Is shooting off the bench or shooting soda cans and old frying pans in a gravel pit not challenging enough? Maybe you want a place to shoot, but your local range requires membership. Or do you want to shoot in 3-gun or multi-gun competitions but don't have the gear or comfort level to get started? Rimfire Challenge Competition may be just what you need to get started in the world of competition shooting.
Getting Started in Rimfire Challenge Competition
Rimfire Challenge is fun whether you're a beginner or a pro. It's a great place to start in competitive shooting or just to have some fun and work on your shooting skills. Think of it like going bowling, but instead of hitting pins with a ball, you are hitting steel targets with .22 bullets as fast as you can. Some people are just there to have fun, and others take the sport seriously, but you'll meet some friendly people who welcome newcomers to the sport.
One of the most appealing aspects of the rimfire challenge is its affordability. You'll need a semi-auto .22lr rifle and pistol, extra magazines, open sights, or an optic and ammo. Like other competitions, there are divisions, so you can show up with red dot or LPVO sights and shoot the open division or the factory open sights and shoot the limited division. Rimfire Challenge is a hobby that doesn't have to break the bank, making it accessible to all.
If it's your first time, let the match director know so they can put your turn at the bottom of your squad list. This way, you can watch and learn from others.
Building a Rimfire Challenge Rifle.
If you already have a semi-auto 22 rifle and pistol that takes detachable magazines, I highly recommend you start with what you have and feel comfortable or train with. You do not need a fancy rifle to get started on the rimfire challenge. Shooters who get serious about it make it a hobby to gain an edge by reducing weight to increase speed. Many shooters, with practice, can shoot incredibly fast with a basic out-of-the-box rifle.
If you decide to take the sport of Rimfire Challenge seriously and want to shoot for higher scores, then you may want to build a dedicated Rimfire Challenge rifle. The ideal rifle for the Rimfire Challenge is a semi-auto .22 with at least 5 detachable magazines and is as lightweight as possible. The lighter the rifle, the faster the swing from one target to another.
A dedicated Rimfire Challenge rifle should use a lightweight barrel and stock and run open sights or, for best speed, a red dot reflex sight. The cheek weld should be properly set so you don't have to fiddle with finding your sights, and some will even run an aluminum comp to reduce recoil, even though .22s have hardly any recoil.
The Ruger 10/22 and modified versions of it are the most popular Rimfire Challenge rifles used, followed by AR22-style rifles. Reducing the weight on a Ruger 10/22 is a lot easier than it is with an AR22, but there are plenty of parts on the market to reduce the weight of an AR22. Warne makes a lightweight Picatinny rail scope mount for the Ruger 10/22. See Ruger 10/22 scope mount.
There are many options for building a Lightweight Ruger 10/22 Rimfire Challenge, usually just requiring a lighter barrel and stock.
AR-22 for Rimfire Challenge
I prefer to shoot an AR22 because I train with an AR15, so for the AR22 below, I did a custom build to reduce weight. I used a skeletonized buffer tube from JE Machine Tech designed to reduce weight for AR15s. It is perfect for RC AR22s where trimming ounces count. I also used a Bore Buddy Ambi Barrel, a Dedicated Pressure Plug, a charging handle insert, and adjustable bolt weight kit to maximize reliability.
Building a Rimfire Challenge Pistol.
Unlike the rifle, weight is not as big of a concern as recoil, which is more noticeable in a handgun. Therefore, controlling muzzle flip and having a good grip play a bigger role. It is common to see pistols with heavier barrels used, like the Browning Buckmark and Ruger Mark 5, as well as custom .22lr pistol builds like this one.
Unless you plan to shoot in limited, using a red dot reflex sight to the handgun is faster but takes some practice to get used to. Once you learn how to spot the red dot it will in most cases improve speed and accuracy dramatically, which is why there is a separate division for open and limited. Limited uses only open sights, whereas you can use optics when you are open. If you use one optic on just one of your guns that puts you in the open, so it may be best to have an optic on both (open) or none at all (limited) because if you show up with an optic on one gun, you will be competing with those with optics on both so you may be at a slight disadvantage.
The most popular handguns for Rimfire Challenge are the Browning Buckmark, Ruger Mark IV, and others like them. These tend to be longer and heavier than pocket pistols, making them ideal for competition and precision rather than plinking or self-defense. However, these only hold 10 rounds in the magazine. These can also be customized with factory and aftermarket parts.
Some will run pistols like the Ruger SR22, Keltec P17, or CP33 due to their lower price tag and ability to use higher-capacity magazines. Although a 10-round capacity mag is plenty for most, having some extra rounds just in case is reassuring.
What Other Gear do I need for the Rimfire Challenge?
Cases for your guns, eye protection, and hearing protection are required, and some match directors may require a chamber flag. The matches run for about 4-7 hours, depending on how many people show up, so bring something to drink, sunscreen, and maybe a lawn chair if you can't stand that long. Also, if you want to help set up and break down, some work gloves might be handy as well.
Matches typically cost $10-20 at the time of writing and are most often open to the public, even if you do not have membership at the range. You can find and sign up for a match and get match details at Practiscore.com, and just before the match, the director will send you a key code, or they will have the gate open for the match.
Rimfire Challenge is a great way to get started in action shooting sports. From Rimfire Challenge, one can move to Rimfire Challenge 2-Gun, which involves a movement where shooters shoot both rifle and handgun in the same stage. From there, you are on your way to multi-gun and 3-gun competition.
Warne is here to help you to become a better shooter. Shooting Rimfire Challenge can give you an idea of how speed shooting matches operate so you can feel confident moving to the next level of competition, like speed steel, 3-gun, and multi-gun. To get started in Rimfire Challenge, check out https://practiscore.com/ to find a match near you.
Shop Warne Red Dot Low Profile Mounts 
