TargetTalk

Me and my brother are looking to get started in our journey 3p smallbore journey. We come from a long background of metallic silhouette shooting I am16 and he is 17 we are looking for a good rifle to get us started out and can take us to the collegiate level for around $1,000-$1,250 maybe a anschutz 5098, or something of that sort.

I don't have anything for sale but I do have some advice/questions.

1) Do you already have air rifles and the gear? Colleges shoot both air rifle and smallbore and look for recruits who shoot both.

2) Your budget is a touch low for a rifle that will carry you through college. If that's all you have, get a rifle that will fit in a TecHro Fanatic (Anschutz 14xx, Match 54, 19xx) and start saving for it (~$1700). If you can bump your budget up a little (~2000), you're in older Super Match territory. It's not the latest and greatest but good scores in the 90s are good scores today.

Links
https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns- ... =102772731

https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns- ... =102696147

Scour GunBroker, Rimfire Central Classifieds, and here as well. I'm not on here much but you can DM me with questions.

Bump

Setting the question of optimal make and model of rifle aside for the moment, for both beginners and experienced users, it can be helpful to deal with sellers who are willing to offer a selection of high accuracy guns (rifles, pistols, whatever), for you to ACTUALLY try on a range and see what works best for you. And then set aside your preference(s) for at least a day or two while you think things over, if needed. The differences, or lack of difference can be surprising. This also allows direct testing of the different stock and sight designs. Ideally, the seller also will give you an honest view on repairs and problems with that rifle and model.

Appearances at first glance can be very deceiving, compared to how accurate or durable any gun actually is, in use. Being able to try out the gun helps overcome this problem, if the desire is for something to actually use rather than leave on a shelf for display.

Another potential problem is in selecting a gun by “name” or mfr-model. For some (most but not all) manufacturers, there was and still is a substantial level of variation between individual guns within the same model and with the same “configuration”. As a result, actual testing can be useful to avoid or reduce that problem of variation.

UIT/Olympic accuracy match rifles can run from a rare $100 price tag, to over $9000. The range is tighter with the handguns, but still wide ($75 to about $8000). So a chance to test them, and think about it is useful.

Some of the very low cost UIT rifles have a long string of international competition medals and awards, and remain surprisingly accurate compared to the current Walther and Anschutz current production. If one wishes to adapt to the stock and sight configurations, rather than the reverse, make minor adjustments there, or get a modern stock, they can be a low cost but high accuracy option.

It also is helpful if the seller has “reference standards” that are the best possible standard commercial items (like Tanner, Keppeler, Bleiker, G&E in the rifles) to be used as basis of comparison, so that there is no guessing on “how good can it get”. Also for the rifles, the ability to compare the Tanner diopter sight system design to the standard one is useful, if you have not used that system to date.

If one has enough money to spend, one approach is to just buy a number of different guns and test them yourself. But otherwise, having a selection to test can be better, especially if that selection was “pre-selected” as being the best of a much larger group of guns with the less accurate or mechanically imperfect guns already weeded out.

I have a Winchester 52d that’s shoots real good.
Hb,action is bedded,light trigger. Nice wood too. You would be pretty competitive with it

At camp Perry this year there was a number of Remington 40x rifles at about the 800 price tag. Would be a bit more work getting comfortable compared to modern rifles but as J wrote there is a bit of adapting the marksman can do and the rifles are very accurate.

In the initial post you mention an Anschutz 5098. What I expect you meant was an Anschutz Model 64 or the later spinoff 1903. (5098 appears to refer to the trigger for a match 64 or 1903) For your price range, $1000 to $1250 you should be able to find a gently used 1903. An earlier suggestion that you shop around for an earlier Match 54 Anschutz and then purchase a more modern stock is valid but I suspect still exceeding your budget. (A Tec-Hro or SE Equipment stock are both good choices) You see the occasional more modern Anschutz stock in the Buy Sell Trade but you have to be patient. A 'round action' Match 54 will bolt into numerous stocks over the decades.

Getting back to Anschutz 1903, they are decent starter rifles. They clearly do not have the refinement of a higher end Anschutz or offerings from Walther and Feinwerkbau but the 1903 is far better than no rifle at all. The good news is that if you buy used, they hold their value well and there is a good chance you can get most of your money out when it is time to upgrade.

While Duane and TheDrifter above are sincere in their discussions of Winchester 52D and Remington 40X if you want to shoot collegiate I would avoid them. Great rifles, yes! I have encountered Rem. 40X that have some just amazing barrels, both of those rifles were new 50+ years ago both companies are out of the smallbore target rifle / match rifle business and parts and accessory support is hard to find.

Good Luck
'dude

The real answer to the best rifle probably comes from PA Mosey, one of the greatest riflemen of all times.

Mosey started at around age 4 or 5, as a hunter and supported a large family for over 10 years doing that, including paying the mortgage on their house. At age 15, Mosey won an ad hoc contest with an internationally famous marksman, and then won the rematch with ease. From then on, Mosey’s main career transitioned to being a target shooter, rather than a hunter. Mosey could and would use most any reasonable quality rifle, and in that era, high quality rifles did not exist. Later in the career, the preference was for ones with small stocks due to Mosey’s 5’ height (or less). That decision came after using a small stock rifle that was provided on loan.

Overall, for a good marksman, the choice of rifle (or other gun) does not matter all that much, so long as it’s of reasonable quality and its physical size isn’t too bad a mismatch to the shooter. Borrowing other guns to try (like the small stock one for Mosey) also is likely to lead to useful discoveries. In these responses to the request for rifle or advice on best rifle, it’s obvious that a number of people have extra rifles to spare, ranging from Remington and Winchester to international match or National Team Anschutz, Walther and Keppeler, and other makers. Since a person of 16 really can’t (by law) be sold a rifle anyway, working out a way to obtain one or more rifles on use-loan for an extended period of time might be a practical approach.

Some things are different now from Mosey’s (Annie Oakley or Phoebe Ann Butler) times, but the background of her career seems relevant in a number of ways.

History lessons about Annie Oakley (given name properly spelled Mosey) aside, the key statement here is the part about reasonable quality and appropriate physical size. Given that 3P smallbore has become quite specialized, one with a design that lends itself to that style of competition would also be helpful, perhaps even a requirement.

I am guessing that if the original poster had access to people who could loan a gun appropriate for 3P smallbore target shooting for even a short period they would not be searching about here.

Which does raise a point, if the OP mentioned where they were located, some connection might be able to be made.

'dude

"I am guessing that if the original poster had access to people who could loan a gun appropriate for 3P smallbore target shooting for even a short period they would not be searching about here.

"Which does raise a point, if the OP mentioned where they were located, some connection might be able to be made."

Since the original poster opted not to borrow any of the available rifles, these can be made available on loan. In view of the prior discussion, initially one (or a few for larger groups) Walther KK-M would be the initial ones offered for consideration, with options on other European mfr rifles as mentioned above or S&L, and other calibers, depending on result of this.

If pickup by the borrower in central NH is not practical, these can be shipped (and returned) at recipient expense. Please note, this is an offer of extended loan, not sale. It is designed for relatively new users or entrants to the use of ISU or olympic match quality rifles. It is not limited to competition-oriented programs or individuals entering competition sports. Most else is open to individual user or program needs and utility.

Please see the above comments regarding rifle size and weight. All are ISU standard, most are at or over 9 lbs, with 21" or longer barrel (or barrel and tube) lengths.

Please contact directly by email if interested, rather than using posts or PMs. Nikita@alum.MIT.edu

This offer of loan is a trial or experiment, potentially subject to withdrawal at any time, until agreement for loan is reached. The rifles also are or may become for sale and are available for loan locally. They are, therefore subject to prior sale as well as prior loan arrangement.

_J_ wrote: ↑Fri Sep 20, 2024 1:40 pm

"I am guessing that if the original poster had access to people who could loan a gun appropriate for 3P smallbore target shooting for even a short period they would not be searching about here.

"Which does raise a point, if the OP mentioned where they were located, some connection might be able to be made."

Since the original poster opted not to borrow any of the available rifles, these can be made available on loan. In view of the prior discussion, initially one (or a few for larger groups) Walther KK-M would be the initial ones offered for consideration, with options on other European mfr rifles as mentioned above or S&L, and other calibers, depending on result of this.

If pickup by the borrower in central NH is not practical, these can be shipped (and returned) at recipient expense. Please note, this is an offer of extended loan, not sale. It is designed for relatively new users or entrants to the use of ISU or olympic match quality rifles. It is not limited to competition-oriented programs or individuals entering competition sports. Most else is open to individual user or program needs and utility.

Please see the above comments regarding rifle size and weight. All are ISU standard, most are at or over 9 lbs, with 21" or longer barrel (or barrel and tube) lengths.

Please contact directly by email if interested, rather than using posts or PMs. Nikita@alum.MIT.edu

This offer of loan is a trial or experiment, potentially subject to withdrawal at any time, until agreement for loan is reached. The rifles also are or may become for sale and are available for loan locally. They are, therefore subject to prior sale as well as prior loan arrangement.

Hi Nikita, Myself and others are attempting to start a local church Jr / Senior rifle group. I am very interested in what you have to offer. I sent you an email, thank you, Robert