Buying a 10/22 Benchrest Rifle - need advice

[dapribek]

Local club has informal 50 yard .22 Benchrest shooting and I'd like to participate by purchasing either a Kidd or Clark Custom 10/22. I have a choice of a one or a two stage trigger. Having never shot a two stage, I am reluctant to order my gun with one. So my questions are:

Which company should I purchase from and why?

Which trigger should I purchase and why?

Is the Leupold 40 power Competition Scope worth the extra money over a Weaver T36?

Thanks for your help.

[Racinready300ex]

Do you have to run a 10/22 in this match? I'm not sure what a custom built 10/22 will run you but a used Anschutz may cost the same and shoot better. Or look for a old Winchester 52 in good shape. I used to shoot a local benchrest 22 match that was fairly informal, but after a couple years no one was shooting 10/22's any more.

I always thought the T36 was the best bang for the buck benchrest scope out there. I had one on my 22 for 50 yards, and one on my 6 BR for 600 yards.

Edited September 4, 2015 by Racinready300ex

[dapribek]

No, I don't have to run a 10/22, but I really like the looks of the rifles made by these companies. Supposedly at 50 yards they will be able to keep up with the Winchester and Anschutz bolt actions. I really feel that I will be the limiting factor with these guns! Thanks for your input.

[Steve RA]

I'd go for a single stage trigger over a double. but that is about the only advice I can give.

[ranger]

Have you though about building your own 10-22. They are very easy to work on and parts are readily available.

[dapribek]

Mechanically handicapped, so building isn't an option! Thanks.

[dapribek]

_{Steve RA, why do you recommend the single stage trigger? Thanks.}

[Steve RA]

Can't offer a technical reason, just like them better from having shot both numerous times. Back when I and a couple of friends shot Chevy Team Challenge I had a "full race" 10-22 and that is what I used on it.

Try both and see which you like/shoot the best with, that is the one you should use.

[grouse]

Rimfire central has a lot of great info

[dapribek]

I'll check it out, thanks!

[dapribek]

Makes sense, thanks Steve.

[Tom Freeman]

Even a good 10-22 will not be able to keep up with an average Anschutz, Winchester 52, Remington 40X or any other bolt gun. Trust me on this.

However if you get a **really** good 10-22 and feed it $20 a box Eley Red or Lapua Midas, you might get close.

If it is a timed event, you will win hands down.

As for triggers, for pure bench rest get a light single stage. Anything else I prefer a two stage.

[ben b.]

I started competitive shooting in rimfire BR. I started that by building a 10/22 BR rifle, with a few different expensive barrels, Kidd trigger, a BR stock, T36, windflags, muzzle tuner, etc.

After playing with it for a while, and having some fun, I decided that i wanted to have a chance to win. So I sold the 10/22 BR gear for about what I had in it, and bought a 40x. I immediately started to place and win. I used 1.5 oz Jewell triggers and shot free recoil. I later bought a ULA, a Sako, and a Cooper. I ran ARA matches, and our club ran all (ARA, USBR, IR 50/50 and RBA) every month. Did that for a few years. I got tired of chasing the ammo the same time as several others did, and it mostly died at that club, I sold my BR gear and started IDPA, then steel, then IPSC, then 3 gun.

A T36 is fine. A 10/22 will never win anything other than a semiauto match. You may be able to compete at a 25 yd match, but no one shoots those with their real RF BR guns with good ammo. You will never keep up at 50 yards. You may have a good card every now and then, but you'll have to be content with beating newbies or regulars who have a bad day. If RFC is still running monthly BR matches, you can have fun doing those with a 10/22, on your own schedule. I had plenty of fun doing that.

RF BR is a cerebral rush. 1 eye on the flags, the other eye on the dot, call the wind right, BLIP, perfect hole on a 0.10" target at 50 yds is quite fun. You'll need to find ammo that your gun LOVES. This means buying samples of expensive Eley and testing, then buying as much of whatever shoots that you can find. I'm told that serious RF BR shooters these days just buy several barrels, and match the the ammo to the barrel by changing barrels and testing that ammo. It is exasperating at times, as conditions, ammo:condition match, or a variety of rifle "tune" gremlins may crop up unpredictably and start to monkey with your accuracy. When everything is dialed in for the conditions of that day and you are reading the wind flags correctly, the level of accuracy you can achieve is astonishing and gratifying.

I don't expect you to listen to me about the 10/22. I didn't listen back then, either. So have fun with it, and get a real BR rifle when you feel like it, if you want. I don't regret my 10/22 tinkering. I do wish I'd started the action pistol matches sooner, tho.

Edited September 5, 2015 by ben b.

[ben b.]

I should add something: You can build 10/22s to shoot pretty damn well, better than many people would believe. I wow'ed several regular plinkers at the range with the BR 10/22 I had while shooting RFC matches. And I hit my share of black flies that landed on the target at 50 yds. It may be good enough to win local-informal or "barnyard benchrest/shoot what ya brung" matches.

[dapribek]

Hi Tom and Ben,

Thanks for the advice. I think that my dream of having a cool Kidd 10/22 has bitten the dust and if I want to be really competitive, I'll have to go with a bolt action. Thanks for taking the time to help me out!

David

[Steve RA]

Get both - Be Happy !!!

[sfogold]

Ive dumped $3000 into a 10/22 with all the finest bells and whistles. There is not a single Ruger part left in this rifle and it is perhaps, the coolest looking 10/22 I have ever seen. The improvement has been dramatic and is running about 1 MOA at 100 yards. However, is does not hold a candle to the off the shelf used Anschutz I also shoot.....When I want to have fun, i shoot the 10/22....when I want to win, I bring the Anschutz!

Edited October 15, 2015 by sfogold

[BuellX1]

Buy a CZ 455

[Absocold]

For Silhouette matches I prefer a 10/22. While the bolt action guys are busy letting go of their rifle with one hand and manually operating their reloading process, I'm busy getting a perfect sight picture for my next shot. More time on target means more time to make sure I get a hit. The speed of reloading and not having to budge from my position is much more helpful than the tiny difference in accuracy.

But things are very different in benchrest. Kidd makes some incredibly accurate rifles but they're not quite as good as a bolt rifle for benchrest competition. Yet.

I just couldn't get into .22 benchrest. Being at the mercy of your ammunition manufacturers quality control in a game measuring in tiny fractions of an inch... no thanks.

[ben b.]

... Being at the mercy of your ammunition manufacturers quality control in a game measuring in tiny fractions of an inch... no thanks.

Yep, that's the problem with the RF BR game. You can go all techno-nerd & gear geek on the equipment, which is fun, and find your Zen moments with wind reading (very fun), but the ammo has to love the barrel and you can't make the ammo. The "affordable" black box Eley is now about $15/50 rds, before shipping. You want at least a case ($1,500+) after you find some that shoots well in your barrel. It's a headache.