From a target shooting perspective, I enjoy shooting small bore prone. The 22 LR has been developed to an exceptionally accurate round, but which brand shoots best in your rifle is something that can only be found through testing. Match rimfire ammunition costs about the same as centerfire match ammunition but you don’t have to reload, clean up is much quicker. Some shooters never clean their barrels, or go thousands of rounds before cleaning. Barrel life is beyond comprehension. At the Shooter’s Mess at Camp Perry I sat across from a guy who claimed he had over 700,000 rounds through his barrel, most shooters claim that a barrel lasts around 200,000 rounds. If there is throat erosion, if the barrel is set back and rechambered it is as good as it was before rechambering.
Some other advantages to small bore prone: You shoot in the shade. You are done around 1300 or so. Match ammunition is relatively quiet. Shoot next to some center fire shooter using a magnum cartridge and you will appreciate a smaller bang. The absolute worst is shooting next to a guy with a muzzle brake on his belted magnum; every shot it is like a howitzer going off next to you. (The Government ought to encourage use of silencers, not try to regulate them out of existence)
Even though the cartridge has been developed to a high order of accuracy, shooting a good score is not a gimmie. The cartridge is extremely wind sensitive, you have to be hyper sensitive to wind direction and velocity. This is just wonderful for obsessive compulsive types as no matter how perfect you and your equipment, chance winds will always destroy a perfect score. You look through your scope, see the mirage, look at the flags, every thing looks stable: roll over and shoot, look through the scope and the winds shifted 180 degrees just as you pulled the trigger and your bullet is out in the eight ring!
1966 Anschutz 50 Meter Ten shot factory group
1976 Anschutz Factory
M1813
Eliseo Stock Anschutz round action.
