New Bullseye shooter

[Mark_T]

Hi
I shot my first Bullseye match a couple of weeks ago. I borrowed my brother in laws Smith & Wesson 22a.

I just bought my first gun a standard Smith 22a with a 5 1/2" barrel. I want to set it up for Bullseye shooting. I've been researching bullseyepistol.com for information.

Should I buy the target grips for $78 or the 5 1/2" bull barrel for $119? Or should I just put several thousand rounds downrange first and worry about upgrades later?

Thanks
Mark

 

[cmj8591]

Hi Mark
I've been shooting bullseye for years. There is no other shooting discipline that will test your marksmanship skill like bullseye will. If you can master that, you will be able to shoot anything.

My advise to you is to shoot the 22a as is for now until you get some competition under your belt. The money that you will be putting into upgrades you can use to move to a better competition gun later on. If you get into it, you will want to upgrade to a better gun at some point. I've shot Hi Standards, 41's and several others over the years and have settled on the Hammerli sp20. It seems like Pardini's seem to be the most popular in my league but there are a lot of 41's and old Hi Standards on the line alone with the occasional Ruger. To be honest, it is more about the shooter than the gun.

Good luck with your new sport. I hope it brings you as much pleasure as it has me.

 

[Tom Roberts]

Good evening Mark, CMJ8591 is right - you can spend a bundle on guns and gear - but for a long time it is more about the shooter than the gun. In our area a number of folks use the Rugers, Hammerlis, a few use Smiths, and some (me included) use Marvel conversions on a M1911 frame - indeed one of them is a high master! Good to have another bullseye shooter in the crowd!

 

[Mark_T]

Thanks guys, good advice. I ended up buying a spotting scope and halted spending at that point. Time to practice.

I travel on business testing software. Believe me, going to a range at night is much more fun than hanging out in a hotel room watching TV.

Thanks again

Mark

 

[bullseyebill]

Mark,
Welcome to the wonderful world of bullseye.If you can, join a league.There's nothing like a little weekly competition to bring your skill (and frustationn ) levels up.Don't worry too much about equipment,you really can't buy points,although it is fun to try.
Bill

 

[catboat]

Shoot what you have. Keep a log of your scores in practice and in matchs. Write notes down about things you learn. Set reasonable goals. One good goal is "keep them all in the black."

I don't think you can dry fire your pistol, but you can still improve you scores by holding it and aiming it against the backside of a target against the wall. Builds your shoulder muscles, and grip, and just makes everything more familiar.

If you have a Dick's Sporting Goods store near you, they have CCI standard velocity 22 LR for ~$25/brick 500. Reliable and accurate. You'd have to spend a whole lot more to get a more accurate bullet.

I shoot it in my S&W 41, competing in our club's conventional bullseye league.

You can buy bulk targets at American Target company.
Pistol Shooting Targets - American Target Company

Good luck. Be patient.

 

[Mark_T]

Thanks guys for your advice. I broke 200 for the first time last week. I bought a Leapers red dot scope on Amazon for $32 and it really made a difference.

I recommend the Encyclopedia of Bullseye pistol for lots of great info. The Encyclopedia of Bullseye Pistol
I bought a great DVD "NRA Bullseye Competition Basics" from Bullseye Gear. They have a ton of great stuff.

I just bought a Para USA GI 1911 with an unexpected tax return. Customizing and shooting my new pistol will keep me happy for some time to come.

Thanks again
Mark

 

[TSQUARED]

Hi
I shot my first Bullseye match a couple of weeks ago. I borrowed my brother in laws Smith & Wesson 22a.

I just bought my first gun a standard Smith 22a with a 5 1/2" barrel. I want to set it up for Bullseye shooting. I've been researching bullseyepistol.com for information.

Should I buy the target grips for $78 or the 5 1/2" bull barrel for $119? Or should I just put several thousand rounds downrange first and worry about upgrades later?

Thanks
Mark

I have shot bullseye pistol for a number of decades. My advice would be to first spend a lot on ammo and use the gun you have until you have maxed out your scores. Spending a lot of extra cash on the accessories will not provide as much (if any) benefit over lots of practise. I would consider an equipment change after my scores have maxed. Upgrading to either a S&W Model 41 or if you really get the bug one of the pricier imports such as the Walther GSP or Pardini SP would be the next step.

 

[H Richard]

You have been given some excellent information here. I've been into bullseye for about 30 years, strictly on a club level. We do have a league, and it is the "incentive" for you to continue to practice. Until your scores reach up into the 270's plus, what you are shooting should suffice. If possible ask the range you shoot at if they participate in the NRA marksmanship program. There are a certificates for reaching various levels of skill, up to Distinguished Expert. (This is not the same as a "classification" which can only be earned by shooting in NRA registered match's). When you are ready to move up to another gun, discuss with other shooters at your range what they shoot and why, and if possible see if they will let you use them for a few shots. You can then make up your mind what you feel will work best for you. I'm sure you will go through a half dozen guns before you settle down to one for a long period. I still shoot an old High Standard Victor, but now with a Falcon custom barrel and a Millet Red Dot sight. I also use an IZH 34M. It's a Biakal (Russian) target grade .22, (don't overlook these if you have a chance to try one). I've had 3 Mod 41's over the years, but always go back to the High Standard and the IZH. For custom grips, Vitarbo are hard to beat.

 

[SD$Bob]

I also joined a gun club this year, read through the bullseye rules in the The Encyclopedia of Bullseye Pistol. Thanks for the info. All my past training has been two hand grip. How tuff is the transition.

 

[Engineer1911]

Transition to 1-hand: Slightly less than impossible for the first 200 rounds.

 

[kraigwy]

I would recommend AGAINST any new bullseye shooter using any type of scope or red dot. Eventually you'll want to work on you ECI points. Those type of sights arn't allowed.

The best ammo deal I've seen is Aguila match .22 from CMP.
$230+19.95 shipping for 5000 rounds. This is good ammo that works in just about every gun out there.

I've found a lot of that bulk 22 stuff you find at discount stores is **** in some of my guns.

Check out the link. Aquila 22s are at the bottom.

Ammunition Sales