Long Range Rimfire Competition Questions

[JW@TRACT]

Who has experienced a long range rimfire competition?
How did you get into it?
What gear did you use? Did you use your "standard" set of bags, spotting scopes etc.
I've personally done ironsight appleseed competitions and long range centerfire competitions but I've yet to sign up for, or build a setup specifically for long range rimfire.
Looking forward to seeing what everyone's views are.

 

[JohnJohnson]

I'm reconfiguring my Vudoo that I've had lying around my gunsafe to more closely mimic my current centerfire setups. Once I do that I'll be looking to try out some NRL22 with it, if that counts as long range rimfire. On the east coast we don't have easy access to 300+ yard ranges so precision rimfire is as good as it gets without traveling a long distance in a lot of areas.

 

[Ferrulewax]

Been somewhat familiar with it for a while, but my best friend is very into it (10+ years) and shoots about monthly. It’s funny to see the arms race in the local club. At first it was 10/22s, marlins, and other basic bolt actions with cheap bipods- now you see some very high dollar outfits. Our club does not shoot NRL rules (at least I don’t think we do) but I’m not super familiar with NRL22.

Our shoots consist of 40 total targets by each shooter in 4 rounds of 10. Chickens at 80yrds, pigs at 125, turkeys at 175, rams at 225 (this is just off the top of my head, probably not totally accurate). We have something like 10 minutes total per round, and have infinite shots at a swinger to get dialed prior to starting to shoot for score (all within the 10ish minutes). Once you start shooting your silhouettes you have one shot per target and cannot return to the swinger. Perfect score would be 40, but they sometimes add minis at 225 for a tiebreaker.

We shoot the “squirrel” category at the local club, which means tapered barrels, 9x max zoom, and no adjustable stocks. Recent winners have been anshultz, t1x, and CZ rifles off the top of my head. They all are capable of shooting perfect scores.

There are also categories for semis, irons, open, and then a 17/22wmr group. The 17s seem to shoot the most perfect scores if I remember right.

At first it seemed like most guys were shooting off of bags and blocks, but now I’m seeing more bipods, adjustable rests (like the caldwell contraption), and front bags all paired with rear bags. As for spotting scopes we have always just shot with a cheap spotter. Even with 9x on the rifle you can spot some of your own shots at 225yards.

It’s fun, but as a guy with other hobbies, the format we shoot seems to take a lot of time for the number of shots you actually get. If I spot for someone else and then shoot for myself it usually takes around 3 hours.

 

[Tmac]

I had the chance to shoot a 22LR the guys at Nightforce set up to 300 yards, maybe a bit further. They wanted to demo their dial for distance accuracy on a fairly short range I guess. They said the come ups were pretty close to center fire at 1,000. No idea there. But it was fun.

I wish I’d have asked more questions, as it was easy to dial the dope they gave and hit to 300. I don’t know if the ammo started out supersonic or not.

 

[CHSD]

I've done a little 22nrl stuff. I'm not very good at all. I've just got an Armageddon game changer bag. The arms race is insane for it, I didn't realize the sense was so expensive. I can't fathom 3k guns with 3k scopes that get sent to voodoo to find the best bullet and then buy 3 cases of 22 ammo at $.50 a shot.

All that being said, it is a blast. My recommendation would be to find a local group near you and shoot the head guy a message. When I go to a match everyone is more than willing to let me borrow their gear to use. I would think it may be similar for you. My gun needs some work so I've been out of it for a bit, but I need to get back into it.

 

[pewpew69]

I shoot NRL22 which isn't exactly long range, only goes out to 100 yds. Super fun. The only gear you really need is a bag like the Armageddon Gear Shmedium, a bipod, and a scope. That's all you need to get started and will serve you for a while. A sling also helps on stages where you gotta shoot off-hand (super rare), you can apply your Appleseed knowledge. Just start going out, see what people's setups are, see what gear they have, and you can go from there. People will be more than glad to lend you gear to try out. Sometimes you'll also find people selling their used stuff so you can get a good deal on stuff.

 

[Antares]

I’ve shot several rimfire Appleseed events, a rimfire Known Distance Appleseed, and many NRL22 matches. I shoot a CZ 457 with CCI SV ammo (pretty cheap setup). The only bags I use are a pint-size game changer and a backpack with a Kifaru woobie stuffed in it for fill. I spot with tripod mounted SLC 15s. I love it. Cheap, fun, good practice under time pressure. I try to keep my setup lightish and simple, more like a field/hunting setup than a heavy “gamer gun.”

 

[JW@TRACT]

I’ve shot several rimfire Appleseed events, a rimfire Known Distance Appleseed, and many NRL22 matches. I shoot a CZ 457 with CCI SV ammo (pretty cheap setup). The only bags I use are a pint-size game changer and a backpack with a Kifaru woobie stuffed in it for fill. I spot with tripod mounted SLC 15s. I love it. Cheap, fun, good practice under time pressure. I try to keep my setup lightish and simple, more like a field/hunting setup than a heavy “gamer gun.”

View attachment 636424

slick looking setup

 

[JohnJohnson]

View attachment 636424

Holy crap are you an NBA player or is the LOP not as long as it looks? Great setup, do you use the suppressor for matches or does the added length get in the way?

 

[Antares]

Holy crap are you an NBA player or is the LOP not as long as it looks? Great setup, do you use the suppressor for matches or does the added length get in the way?

It’s on the long side (14.5”). I shoot matches with the suppressor on. But again, this gun would be set up differently if I was looking for every competitive advantage.

 

[khuber84]

I have a rimX with a 22" m24 barrel in an xlr envy pro jv chassis, it's 18# and shoots just like a prs rig. I have shot a few nrl22 and nrl22X matches, the X matches have long range stuff, out to 400-500y which dope wise is like shooting past a mile with a centefire. I use my shmedium game changer, ckyepod, grip changer rail bag, kestrel, pretty much same gear I use shooting a centefire match.