I shoot rimfire benchrest and have for over 15 years. The best starter rifle would be a world-class custom made by a top gunsmith. I started my benchrest journey with a Cooper 57M Classic at local benchrest matches and while it was good enough for me to catch the bug, it is not competitive. I now own 3 BR rifles; one sporter and two 10.5 lb. I shoot IR50/50. Two of my rifles have older Turbo actions and one has the Stiller 2500X. My preference is the Stiller 2500X. I have had good barrels from MullerWorx, Shilen, Rock Creek and Broughton.
Rimfire BR is a very frustrating pursuit and one has to be very detail oriented. To succeed, one needs a truly first class rifle built by a top smith, great ammo chosen by testing different lots, and learned skill at reading the wind and dealing with mirage. Learning the necessary skills is much more difficult without having a great rifle and ammo.
To get a great rifle, don't waste time fretting over components. Top rifles can be made using many different actions, barrels, trigger, stock and scope combinations. The more important thing is to have it built by a top gunsmith who has built plenty of winners. What I would do if you want a good BR rig is either buy a used rifle built by either Richard Gorham or Gordon Eck. At the end of the season many will be put up for sale and many are quite good. If you want a new rig, contact either of those two gunsmiths and ask them for their recommendations. They keep on top of which barrel makers are producing the most winners and they will usually have a preferred action that they like to use. If you haven't already done so, go to Benchrest Central and Rimfire Accuracy forums and lurk and learn, among all the nonsense is some good information.
Last edited by cooper57m; 08/02/15.
