Suggestions for a long range .22lr rifle to start competing with ?

blueflash

blueflash

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I have been interested in starting to compete in some .22lr rifle long range shooting, and need some suggestions on buying a budget friendly .22lr rifle. First, is a heavy barrel ruger 10/22 accurate enough to compete in long range .22lr target shooting.

Second, whats the most common .22lr rifles that are used for the average long range .22lr long range target shooting ??

Ive been trying to find a heavy barrel winchester wildcat, because I once had one, and it was really affordable, but a real tack driver.

If I can't find a win wildcat, then I have been thinking of getting a savage heavy barrel .22lr, or if the wife gives me the okay, than I have been thinking about buying a cz455, if I can spend north of $500......also, is the semi auto CZ512 .22lr rifle compare to thr bolt action cz452 & cz455 ? ...or is a CZ512 compare to a ruger 10/22, in terms of long range accuracy ?

I'm basically tring to fing the best bang for my buck, in buying a long range .22lr rifle, but if buying cheap, means I will regret, and end up selling to buy something better, than I would rather spend a little bit more the first time, instead of buying a rifle twice, because the first was a poor decision.......(been there done that several times)

How does a heavy barrel 10/22 vs a savage & cz compare, in long range accuracy, and are my above mentioned choices of rifles sound ? Am I fairly accurate in suggestion these rifles, to get started ? Any suggestions & input is very welcome, because I don't have much knowledge in long range .22lr rifle shooting ??
 
Few people have a lot of knowledge with long range .22LR shooting. Many will look at you in disbelief when you talk about shooting them at 200 and 300 yards, so don't worry about that.

Brand-wise, the most common rifle we see at the matches are Anschutz. But, they aren't that common. We see a wide variety of rifles...

For budget friendly, the CZ452s seem to do really well with the right ammunition. I haven't seen any Savages in person, but I hear good things. I think Mysticplayer had good results with a Savage.

10/22s aren't too far behind with a good match grade barrel. I have a 18" Kidd SS on mine and it is excellent. The TacSol I had on it before was not very good... There is a Butler Creek barreled rifle that shoots regularly taht does very well too. No experience with the CZ512. The issue with the semi-autos is that accuracy starts to decline as the action gets dirty. You may not see it at close range, but you sure to at the longer ranges.

To get good results at 200 & 300 yards, you're going to want to use lubricated match ammo. Ammo with a low SD is a must.
 
Okay, thanks for the info guys... To be clear, I plan on 300-400 yards range, for a local competition here in southern ontario.

Right now, I'm leaning towards 3-4 different guns......savage laminate thumbhole stainlesd heavy barrel, a CZ 452 or 455, and perhaps a heavy barrel winchester wildcat, if I can find one(toz rifle)...or a ruger 10/22 with a heavy barrel.......is the ruger 10/22 with a factory heavy target barrel any good, with thebfactory heavy barrel ?? Or is it better to get a regular ruger 10/22, and buying a aftermarket heavy barrel and use that, instead of a factory 10/22 target bull barrel ??
 
If your looking for accuracy I wouldn't bother with a 10/22. I have a Savage, an it's accurate except for the fact that they drilled the holes improperly so I can't mount a scope on it :/. I would look at a CZ or a Sako Quad.
 
For now, I will be putting a extra burris fullfied 3x9x40, that I have kicking around, but i plan on repclacing it with atleast double the magnification, so I can reach out and touch the 400 yard. I have been thinking about a getting a bushnell fixed 10x's scope, but I will have to see what everone else is using...after I get my specific long range rifle.
Paatz said:
You got a scope in mind?[/QUOTEA
Click to expand...
 
Well I just came home from a day of shouldering several .22lr rifles. I am now leaning towards getting a savage mark II BV. Its got a nice laminate stock, heavy target barrel, and accutrigger. The best part, is its price, at around $360 plus tax. My other gun, that I like as much is a CZ 455 varmint, with nice walnut stock, adjustable trigger, and a heavy target barrel. It costs around $500.

If both rifles were the same price, then I would buy the CZ, but since the savage is around $150 cheaper, I'm leaning towards the savage, and using the money saved, to help pay for optics.
 
blueflash,

Before you make to many plans to shoot long distance, ask council from kombayotch for the optics needed and check elevation drops at various distances.

Not many scopes have the sufficient internal adjustments to carry the proposed distances, but a combination of inclined picatinny, burris signature zee rings and the proper scope will give you many hours of pure delight.
 
Yes, that is probably the most common problem we see at the matches with new shooters; a setup that has insufficient elevation because the scope lacks it or because they aren't using a rail that has enough cant.

400 yards is pushing it with the cheaper optics. In order to get 400 yards with my 10/22, and still maintain a 25 yard zero, I had to use a custom 60 MOA base. Luckily, EGW only charges an extra $20 to custom mill their 10/22 bases. My scope is a Falcon Menace 4-14FFP with 26.0 MRAD (90 MOA) of total travel and it. It just makes it...

Remember that you need a leave little bit of a cushion in adjustment below your zero to allow for different types of ammo and a little bit at the top since more elevation is required when the temperature drops.
 
Ya, I figured I would need a powerful, good quality scope if I am planning on shooting 300-400 yards. I will probably end up buying a savage mark 2 BV, since its quite a bit cheaper than a CZ, so I will have extra money for the scope. I do alot recreational shooting at my range, thats 200 yards, and I know how difficult it is, to shoot nice groupings at 200 yards, with centerfire rifles.

I am really getting this target .22lr rifle for my 13 year old son to hone his skills, and for us to spend some quality time together, shooting inexpensive ammo. I found some threads here on cgn, that were talking about long range .22lr shooting competitions, and after I told my son about them, his eyes lit up with joy. My plan is to get this rifle & scope soon, so that my sone and I can start practising at our 200 yard range, and then go to my hunting spot, were I can set up targets in a field 400 yards away, to get ready for the next shooting competition. Ive only noticed the one competition, but with some more research, I'm sure there must be more competitions within a few hours drive away.

Since my son & I are just starting out with the idea of competing in long range .22lr rifle target competitions, I don't want to invest in a $2000 long range rifle/scope rig, right off the start, and then find out my son loses interest after a short period of time ( although I don't think he will, because he loves going to the range with me, and has been shooting for several years ).... I just really want to get a inexpensive target shooting .22lr set up, and if we get real serious into it, then I will buy a second, higher quality .22lr target rifle/scope set up.

As things stand right now, I'm leaning towards getting a Savage mark 2 BV with a heavy barrel, laminate stock, and accutrigger, which is in the $350-$375 range, and buying vortex scope in either 4x12x40, or 6x18x40 ( can't remember the exact magnifications or what model of vortex scope it was)...that was in the $250-$300 price range.... All together, I would like to keep the total cost of rifle/scope, under $700.... I may buy used, but since there is'nt much different in price on a used rifle to new .22lr in the models I'm seeking, I will probably buy a new rifle & scope, just because I want to break it in properly, since accuracy is very important if it will be used in target competitions.
 
Whichever scope you go with, you definitely want to make sure that it has turrets that can be adjusted on the firing line. Careful as to what those turrets look like. Some aren't well suited to applications that involve multi-turn adjustments with return-to-zero.

Our competition doesn't go past 300 yards. The range is only 300 yards long, but even if it was longer, I would limits the match to that distance since going further really limits what people can use for optics and also because the match is meant to be a scaled down practice for F/TR. At 300 yards, the drops and wind drifts (in MOA, not inches) are nearly identical to what they are for a 308 with 175 gr. Match ammunition at 1000-1050 yards.

The only other match I am aware of that goes that far with a .22LR is one Milcun puts on that goes out to 200 meters. EESA puts on a rimfire match that has a 200 yards stage, but it is open to any rimfire caliber, not just .22LR.
 
blueflash,

If I may, you will be better able to hone your son's technique by having him shoot at 50m,
until he masters the sight picture, breathing, and release and follow through of a shot.

Too many variables at distances to pinpoint weaknesses and be able to correct efficiently.
 
I shot my Savage Mk2 BV at one of the TCRC matches last year witg good success. Had I not needed to hold over for the 300 yd relay I might.have actually done well overall. I didn't feel the performance was lacking by any means. I have the BV in a TR stock now and prefer the feel of it to the BV stock.

A match 54 will perform 20% better once you've got a handle on things, but a match 64 will equal the Savage at best.
 
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