the week" and will sell a good rifle for less that you can build one, as they want another.

Jim
 
When I first read the OP's post, the first thing that came to mind was E&G, then an Anz 2013. I am surprised that no one mentioned the second one, but did see that someone did talk about the first one! I saw a E&G at Perry during the Long Range championships, one of the fellows from Japan had one, I liked it a lot, it was pretty slick!
 
Look at what the world's top competitors are using. This is what was shot at the London Olympics:

In Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions, the gold and silver medals were shot with a Bleiker, and the bronze medal was shot with an Anschütz.

In Men's 50m Rifle Prone the gold medal was shot with an Anschütz, the silver medal was shot with a Grünig & Elmiger, and the bronze was shot with a Feinwerkbau.

In Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions, the gold and bronze medals were shot with an Anschütz, while the silver medal was shot with a Walther.

For your criteria of best money can buy, your options should now be pretty clear. ;)

To be blunt, all of the the rifles mentioned are going to be very pricey. One thing I noticed about international top-level competitors, especially the Europeans, is that when it comes to equipment, they don't screw around.

The rifle isn't going to matter very much if you aren't using the best .22 LR ammunition, so better save up for a few bricks of Eley, RWS, or Lapua. Pretty much every medal in the Olympics this year was shot with Eley Tenex.
 
cootershooter, just happened on to this thread, but it is a good one. I can't shoot for spit, but I like rifles that can!

Good replies, good advice, great targets, and the Olympic results are unequivocal. A lot of threads just have jawbone info. This one shows results, and how to ratchet up from a $400 rifle to a $9000+ rifle. There's something for every rimfire addict. A real sobering thought: I bought a 50rd box of RWS 50 and found out that sure enough, it's the best .22 l/r ammo I have. I hate to think of buying bricks of Tenex. I have an 82G, but have helped rebarrel a couple of Anschutz's with Lilja barrels. Me or any rifle I have can't stay with either of them. One of these days.......they're as high as I aspire.

I'd like to know what you end up with.

Thanks, Tom
 
Out of the box I have to agree with Anschutz crowd. I love mine and the accuracy is probably more than I will ever need. If I were to go custom I would look for a used competition model as others suggested. Then I would have the rifle set to McGowen in Montana; they produce excellent barrels and will tailor it to your wants and needs. Other than a new barrel, the only other possible expense other than a different scope, would be a new trigger. This year I've had two actions rebarreled by them, a 6mmAI and a 6.5-284 and two weeks ago I ordered a third build. Dollar for dollar I have not found anyone who can match their quality and price. You may have to wait six months but it's worth the wait.

Everyone has their own preferences and opinions. Myself, I have developed a preference for a certain trigger and scope. By using the same trigger and scope on all my rifles (almost all of them) it provides a certain comfort level. Same eye relief from rifle to rifle and same trigger pull and release.

Best of luck with competition and matches, it's always great to hear from a new member joining the sports/shooting community.
 
CMP had Anschutz target rifles for around $1495. This includes sights which are worth a considerable amount as well. The Anschutz I had was deadly accurate w/ the right ammo. Mine liked SK and Federal Match. Have fun.
 
If those CMP Anschutz rifles are based on the 64 action, save your money. Instead, spend a bit more and get a 54 or 2013 action as those scale up much better. Or better yet, buy a used 54 based actioned rifle for less than the CMP's price. They can be had.
 
At our range is an Olympian that won gold in '48. We have another that was to shoot in '80 but Carter pulled us out (the USSR had the never to be in of all places Afghanistan). Anyway between the two they have several Morgans. They swear by them and have stated they are clearly the best 22LR target rifle ever made. If you can find one you're probably looking just barely in the one digit K range.
 
On the affordable note we use Rem 540XR, BSA Martini Mk II (III is better if you can find one), and the Kimber 82 Gov (many smirk but my wife has won several regional competitions with it). We use Fiocchi 320 SM which is good stuff though this year I've had a few fliers using it.
 
Cootershooter,
If you want to shoot silhouette, there is a lot to be said for a 10/22 or a 10/22 clone. They may not shoot down to the last hundredth of an inch like a $4,000 bench rest rifle, but a good one is "accurate enough" to shoot a perfect score at silhouette. Plus they have a real advantage over the bolt action rifles and that is that you never have to move your hands or break your position to clean a rack of targets. All you have to do is shift your heel a little as you move down the row. It is unbeatable fun clearing a rack in about 10 seconds!

That said, if you decide to go the 10/22 route, get the best, lightest trigger you can find. That is probably the biggest disadvantage compared to the bolt actions when the game is silhouette.
 
Don't forget that you STILL need to TEST AMMO ($125-$220) a brick, Then BUY as much/many cases as you can afford @ $1200-$2000 a case.
 
"If you want to shoot silhouette, there is a lot to be said for a 10/22 or a 10/22 clone. They may not shoot down to the last hundredth of an inch like a $4,000 bench rest rifle, but a good one is "accurate enough" to shoot a perfect score at silhouette. Plus they have a real advantage over the bolt action rifles and that is that you never have to move your hands or break your position to clean a rack of targets. All you have to do is shift your heel a little as you move down the row. It is unbeatable fun clearing a rack in about 10 seconds!

That said, if you decide to go the 10/22 route, get the best, lightest trigger you can find. That is probably the biggest disadvantage compared to the bolt actions when the game is silhouette. "



Reading this makes me wonder if the poster has ever competed in smallbore silhouette. I have! - I have shot it for over 30 years, I have won some state and national championships and when I read your comment about "clearing a rack" in 10 seconds I almost gagged. Are you kidding??? I would like to know where and when a perfect score was shot with a 10/22. Perfect scores are rare even among the best competitors.

There is an occasional 10/22 user but when most of them decide to be serious about the sport they step up to an Anschutz or similarly capable bolt rifle.

drover
 
You've seriously never seen anyone clean the chickens?!

Well, OK.

I spent 2 summers shooting an practice league. I admit I have never done it, but I have shot 9/10 about as fast as I could pull the trigger and move on. I've seen somebody do it in practice too.
 
Beau said:
You've seriously never seen anyone clean the chickens?!

Well, OK.

I spent 2 summers shooting an practice league. I admit I have never done it, but I have shot 9/10 about as fast as I could pull the trigger and move on. I've seen somebody do it in practice too.

As I read your posts I seriously wonder if you have ever shot Smallbore Rifle Silhouette.

First of all - you do not shot all 10 targets at once. You are given a 15 second ready period, then the FIRE command, you then two and one-half minutes to shoot a bank of 5 targets. There is a pause for reloading and then you shoot another bank of 5 targets for a total of 10 targets.

Secondly - you are only allowed 5 rounds in your magazine, you then either reload that magazine or use a second magazine.

I doubt that you were using regulation size smallbore silhouette targets if you “shot 9/10 about as fast as I could pull the trigger and move on” - I have no idea what you mean when you say “and move on”, is that something you did in your practice league? If so what was it?

As far as shooting 9/10 - yes, I have seen it done. - I have Grand Slam pins in smallbore and high-power silhouette in both Hunter and Standard class. In case you re unfamiliar with what a Grand Slam pin is it is an award given for shooting 10 in a row of each animal in a registered competition. The results are signed by the match jury and submitted to the NRA who awards the pins (the NRA is the sanctioning body for Rifle Silhouette).

It does not bother me that you are unfamiliar with rifle silhouette, what does bother me is that you are giving bad advice as if you knew what you are talking about. Poor advice is worse than no advice.

Get yourself a copy of the NRA rule book, study up on how rifle silhouette competitions are run, the equipment limitations, the regulation size for the targets. Then go to some sanctioned matches and give it a try. If you are as good as you imply then you should have no trouble winning the matches and going on to winning some State and National champioships.

drover
 
cootershooter,

Since you are limited for gunsmiths, ammo and other support in P.R. give serious consideration to an Anschutz 1710 or a 1712. The 1710 has a single stage trigger, and the 1712 has a two-stage trigger. Either are capable rifles ready for competition with no modifications needed. You may or may not be aware that there is a Hunter class and a Standard class, you can use a Hunter class rifle in both classes but you cannot use the heavier Standard class rifle in both, the Anschutz 1710/1712 will meet the guidelines of Hunter class.

Ammo - for smallbore silhouette, use the best ammo you can afford but there is no point in going over the top either, Wolf match, the mid-grades of Ely or Lapua are all fine. I shot CCI standard velocity for many years and shot myself into Master class using it, it would not be a bad ammo to start with because it is inexpensive enough that you can practice a lot, as your abilities grow you can step up to a higher grade ammo or use the higher grade for matches.

Scope - It is hard to beat a Leupold 6.5-20 VX lll, on days when you have a good hold use 20 power, on days when you are less steady or the wind is gusty turn it down to a lower power.

Get a copy of the NRA rule book and study up on equipment limitations, etc., if you ever shoot in sanctioned silhouette competition you will need to meet their rules.

good luck, it is an addicting form of competition.

drover
 
Have two that i use, first is now don't laugh is a Mossberg 144 LS made some adjustments to the length of pull and installed a two step front front sight base for my Redfield small bore sight by which have use of inside matches at 50 feet and out door matches at 50 and 100 yards and a Winchester 52D in a Bishop thumb hole stock using same sights as on the Mossberg, Winchester, and big bore match rifle.
 
Hi guys, I been shooting .22 anschutz rifles since 1963. My gunsmith used to be Carl Kenyan. I rely on three different anschutz rifles - in competition, depending on the conditions: a 1911 for prone; a 1813 for 3P and a new 2013 for prone.

a. the 1911 set the new national record, for the metric dewar course, metallic sights at Swietzland in New Freedom PA in May 2011. It consists of a anschutz receiver, the anshutz 2013 trigger, and a custom barrel made in the USA. I keep the exact specifications of the barrel and its manufacturer a secret. The stock looks very ugly, and profone to those that love a polished walnut finish.

b. the 1813's primary feature is the wood thumbhold rifle stock. For some strange reason, the wood stock seems to always perform better in standing and kneeling than a metal stock. I use the original action, with a kenyan trigger - and I am replacing the barrel this winter.

c. the 2013 has taken two years of practice, every day, to finally keep in the x ring consistently at 50 yards using wolf. During the two year period I fired 15,000 rounds in the prone position to get a good feel for the rifle. I found that the trick to the x ring is exact placement on the trigger and a consistent grip on the pistol grip. the current configuration of the 2013 is anshutz action, kenyan trigger and a custom designed barrel that I had made. I keep the exact specifications of the barrel and manufacturer a secret. I also do not disclose the name of my gunsmith.

Each rifle has a spoiled girl personality. Touch it wrong around the trigger and it will throw you on the curb. Feed it cheap dinners (ammo) and it will never kiss you with any x's. On top of that - they can really be a bitch about the velocity of the bullet you want them to swallow. too slow of a velocity is like cheap dago red wine. These "ladies" require high octain ammo, not shaken, not stired and definatelhy kept in a ice chest to keep cool. And none of them like being tested in a bench rest. You can hand cuff and bolt them to the table, and fire great groups. but they will rebell when you cut them loose and true to hold them and squeeze them - you will end up with different group patters every time.

But the best of the best requires, in my opinion, careful testing of top match ammo - by velocity. Finding the right velocity for each barrel eliminates the need for a tuner.

So in the end, the best rifle is a modified rifle, using an anshutz action, a kenyan trigger and a very very special barrel.

Yep, been doing this 50th years, and I still got beat all the time by LTC Dave Cramer.

sincerely Colonel Jim
 

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