Beware the Siren Call of precision .22 addiction

[Bro. Dave]

The recent weirdness of the world led me to more shooting of .22lr firearms. My gateway drug was a CZ 457 based rifle build from a young gunsmith of my acquaintance. Shooting precision .22 rifle caused me to consciously refine such basic skills as trigger pull, cheek weld, breath control, and manipulation of the bolt.

The second step down this path was a friendship with an experienced Benchrest shooter who mentored me in my quest to shoot better. As I watched him do things which I had previously considered braggadocio, I looked closely at his equipment as well as mimicking his technique to the best of my ability.

The culmination of this experience was the purchase of a second hand Vudoo VR22 rifle. I am having fun, fun, fun. Anyone else here gone down this path? Consider yourself warned.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Great rifles cost great money! But as my wife says, The cost of the rifle is not the largest cost, it's the ammo and accessories!

The cost in 2009 dollars of a Savage 110 BA in 338 Lapua mag was only $1700 OTD (great bargain!) when I was done setting up the scope ($2250+/-), reloading and other equipment, I was at $5400!

22's are not a lot better! I bought a mid 60's used Anshutz 54 action prone rifle in the early 2000's and paid $600. I never actually entered any competitions, so I found $10 a box Eley ammo it liked for my shooting. A Leupold 36x Target scope and other goodies got me into my major addiction: How many M&M's can I hit in a row at 200 yards? With that rifle I never got over 5! With a Savage Tuned Target rifle in a special load of 223, I hit 7!

When I sold a small stack of target 22's and target scopes in 2012, the proceeds paid for 3 trimesters of my college degree, paid off my high balance credit card and gave me "pocket money" for 6 months. I still have one lower quality target 22 and a few good sporters. But after my 2011 stroke I lay off the small target a 200. I still like 3x5" steel plates at 500 yards with sniper rifles, but that's a different story and much bigger target!

Ivan

 

[Golddollar]

I washed up on those rocks decades ago. My old junior high school rifle club used Remington 513T .22 target rifles from DCM. After I grew up, a buddy was selling some of his guns, and one of them was a Springfield 1922 .22 rifle. It has been in my safe now for 40+ years. But what really took me down the path was when I got a High Standard .22 target pistol customized by John Giles, one of the premier old time pistolsmiths. This gun will put 10 rounds into under 3/4" at 50 yards from a machine rest with Remington target .22s. I figured I needed all the help I can get.

I did a lot of .22 shooting in my rehab from the hemorrhage I had in my right eye the beginning of the year.

 

[mikerjf]

I’ve been wanting one of those Czech 22 single-shot pistols made in Litomysl, since that’s where my people were from. Seldom see them for sale.

 

[pawncop]

I too was bitten by the bug. Went to a match and got into it in a hurry.

Ended up buying a Savage from one of the other shooters as he wanted to upgrade. Searched for a while and bought an Arken SH-4 Gen 2 scope and the combination has been very nice.

Don’t know if I will get into the sport as heavily as others have, but it’s been very educational and fun.

 

[Rodan]

I picked up a Tikka T1x to play with and have found it to be an excellent shooter. I've shot it in a couple of our club's Rimfire Benchrest matches, though they changed that match to a weekday which I can't make. It still shoots better than I do, but I'm working on it. As noted above, precision shooting can really tax your skillset in ways you're not used to. Rimfire is nice in that it doesn't cost a fortune to work on those skills...

Since I wasn't satisfied only working on the long gun side of things, I also picked up a Hammerli 208 to work on my much neglected bullseye pistol skills...

Siren call, indeed....

 

[Bro. Dave]

Hey Rodan, that's an amazing group there! My new-to-me Vudoo will put every round in the same hole if I can just aim in the same place. That is the ongoing challenge in the sport. Please don't get me started on the pistol side as I don't need another black hole for money right now.

 

[Bro. Dave]

I wish I was closer to you, Pawncop, as I don't know of any close match opportunities here in the Stephenville area. I put a Meopta scope on my Vudoo and am pretty impressed with it so far.

 

[H Richard]

Fond memories of a heavy barrel Anschutz match 54 and testing ammo at 100 yards. I used to use a printed card (from some on line web site) target that had on an 8 1/2 X 11 sheet (I think) 3/4" dots about 6 across and 8 or 9 rows down.

I didn't have to run down range to change targets often. Put a 20X Unertle 1 1/2" Target scope on it and you didn't need a spotting scope.

I recall paying $65 a brick (500 rounds) for ammo back in the 80's.

 

[reddogs]

Got lucky on a couple of cz 452s and anschutz 64.Under 3/8 in groups at 50 yards with center x and sk rifle match.I got a hw95 pellet gun in 22 for vermin around the yard and they are very accurate with a scope.Since added a air arms tx 200 and waiting on pcp to come in.I went from thinking about rationing to life time supply on 9mm 38/357 and 6.5x55.

 

[Engineer1911]

At the local range my Kimber 82G was a distant last place with an Unertl 15X Varmint scope. The Unertl went to Iron Sights for refurb, excellent work. I tweaked the muzzle crown to better condition but haven't shoot another match with it. A test target was excellent.

All the other old guys were shooting CZ 457 or other model rifles so $750 later I have mine from GB, nothing available locally. Bought an Athlon scope for another $450, mags, metal mag well, scope base & rings, metal mag release got me set-up to compete -- almost. I shot my second match and got next to last place.

Ooooooohh there was an ad on CMP Forum. I now have an H&R M12 single shot rifle, new, unfired, no box, Redfield Olympic sights for only $800. It is an illegitimate rifle because my wife doesn't know about it. There is no light wood color rifle stocks in my vault so this is a dead giveaway. It will wear the Unertl this week.

Then the 1940's vintage BSA Martini single shot with peep sights is ready for the iron sight matches. This is just a vicious cycle of expense.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

One of the only two-time national small-bore champions (Dewer match, 3200 possible) Tested his potential lots of ammo at 50 yards shooting prone indoors. From one lot number 5 groups of 5 at one Action bolt torque setting, working his way through 4 torque settings. The standard was a 6mm outside diameter group. (the bullets are already 5.5mm) In Eley Tenex, he found less than one lot a year average that could meet this test! When he found one, he bought 15,000 rounds (enough for 3 years) when he ended up with a surplus lot of 4000-5000 rounds he sold the whole lot to people who weren't his competitors, usually BR shooters.

I have a gun/shooter testing method I use on every 22 both action rifle I buy. I have several thousand rounds of one lot of Federal Gold Medal Target from around 1992. I take a rifle and on a day I'm "In the Groove" and shoot 5, 5 round groups, I record How I shot. When using this gun, I shoot a warm-up group with the test ammo, that lets me know if I'm going to be my best or just wasting ammo! The gun's accuracy ammo is always something else! This is just a testing standard. This method has saved me many dollars and countless hours of, "Wondering why I can't hit anything today?"

Ivan

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Then the 1940's vintage BSA Martini single shot with peep sights is ready for the iron sight matches. This is just a vicious cycle of expense.

I have an adult son that is left-handed, I've been looking for one of the BSA Martini's for him. They were the only choice for competition quality guns for Lefties until the Anshutz 54 LH came out! The used, good condition Martinis run close to similar Anshutz 54LH prices.

Ivan

 

[BB57]

No, I never got into precision .22LR rifles and accurate .22LR Sporters very much.

CZ 455 Tactical and Bergara B-14R:

Anschutz 64 Match (in a Master Class prone stock):

CZ 453 Varmint:

Kimber 82G:

Springfield M2, Remington 513T, Mossberg 44, Winchester Model 52A:

Winchester Model 52 Sporters:

Remington 540X:

Kimber 82:

Ruger 77/22, CZ 453 American, Remington Model 5 (Zastava CZ 99 Precision/MP 22):

Remington 541S:

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Back in 2008 a High School in Pa. traded in their Kimber Government Model target 22's for Model 64 Anshutz. There were 5 Kimbers with white numbers 1-5 stenciled on them. (There were the only Government Model Kimbers that I've seen without the knife cut the length of the stock!) 1, 2, 3, & 5 were in used Very Good condition, #4 was in like new condition. I bought #3 and three friends bought 1, 2, & 5. We talked and wanted to know why a High School Team Rifle would be all but unfired, and decided we didn't want whatever problems it had. A day later my friend Jim bought #4 without talking to the rest of the gang. When I found out I explained the gang's position on #4. Well he said he was stuck with it and would make the best of it. #4's first group was 3" @ 50 yards! Jim had been a small weapons specialist in the Green Berets in the early 60's and knew a thing or two about guns. He put a Harris bipod on the front sling stud and started hanging lead ingots from the nose of the stock and fired test groups with each additional ingot. When he got to 7.5 pounds the groups closed to about 1/2". He fiddled with the action mounting screws and was happy! He measured how big the gap under the barrel was, and shimmed (temporarily bedded) right in front of the action. That gun had become a keeper. In all the times I shot my Kimber against Jim's Kimber, I never won! But I did beat a lot of other people at our informal matches.

Ivan

 

[Babysitr]

Wow, great bunch of rifles here !....BB57, those 3 Winchesters are the deal!

 

[wbraswell]

I love the rifles! The frustration will come from chasing ammo that your gun likes. You will find the one it really likes, but you won't be able to get any more of that lot. I would have a lot more great .22 rifles if I could just stop buying revolvers.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Eight years of High School and College Rifle Teams.... Winchester 52 and Anschutz ..........got to say been shooting CZ 452s for a decade now..... fun fun fun!!!!!!!!

 

[Bro. Dave]

So far my Vudoo has loved the made in England Eley Match Target that is sold under the Wolf brand name. I have a brick and will probably add to that stash.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Most of my rifles like Eley Club (Orange boxes) there were one or two batches of Club Extra, using the EPS bullet, then they rebranded that as Team (Blue box). Every bolt action I still have thrive on those two. and they use to be 1/2 to 2/3 the cost of Match. (I still have a few thousand of a couple of good lots)

Wolf use to be made by Lapua. I hadn't heard that it was by Eley now.

Rifle preference is a funny. My last surviving target rifle is an old Anshutz 2000. Thy are below anything that is in current production. Mine thrives on Club and Team. But a friend bought one for hi grandson and it likes Remington Thunderbolt of all things. I haven't tried it in my 2000, but I still have a bunch from the 1970's when a sporting goods store closed down. I have about $3.50 a brick in it!

Ivan