Any Bench Geeks Out There?

[BigWave]

Any other .22 bench geeks out there? I dove in to .22 about 5 years back at the urging of a buddy. There's a few local monthly 50 yd. bench matches around here. Pretty fun! I had originally thought this would be a fairly inexpensive shooting discipline to jump into....but.... It is a very deep rabbit hole!! Had to get the wifey a setup as well since we roll that way. If I'm in, she's in too! We have a lot of fun at these little "fun" matches and both always do pretty well!!!

 

[Appropriate_Sky_8043]

What’s the camo rifle on the bottom of the gun pictures?

Taking my spouse to an Appleseed rifle clinic to see if that’s a “together” sport

 

[BigWave]

What’s the camo rifle on the bottom of the gun pictures?

Taking my spouse to an Appleseed rifle clinic to see if that’s a “together” sport

Awesome!! Hope you both have a great time! The camo rifle started off as a CZ 457 MTR 3-4 years ago. I've tried a few different barrels since, but the current configuration that I'm extremely happy with is below. .22 barrels are very ammo finicky. This one seems to like most of the good ammo that I throw at it, but it really likes Lapua LR.

CZ 457 Receiver/Match Chamber
L3i 24" 1.180 Dia. Barrel
Jard Trigger @ 6 oz.
Manners Stock
Arken EP-5 5-25x56 Scope

 

[BigWave]

The other is wifeys. Mostly bone stock Bergara B14R. Just swapped the trigger for a TriggerTech Diamond at about 10 oz. Arken SH4J Scope. She shoots that thing right there with the best of them with SK Rifle Match ammo.

 

[Appropriate_Sky_8043]

Thanks for the specs - yeah, I imagine these things are ammo-picky. Looking forward to checking out this side of the shooting scene!

 

[Appropriate_Sky_8043]

The other is wifeys. Mostly bone stock Bergara B14R. Just swapped the trigger for a TriggerTech Diamond at about 10 oz. Arken SH4J Scope. She shoots that thing right there with the best of them with SK Rifle Match ammo.

How tall is your wife? Wingspan? Trying to gauge for comfort.

 

[BigWave]

Thanks for the specs - yeah, I imagine these things are ammo-picky. Looking forward to checking out this side of the shooting scene!

You bet! Yep, they sure are. And the problem is always finding the "good" ammo. Most of the good stuff....Lapua, SK, Eley, is all usually sold by online retailers out of state, and its getting tougher and tougher to even find what you want in stock anywhere. Good luck and I hope you both have a great time!

 

[BigWave]

How tall is your wife? Wingspan? Trying to gauge for comfort.

5'8". Not sure of wingspan. Those Bergara's are pretty easy to adjust the LOP for what its worth.

 

[Appropriate_Sky_8043]

5'8". Not sure of wingspan. Those Bergara's are pretty easy to adjust the LOP for what its worth.

Good to know - we’re 5’2” and 5’11”, what works for one could be a problem for the other!

 

[token]

You bet! Yep, they sure are. And the problem is always finding the "good" ammo. Most of the good stuff....Lapua, SK, Eley, is all usually sold by online retailers out of state, and its getting tougher and tougher to even find what you want in stock anywhere. Good luck and I hope you both have a great time!

If you're ever in OC the ammo guy shop in Santa ana has SK and some Eley. Can also call him and he can get it ordered in.

 

[BigWave]

If you're ever in OC the ammo guy shop in Santa ana has SK and some Eley. Can also call him and he can get it ordered in.

Good to know, thanks!

 

[Darqhelmet]

The other is wifeys. Mostly bone stock Bergara B14R. Just swapped the trigger for a TriggerTech Diamond at about 10 oz. Arken SH4J Scope. She shoots that thing right there with the best of them with SK Rifle Match ammo.

What’s yours source for SK/Eley here? In DFW I could get it at scheels or have it shipped to me. SoCal I have yet to find it anywhere. (haven’t looked that hard yet).

 

[Darqhelmet]

If you're ever in OC the ammo guy shop in Santa ana has SK and some Eley. Can also call him and he can get it ordered in.

Looks like i’m making a trip to Santa Ana.

 

[BigWave]

What’s yours source for SK/Eley here? In DFW I could get it at scheels or have it shipped to me. SoCal I have yet to find it anywhere. (haven’t looked that hard yet).

I've never been able to find any of the "good stuff" here in So Cal. And to me, the good stuff is:

Lapua (LR, Center X, Super Long Range)
SK (Rifle Match, Semi Auto, Long Range Match)
Eley (Tenex, Match, Team)

I have a handful of online retailers that I check regularly for inventory, but all of this stuff is hard to find in stock almost anywhere in the country the last few years.

There's many others, but my regular "check" list of retailers is.....

Bruno's
Champions Choice
Powder Valley
Whidden
Killoughs
Goodshooting
BlueCollar

 

[ocabj]

When it comes to Lapua, you can just buy blind lots whenever a retailer has it in stock. But you may as well just go to Mesa, get your rifle tested at the Rimfire Performance Center, buy a brick of the ammo lot that shoots the best, and be done. The price will likely be better than whatever the retailer you process payment through normally charges because it'll be drop shipped so they don't even have inventory overhead.

Note: I assume you have your COE and C&R FFL so the drop ship is simple.

 

[BigWave]

When it comes to Lapua, you can just buy blind lots whenever a retailer has it in stock. But you may as well just go to Mesa, get your rifle tested at the Rimfire Performance Center, buy a brick of the ammo lot that shoots the best, and be done. The price will likely be better than whatever the retailer you process payment through normally charges because it'll be drop shipped so they don't even have inventory overhead.

Note: I assume you have your COE and C&R FFL so the drop ship is simple.

Yep! I reached out to Capstone about 2 years ago, They were backlogged about 6 months if I remember right. I havent checked back with them since. Fortunately I've been pretty lot lucky with the Lapua line. It's the best of the best IMO anyways as far as consistency. As far as the wifes gun, it shoots every bit of SK Rifle Match and Semi Auto that we run thru it very well.

The drag with going to Capstone, Whidden or Killoughs for lot testing is that once that brick or bricks is gone, the odds of finding that same lot anywhere is pretty slim. Then you're back to going back to lot test with them again. Maybe if they were closer I would be in with that.

 

[ocabj]

The drag with going to Capstone, Whidden or Killoughs for lot testing is that once that brick or bricks is gone, the odds of finding that same lot anywhere is pretty slim. Then you're back to going back to lot test with them again. Maybe if they were closer I would be in with that.

On the other side of the coin, buying a few bricks of a lot from a retailer has very little odds if you being able to get that same lot if you go back to them again later, which is what encourages buying by the case.

I shoot about two matches a month (NRL22 + PRS) along with practice and I can probably stretch a case to 2 years. I sometimes use different guns in that time so I won't be dipping into that case.

Of course, if you have a rifle that just seems to like anything from a given line of ammo, that makes blind purchases less risky. However, it does suck buying half a case or even a whole case of ammo only to find out your rifle doesn't like it.

 

[BigWave]

On the other side of the coin, buying a few bricks of a lot from a retailer has very little odds if you being able to get that same lot if you go back to them again later, which is what encourages buying by the case.

I shoot about two matches a month (NRL22 + PRS) along with practice and I can probably stretch a case to 2 years. I sometimes use different guns in that time so I won't be dipping into that case.

Of course, if you have a rifle that just seems to like anything from a given line of ammo, that makes blind purchases less risky. However, it does suck buying half a case or even a whole case of ammo only to find out your rifle doesn't like it.

Yep, I very clearly understand all of that and know how the Rimfire thing works with ammo, and lot to lot differences. Like I mentioned earlier….my L3i barrel likes pretty much anything I throw at it, but every different brick (lot) of Lapua LR I’ve bought has been exceptional thru it. Especially since the only matches we shoot are small monthly club matches with 15-20 members that we have plenty of fun with.

 

[Darqhelmet]

I've never been able to find any of the "good stuff" here in So Cal. And to me, the good stuff is:

Lapua (LR, Center X, Super Long Range)
SK (Rifle Match, Semi Auto, Long Range Match)
Eley (Tenex, Match, Team)

I have a handful of online retailers that I check regularly for inventory, but all of this stuff is hard to find in stock almost anywhere in the country the last few years.

There's many others, but my regular "check" list of retailers is.....

Bruno's
Champions Choice
Powder Valley
Whidden
Killoughs
Goodshooting
BlueCollar

Killoughs was my source in TX. But ive shot through the last of my lot and at some point im going to have to replace it all.