.22 LR Match rifle

L

ligonierbill

New member
I'd like to try my hand at match shooting. Common wisdom says just lay down the cash for a nice Anschutz and join the crowd. But I very much like classic guns, I'm one of those fools who just has to be different, and I'm kind of cheap. What are some good choices for a contrarian like me?
 
What kind of match are you thinking about? How often will you be competing in a formal match? How often will you be able to practice?

Do you have a rifle now? How well do you shoot it?

Match shooting consumes a lot of time and money. You may want to go to a local match in your area, and be a spectator. Keep your eyes open for club information, and prices on used equipment.
 
Which form of shooting have you seen that intrigues you?
There are several disciplines for smallbore and each has aspects that will narrow your choice of rifle. Some need a dedicated style rifle while others can be shot with standard sporting configurations.
 
The longer version : We have an annual Scheutzenfest, a German tradition. Basically 3 contests, 50 yard bullseye from the bench, Scheiben (10 shooters, one shot each offhand at 25, best shot wins), and Vogelschiess trying to knock parts off a stylized bird. Bullseye has sporting and match rifle classes with different targets. Most folks shoot sporter, but one objective is to promote match shooting. How do I shoot? I won the sporter (strictly open sights) a couple years ago with a 50-3X, and I have 5 Scheiben on the wall. If I were going to go all in, I would simply buy a high end Anschutz like our serious match shooters. Sporters are shoot what you brung, but most successful shooters, including me, run CZ 452 or 455. What contests will I shoot? I'm retiring soon, so whatever strikes my fancy. But back to the rifle:
Interesting or unique
Costs less than a high end Anschutz
And, of course, shoots good.
 
If you want cheap, or at least reasonable, I got some great shooting from an old Remington 513T. Whoever had it before me had put serious iron sights on it and competed with it. It was easily the most accurate 22 rifle I've ever owned, and it was the heaviest. If I had wanted to keep it, I'd have had the barrel cut down from 26 inches to maybe 20 inches. That was a seriously heavy barrel.
 
Dear 603,
Thank you for not cutting the barrel on the 513T. If you had cut the barrel, I would have cursed you and your next six generations.

You are right, the 513T is a lot of accuracy for a modest amount of dollars
 
I just got one of FIL's rifles back... Winchester bolt rifle ( sorry don't remember the model number ) was used from a local schools marksmanship program in the 50's or 60's... has a long heavy barrel, bolt action, & 4 changeable magazines ( includes one single round feed magazine ) has honest wear, but still shoots pretty good... I'm at a point that I'm culling my 22 LR guns, & will likely sell it at the next local gun show... ( was thinking it was a Winchester 50 something... 52??? or ??? ) I would suspect something like that would be a "vintage" rifle capable of competing ( If you lived close I'd sell that pretty cheap to someone who would actually use it )

otherwise the CZ suggestion is a good one... & even the 10-22 can be outfitted with mach grade components & made to shoot pretty good...
 
If the OP is in the US, then Magnum's Model 52 would be about as classic a target rifle as you could get. Sell cheap sounds great.
Also see Remington models 37 and 40X.
The junior target rifles Win 75 and Remington 513 and even 521 and 540X aren't bad but are not as refined as the first line models.

There are European rifles besides Anschutz - and a lot of older model Anschutz for that matter.
I can think of Walther and Unique offhand. Feinwerkbau made .22s as well as air rifles for a while. The Suhl 150 from East Germany is prized, especially by the rimfire benchrest shooters. The Schultz & Larsen is a very plain rifle, but good quality.
 
On Gunbroker target .22 rifles for serious target shooting are all pretty pricey. As in $1500 or more for something like a Remington 40X (last time I looked some were asking over $2500).

The Anschutz folk used to put their premier action in a wooden stock that didn't look quite as bad as today's space age guns...maybe that would work.

I think though, if you're going to make a run at 'real' target shooting you should probably bite the bullet so to speak and get the real Anschutz and be done with it. You'll be able to shoot the gun forever and either hand it off to an offspring or sell it for more than you paid for it.

Target shooting in the late 1960's I had a chance to buy a new high end Anschutz for about $350 or a motorcycle for the same price. Went with the bike.
 
ligonierbil said:
Interesting or unique
Costs less than a high end Anschutz
And, of course, shoots good.
Click to expand...


If I were looking for a General Purpose .22LR bolt "match" repeating rifle with a bit more panache than a CZ452/455, but less expensive than an Anschutz 54 series, I'd give serious thought to the Anschutz 64 MPR, or Sako Range.
 
I know where there's a 52C heavy bbl available. Asking is 1200.00 so they ain't cheap. There are some Remingtons and Mossbergs that are a lot less. Depends on what you want.
 
Bill,
If you like the road less travelled approach- you might take a peek at Simpson LTD website. They generally have a pretty good stock of club and match rifles of the likes that haven't been common in 50-80 years.
 
FYI... sorry for the misinformation... I checked mine last night, & it's a model 75 Target... not a 52 ( though I think they take the same magazines )...

I also mentioned it to a guy I play cards with, who needs something similar for his grandsons firearms training class... he expressed interest... I found my rifle has the sights removed, & a Weaver base added...

curious how tough it is to buy original "style" sights for the 75
 
Thanks to all. I am acquiring a Remington 540XR. That model was discontinued in 1973, so it will fit right in at Bill's Home for Wayward Firearms, and it's reported to be accurate. The main complaint I've found is that the trigger is not adjustable, although it can be worked. In any case, it will serve my purpose for now. If this game takes off for me, it seems Anschutz has little serious competition now. Maybe I'll end up there, but we'll give this American rifle a try first.
 
I have the MPR64 and there is no doubt it is a great rifle that is somewhat picky about the ammo it likes.

I also have a Ruger 7722 and CZ 452 Trainer that have both been bedded and had trigger jobs. In addition the Ruger has been pillar bedded.

These rifles will shoot right with the Annie at 50 yards. I do not have enough scope on the CZ and Ruger to really put it up with the Annie at 100 yards but since most of my 22 shooting is at 50 yards, it does not really matter. The nice thing is the Ruger and CZ are not anywhere as ammo sensitive as the Annie and they cost a fraction of the Annie.
 
Relatively inexpensive sporters like CZs and others don't have "match chambers", so don't shoot match ammo as well as those with tighter chambers, like the Win 52, which is known as a near-perfect chamber.

One way to check is to push a round into the chamber with your thumb and if it stops short of seating by thumb pressure, it's probably a match chamber.

If you find a used rifle that has good qualities, but no match chamber, most barrels can be set back and re-chambered with a match reamer.

Firing pin nose shape is also important. Bill Calfee has written an article on the proper pin shape for match accuracy and you might be able to find it by Googling "Calfee firing pin". I've re-ground several pins and it makes a big difference.

JP
 
I'm a bench rest shooter 308 cal. out doors in the warmer months, bought a 22 lr to shoot indoors in the winter for trigger time. Picked up a used CZ 452 Varmint, installed a adjustable sear kit & bedded the stock with Devcon. That 22 is the most accurate 22 I ever fired, with Wolf Match std. vel. no fliers, at 50 yards groups can be covered with a dime. CZ makes a Great Rifle. barrel rifled smaller then .22 have to use a 20 cal cleaning rod.
 
That 22 is the most accurate 22 I ever fired, with Wolf Match std. vel. no fliers, at 50 yards groups can be covered with a dime.
Click to expand...

My point exactly. Mine will shoot with my Annie at 50 yards. Mine has been bedded and has had a trigger job. Mine also shoots the Wolf ammo really well as it does the Lapua Std and the Norma Match and Lapua Rifle Match. It is not any where as ammo sensitive as the Annie.
 
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