martin_b Posted November 12, 2018 Report Share Posted November 12, 2018 To introduce myself, I’m a 60 year old, who after 40 years of competition shooting at clays has decided it’s time to try the stationary variety of targets. I’m coming to the end of my probationary period at my local rifle club and having tried Bench-rest, Light weight sporting and Target, it’s the first two I defiantly prefer. Now the one thing I wish I’d done when I started clay shooting all those years ago was start off with the best gun you can afford, make sure it fits and stick with it. It must have taken me at least a dozen guns and 30 years to end up with the Perazzi I now shot. Now when I miss I know it’s my fault not the guns. ( though I do wonder about the cartridges sometimes J ) What confusing me is with the myriad of different types of competition you can shoot what rifle should I buy? From what I understand Bench rest you need a heavy-ish bolt action, free standing as an old man I’d need a light bolt rifle, but then with timed events I’ve read about do I need a semi? So while I understand just one rifle for all disciplines might be a bit of compromise what would you suggest, now one of the few benefits of getting old is I have a little more in the piggy bank than all those years ago when I bought my first clay gun, so money isn’t the most important consideration, that said the less I spend on the gun the more I’ll have to spend on other toys, I guess what I really want is a gun that will shoot better than I’ll ever be able to so I don’t end up in a permanent upgrading cycle. Any Advice? TIA Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam39 Posted November 12, 2018 Report Share Posted November 12, 2018 Hello Martin, Welcome to the forum. Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_b Posted November 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2018 Cheers.. Fly fishing i see my other great love. I'm currently the owner of 19 fly rods from 3 wt brook to a Salmon 11 Wt and everything in between! Im not obsessive obviously, but you can see why i'm keen to get the right rifle first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topcat666 Posted November 12, 2018 Report Share Posted November 12, 2018 Hello,Martin, I shoot light sporter rifle (Sako Finnfire II ) and rapid fire (Ruger 10/22) while being a little older than you. Check the course of fire and any weight restrictions for any of your chosen disciplines to make sure your choice will be in order. Fit is very important with bolt action,I think,so try as many rifles as you can for fit and feel. The best shot I know uses an old Brno/CZ he bought second hand. Ruger 10/22 for rapid fire but try and source a reliable second hand one as they're not too expensive and accessories,including "better" triggers and stocks are available. A Ruger is almost a rite of passage for smallbore shooters and can be good fun. Hope this helps. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam39 Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 Martin, My Ruger 10/22 came from rimfire magic. I just use subsonic ammo for pest control / few targets for fun. I got a few spare mags to cover any issues but it has always fed well. Its well customised for what I want. I love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_b Posted November 13, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 Thanks Guys, so its looking like a 10/22 for standing and rapid, and a Anshutz for everything else.. Till I get onto center fire.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_b Posted November 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2018 So after checking county and club rules I can only use a single shot ( or only have one round in a magazine) for benchrest, but there is no weight limit, so a used Anshutz match 54 seems to fit the bill, i've seen them for less than £500 locally. Has anyone any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Re-Pete Posted November 27, 2018 Report Share Posted November 27, 2018 We have two Annies...............one is 50's vintage Supermatch 54, the other 70's Match 54. No idea how many rounds have been through them, but both shoot better than we can. (And the older one likes SK Std., which is one of the cheapest 22LR ammo's around). One was £175 from a dealer at the Phoenix a few years ago, and the other was £50 from a club member who was giving up. You can't really go wrong with Anschutz, provided you do the usual inspection for barrel bulges etc. Re-Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wapinschaw Posted November 29, 2018 Report Share Posted November 29, 2018 On 11/27/2018 at 6:13 PM, martin_b said: So after checking county and club rules I can only use a single shot ( or only have one round in a magazine) for benchrest, but there is no weight limit, so a used Anshutz match 54 seems to fit the bill, i've seen them for less than £500 locally. Has anyone any thoughts? Are you sure about the one round rule? there is no mention of this in the UK Association of Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest Shooting rules. In fact, if shooting Sporter Class, it MUST have a minimum 2 round magazine. http://www.ukbr22.org.uk/index.php/home/ukbr22-rules I use my Sako Finnfire Sporter in sporter Class, and Finnfire Range in Heavy Varmint. Rules for Rimfire.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_b Posted November 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2018 Surrey postal comp rules i believe. Anyway if I wrong its an excuse for another rifle 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wapinschaw Posted November 30, 2018 Report Share Posted November 30, 2018 14 hours ago, martin_b said: Surrey postal comp rules i believe. Anyway if I wrong its an excuse for another rifle 😀 It's not an excuse, it's a valid reason! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_b Posted May 13, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2019 OK so I posted last a couple of things have happened. Good news, after 6 months my FAC visit has taken place so hopefully it will arrive shortly. Bad news.. HMRC and i had a difference of opinion and guess how that ended! I now have a budget of 3 rather than 4 figures for a entire .22lr benchrest outfit.. Today on guntrader used Match 54 or Match 64 action Anschutz run from £150 (64) to £750 for a 54 and a Nikko sterling scope. Im leaning towards getting the 64 for £150 and adding a £500-£700 scope with the view to upgrade the rifle later. Am i on the right track? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Re-Pete Posted May 13, 2019 Report Share Posted May 13, 2019 The 64 is not as good as the 54...............hence the price difference. https://www.nsrashop.co.uk/products/anschutz-match-54 https://www.guntrader.uk/guns/rifles/anschutz/bolt-action/22-lr/match-54-180925233107008 Re-Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_b Posted May 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 I guess the question really is and what im struggling with, is it better, if you have £700 to spend do you go for a 64 for less than £200 and spend the rest on a scope & mount which hopefully will be good enough to last for a while but knowing you'll have to change the gun, or go for a 50/50 split and probably end up compromising on both?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted May 18, 2019 Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 Tikka T1X. Not expensive and superb trigger. Drops into (most) T3 stocks. Accurate as hell. I think i posted some 100 yard targets here someplace.~Andrew (That evening: I bought a 2nd T1X today so I could have one rifle with a dedicated target set up and one for hunting. Put a 20 MOA rail on the receiver and will probably use this set up on our long range .22 shoots.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 In the "for what it's worth" department, I shot the new Tikka T1X and it was every bit as accurate as my first -and that is saying a lot. This is the third T1X I have shot (2 my own, and one a friends) and the accuracy has been consistent across the board. ~Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_b Posted May 25, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 So just to wrap this thread up. I've managed to do a straight swap for a new 457 MTR with one of my game shooting SBS shotguns that was getting seldom use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinBR Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 Let me know how it shoots mate. We had to send ours back as it wouldn't seat the round properly. Think they hadn't taken the reamer deep enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 32 minutes ago, martin_b said: So just to wrap this thread up. Threads never wrap up. They just dangle til someone pulls on it!~Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_b Posted May 25, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 2 hours ago, ColinBR said: Let me know how it shoots mate. We had to send ours back as it wouldn't seat the round properly. Think they hadn't taken the reamer deep enough. Shot 50 through it today with no scope and straight out of the box and so far so good. Will need to lighten the trigger though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinBR Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 Yea it's most probably an isolated issue. Unfortunately it's put us off the rifle. Shame though as the 1 we had, had a lovely stock on it with some tiger striping. We wound ours down to the lightest setting and yes it still could be doing with going lighter again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_b Posted May 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2019 16 hours ago, ColinBR said: Yea it's most probably an isolated issue. Unfortunately it's put us off the rifle. Shame though as the 1 we had, had a lovely stock on it with some tiger striping. We wound ours down to the lightest setting and yes it still could be doing with going lighter again I see trigger kits are available in the US already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.