Opinions on best smallbore rifle

[Chris.Will.10.9]

I've been shooting 3P air rifle for a while now. I started in 2013 and progressed vastly since then, to give an idea of where I'm at, I'm almost a 580 shooter in 3P. I'll be a senior in high school next September and I'm ready to get into smallbore rifle shooting in hopes to get onto a collegiate rifle team. I currently shoot a walther LG400 competition air rifle and when I get a smallbore rifle I'd like to stay in the walther Line but that's not as important as actually getting a rifle. The rifle I'm leaning toward is the kk300 alutec from walther but I'm going to go with what ever is the best fit for me. Anyways, I hardly know anything about smallbore rifles and want to hear from people that actually own one and shoot one, so I've come here to get some opinions and reviews of what actual shooters say about their rifles or rifles they have used in the past. Money is kinda tight, but I do have a job and parents that are willing to match whatever money I put into it.

Thanks for any help!
-Christian W.

[redschietti]

You wont be disapointed in the kk300. If you are a female get the light version so you have ability to add weight for balance snd a tube sumday etc. a used gun of any of thecthree usual brands will also be a good option. Just make sure its afjusfable enough for 3p. Some are more just for prone.

[Chris.Will.10.9]

I guess I forgot to say that I'm a 17 year old guy so that could also affect what rifle I get.

[Shooter]

One thing you might try is to look around to see if there any matches or clubs in your area that use the ISSF gear and go check them out and see if you can try some of the members rifles. Tell them your story and see if they can help. Shooters usually do help where they can. Check USA Shooting for matches and maybe CMP or NRA too. Most places do have some kind of events at their clubs. Don in Oregon. Most anay of the ISSF rifles will do just fine and try like the devil to get a good used one. No sense spending many $$'s on a new one when a used one will work just as well. I have a late 50's, early 60's Anschutz that I have shot since the 60's and it still does better than me for accuracy. If they are taken care of, they seldom go bad. Good luck. bawilli@comcast.net

[Chris.Will.10.9]

Unfortunately, living in Alaska there aren't many matches I can easily get to, I should qualify(hopefully) for the Junior Olympics for air so I'll be able to learn more in person in April. Last year I learned a lot, this year I hope to learn even more. And I'm going to try to go to Ft. Benning for nationals. My coach is working hard to round up some smallbore rifles to borrow but it's not looking good.

[Jimro]

From a rest, all the smallbore rifles are equally good, for all intents and purposes. From the shoulder, it's a different story. Different geometry makes a difference. Different points of balance make a difference. Sometimes those differences are hard to describe :P

If your Walther air rifle is working well for you, I'm betting that the KK300 alutec would be close enough to allow a relatively easy transition. But that is probably also true for a lot of top end smallbore rifles. Based on other rifles in the same price and features category, your choice should be just fine. A step down in price would be to the Anschutz 1907 line with various walnut stocks, or a step up to a FWB 2700.

So if you end up with not enough money for the KK300 alutec, consider an Anschutz 1907 variant.

Jimro

[Chris.Will.10.9]

Thanks Jimro,
I haven't research the Anschutz 1907 at all so I'll give it a look. I have looked at the Fwb 2700, but for now it's out of my price range.

[Shooter]

One of the colleges up there shoots ISSF style. I think it is Fairbanks, but not sure. Check them and see who it is. Don in Oregon

[Chris.Will.10.9]

UAF has a collegiate team and I've been up there twice for Junior Olympic Qualifiers. It's still a 7 hour drive to get up there and they don't host many matches, maybe 2-3 a year. There's a PTO in February that I might go to up at UAF, probably won't get to shoot smallbore at it but it's more air rifle experience. I've been in contact when the coach but because of recruiting rules it's hard to talk to him.

[mobarron]

I suggest getting in touch with someone on the UAF team. One of them may know of a former team member who wants to sell his equipment. Whatever he/she had been using would probably be a good fit for you. Also, the make of your rifle isn't as important as your getting started in smallbore. Your 580 in air will not get you a scholarship. A 580 in smallbore would get college coaches attention. But it will take you time to get there.

[Chris.Will.10.9]

I'm still only a junior in high school and I have time to get better and I'm not worried about getting a scholarship for shooting, because schools don't have that many to give away. I just need to get noticed and like you said getting into smallbore is the first step. A couple of my past teammates have gone on to shoot, one at ole miss and one a Nebraska, and they both have told me getting noticed is the most important part and getting to the big matches is the best way. They weren't world class shooters by any means yet they still got onto collegiate teams. And keep in mind there aren't even a lot of collegiate shooters shooting in the 580s in smallbore until the middle of their freshman season and into their sophomore season. I've got time to get better and get noticed. I just need to get into a smallbore rifl sooner rather than later.

[Ryan Anderson]

Hey Chris, I just graduated from UAF this last May. If you can get up there, true, Dan won't be able to talk to you much because of recruiting rules, but the team members should be able to. Unfortunately for you, I don't think any of them shoot a Walther smallbore. Most shoot either a 1907 or 1913 action Anschutz in a precise stock, one shoots one of those Anschutz actions in a walnut stock, and I think one shoots a FWB2700 alu. I'm sure they will all be happy to let you take a look at what they've got.

That being said, I know quite a few shooters who have had the KK300 and I haven't heard any complaints. Additionally, they should all be going on sale now that Walther has put out the KK500. Granted, that one has some significant improvements over the KK300, but it is quite a bit more expensive and you'll be able to get a deal on the old model. For your purposes, that should be fine. If you ever end up progressing quite a bit more in a few years, you can always sell what you have and upgrade.

Also, Layne Lewis, who is up there in Fairbanks and runs a business called "Lewis Shooting Development," often carries a few used guns that he picks up used from around the state. Not sure what he has in his inventory right now, but since he's right up there in Alaska he might be a good guy to get in contact with to at least just see what he has and maybe what kind of deal he might be able to offer you.

Ryan