There's also only one Remington 597 on the list... and the only mod it required was a match grade barrel, challenge completed with the stock, creepy, 5# trigger and all other components factory stock.
The rifle plays a huge part, barrel quality is a considerable percentage of that, then ammo selection and tuning dials it in. Fact is, stringing together 5 groups under 1/2" is an impressive feat for the average .22 LR rifle, shooter notwithstanding. There is good reason the thread is entitled "My 22 shoots 1/2" all day", not "I can shoot 1/2" all day." Basic marksmanship skills enable a shooter to produce 1/2" "all day", extracting such performance out of a rimfire takes gunsmith knowledge and artistry. You've seen what I can produce with my CZ custom, during a "testing" session no less (not an intentional attempt at this challenge), yet I have other rifles that would be "lucky" to succeed this challenge. You can think what you like about the shooter's role, but it cannot be denied that the rifle is primary. Simple logic proves it. Good rifle + good shooter = success, good rifle + poor shooter = possible success or failure. Bad rifle + good shooter = failure, bad rifle + bad shooter = definite failure. Nobody can succeed with a poor rifle, but only a poor shooter will fail with a good rifle, therefore the rifle is the most important factor. Yes, it is up to the shooter to live up to a rifle's potential, but I will place money down on the fact that the majority of shooters do not have their rifles tuned to their peak performance capabilities.
Very few shooters use tuners on their rifles, and the limited selection of ammo, and lots of ammo, here in Canada exacerbates the situation for those striving towards ultimate accuracy. As an anecdote, in my conversations with a member on RFC, he had to test 20 lots of RWS R-50 to find only 2 lots suitable to his rifle without a tuner. Know how many lots of RWS R-50 are available in Canada right now? 1, at Target Shooting Products (Unless Tesro has received some stock of a different lot recently). We don't have an easy road towards accuracy here in Canada, that's for sure.
