Ruger 10-22

[flintski]

Does anyone shot the Ruger 10-22 in hunter class 22 silhouette?  I have a heavy barrel that shoots real well and I was hoping to try 22 silhouette here in our area this summer.  With the price of gas going so high I just can't justify driving 6 hours total a day to shot BPCR silhouette. I need the help on my standing anyway.  Is the Ruger a lost cause? :?

[dave imas]

if that is what you got, go shoot it.  once you are hooked you can figure out what equipment direction you want to take later.  don't let your equipment hold you back from all the fun.
dave

[genphideaux]

flintski,

If it is a lost cause then don't tell all the folks shooting Briely's, we have invested way to much in them to quite now :-D

Shoot what you got, the little stuff has a way of working it's self out.

Dawg

[drover]

Go ahead and shoot your Ruger, if you really get hooked you will upgrade eventually but you may as well have fun while you are deciding if you want to spend the money and be competitive or just shoot for fun.   If there is a downside to your Ruger it is that it is a heavy barrel which means you will have to shoot in the standard rifle class (unlimited).  As a consequence you will be shooting agains guys using 10# rifles with very light triggers and all of the goodies that help make points.

I do have a friend who shoots a box stock 10/22 carbine in hunter class and he usually shoot right around 20 with it.  He does it often enough that he is quite often class winner.

[shootingpaul]

hey Flintski!
join the club......  shoot what you have and enjoy.....
It took me 8-10 years to build my equipment to the almost satisfactory stage, so do not rush - take your time, your Rugger is just FINE!

polski!

[flintski]

is that true that the target model 10-22, the one with the twist looking barrel will have to shot againt the big boys??
oh, well i will still be shooting against 'a' shooters anyway right.  with my steady fast, rock solid hold i don't think i'll be shooting any 20's anyway.
Last weeks indoor paper shoot, i was sighting in with a new brick of Winchester's from Wal-mart and oh, boy do they shoot...i held over a sand bag and shot at a chicken target and hit it in the leg 10 times....it was just one large hole about the size of a dime and 50 feet.  I had been practicing at our outdoor range with some Remington hv and they where all over the place and i wasn't very pleased.  So on the way to the thursday night match I got the Winchesters.  I plan on hitting all the sporting goods shops and pick up as many different brands of 22's that i can then rework the gun again.  man, did the $10 a box winchesters shoot..... now if i could just hold a little bit steadier....i'm not giving up the Dr. Pepper for this sport......

flint

[shootingpaul]

thats good shooting! :grin:
I think that you mean $10 a brick, usually that ammo will hold good untill pigs and seldom turkeys, but usally at rams it will do 3- 4 inches which is not that good, but you can compensate with your steady hold ........ :eek:
you're on the right track to try different ammo, my suggestion is to try lapua master, this stuff usually shoots well and you might save yourself some time and money, and another suggestion : try your ammo at 100 meters, most stuff will shoot quite well at 40 and 60 meters.
Have fun!

[Jerry G]

I shot a 10-22 with a light bbl and a plywood stock in hunter class for quite a few years.  My best scores with were in the very high 20s with Eley Black box.  The gun was good for about 1 1/4 minute but the lock time was very slow.  The bull bbl is not legal for hunter.  The standard bbl will make hunter class and let you add plenty of lead to the front of the stock.  Have fun with it at the matches.

[davei]

flintski...
i'm afraid the big boys shoot the hunter rifle class as well.  i don't think you will find much of a drop in scores, if any, from standard rifle to hunter for shooters in AAA or Master.
dave

[hh4064]

I agree with Paul. Just shoot what you bring. I too started out small. My first silhouette gun was a mossberg 144 HB. By todays standards it was marginal at best. But what the heck I was shooting. Just remember ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS buy the best equipment you can afford. If you need to save a few more months then try to be patient and wait. ESPECIALLY if you are buying a scope. A cheap scope will discourage you to the point of quitting. I would much rather have the combination of a inexpensive rifle with a nice scope then a expensive rifle and a cheap scope. If the scope does not do its job even an expensive rifle wont hit the target either.
good shooting

[flintski]

right now i'm thinking in the order of a cz 452 american and not to sure of the scope yet.  I have a leopald 20X that I guess I could put target knobs on, it has thin x hairs. been looking on ebay for something with target knobs, but not too sucessful so far. picked up a bunch of different 22 shells today will try them out tomorrow.
i know that the BIG boys are still in the hunter class, what i meant was it will be a whiole before i reach 30+ targets....

[flintski]

Oh, forgot to ask, does anyone have any ideas for a shell defector, i feel sorry for the guy on my right when i'm shooting.  something that might bounce the shells down and not straight out?
I know real silhouette shooters don't shoot autos.
flint

[chunter]

Flintski,  
 
I have been watching this thread and thought I would jump in.  I think that you would be surprised at the number of silhouette shooters have used an semi-auto over the years.  In fact, I do believe that nationals has been won with a semi-atuo.  
 
The biggest disadvantage that people find with the semi-auto is its unique recoil.  Most people find a semi-autos recoil to be distracting during the follow through phase of the shot.  However, I think that if you can learn a good follow through on a semi-auto you can have an awesome follow through on a bolt action.  
 
There are a few manufacturers making competitive semi-auto's for silhouette.  For example Brielly, Volquartsen, Clark... they are great rifles, and as every bit as competitive as a bolt action.  
 
Most silhouette shooters try to find the equipment that is the easiest to shoot, or has the easiest learning curve.  So bolt actions have been more prevalant.  However, auto's have some very unique qualites, such as not having to put the gun down between shots.  This can help in windy conditions or during times of good holding.  
 
If you are shooting in Utah, the Anschutz and Cz is very prevalent.  Don't let anybody tell you that it is the only way to go.  Shoot a while, and determine what your shooting style needs.  I remember when all of the Utah shooters bought the ruger 77/22 synthetic style rifles, and swore by it. They are a trendy bunch and seem to have moved on to the CZ.  The CZ is a great gun, and will take you to the master class with some practice.  
 
As far as scopes go,  take a look at a Sightron SII, bushnell  Elite 4200, or a Weaver V.24.    These are the cheaper alternatives to the Leupold Var III EFR models.   I know that locally Kent Shooters SUpply and Sportsmans Warehouse carry them.  
 
There has been lots of good info on this thread,  the biggest thing is to use  what you have until you are certain on what exactly you want out of your equipment.  
 
C Hunter

[jneihouse]

I agree with the "shoot what ya got" approach when you are just starting out.  Typically, silhouette shooters are a very helpful bunch and some of the guys you shoot with will let you try their guns.  Shoot as many of them as you can.  Then make your decision.  There are a lot of factors in silhouette shooting, compounded by the complexity of having two classes of gun, the hunter and standard.   There are weight limits and trigger pull weights to consider as well as scopes and rings and....well, you get the picture, it goes on and on.  Don't let any of that get in the way of you shooting your 10-22 and having a good time.  One thing I would caution you on, something I've seen happen several times.  It's the "I've already got a 10-22 and there's no point in buying a new gun.  I'll just fix this one up into a highly competitive match rifle" school of thought.  It starts with a Kidd trigger, sometimes advances to a Shilen Barrel, then a Volquartsen receiver, McMillian stock, titanium firing pin and so on and on.  You can easily tie up more in a highly tweaked 10-22 than you would in a purpose built gun already put together.  In the line of 10-22 type guns it's hard to beat what Bobby Pitchford is doing with the Briley guns.  More than once at gun shows I've seen a highly tweaked 10-22 for sale (note for sale, not sold) that is priced at much less that the sum total of all the parts.  Count the cost of going to war before you go.  And when and if you decide that you want something different to shoot, buy something that you can shoot in both classes and master it.  You'll have twice as much fun at less than half the cost.  I did it the other way round (bought my standard rifle before I bought my hunter class gun) and had to learn the hard way.  Most of all, have fun, and welcome to the wonderful world of silhouette shooting.

[GeoNLR]

Cut a peice of leather that can be ty wraped to your scope and still hang down past the ejection port enoungh to deflect the shell. I cut a peice that is probally 3" wide by 8-10" long. then cut out the "flaps" that will wrap around the scope, leaving you with a 3" x3" square with 2 flaps that are aprox 1/2" wide by 5-7" long(imagine a "U" with a 3"x3" flap on the bottom". Use a punch and make the holes for the ty-wraps in the proper place, ty-wrap to scope and you are done. Local craft store will have a BAG FULL OF LEATHER for like $10. Use color ty-wraps and a nice peice of leather and people will ask you where to buy one like they did mine!

Geo

BTW> I would NOT reccomend "building" your own 10/22. I built on one for about 3 years. VERY FIRST TIME I took my Briley to the range I beat any group I had ever shot with my gun(http://mail.ikelectric.com/george/dime5shot.jpg)5 shots at 100 yards w/ a semi auto..not bad. Briley makes a hunter in the $600 price range, and if you're wanting to shoot one, it would be HARD to beat the rifles that Bobby is turning out.

[flintski]

Geo, thanks for the idea, I think I can see it in my head now, i have all the peices that i think i will need.  I make one this afternoon.   thanks again.  
my ruger heavy will shoot a quart inch group at 50 ffet.  we shoot at an indoor 50 ft. range in the winter  at reduced paper targets. the ruger will stay on the targets all night but i can't.  still having fun...can't wait until thursday night and SUMMER.   Just think in a couple more days the DAYS WILL BECOME LOOONGERRR.  Yaw..
thianksagain
flint

[saikatana]

Getting back into Silhouete shooting after 10 years lay off. Have only 1 pin for 5 in a row.Turkeys shot with a box stock 10/22 Ruger and a 12X Redfield Metallic Silhouette Scope. Point of story ....shoot what you got but try for a GOOD scope to help you along.