Small Bore Target Rifles?

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Anonymous

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Well, the boy started NRA Smallbore Basic today and is intrigued as all get out with the target rifles at the club.

Since they're all Anschutz and ancient Winchester 52Bs it's like Porsches and classic Stingrays at a Driver's Ed. Fantastic sure...but wow- rare and spendy up here.

Anyone know of a good aperture sighted small bore target rifle that's not handcrafted by Bavarians? It looks like American makers have largely abandoned the sport.
 
I used to shoot a marlin. I can't remember the model but I could dang sure hold my own against the anshutez.
 
RiverRider":3ojturvi said:
CMP might have something.
Click to expand...

I would look o their website. They have decent prices. I know savage used to make a decent target rifle at a fair price as well.
 
Just make sure its got a good trigger on it. Make sure you keep the weight down a bit a starter rifle should be around 7-9 pounds. Any heavier and it becomes taxing at first in the standing position. Once he gets his form down and starts shooting good then a heavier higher quality rifle will be great.
 
You might also check out some of the offerings from CZ. Not really "cheap" but not insanely expensive, either. I routinely see used ones in the $350-550 range. Maybe that's Anshutz territory, though? I have no idea.
 
important that rifle fits your son as cheek height and to some extent length of pull will change between standing, kneeling and prone. smallbore rifles have are all from across the pond but you will still find some remington 37s and winchester 52s still on the line at prone matches.
 
My son has my dad's Winchester Model 67. While it isn't anything like Match types, that rifle will shoot some amazing groups at 50 yds with the original open sights. As kid, I use to shoot flickertails (Franklin's ground squirrel) at distance's well beyond 50yds. with some pretty good percentages.
But I always thought a scoped Match type .22 would be cool to do the same with at longer ranges than the 67 would do with open sights. My youngest son'd Savage Mark ll FV is quite accurate. I need to put on agood target turret type scope for long range however.
Sorry no help to the sight question, but just saying some of those older rifles can shoot with match accuracy. Just missing all the bell & whistles that make up the high end match rifles.
 
Second the CZs.
The 455 Lux is first class and less than the 77/22.
They have another w a beech stock they call the Military Training Rifle that is nice also.
Henry has a youth bolt action that shoots well also.
Dewey
 
I still practice with my old Win 52B and it still shoots better than me.

IMG_2590.jpg


They're out there, sometimes for as little as $600 or so, all set up for competition. The Anshutz is better, but a 52 still shoots real well.

If you can find one, Marlin made a very good, inexpensive .22 target rifle in the 1990's for a few years. It was a real target rifle, with the right stock, actual target sights, etc. Not a lot of them were made, but they're avail on the used market time to time. Excellent "starter" rifles.

CMP did offer some .22 Kimber target rifles. I don't know if they've still got them or not. I'd have bought one if I didn't already have the old Winchester.

Good luck on the search. I wish each American rifle maker still produced a good .22 target rifle.

Regards, Guy
 
Last time I looked, CMP had some Kimber 82Gs. These are the "rusty" rifles. My neighbor bought a pair of these several years ago, and I ended up with one of them. They looked fine. I sold mine after a few months and he kept his for a couple of years. He asked me to help him sell it, so I took it home to clean it up. There were se minor blemishes on the barrel by this time so I took some cold blue to it to touch it up. When I did, it stripped a considerable amount of what had to have been previously applied cold blue off the barrel. I was horrified! I had to strip and refinish the barrel completely to put it back in saleable condition and it looked fine but we had to disclose the fact to the buyer. It all worked out and the buyer was satisfied. Just be aware that the "rusty" 82Gs may have been more heavily damaged than they first appear to be.

Most who buy them seem to be satisfied with them as far as I know.
 
You could do fine with this Remington 513T:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =328666531
There are a lot of beat up ones out there that were military trainers. This one looks pretty good, the front sight is in the dovetail backwards though! It's less than those Marlins, too.
I worked all the way up through Distinguished with one of these when I was 14....

In the same category are the Winchester model 75 target rifles. It and the Remington were the sort of junior versions of the 40x and 52b's.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =329007895
EE2
 
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