15-22 and the Steel Challenge

[AGoyette]

I have been shooting USPSA since the mid '80's. The husband and I have worked the Steel Challenge since it was THE Steel Challenge. Within the past couple of years I have starting shooting rifles. My first was the 15-22. While my darling husband respects my rifle enjoyment, he still pushes me to step out of my comfort zone (I don't know why, I like it there).

So a local gun club ran a Steel Challenge course yesterday. The husband pushed me to shoot it. I finally agreed when he said that I could use my 15-22. Talk about fun! At the end of the day, there were 48 shooters and I finished 10th overall (he finished 25th). Now the husband (who shot it with my old Springfield 1911) is thinking about shooting it with my 15-22! A couple of the guys at yesterdays match are thinking of getting a 15-22 and having their wives try it. Anyway, if your local club has Steel Challenge matches, you gotta try it with your 15-22 with a red dot.

 

[Grjfer]

I have shot a bunch of our local club steel challenge matches with my 15-22, and it is a blast. Trigger time and target acquisition all fundamentals of shooting.

 

[JesseC]

Just shot my first match last month, it was a ton of fun! I already cant wait for the next match!

 

[LittleCooner]

Double post as I just posted this to the 15-22 accuracy thread. It applies here also.

For the past few months, I have been "shooting steel" at a local firing range in the NSSF steel challenge format for 22LR. Normal attendance is around 50 people and there appears to be around 10-15 of these people shooting 15-22. could be more because 90%+ of the rifles are either 15-22 or Ruger 10-22. A couple of the guys that are always at the top shoot 15-22. I have not witnessed any jams and have watched the other shooters as much as possible, looking at what brand/type gun they are shooting, and just what they are "doing" at the line. I do not own one of these, but they look a hoot to shoot and shooting steel is a lot of fun. They look like a great gun for "minute of steel" accuracy. A 12" square or round gong at 10 yards is a big target. Most everyone is shooting some type of bulk ammo but it appears a lot of people are shooting CCI. My son and I have been playing with our rifles and pistols and the CCI appears to be way ahead of the Winchester and Remington bulk ammo and a little above the Federal bulk ammo. Keep on shooting

 

[photoracer]

Here is a 15-22 built specially for speed steel shooting. It shot the Ruger Rimfire World Championship from 2011 to 2013, and the NSSF Rimfire World Championship in 2014 plus numerous other steel events that allow .22 rifles, including Steel Challenge.



The most important thing you need to change is the trigger and its pull weight. Minimum is to install a set of the JP "yellow" low power trigger and hammer springs ($10). That will reduce your trigger pull from as much as 5-6 lbs. to as low as 3 lbs. Maximum is to install an AR trigger designed for 3-gun competition, the one most use is the Geissele Super 3-Gun (around $250). This will allow you to pull the trigger fast enough to be able to empty a 25 rd mag in about 4 seconds. But that is not why you use it. It has a very fast lockup and a short reset which means you don't have to release the trigger all the way to fire the next shot, just relax your trigger finger about 1/8" and you can squeeze another shot off.

The most reliable ammo for a rifle shooting speed events is CCI AR-Tactical. It cycles better in inline magazines because it has a narrower tip (it actually uses the bullet from CCI Standard Velocity match ammo with a copper wash and more powder). It also feeds 100% in Ruger 10/22 rotary magazines.