New 22 For Silhouette Competition

[DMW1116]

I have finally come to the conclusion that my old Marlin 60 isn’t accurate enough to compete in the local silhouette competition. From a rest at 60 yards it held about a 2” group (9 shots). The smallest targets are about 1.5”. This is an iron sight competition. The best scores run 28 to 30 out of 30.

It is fitted with a set of Tech Sights which are excellent in my opinion. It actually shot a better group with Federal Automatch than some CCI Minimags I found. I have some Aguila to try but I don’t have high hopes.

The action can be bolt, pump, lever, or semiautomatic. There isn’t a restriction on sight type other than they must be iron sights. Aperture, open, front aperture, Patridge, or post are ok. I have a Henry lever action that might be sufficient but I will need to replace the factory sights as they cannot be zeroed to match the distance used at the competition.

 

[Riomouse911]

CZ. I really like my 455, and the 457 is an improvement. I thought I had saved some images of the very tight groups this gun shoots front-rested at 35 yards and benched at 50, but I apparently didn’t.
(Just before I added a 3x9x32 Center Point mil-for rimfire scope.)



And after:



Just a thought.

If budgets are an issue the Ruger American Rimfire is a solid option. Mine is a .22 WMR version, great shooter but the stock was a bit cheesy. I changed the stock to a Boyd’s laminate and it’s rock solid.



35 yds front-rested. I haven’t fully benched it yet.

Stay safe.

 

[Varminterror]

For that kind of game, CZ457 or an Annie with aperture sight, and your preference of globe front sight insert with an aperture rear. Weight balanced for your respective positions.

Admittedly, I really want to stick a RimX or a Vudoo on that list, but I struggle to prefer such a heavy rifle - these heavier actions need more barrel weight to get to the muzzle heavy balance I prefer for positional shooting, which means a higher overall weight than I really want. But those two certainly have the potential to meet and even exceed the CZ.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

CZ 452 Trainer, Lux, Ultra Lux, or full stock with a J&P Custom Products rear sight will work well. Order the 3 pack of sights so you can find the size that works best for you. The rear tangent sight works well for distance changes. The front sight on a CZ is adjustable so you can fine tune the sights based on ammo speed/weight.

If you go CZ, see if you can find a set of BRNO sights. They are getting hard to find, but are worth the search for precision open sight shooting. I replaced the BRNO iris on mine with an adjustable one from Gehmann. I also bought card of metal front globe inserts and an assortment of round clear inserts. I can tailor my sight set up to the kind of shooting I am doing.

 

[DMW1116]

I think I’m going to try one more time with the Marlin and see how much I can improve, if any.

I’ve identified a shooter issue that might be more of a shortcoming than the rifle. In fact I know it caused at least one miss in my first attempt in competition a couple months back. I pulled a shot wide left and completely missed a sheep, the largest target. I did it again this weekend and actually caught it on paper. Then I very clearly saw it after a dry fire. This rifle doesn’t have LSHO and I lost count. Changing rifles won’t fix this so let’s deal with it before going the wrong direction.

 

[sparkyv]

My M60 could never shoot as well as my CZ455s. The sights aren't conducive for shooting siluetas out beyond 50m, for me. The tangent sights on the CZ are the cat's meow, though peep sights would be even better.

 

[DMW1116]

I have the Tech Sights peeps in this one. I’m going to try the other ammo today and see how it goes.

 

[DMW1116]

Answering the question of will this rifle work will take a dedicated range session of just this rifle probably. Maybe 2 or 3.

 

[d2wing]

I have others but a CZ is one I reach for competition.