Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires NRL22

Anybody here shoot in NRL22 matches? It looks like a good time and a fun way to pop a bunch of primers on the cheap, relatively speaking.

Do you shoot Base or Open? What equipment are you using?

Went to my first match yesterday. Only as a spectator as I really wasn’t sure what to expect.

It was a lot of fun. Maybe 30-40 folks. Bit of chaos as several targets were covered by frozen fog and the rotation between stages was getting jammed up a bit. 10-12 shots at 4-5 targets changing positions using structure against a clock. Looked like targets range from .25” to about 2”.

The equipment. Damn. No squirrel rifles there. Lots of chassis guns, voodoos, NF, SB, high end stuff. There was a young girl with a pretty sweet decked out 10/22. Some very talented shooters as well.

I’ll be looking for a scope the next couple weeks. 5-20x ish seems to be the popular range. FFP mil/mil and parallax adj to <20 yards. SS16x might be a good one for fixed power?

No. it sucks....

Lol.
It looked like fun to me. Should be more fun when it ain't 35 and wet as a frogs azz.

I’ve been looking at the NRL22 shoots and there’s a group trying to get them going here in SC AK. They were to start shooting back in the fall, but were forced to cancel due to Covid. I’ve watched a few videos and decided I need a new 22 rifle. I read the rules and they list Tikka Tx1 and Ruger Precision rim fire along with a few other guns that are allowed.

What are you thinking about rifle wise if you do shoot?

I shot my first ever 22NRL match last week. It was a little different than what I'm used to mainly because I had to get into some uncomfortable positions to shoot when it was freezing cold. And yes I'm used to shooting free hand. I'm not a bench shooter except when sighting in.

Everybody was shooting tactical styled rifles. I just used my good old walnut stocked CZ452. It was my ability that limited me not the type of rifle I was using. Any accurate scoped bolt action rimfire rifle will do just fine. Go give it a try and form your own opinions.

IMR4350,

What type of scope do you have on your rifle? I want to at least give it a try, but if it kills my back it maybe the only time I do it. I had a fusion at my L4-S1 three years ago so I’m limited on bending over and stuff.

It is a ton of fun!

I mainly shoot Open class with one of my Vudoo's but also put together a couple of base class rifles using a CZ 457 Pro Varmint and a Tikka T1X as loaners.

It is addicting and you will have a blast...

On the rifle that I used I have an old made in Japan Tasco 3-9x40 scope. I've had this same scope on various rifles for over 30 years and it still works great. You will be shooting out to 100 yards for this type of match so any scope that enables you to hit with a 22 at that distance is what you want.

Don't worry too much about getting into those awkward positions. If you can't shoot a particular position they will let you skip it and just go onto the next stage. I have a little trouble bending and twisting too. Just give it a try and have a good time.

I also shot my first NLR22 match last week. I used my benchrest rifle, CZ 457 with a 8-34 Athlon scope dialed down to 20x. Probably could have gotten by with less scope but the MOA marks on the reticule were very nice. Much better than estimating hold over. Just need to do your research or shooting at different ranges to get the hold over data. If I decide to pursue the sport, I plan to get a 6-20 scope to save a little weight and a few $’s but still have holdover hash marks.

I've been shooting NRL22 and now, NRL22X matches since their inception. I shoot at the Hobble Creek range in Springville, Utah as well as the North Springs (Price, Utah) and the Northern Utah match, on occasion. We have the most well attended match in the nation, sometimes topping 120 shooters. Our most important thing, besides safety, is to have fun. We encourage new/young/female shooters to come, even if you don't have a rifle, shoot and have fun. Challenge yourself. Don't worry about doing well....most won't in the beginning. It takes time, watching and repetitive matches to start to learn some of the best ways to shoot a particular course of fire. We help each other out. We let you use our gear, our rifles and ammo. It's quite addictive. I've been to 2 of the 3 Nationals; Covid messed up our 2020 Nationals,, having to be rescheduled from May to August. I now shoot in the "Old Guys" category (60+). I've run several different rifles, scopes and ammo. I now shoot a Don Smith custom CZ 455 with a Lilja 20.5" heavy barrel. CZ as very good 10-rd mags. I place 2-rd mag extenders on them. My favored scope is the Athlon Midas Tac; not an expensive scope but great at what it does. The NRL22X matches are like shooting the big gun NRL/PRS matches but with 22LR's. Even targets out to 500 yds. Typically, plenty of quality Lapua, Eley, SK ammo available. On 3 separate occasions i've sent a rifle off to the Lapua Rimfire Test Facility in Mesa, AZ to have them test their ammo to determine which type and lot # shoots the best. I'll then buy a case of 5000 rds. Lasts me about 1.5 yrs. I typically shoot Lapua Center X.

Alan

This sounds ike a fun game. I think the OKC Gun Club is going to start this. I need to check it out.

IMR4350,

Thanks for the information. I haven’t seen any follow up for the NRL22 startup they are trying to get here. I’m probably 2 months out from being able to get setup for it anyways. I’ll keep a look out for the information and may go watch a match here before I decide to jump into one. My work schedule just changed this week, so it may open up a little more time for me to get out and shoot some.