one of my grandsons is interested in .22lr competition shooting, I grew shooting jack rabbits, squirrels and such, so I need some advice as to which way to go on
1. barrel length ( have my eye on a 24" barrel)
2. what scope
3. suppresser yes or no?
4. ar style stock or wood, laminate?
any thing else?
thanks, Ken

22lr competition shooting has many different types of matches all needing different set ups.

What’s your budget.. I have $6000 in a rimfire rig.

I am not going to go to that level until we see if he is going to put in the effort to go to top level, from what I have read, there are matches that have limits on total cost set up for different matches, heck I have Savages that are n the 8 to ten thousand range, that would win a accuracy match. I am sure that you are proud of your $6,000. dollar set up, what distance do you shoot and how many have you won.

I have not made it to the rimfire matches yet, my job worked weekends so I’ve been in the gathering and practice stage. I have a Vudoo wearing a NX8 4-32 nightforce. I have shot it up to 500 yards with some pretty regular consistency. I also have a Begara b14r I dressed up for my boy or my wife to go with me and shoot.

Both rifles have less than 22” barrels. I have a Jewell trigger in the B14r, a 40 moa base, swapped the stock for a krg bravo chassis and it’s currently wearing a Arken 6-24x scope in MIL’s it shoots as good as my high dollar Vudoo. I have less than $2,000 in the whole rig.

I owned CZ’s , Annie’s, and just about everything in between
My suggestion is to get a kidd supergrade or the Begara for the first one and buy a case or two of sk long range.
Arken 6-24 is a good budget scope.

Give that a go, y’all will be competitive… the 22 games are serious these days my preference is for a bolt gun but the kidd supergrade shoots excellent.

I'd fit him with a good CZ or 'Annie' until you know he is going to stick with it (or shows he has more skill than the rifle is capable of), then move him up.

Until he shows dedication or the skill the 'shoot the difference' between a better (more expensive) rifle, then it doesn't make sense to go that route IMO.

https://www.anschutznorthamerica.com/sporting-models.html

my thoughts exactly, going for the CZ 457, looking at the Royal with 20.5 barrel, or would you go for the ar platform with 16" barrel?

Go with the CZ if it is going to be a target rifle.

Here is what I would do

If I wanted to start playing tomorrow and I need to buy a gun and don’t want to wait I would buy the following set up and an extra mag in a 20” model. It has everything you need to play the games and more but has what I would want on it as far as the accessories like arca rail, stop, bolt knob. This stock alone is about $1000
If you buy something else I would want those accessories


https://www.area419.com/product/cz-457-manners-elite-package/

Cheaper option- If you want a wood stock I would get then MTR fully loaded and it will do you right with the right ammo available at Area 419

Semi auto
Kidd Supergrade With a KRG bravo stock

If money is no option and I didn’t want to wait I would order a Vudoo Kukri profile and drop it in a Mcmillan A3, Manners PRS2, or Foundation stock. If I like chassis I would probably get an MPA. It would prolly be 20-22” next time for balance


Must Haves in my opinion -

Arca Rail 12-14”
Atlas or Harris bipod with Arca
30 moa or better yet 40 moa pic rail for way out
FFP scope with clear Christmas tree reticle
18-22” barrel
NO suppressor
Light trigger

* I like my tuner

I currently have a 18 “ vudoo with all the stuff above that I get beat with by lesser packages though my gun is super accurate

Depends on what he means by competition. I shoot metallic silhouette, and I'd use either of my rifles for a normal NRL22 type match as well. I have a Tikka T1x in a mcmillan stock and an anschutz 1712 in a silhouette stock.

The Tikka T1x has good aftermarket support since the same stocks and chassis that work for a T3 will work for it. You can also buy a more vertical grip for the factory plastic stock. Since they are the same action size/footprint as the T3, they are kind of like a full size rifle. You can get a decent timney 2 stage trigger, but that adds up in price quickly. I have the 20 inch barrel that is threaded.

CZ are nice as well. I had and sold a 455 that I used for silhouette.

I have a Anschutz 1712 that shoots really nice. They are harder to find parts and aftermarket stocks for depending on the type of competition. They do have some trainer type rifles that are more 'tactical' bolt action style.

The newer Bergaras are also supposed to be nice. The B14 rimfire is more of a full size high power trainer type, and I've not seen the micro rimfire. Both can use a Remington 700 type trigger, so that is a plus.

Yes, the type of competition will make a big difference. NRL22 is only out to 100 yards. I shoot the the North Texas league with a lot of the guys on here. It is a PRS league and is out to 350 yards. I shot my first match with an old Glenfield model 25 with a cheap redfield scope on it. It was challenging for sure, but I didn't do too bad considering. I ended up placing in the bottom third. A lot of guys run bolt actions, I like the 10/22 type rifles. I am currently running a T/C r22 with a Titan stock and Crimson trace 5 series scope. I probably have one of the cheaper rigs out there, and I am fairly consistently finishing middle of the pack. If you are trying to keep costs down, I would suggest looking at a bolt or semi-auto with a heavy barrel. Ruger 10/22, or even the Ruger American for a bolt. Spend your money on glass. You will need to be able to dial down to 25 yards on the paralax. You will want good tracking and an exposed turret with a zero stop. A christmas tree reticle is nice, but not neccesary. You do NEED graduations marked on the scope, and I would highly suggest FFP and MIL over MOA.

Oh, and I would not go AR style. He'll be much better served having a full stock.

Find a used 10-22, put some decent glass on it and have the folks at Shilen send you a barrel…..you’ll be MOA or slightly better, plenty good enough to be competitive in NRL or PRS. Worry about something better once the rabbit hole is completely uncovered.

New CZ LRP is worth a look. Just breaking mine in for NRL 22 and similar club matches out to 200. Very promising so far.

none to be had at this moment