Precise Plinkers – The Best Precision Rimfire Rifles to Compete With

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   03.07.22

Precise Plinkers – The Best Precision Rimfire Rifles to Compete With

Rimfire competition shooting has become insanely popular over the last couple of years and if you haven’t noticed, nearly every firearm manufacturer out there makes at least a barreled action for rimfire precision shooting. Now if your game isn’t competing against your fellow human beings, precision rimfire rifles still offer you an unparalleled amount of accuracy and versatility in rimfire calibers (most commonly 22lr) than your run-of-the-mill steel plinker. Today we’ll discuss the pros and cons of each of the rifles on this list to give you all a good look at what’s out there that is precise right out of the box. Before you know it, you’ll be the stuff of legend in the world of small varmints.

Precise Plinkers – The Best Precision Rimfire Rifles to Compete With

Precise Plinkers - The Best Precision Rimfire Rifles to Compete With

1. Savage Arms B22 Precision Lite

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Savage Arms B22 Precision Lite

Feature Rich

Accuracy, performance, and balance. Three ingredients for the perfect rimfire rifle to ring steel at challenging distances. The bolt action B-Series Precision Lite models are feature-rich with performance upgrades to create a perfectly balanced rifle for target shooting. These rifles feature an exclusive Modular Driven Technologies (MDT) one-piece aluminum chassis with an adjustable cheek riser and length-of-pull spacers for the perfect fit. The already accurate, Savage precision button-rifled barrel is upgraded with a carbon fiber wrap for optimum balance and heat dissipation. The carbon fiber heavy barrel profile and aluminum stock allow for a perfectly center-balanced rimfire rifle. Paired with the user-adjustable AccuTrigger, this rifle is ready to compete right out of the box.

Pros/User adjustable trigger and extremely durable one piece chassis inculded

Cons/Magazine system is complex and doesn’t lock up as nice as Ruger’s rimfire rifles

Bottom Line/A great mid-range option with a lot of features right out of the box

2. Tikka T1X Trainer

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Tikka T1X Trainer

Highly Customizeable

The Tikka T1x rimfire rifle is designed to handle a wide range of shooting tasks. Its unique barrel has a crossover profile which offers you the benefits and stability of a heavier barrel without noticeably increasing the overall weight. The action shares the same bedding surfaces and inlay footprint with the centerfire T3x rifles while a modular synthetic stock that has interchangeable pistol grips making it possible to modify the angle of the grip and has an additional attachment point which allows you to change the width of the stocks foreend.

Pros/Wide range of adjustability and great out-of-the-box precision capabilities

Cons/Requires additional accessories to dress up for precision shooting

Bottom Line/Another great mid-range option if you are looking for something to customize yourself

3. Bergara B-14 R Trainer

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Bergara B-14 R Trainer

Competition oriented from the ground up

This rifle is designed as a true rimfire “trainer” is that it works within the dimensions of a REM700 platform, allowing shooters to have a similar size and feel to their centerfire rifle, or even set up as a clone to their centerfire to train with. It, therefore, fits REM700 compatible stocks, bases, and triggers. With the growing popularity of long-range shooting, this gun allows shooters to practice their disciplines at a more affordable price and in areas where longer ranges may not be available.

Pros/Fits in nearly any Remington 700 chassis or rifle stock allowing for an insane amount of customization

Cons/Magazines can be expensive

Bottom Line/A great place to start for more serious precision rimfire competitors

4. Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle

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Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle

The Author’s Pick

The Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle is my favorite precision rimfire platform. The Ruger Precision Rimfire isn’t a high-end rifle. While the MSRP price may look intimidating you often don’t find these rifles out in the wild for sale at those prices. The Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle definitely qualifies as an entry-level PRS rifle and I think it excels at this task as well as a few others. During matches, magazine changes are often required and the Ruger Precision Rimfire already includes an easily worked paddle release and has generous space for re-seating a magazine. Its trigger is simple to adjust and very consistent and predictable while its bolt throw is short and acceptably smooth. I think if you have the time and the gumption to make a few minor improvements to the Ruger Precision Rimfire rifle, there would be little reason to pick a higher-end rifle unless you were a hard-core competitor (or just had the money).

Pros/Best bang for your buck in terms of price vs performance

Cons/Might require some hand polishing and tuning to get running just right

Bottom Line/A great affordable option that can keep up with the rest with a little elbow grease

5. CZ-457 Precision Varmint Trainer

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CZ-457 Precision Varmint Trainer

High End Precision Varmint Performance

Without getting into very expensive specialized rifles, the CZ-457 platform as a whole makes for a great varmint shooter. While the whole package will set you back about a rack and a half, the Varmint Precision Trainer was designed to provide the same look and feel as a full-size tactical rifle while allowing for more economical training. The CZ 457 VPT gets a boost in the accuracy department with the addition of a barrel borrowed from the Match Target Rifle. With a Match chamber and a stiff 16.2 heavy barrel, its threaded 1/228 to allow easy installation of a suppressor or muzzle device. New for 2022 the Manners carbon fiber stock now features an adjustable cheekpiece. The forend is recessed, drilled, and threaded for use with an Arca rail.

Pros/Great stock, extremely accurate platform and lots of aftermarket support

Cons/Expensive and no accommodation for length of pull or comb height adjustments right out of the box

Bottom Line/Ready for competition right out of the box – just add glass

What is considered “long range” for 22LR?

Long-range can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. However, for 22lr it is widely considered that anything 100 yards and in should be easily accomplished and things beyond 200 yards start becoming more of a game of chance rather than a repeatable feat. Most Precision Rimfire shooting events don’t often feature targets out past 200-yards (with the rare exception of ELR competitions). Any rifle on this list is entirely capable of hitting a 3″ square target consistently without breaking a sweat.

Should I use a stock or a chassis for a precision rifle competition

I’ve seen it done both ways, however, there are a couple of considerations to take into account about chassis’ that make them an arguably better choice for competition shooting and in some cases, for hunting. While stocks are great for carrying around, they aren’t often weighted properly for competition shooting. Most chassis’ will be heavily weighted towards the rear to offset the length of the longer barrel found in precision rifles. In addition, chassis offer more attachment points for things like bipods, additional optics, and other shooting accessories. My best advice would be to try one competition out with a stock and then borrow a friend’s rifle that has a chassis and see if the difference is enough for you to spend the extra money on a rimfire precision rifle chassis.

I want to get into a precision rimfire match. Where do I find them?

The best place to find a rimfire precision rifle series (rimfire PRS) match is practiscore.com. This is basically the one and only site that most of the competition world uses to allow people to sign up for and keep track of matches. Here you can search local and nearby gun ranges for all sorts of gun competitions you can get into including rimfire PRS matches.

About the Author

Avatar Author ID 693 - 35597655

Luke is currently a full-time writer for TheFirearmBlog.com, OvertDefense.com, AllOutdoor.com, and of course, OutdoorHub.com. Luke is a competitive shooter, firearms enthusiast, reloader, outdoorsman, and generally takes an interest in anything that has to do with the great outdoors.
Luke is also a private certified pilot and is currently pursuing his commercial pilot’s license in the hopes of becoming a professional pilot. Some of Luke’s other interests include anything to do with aviation, aerospace and military technology, and American Conservancy efforts.
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