Intermediate Silhouette Rig questions

[jeremiahm]

Ok, so I shot my first ever handgun silhouette match.  It was a riot.  I loved it.  So, now I'm wanting to dive in with both feet and get some equipment that I can be competive with.  

We really don't have any one organization around here, so I'm looking at just about anything that is shot at 100 yards and in, because that's the range I have.  The match that I shot in last weekend used NRA hunter pistol rules, I also hepled run the match, see other thread.  

I'm wanting to get my contender going.  I hear that 22 hornet reigns supreme.  Is this correct?  

What kind of load do you need to shoot in it?  Do you need to do something special to make sure you don't ring the rams?  Heavy bullets?  Target damage??

I also need a scope.  This is my fuzziest area.  Do you really have an advantage if you go with a rifle scope and a taco hold over a regular hunting settup and a 2 or 3X long eye relief scope?  I'm only into standing positions, I don't want to get in the equipment race that follows the freestyle formats.  

I shot my ruger redhawk with a 2X scope in 41 mag this weekend, and I did pretty well hitting 28 of 40.  I was cruising right along, then I messed up on what I thought was going to be the easiest targets, the pigs where I missed four of them.  Oh well, there is always the next match.  I thought I did pretty well for my first time out.  

I want equipment that I can go to the next level with and never have to upgrade, so I want to do it right the first time!  How do I dress my contender?  

Thanks.

[volleyman]

Your best top of the line rig would be a 10 3/4" 22 hornet barrel from the T/C custom shop. If you only shoot IHMSA then get a high rise for it. The scope is where you can sink more money than the gun itself. The vast majority of the top shooters use rifle scopes. 6.5x20 leupold (and can also be boosted) are very good as are the weaver T series. Plan on spending $350- $700 on a good repeatable scope. BSA and Tasco's will not make the cut in the long haul. After putting together a few scoped standing guns, you will find out that the open sight freestyle guns are a bargin to buy or build. Most scoped standing guns will run $1000 plus if you want a top of the line rig.

[Scooter the Shooter]

Don't feel you have to go out and buy new equipment right away either. The score you shot first time out was pretty good, and will only improve as you refine sight settings. I shot this sport my first year using a Colt 357 for long range standing and NRA Hunters Pistol, and a Ruger for smallbore, and still had a blast.

[jeremiahm]

So you guys are saying that the rifle scope is a must have?  I really didn't want to hear that.  I like to shoot a handgun like a handgun.  

Thanks for the input guys, keep it coming.

[Sixgun]

I shoot a 22 Hornet for NRA Hunter pistol.

My load is 8.3 gr H4227 under a Win 50gr PP bullet using a cci Small Rifle Primer(CCI 400).  It gets about 1680fps and is scary accurate.  Under .5 at 100 meters.  I have never had a ringer with this load.

My other load, just started using it this year, is RCBS 55gr cast bullet with a Hornady Gas Check.  It goes over 4.5gr of W231 with the same primer.  They are cast out of out indoor range lead which is mostly 22lr stuff.  I lube with Lee liquid Alox.  I get about 1.5 to 2 inch groups at 100 meters with this load.  velocity is 1780fps.  I have had no leading problems with this load.  It hits hard and I don't expect to get any ringers.

I am not of the opinion that you have to spend lots of money to enjoy this sport.  On my Hornet I use a Bushnell Sportsman 4-12X40 rifle scope.  I shoot best with it on 4 power.  12 power is great for sighting in and testing ammo.  You can see your holes without taking a 100 meter stroll.  

I find that with the Hornet, I don't have to adjust between the chickens and the rams.  Therefore, I do not need target turrets on this scope.  You can spend more $$$ on a scope but you will probably not shoot any better.

The Taco Hold is the only way to go.  This is one of the reasons that the 22 Hornet is getting so popular.  There is no recoil so you aren't worrying about the scope hitting you in the face while you are concentrating on your aim.  If you practice with the taco hold you will soon find that you can shoot it almost as good as you do from a bench.

A little more about cheap scopes.

I started out shooting NRA Small Bore with a BSA Contender scope.  After about two years the knobs quit re-setting.  I sent it back in to BSA.  They felt so bad that I was having trouble, they upgraded me to a Platinum 6-24X40.  While I was waiting for a new scope I started listening to the guys telling me I should quit using the cheap scope so I mounted a leopold on my contender.  I didn't like it.  In the meantime I bought another frame and 22 match barrel from a guy who retired from shooting.  When my new replacement BSA came I mounted it on that new gun.  I didn't like the leopold so I bought a new 6-20X44 Bushnell Scopechief and put on my origional setup.  My hammer spring broke at the Idaho state match that year, just before the match.  I switched over to the contender with the BSA Platinum on it and shot the match.  At the end of the match I found out that I was in a shootoff for second place.  The guy I shot against for second place was a farmer from Washington State.  He had a BSA Platinum scope on his Contender also.  After I won the shootoff, the match winner came buy to congratulate me.  He had a BSA Platinum scope on his Contender too.  It turned out that we were the only three guys using "Those Cheap BSA Scopes" out of 32 contestants.  Funny thing, we took 1st, 2ed, and 3rd places.

I still am using my BSA Platinum and it is still going strong.  When it breaks, I'll send it in for another one.

Sixgun

[jeremiahm]

What's up with that??  Taco Hold, that's what you do at lunch time, not on the rifle range!  ha ha.  

I guess I'm open to anything.  I'll try it.  

I guess you couldn't hold this way with a revolver, could you?  Wouldn't you get a burn from the cylinder gap?  

Sixgun, why did you think that you had to change your load?  More importantly, if you went from shooting .5" to shooting over an inch and a half, why didn't you switch back?

Thanks for the info on the hornet!  

Keep it coming guys, I check this board every day now, and it's not getting that much action!

[Smokin7mm]

A while back IHMSA shooters lost the board that they were using so they started posting here as there was a topic for handgun silhouette.  Since that point IHMSA has gotten their own dedicated board.  This is a great board for all types of shooting and outdoor sports and I post here as well as on the IHMSA board.
http://www.aimoo.com/forum/freeboard.cfm?id=388847

Bret

[Sixgun]

jeremiahm,

The reason that I changed my load is $$$.  I found that I practiced less with the more expensive bullets.  There are two reasons for this.  One was the cost but the bigger factor was probably that I was always out of bullets.  The place I get them locally is out of the way and I had to make a special trip to get them.  The guy who owned the store is kind of a know-it-all type of jerk too, so I just didn't like going to get the bullets.  Casting bullets is a winter project and I like to do it in the evening instead of watching sit-coms.  The cost of the bullets is 1.5 cents for the gas check instead of 8 cents for a bullet.  Last year I shot 500 jacketed bullets all season.  I have already shot that many cast bullets this season.

I figured that with the cast bullets, I would practice more.  I do and my scored reflect that.  It seems to be a good trade off because I am consistently shooting middle AAA scores.

I think that when I go to a faster twist, this bullet will get mor accurate.  I am currently shooting a one-in-14 twist and this is a pretty long bullet.  I think when I get a 1-in-12 twist it will be more accurate.

Sixgun

[jeremiahm]

Sixgun, what mould are you using?  What gas check?  

What is the standard twist rate in 22 hornet contender barrels?  Is it the same in all lengths?  

What weight bullet is recommended in the hornet for silly wets and at what velocity?

[Sixgun]

jeremiahm

I am using a RCBS 55gr mold.  I run them through a lee sizer, without lube, to seat the gas check.  I then apply lee liquod alox for lube.  I am using Hornady gas checks.  With the soft lead alloy I am using, thest bullets weigh 59 gr.  They are heavy enough to knock down the rams with about any type of hit.  I don't think I would be too excited about going below 50gr for a hornet bullet

My 10 inch barrel has a 1-in-14 twist.  The new 12 inch barrels have a 1-in-12 twist.

[K2]

The rifle scope goes nicely with the rifle caliber .22 Hornet.  Hal does pretty well with his .357 so there are other options.  

So you guys are saying that the rifle scope is a must have?  I really didn't want to hear that.  I like to shoot a handgun like a handgun.  

Thanks for the input guys, keep it coming.

[teamnelson]

Don't mess with scopes - shoot it like a real man, standing up - iron sights!


Also, don't forget the new Major Golden award at the Int'l, for the highest overall score shot with all wheelguns. Since its never been done, shooting a 40x40 with a revolver sounds like a nice ambition.

So you guys are saying that the rifle scope is a must have?  I really didn't want to hear that.  I like to shoot a handgun like a handgun.

[teamnelson]

I want equipment that I can go to the next level with and never have to upgrade, so I want to do it right the first time!  How do I dress my contender? quote]

If you really must (and I sympathize because I used to shoot all revolvers until I fell into a TC), then it sounds like all you need is .22LR, .22Hornet, and 7mmTCU, and you've got them all covered.

S/F,
Rob

[jeremiahm]

Do you have any scopes at all on your tc's?  If so, rifle or pistol scope?

Is there a class where you shoot 200 meters standing?  What's it called?

Where is the international next year?  It's right here in Ohio this year, I'll be going to watch, because I don't think I can find three shoots to shoot in to get qualified to shoot the international.

That is a very riteous goal if it hasn't been done, 40x40 with a revolver!

[B_Koes]

Nearly all of my silhouette pistols have a rifle scope on them.  I have set up one big bore gun and one smallbore gun for shooting freestyle events that have long eye relief scopes.  I shoot .22LR, .22 Hornet, .223 Improved, .30-20 (.32-20 wih .308 bore), and I switch between a 6.5 TCU & 7 TCU for Unlimited Standing.

[volleyman]

You should try and shoot at the Internationals in your backyard this year. Next year I would guess it will be back in Texas. You only need 3 entries in Big bore to shoot it in Tusco. They can all be shot at one match before the Int. You do have to be classified in each category you want to shoot, but that happens after your first entry. In other words, go to a match, shoot any 3 classes in BB and you are qualified to shoot those classes at the Internationals. If you only want to shoot one or two classes, just shoot a re-entry score or two to get a total of 3 entrys. If you are planning on shooting SB or FP you would need 3 entries in each of those also.
There are 2 classes that include 200M standing. They are "Big Bore" open sight "Standing" and scoped "Unlimited Standing".
40x40's in "Revolver" (freestyle) class are somewhat uncommon. A 40x40 standing has yet to be done open sighted and has been done very,very few times unlimited standing (scoped).