Hozzie

Here is mine. It's one of the first things I added when I bought the house.

Are you going to shoot ARA factory class with it? Not sure if Mike is going to do that at CRC or not.

Saddle Shop in Triune does.

The cost of the rifles is the cheap part. So many get focused on the cost of building a rifle, but don't realize that all of the other items needed to shoot BR add up fast (rest, wind flags, travel, etc). The most under appreciated cost on all of it is the cost of ammo. A lot of people think, oh it's rimfire, ammo is cheap. Wrong. I probably spend $1000/year on just test lots. Then when you find a lot that works, cases run between $1100 and $1700 per case. It's easy to go through a couple of cases per year if you shoot much. That being said, there are other hobbies that cost a heck of a lot more so it's all relative I guess.

No, that stock profile is made by a guy named Brent Lidgard. Mike's stocks are based on Bill Pippin's design. I am using a different type now that uses Dymalux which is a very dense laminated wood. Lots of options out there these days.

I shoot the ARA matches at CRC periodically. Mike who runs the matches is one of the nicest guys in our sport. Come out some Saturday they are having a match (usually third Saturday of the month). Next one is May 23rd, but it may be cancelled as our bis shoot in Bristol is that weekend.

The second pic above is my Vudoo. It's a nice gun and shoots good, but man is it heavy with that MPA BA Chassis. I didn't realize how heavy it would be. I haven't shot much with it yet so maybe that will be good, but it was surprising.

Funny enough, that "Cheap" gun really is a cheap gun. It's a Savage FV-SR in a Boyds stock that I finished and put in the cheek riser. I found the unfinished stock on sale for something like $80 so I just made it my own so to speak. You can put this gun together for less around $450 now and add a scope. I have a buddy that just bought one and ordered a Boyds At-One stock to put it in. It makes a nice combination. That being said, it's a Savage which means two things. One, it will probably be pretty accurate, but two it is an unrefined, ugly action. The trigger will be decent for what it is. I love CZ's, but wouldn't pay that kind of money for any 457. They made some improvements to them, but they are now also single lug actions. I think a 452/453 is a better choice, but harder to find. For the 1k price, I would probably be looking for a nice condition older Anschutz. Even a 64 action (vs the better 54) will still shoot great. You can find something like a 64 MPR which is a nice mix between sporter and BR that will work well off a bag. A 1416 D HB would be a good sporter type rifle. Fit and finish will be way better than either CZ or Savage. They can both be found used for about a 20% discount. Champions Choice in Lavergne has them both new if you want to just buy one new. Nice thing is you could go look at them and see if one has better would than another. They are closed right now because of COVID, but I would think they will be open soon. Downside is you would have to pay tax. For reference, each is linked below. http://champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=ItemDetailOptions&item=009980 http://champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=ItemDetailOptions&item=009977 Here is a 1416 for sale of RFC. I would want to see some more pictures, but gives you an idea of what they go for used. https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/vbclassified.php?do=ad&id=250613

Maybe another way of looking at it: Custom BR Gun: Custom NRL22 Gun: Cheap NRL22 Gun Is there a big difference in the two NRL22 guns. Yes and no. The custom gun is definitely better, but is it as much better than the cost....debatable unless you are pretty serious. If you are the type that naturally is inquisitive about chambering specs/dimensions, firing pin fall, etc, then the custom route may be to your liking.

I am one of those dudes . I run another Rimfire Benchrest forum and know pretty well most of the guys on RFC. So that's the challenge, competition covers a broad spectrum. If BR is the type of competition you would want to do, the guns don't lend themselves to plinking as I think of it as they aren't made to carry around. On the other side, a gun that is good to carry around isn't good for any real BR. Now if we are talking NRL22 type of competition (shooting at ranges from 30-150 yards at various targets) then you can definitely find something to work. Then you get into factory vs custom and when custom starts to come into play you are looking at quite a bit more money. The type of scopes you would use are also vastly different. You would want a fairly high magnification (36-55x on the high end) 2nd plane scope for BR work and something in a FFP 4-30 range for NRL22. If target shooting to hit small dots is fun for you, BR is probably more to your liking. If hitting targets in the 1-4" range at differing distances is more fun for you, then NRL22 is probably more fun. All of them can be very expensive if you do them seriously. Ammo is expensive and you can't just use $5/ box ammo. If you can let us know what style of shooting seems to be closer to what you are thinking, we can probably give better details on possible rifles to consider.

So first question do you just want to shoot off of a bench or are you thinking you may like "Benchrest" shooting. Big difference between them. I am about as deep down the custom 22 rabbit hole as one can go and would be glad to discuss real details with you about what may work for what you want. Also, are you looking to travel to some matches, or is this just informal plinking where you want a really nice gun, but aren't really interested in competition? Lots of variables that would lead me to give you different recommendations. In the BR world, 2k is not a lot for a gun, let alone a gun and scope, but it could be done. If you think you want to shoot something more like NRL22, then that's a different discussion, but there also expensive guns in that realm too. I have them all and will try to help you get what you actually need. Glad to have a call with you if you want as well.

Yep, they make good stuff. If you ever need a good set of drivers, this set is nice. As you say, not cheap, but worth it. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000T9XUI6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If I am correct, that is the one I sold you. I jewelled the bolt which makes it a bit nicer looking. That little gun will shoot.

No, forgot about it to be honest. I have it laying around and will try to take some video.

This is my Ellie.