Hi,
At a recent smallbore match I was lying between a few marksmen with new Walthers and GE's. And started wondering at what point my rifle would be the limiting factor in my performance. To be more specific, I am now at the point that I need to decide if i upgrade my rifle more or invest in a newer model.
I shoot 50m prone with scores around mid 580 (out of 600, +-10,1 average). My rifle is an old (late 1960's) Anschutz Match 54 in a new TEC HRO stock. The only other update would be the adjustable iris and front sight.
So do I upgrade barrel extension and sights, as I’m the limiting factor?
Any advise would be greatly appreciated!
Rifle the limiting factor?
Moderators: pilkguns, Marcus, m1963, David Levene, Spencer
Re: Rifle the limiting factor?
Put it on the bench with a solid front rest and a good bag in back on a no-wind day. If your groups are better than your prone groups then it's you and not the rifle.
Another thing to check is to make sure you're shooting the best brand/lot of ammo that your rifle likes. If possible, send your rifle to one of the test centers to find out if there is ammo that shoots better than what you're using now.
Best of luck.
Another thing to check is to make sure you're shooting the best brand/lot of ammo that your rifle likes. If possible, send your rifle to one of the test centers to find out if there is ammo that shoots better than what you're using now.
Best of luck.
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Allen Corneau
Allen Corneau
Re: Rifle the limiting factor?
Hi,
Yes, it's possible your current rifle could be limiting your performance. 0.22LR barrels shoot well for a really long time, but don't last forever. If it's seen sustained use over the past 50+ years, your barrel could well be past its best now, or at least on borrowed time. However, it's shooting not age that does the damage, and lower "mileage" barrels of this age can still shoot good groups, and 590+ scores.
Have you batch tested ammo recently? If not, this would be my first suggestion. You may come away with a lot of ammo that gives 12mm groups, better than your current lot. In this eventuality investing in fancier sights with finer clicks, or a extension tube/tuner tube* , will help you further refine your shooting. Coaching or a Scatt trainer would be good investments too. But, if you find you're only getting an 18mm average, or worse, then your old Match 54 is hindering your scores. At this point you'll want a new rifle, or new barrel/action. Although you could find a gunsmith to fit a new match-grade barrel to your action, I wouldn't as parts for these older 54s are unobtainable. A new (or newer) 1913 or 54.30 barrel/action would be a safe and drop-in option.
If you can afford one, and disregarding how your barrel shoots, a new Walther/Bleiker/Grunig enjoys certain advantages over a nearly 60yo Match 54:
Bolt: this half as long as a Match 54, and less movement is required to load. Even if you're tall and can easily load your Match 54, a shorter bolt is no disadvantage; it's just less advantageous than if you're 5ft 2in.
Balance: the shorter bolt moves the mass of the rifle further back, which reduces the load on your sling arm, compared to a 27in Match 54.
Accuracy: everyone I know with with a modern short action has said it's easy to feed. Even if your Match 54 shoots well now, it's likely a new barrel will shoot as well (or better) for longer.
Trigger: I assuming your Match 54 has the original trigger, likely a 1407-U9 or 1408-U1; these are good triggers but by all accounts less crisp than modern Match triggers, and with no choice over the blade.
Against this, a new rifle is expensive; upwards of £5,000 here in the UK. Nearly new prices cheaper, if that's an option, but still several thousand. Not everyone can afford this: target shooting is a hobby, and often has to take second place to family life. Since you have a modern stock, you could order just a barrel/action and save a few thousand.
*And a larger foresight aperture, preferably a 22mm tunnel too.
Yes, it's possible your current rifle could be limiting your performance. 0.22LR barrels shoot well for a really long time, but don't last forever. If it's seen sustained use over the past 50+ years, your barrel could well be past its best now, or at least on borrowed time. However, it's shooting not age that does the damage, and lower "mileage" barrels of this age can still shoot good groups, and 590+ scores.
Have you batch tested ammo recently? If not, this would be my first suggestion. You may come away with a lot of ammo that gives 12mm groups, better than your current lot. In this eventuality investing in fancier sights with finer clicks, or a extension tube/tuner tube* , will help you further refine your shooting. Coaching or a Scatt trainer would be good investments too. But, if you find you're only getting an 18mm average, or worse, then your old Match 54 is hindering your scores. At this point you'll want a new rifle, or new barrel/action. Although you could find a gunsmith to fit a new match-grade barrel to your action, I wouldn't as parts for these older 54s are unobtainable. A new (or newer) 1913 or 54.30 barrel/action would be a safe and drop-in option.
If you can afford one, and disregarding how your barrel shoots, a new Walther/Bleiker/Grunig enjoys certain advantages over a nearly 60yo Match 54:
Bolt: this half as long as a Match 54, and less movement is required to load. Even if you're tall and can easily load your Match 54, a shorter bolt is no disadvantage; it's just less advantageous than if you're 5ft 2in.
Balance: the shorter bolt moves the mass of the rifle further back, which reduces the load on your sling arm, compared to a 27in Match 54.
Accuracy: everyone I know with with a modern short action has said it's easy to feed. Even if your Match 54 shoots well now, it's likely a new barrel will shoot as well (or better) for longer.
Trigger: I assuming your Match 54 has the original trigger, likely a 1407-U9 or 1408-U1; these are good triggers but by all accounts less crisp than modern Match triggers, and with no choice over the blade.
Against this, a new rifle is expensive; upwards of £5,000 here in the UK. Nearly new prices cheaper, if that's an option, but still several thousand. Not everyone can afford this: target shooting is a hobby, and often has to take second place to family life. Since you have a modern stock, you could order just a barrel/action and save a few thousand.
*And a larger foresight aperture, preferably a 22mm tunnel too.
Re: Rifle the limiting factor?
Thanks for the advice, this really helps! Will start with some bench tests.This will already help at the moment with ammo tests.
Very silly, but didnt realize how easy it would be to put in a new barrel in my stock. The needed adapters are available. Thus this could be an option for later. The trigger is indeed limited to the current blade. Bolt adjustments will defenitely be handy aswell!
Very silly, but didnt realize how easy it would be to put in a new barrel in my stock. The needed adapters are available. Thus this could be an option for later. The trigger is indeed limited to the current blade. Bolt adjustments will defenitely be handy aswell!
Re: Rifle the limiting factor?
Something Tim S said that i think should be amplified is the use of a trainer. When i was shooting prone my shooting was a little erratic. At the time i had a noptel trainer. I spent some time with it in prone and it was very informative. It turned out the trainer told me that my point of aim was moving around slightly. I couldn’t see this in the sight picture. It was a position related issue.
I think trainers get a lot of attention for the more wobbly positions but not so much in prone and this is a mistake. Also, the trainer sensor should be mounted to the barrel or action and not the stock. I mention this because the noptel had a stock rail mount which I didn’t use. It’s not typical now.
I think trainers get a lot of attention for the more wobbly positions but not so much in prone and this is a mistake. Also, the trainer sensor should be mounted to the barrel or action and not the stock. I mention this because the noptel had a stock rail mount which I didn’t use. It’s not typical now.