Everybody loves shiny new kit!

Let's face it everybody loves shiny new kit! Whether it's the pleasure of ownership or an improvement in performance you are seeking, we can’t get enough of it!  Below are my thoughts and tips on selecting gear and the journey that has taken me to my current set up.

Number one, don’t let the “I don't have all the right kit” excuse stop you from starting competitive shooting, especially PRS or PR22. A lot of shooters will have a .22LR in the gun safe, no matter what it is, it's a perfect place to start. I am a right handed shooter and I started with my Dad’s left handed gun, as that’s what we had. Mum and Dad have a rule that we can't have new kit/gear until we have been doing something regularly for a year, so that was that. Precision Rifle .22LR (PR22) or NRL22 is the most cost effective way of dipping your toe in Precision Rifle Competitions, so let's look at what you need.

Firstly, shoot what you have, don't rush out to buy new gear…

Firstly, shoot what you have, don't rush out to buy new gear even if you have the budget. Take your time to understand and find gear that suits you and that you like. Everyone is different and has different goals and aims, from just having fun to serious international competitors.  The best way to get your hands on most things is at a competition, everyone is more than happy to talk about their set up, lend you gear to try and even shoot their rifles. Be careful though as there is nothing quite like shooting a full “Race Gun” and it could get expensive very quickly…

The basic set up is a .22LR rifle scope preferably in first focal plane and in Mils, but don't worry if yours isn’t, 2 mags, a rifle bag, and some way of calculating D.O.P.E. There are a number of free apps available on the various app stores. The rest can typically be borrowed at any match.

Rifles - If you have a .22LR rifle then perfect just start with what you have. If you are looking to buy then there are a number of avenues and a couple of things you need to consider. As always, the budget is where most people start. Rifles can be picked up for a few hundred pounds to thousands!

Probably the most common two manufacturers are CZ & Bergara for off the shelf “Factory” rifles. I started with a Bergara B14R Trainer, we chose this, as it was a Rem 700 platform, & was similar to our Bergara HMR in 6.5CM so would allow for easier transition to centrefire, That was our thinking at the time. 

Also being a Rem 700 platform it gave us access to a wider range of aftermarket parts and upgrades. Since then more and more CZ (and other manufacturers ) aftermarket parts and upgrades have become available. Alan Rowe who shoots in the Factory Division and in the UK Team, was using a CZ 457 LRP, would regularly beat Open shooters with rifles that were a magnitude more expensive. It definitely is not all about the rifle. 

Half way between an off the shelf and full custom build.

Once I started to shoot more and more, realised that I loved the sport and made the UK Junior Team, Mum and Dad broke their golden 12 month rule and we looked at a few upgrades. Probably the next step that most people take once they decide Precision Rifle is for them is to look at upgrading from a standard stock to a competition chassis and this was my next step. Simon Armstrong from Jackal Firearms loaned me a right handed Bergara B14R barrelled action for the PR22 Worlds Championships. This opened up another way of getting a more custom rifle, half way between an off the shelf and full custom build. Having just the barrelled action allowed me to select the chassis of my choice. Having tried a number of different options I selected an MDT ACC Elite Chassis.

The main benefits of a competition chassis is being able to adjust it so it fits you and your body shape, being able to balance the rifle with weights so it stays on target with minimal input, all of which help with building a stable firing position. Also, a built in Arca rail so accessories can easily be attached, such as bags and bipods.

More and more chassis are coming onto the market with various inlets so they fit a wider range of actions, which is great for the sport. Meaning that more people can take their barrelled action out of their standard stock and drop it into a custom chassis. Some manufacturers also offer competition .22LR barrelled action, such as Bergara. So if you want a more custom rifle but have a lower budget, this may be a good route to consider.

The Full Works….

After nearly 2 years of shooting and competing in PR22 and PRS we finally took the plunge and had my full custom rifle builds made. At this point I had tried a lot of different set ups that other competitors had been shooting and formed an idea of component parts that I liked the best. 

I already had an MDT ACC Elite Chassis and I was super happy with it. It was a Rem 700 footprint so that pushed me down the path of a Rem 700 action. After trying a Zermatt Arms RimX there was no looking back! It was super smooth and amazingly accurate when combined with a Phoenix 1:12 24” Barrel.

I had been shooting a Trigger Tech Diamond 2 Stage trigger, it was one of the upgrades we made for the 2023 PR22 World Championships in Italy. I then had the opportunity to try a Bix N’ Andy Tac Sport 2 Stage trigger and instantly preferred it. The level of adjustability  was amazing and allowed me to to set it up to just how I liked my trigger to feel.

The other major investment was in a new scope. Luckily the The Great British Shooting Show was coming up and we decided to spend a day looking at every manufacturer on our short list. We made notes on every scope we looked at based on optical quality, feel of the turrets, minimum parallax (as we wanted one scope for PR22 which on occasion is sub 50 meter range and full bore) , field of view and reticle options. We had also spent some time speaking to shooters that used the various scopes on our shortlist to get some real user feedback.

After a lot of time and research there was one very clear winner for me, the Zero Compromise Optic 527 with a MPCT 3X reticle. It had a reputation for being absolutely bomb proof, amazing optical quality and I found the MPCT 3X reticle super fast to read, which sealed the deal for me.

So in summary, the most important thing is just getting shooting and competing! Just shoot what you have and have fun. My advice would be to try everything you can get your hands on and upgrade slowly over time. There will always be something new and shiny coming out the next “game changer”, until the next one comes along. 

Noah Rifles are all built by Mike Norris at Brock & Norris-

Zermatt Arms RimX Action .22LR, MDT ACC Elite Chassis, Phoenix 1:12 24” Barrel with a Brock and Norris custom tuner, Tier One Mono Mount Scope Rings, Bix'n Andy Tac Sport 2 Stage Trigger with Flat Blade and ZCO 527 Scope.

Zermatt Arms TL3 Action, 6.5CM, MDT ACC Elite Chassis, IBI 1:7.5 26” Barrel with a APW Break/Tuner, Tier One Mono Mount Scope Rings, Bix'n Andy Tac Sport 2 Stage Trigger with Flat Blade and ZCO 527 Scope.