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Need some help!

First, I am not a 22 rimfire guy...I compete in SR Benchrest. The reason that I am posting is to help a guy in my church. He is in charge of the Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) in our area. Knowing that I am a BR guy and obsessed with accuracy he was asking me how to make a rimfire shoot to their highest potential. He is wanting to get the best equipment possible so that the kids would reach their highest level of competition and be assured that if they miss a shot it is not an equipment problem. He is trying to eliminate the, "Where did that come from." So, I'm reaching out to those on this forum that can help.
Based upon the rules listed below what would you recommend as far a a rifle, action, barrel, ammo...?

Rules -
LIGHT HUNTING RIFLE CHALLENGE
1. Light Rifle Challenge: Participants will move or walk through a rifle field course in a natural setting. The course is designed to simulate shooting situations encountered while hunting.
2. The Light Rifle Challenge will be conducted with the participants taking shots at swinging iron silhouettes and varying distances from 15 to 75 yards.
a. Participants may shoot from any position unless told different.
b. The stake with the station number is not to be used as a prop.
c. Magazines are not to be loaded until on the line with scorer. Preloaded magazines will be unloaded and reloaded. - 14 -
3. Rifles: Only standard type .22 caliber rifles designed primarily for hunting will be permitted. All action types, except fully automatic, will be permitted. The rifle may not exceed eight and one half pounds in weight including telescope but without a sling and must have a safe trigger pull. Rifles may be equipped with a hunting sling not to exceed 1-1/2" (3.81 centimeters) in width. Rifles may be equipped with a sporter-type thumbhole stock (non-adjustable). Sights will be open, peep with standard front post and bead, or hunting scopes fixed or variable power optics nine power or less. Shooter may not change guns after firing begins, except in the event of a gun malfunction. BRING YOUR OWN AMMUNITION. All ammunition used in this activity must be a standard or high velocity .22-caliber rifle cartridge. No super hot, stingers or heavy bullets allowed (to protect targets). Bring the ammo in the original box. No sight-in shots will be allowed once the Challenge begins.
4. The following will not be permitted for the Light Hunting Rifle Challenge:
a. Clothing with added padding, stiffness or shirt cup designed to assist shooter in remaining steady;
b. Shooting mats;
c. Competition thumbhole stocks;
d. Palm rests or forearm of stocks exceeding 2-1/4" wide or 2-1/4" deep as measured from the center line of the bore;
e. Scopes, fixed, or variable power optics with capabilities greater than nine power;
f. Binoculars, monocular or spotting scopes;
g. Range finders;
h. Adjustable competition sling swivel;
i. Kneeling roll; and
j. Shooting sticks.

Thanks for the help


Bro.D
 
On the easy side.... Ruger American Rimfire bolt action.... Uses 10/22 mags.... Or for automatic the 10/22.... Since it's for youth I would stick with bolt action..... Just an opinion....
 
Anyone else? Suppose that money was not the issue. What would you look into (stock, action, barrel, ammo...) that would get you a top shooting rifle that meets the rules?
 
Given what you laid out for rules, you don’t need, nor are they likely to be able to extract top flight match rifle performance.
This seems as much about developing skills as anything.
Buy a decent/reliable rifle like a CZ or Ruger and invest in decent mid level ammo with the difference to get lots of trigger time and fun.
 
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+1 on the Ruger American. I helped run a youth rifle program for three years and that's what we used to great success to teach kids (from 8-18) the fundamentals of shooting. As previously said, 10/22 mags in a bolt action rifle make for a simple, reliable platform. The rifles come in two sizes (two different sized stocks and barrel lengths) which is also helpful. FWIW, we provided the kids CCI standard velocity ammo, relatively inexpensive and also reliable.
 
I know some don't have RARs that shoot extremely well like anything else.... But mine will hold five shot groups at fifty yards pretty darn good with the short barrel version and CCI-SV ammo with nothing more than a nikon p-rimfire scope.... I bought mine because a friend who trained for about 20 years for the state shot a match with a borrowed one and a bought on the line a box of 10x and he won , suggested it to me.... I have nothing bad to say really about mine after a few years other than the machining etc could be a bit better but for a $250 rifle , come on.... If it will hold a half inch at fifty in my hands I don't think a newbie is going to have a problem with the accuracy of the rifle... Just my opinion , it cost nothing..... My main thing is giving a new shooter a bolt action over an automatic for safety.... The RARs take the proven 10/22 10 round mags that can be picked up any where..... Plus the length of pull can be changed in about 10 seconds from short to long , for young to older shooters...
 
Any used reasonable 22 with decent sights. I think a 512/513T if the kid is big, a Win 67/68 for the smaller framed, or even a Stevens Armory model with peep sights. All are quite capable in the hands of a kid with good eyesight. All are safe and easily tuned to decent ammo.

Or if you mst spend , get a Tikka, a RAR, CZ.
 
Ammo is the number one key to 22lr accuracy. Yes must have a decent rifle, but ammo is key. Thing is, every rimfire will like a different ammo. As said above, cci standard velocity is usually pretty consistent, and reasonably priced. As for what rifle, well you are at the hands of fate with any off the shelf rifle, some will be good some wont from any manufacturer. I see a lot of love for the czs, bit more pricey than savage mark ii but on average a better rifle.

Hope all goes well, great to see programs for the kids, wish i would have had them when i was a kid.

Chad
 
You can go Anschutz or Sako or Remington 40x for the base rifle and have a high probability that it'll be more accurate with more varieties of ammo. Or do a Ruger 10/22 or CZ or a whatever the heck and search around to find the ammo that it likes. If you want to find the best the easiest way to get the best results and have those longest time to enjoy it, then https://www.lapua.com/resources/test-shooting/ is how to get there from here. Coach and I did that for our match .22's and it ended us up with a couple cases of ammo perfection.

I'm an anschutz and sako fan myself. More ammo options is better.
 
Ruger American is a great place to start,along with the CZ's. Probably better allow for left handers,not sure what all is out there.Savage rimfires are another good option.
 
...He is wanting to get the best equipment possible so that the kids would reach their highest level of competition and be assured that if they miss a shot it is not an equipment problem. He is trying to eliminate the, "Where did that come from." So, I'm reaching out to those on this forum that can help.
Based upon the rules listed below what would you recommend as far a a rifle, action, barrel, ammo...?

Rules -
LIGHT HUNTING RIFLE CHALLENGE
1. Light Rifle Challenge: Participants will move or walk through a rifle field course in a natural setting. The course is designed to simulate shooting situations encountered while hunting....

Mechanically I’m inclined to agree with Dusty on the Anschutz 1710 recommendation. The capability of its trigger to be adjustable to a safe, but useable (for a hunting rifle in the hands of a novice) weight of pull is attractive.
The bigger issue for Youth Hunter Education students (assuming your congregant is providing rifles for student use) is “fit” over a broad range of adolescent (and in some cases, pre-adolescent) statures and strength abilities. The less expensive rifles out there today don’t have trigger pull weights that I find useful. Ideally if your friend could lay his hands on some of the Remington 580 series that we’re so prevalent in 4-H rifle activities in the 1970s & 1980s, that would solve many issues while providing a fine shooting platform.
Edited to add:
A better answer to your query, if I were teaching a YHE course (and supplying:recommending a rifle) and the course of fire you’ve described is part of the qualification, would be to use the CZ Scout for diminutive shooters and the CZ Trainer/Special for adult-sized participants. These are capable of outstanding accuracy and the NRA Light Rifle target should easily be mastered with either.
 
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