22 Long Range Rifle at RCC Wed April 28

[Hawkeye7br]

Wednesday evening match will have signup at 5pm, shooting at 5:30.

Format is "Half and Half". $15 per gun entry fee.

 

[Hawkeye7br]

Quick follow up results on this match...

A lull in the weather made for some amazing scores. No rain, wind was basically zero. A Standard class shooter scored a 55x60, three Master class shooter earned a leg (52+) or got their second leg into High Master. High Master was won with a 55x60. HM targets are roughly 4" at 240 yards. All shooters "enjoyed" a distance change every 5 shots.

Congrats to all!

 

[JSJamboree]

Are most of these shooters using special built rifles for these events, or are shooters having success with more 'standard' style .22? Just starting to get more into classes/competitions and wondering.

 

[2-Alpha]

It’s shootable with an off-the-shelf gun, but most people are using more of a benchrest gun than a standard sporter. A good scope with target turrets or hash/dot reticle to manage the drops is more important than a MOA rifle.

That said, the 20-straight format is shootable with even a non-target scope if you have some idea on the clicks for your zeros.

 

[Hawkeye7br]

Are most of these shooters using special built rifles for these events, or are shooters having success with more 'standard' style .22? Just starting to get more into classes/competitions and wondering.

Great question and very timely as we begin a new season.

Majority of shooters here run a factory rifle. Human nature being what it is, there is some tinkering. A few start with a factory rifle and replace the stock, a couple replace the barrel, a couple change both. Only one rifle to date has been special built. Scope is your choice, but there will be some advice offered, same with ammo.

CZ's are the most common. There's a couple each of Ruger, Anschutz, Savage, Rem, and Tikka. High score last match was a Ruger with a Shaw? barrel.

Targets are sized at about 2 MOA per the distance, so if your gun can shoot the end of a pop can at 100 yards, it'll hit targets. This game was designed to shoot prone, but many of us old guys have back, neck, or hip problems and are allowed to shoot from a bench. Simple front bipod, no rear rest or sling. Just basically what you would have on a varmint hunt. Newbies have targets at 75, 110, & 165 yards. Higher skill classes shoot longer distances.

Our next match is Saturday May 8, signup at 9am, shooting starts at 10am. Come over and play. Great bunch of guys, several will suggest that you share their gun and honestly, you should take them up on the offer.

Questions? or more info? ask away....

 

[Hawkeye7br]

It’s shootable with an off-the-shelf gun, but most people are using more of a benchrest gun than a standard sporter. A good scope with target turrets or hash/dot reticle to manage the drops is more important than a MOA rifle.

That said, the 20-straight format is shootable with even a non-target scope if you have some idea on the clicks for your zeros.

I'm a dial up guy. Having target turrets is important, I run an old Weaver KT-15 with numbers so faded that I have to wrap a layer of white adhesive tape on the dial and hand write the numbers! Shooting a borrowed gun has advantages....already set up, know which ammo it likes, sight settings already known, etc. Don't be bashful.

 

[JSJamboree]

It’s shootable with an off-the-shelf gun, but most people are using more of a benchrest gun than a standard sporter. A good scope with target turrets or hash/dot reticle to manage the drops is more important than a MOA rifle.

That said, the 20-straight format is shootable with even a non-target scope if you have some idea on the clicks for your zeros.

Thanks for the tips, Im generally a tinker kinda guy so I dont have much left thats stock around in the rimfire section. Was looking at a new scope prior to my first outing, i'll look for something with hash/dots, thats not something I had really thought about.

 

[Armchair Operator]

Thanks for the tips, Im generally a tinker kinda guy so I dont have much left thats stock around in the rimfire section. Was looking at a new scope prior to my first outing, i'll look for something with hash/dots, thats not something I had really thought about.

It is a really fun match and I'm sure if you come out you'll be hooked.
Now of the topic of rifles. One of the last few matches that we had, we had about 30 guns entered and only one, maybe two guns even had wooden stocks and even those rifles were CZ MTRs. Most people tinker with their hear so if you that type of guy then you'll love it. Recently we had a guy that was shooting a Ruger Precision Rifle last year and doing ok but rifle didn't perform as well he as he could shoot so he put an aftermarket barrel in that rifle and now its a whole new gun and this year he's been on fire with it and posting excelled scores. It used to be that you either have your run of the mill 22 rifles and benchrest setups but really if you look at rifles at these matches, RCC matches or any of the NRL22 matches you see that most rifles mimic the long range PRS type of rifles. Chassis instead of the stock (allows you to modify your grip, length of pull, weight, etc), custom battel, improved trigger group and usually 25x scopes like Vortex Strike Eagle or similar. Setups like that have been popular in high power world for a while now and with expolsion of popularity of 22 its no wonder that all that tech is making its way to the rimfire world with companies like MDT, KRG, XLR, Mcrees, etc making chassis and custom stocks for all kinds of rifles.

It is fun to tinker with stuff and I'm a firm believer that you should make your rifle fit you and your style of shooting instead of the same old of "oh well, I'll just get used to it". People tinker with their rifles in the winter and then fine tune them in the summer and it is really a lot of fun to do that. For some people it is fun to just keep everything stock and shoot just like it is but those people are fast becoming a minority. Do I need to change almost everything on my gun? Nope..... It is fun you get new parts and change stuff on the rifle? Damn right it is so I'm doing it... Just look at benchrest competitions versus RCC matches or NRL22 matches. Former are blowing up in popularity while serious benchrest matches have decreased attendance especially in the recent years.

Either way, no matter what rifle you have you'll have fun and we hope to see you soon.

 

[Mark106]

Thanks for the tips, Im generally a tinker kinda guy so I dont have much left thats stock around in the rimfire section. Was looking at a new scope prior to my first outing, i'll look for something with hash/dots, thats not something I had really thought about.

Come on out!
You'll be at home. There are many tinkerers.
I run a CZ 457 from an Oryx chassis with a Yo Dave trigger spring installed. And mine's one of the more "basic" guns.
Lot of guys running guns that started out as factory CZ 455s and 457 and got tricked out from there.
And there's everything else, too, from Ruger to Savage to Anschutz.
The Oryx chassis is very popular, as is the Boyd At-One stock.
Same with scopes ... there's a touch of everything. I go with Vortex FFPs 'cause I'm kind of a newb and I think they're a lot of scope for the buck; got a Diamondback Tactical on one gun and a Strike Eagle on the other. At the club, guys who prefer MOA to guys who prefer millirads seem about evenly split. No problem finding someone with advice on adjustments or helping get zeroed in.
Of late, the Harrell barrel tuner has caught on, and I know about a half-a-dozen guys running with those. They're all a little nuts, but I think they may be right: The thing can cut down on vertical stringing.
Great group of guys. I've only been gunning with 'em since last June, but having a blast. There's a bit of competitive edge on match day, but it's a laid back vibe. I've yet to be on squad where we didn't have some fun.

 

[Mark106]

Also, if you come over, ask about the "gopher" shoots. They're a paper-target match that are a lot of fun, too.