Rimfire Training Rifle for Palma

[Stumpy1]

Hi All,

I am contemplating a rimfire trainer for Palma style shooting. The plan would be 100 and 200 yard prone, some mini-Palma, and the like. Iron sights (like using my Phoenix rear and Right Sight front), with the occasional use of a scope.

So, if you were me, what would you get? Anschutz? Vudoo? something else?

Action?
Barrel and length?
Barrel twist?
Bloop tube/tuner?
Trigger (keep in mind I need to lift at least 500 grams...)

No real budget, but a G&E or Bleiker is probably out

Thanks in advance for any great ideas on how to spend my money!

Frank

 

[Tim Slater]

Frank,

The obvious idea would be to duplicate your actual Palma rifle as closely as possible. If that's Rem 700, or clone, based a Vudoo has obvious advantages. If your Palma rifle is in European metal stock, an Anschutz 54 (inc 18xx, 19xx, orctge new 54.30) will most likely drop into a mate, or even be compatible with the existing stock.

On the other hand, a used Anschutz 54 prone rifle is ready to go, without needing additional gunsmithing. The stock will likely be similar to many wooden Palma stocks. A 1960s 1411 will likely have a 500g trigger anyway. A 1980s 1811 has an adjustable cheekpiece as standard.

 

[mgdietrich]

Plenty of good used Anschutz rifles in the US, that is the easy button. Ask to see the test target, if group is big very likely that barrel never will be great.

1:16 is standard twist, works in all temps. Some fun slower but you can have trouble when cold.

I use a 20" 1" barrel but it is heavy, I would do a . 920 straight for 20-24" if I was replacing.


Uptagraft tuner tube work good but they are heavy, beesting or other carbon tube would be lighter.

 

[SBS]

Remington 40X with similar wt. bbl, bloop tube if needed for sight radius. Most 40X rimfires will have a suitable trigger for your required weight and many triggers out there to choose from if so needed. Lots of stocks available also, including chassis type set up. The receiver has the heft and feel of a CF rifle and most receivers are D&T for receiver sight base. Takes threaded barrels like a CF, so barrel installation is very similar. Can also get into much more reasonable than a Vudoo or other 40X clones. As above ^^^, 16 twist is the standard.

 

[MarkS]

A Bergara B14R is a Remington foot print also, with a full size mag. I have one great shooter. I changed my trigger to a Trigger Tech Diamond, it's pull is in you range.
Mark

 

[41magnut]

Is your rifle a traditional type wood/composite stock, or one of the chassis styles.

At some of the bigger matches I have seen several Palma guns built on Anschutz stocks. If you are looking for a mirror image or carbon copy and have a rifle as such then I would think a rimfire version would be a natural fit.

If you use one of Competition Machine chassis, they make a rim fire version of their Universal Match Rifle System (UMRS). The Universal Match Rimfire Rifle (UMRR) uses the Tikka T1X rifle as it's base.

NEW UNIVERSAL MATCH RIMFIRE RIFLE | Got X Ring

www.gotxring.com

I have no interest in CMI except being a satisfied customer. I use a Palma UMRS & really like it, and saving my sofa change for it's little brother.

 

[1813benny]

There have been many good suggestions posted. Best one was if you are using it for a Palma trainer, match the rimfire rifle as close to your Palma gun as possible.

If you currently use a single shot action, stick with a single shot action as they are more friendly in the loading port design. I used a 40x for my high school prone league many years ago - great accuracy but the loading ramp stinks and I would avoid the 40x for that reason.

Duplicate your sight radius and set up so it appears the same on both rifles and adjustments are identical on either one.

Be certain to lot test your ammo. The rimfire vs centerfire ammo game is significantly different - and that is an understatement.

You will also learn a lot about your follow through w/ the rimfire also.

Maybe we will see you at a smallbore match in PA next year....
Regards,
ken

 

[Hoser]

Grab a single shot Vudoo with a Shilen Ratchet barrel that is close to the same weight and length as your centerfire. Grab a trigger, stock and sights that are the same as your centerfire rifle.

 

[Rtheurer]

I agree with most on here. Duplicate your current Palma Rifle. The only Exception I would make is keep the Barrel at around 20" to 24" and Run a Bloop tube Tunner combo to get your Front Sight the same distance as your Palma Rifle. Bloop tube From Eric Uptagraff is a good one but, there are others out there.
22lr does not need a 30" barrel but you do need the extra sight radius to be the same.
My Palma Rifle used to be a Ellisio Chassis, My 22 Trainer used to be a 40X in a Ellisio Chassis with a Bloop tube. It shot so well i took it to The Prone Nationals in 2014.

 

[DiOrioMFG]

Frank,

Here's a link to a post on our FB page featuring a .22LR trainer and matching chassis for a customers Barnard Model P action he uses for Palma: Palma Trainer & Matching Chassis Our SB chassis is based off the Precise 2018 and we offer matching CF versions.

Best Regards, Anthony DiOrio

 

[Stumpy1]

Thank you all for the input! Not too many surprises, but I wanted to make sure I was considering at least the big stuff, as I don't want to have to do this a second time to get it right.

Right now, I am thinking a Vudoo in an Eliseo chassis, 24" barrel, and a bloop tube.

Thanks again for all the insight!

Frank

 

[Stumpy1]

The "New Girl" arrived today -ain't she purdy!

A Tikka T1X in one of Gary Eliseo's Chassis systems.
24" Benchmark 3-groove barrel
Tuned Tikka trigger
Titanium Blue Cerakote

I am really looking forward to getting her out to the range!

Thanks Gary!

Frank

 

[Twdmar]

I'll vote for the tikka too. I can put mine in my tubegun stock and with a bloop tube or scope. I can use different triggers like the Barnard or krg too.
Or for the easy button,, buy a used anschutz and set it up to use your sights. And I don't think for me, the stocks being the same is a deal breaker either.

 

[flatlander]

Three of my LR prone rifles - including my Palma rifle - are in Robertson Composites H&H prone stocks. So when a friend sent me a link to a CMP M52D bbl'd action in a nice claro walnut prone stock that Doan Trevor duplicated from his H&H pattern, I bought it. It's very accurate with several left-over lot samples of Eley Match, and since the last time I shot it with a Sightron SIII 45x45 scope mounted on a Ken Viani rail, I was able to buy a very nice 16x Unertl 1-1/2" target scope for it. Am in the process of drilling & tapping the buttplate carrier rod for a gen III MEC 140 buttplate, and looking forward to getting out with it to zero the Unertl. As a bonus, someone modified the 52's trigger in much the same fashion that Karl Kenyon used to do, so I've got a good looking rifle with a classic target scope and with a very fine trigger. It will serve my needs very well I believe...

 

[Mudcat]

I just built my Palma trainer. My Palma rifles are Barnard Ps in Doan Trevor stocks. My trainer is a KK500 in a Doan Trevor stock. Still messing with sight radius and such, but running a rear and front sight that matches my Palma rifle. Works well.

 

[flatlander]

Mudcat - That's a beautiful rifle; hard to deny the contribution that Doan's stock work makes to its appearance. The first time I shot the Berger SW LR Nationals in Phoenix in 2009, German Salazar helped see to it that I was squaded with three other experienced shooters, and one of them had a rifle stocked by Doan. I kept looking at that rifle through the week of shooting, and admired it greatly. The following year, when I built another LR prone rifle on a BAT 3L action, Steve & Shirley McGee were getting close to retiring, and mentioned that they'd like to get me into one of their stocks before they stopped doing stock work. They were among the very first people I'd met when I started shooting High Power in the 1990s, and invited me to drive up to their place to go through their stock blanks and make a choice to be duplicated on their Trudie pattern. I picked a very nice English walnut blank, and had Doan finish & bed it after they'd gotten it duplicated and had done the installation of the adjustable cheekpiece, 3-way buttplate, and the accessory rail. Photos - the blank, the stock after the McGees had done their work, and the finished rifle, along with a CMP M52D that Mike Ross barreled with a Broughton blank, in the stock that Doan did out of another English blank from Cecil Fredi. Doan's just getting started on another English walnut prone stock for a Vudoo V-22S single shot for me - can't wait to see how this one turns out!