My son got a taste of 4H small bore shooting. He's using a Ruger 10/22 with Tech Sights.

He did ok on the CMP portion.  Found out it's a lot harder on the NRA 3-P portion.

We're starting to talk about possibilty of training for college scholarship, but can't afford Anschutz rifle.  Anyone have ideas on a match rifle with target sights?

I saw a bunch of people with Savage FVT rifles. I'm a little trigger shy on any more Savage rimfires. Both Rascals we got the kids were horrible with misfires, and the 17HMR Minimalist my son wanted has loose, cheap mags that give feeding issues (even after some adjustment a polishing on the lips following a bunch of online advice.)

Look at the CZ 457 line. Comes in many flavors and prices. Adjustable trigger, and a simple spring swap can get you under a 1 lb pull. No end to the aftermarket parts for them, you can upgrade as money and skill level dictate.

OP  -  what is your price point?

A Remington 540X in good shape would be where I would start, cheaper than the Anschutz models, and stellar accuracy.

Fantastic shooters, and the triggers can be tuned to an amazing trigger as well.

A very accurate rifle with fast lock time, assuming you're using match grade ammo.

Should give the Anschutz shooters a run for the money if the shooter does their part.

Try to find one with some Redfield diopter sights and multiple globe apertures for the front sight or upgrade them to some more modern diopter sights.

Savage Mark I-FVT.
Should be under $450 or so.

Thanks! I'll start looking into the models listed.

Budget, obviously cheaper than $5000 Anschutz!  I'm hoping I can find something in the $500 -600 range that will work. I think I could convince my wife to double that if I could prove it would help him with college scholarship path.

A lightly used Remington 540X, should be obtainable in that ball park, may have scour the internet for one though.

And if you double the budget some sight upgrades could be had and accessories, handstop, shooting cuff, shooting jacket, glasses, etc.

Cz527 is a great budget option.

Ruger has an American that comes with target sights. Model 8328
Buds has them about $300 I have seen several American Rim fire shoot very well. It would be a cheap one to get started and see if something better is needed. Ruger 8328

How about the Kimber 82 with target sights?  Many sold from the CMP Store.  
I often see Anschutz sights come up for sale in vari0us classified and maybe even ebay.  A set of those mounted on a CZ457 would be a nice combination.  Or the Lyman target sights that are still available.  Here are a couple pics of that setup.




or you could really go wild and mount some target sights on an AR22 like this:

I'm starting to watch gun sites for the Winchester 52 and Kimber 82.  It figures that everything I ever like or want stops getting produced!

Thanks for the pics of that CZ457. I had looked at it but wasn't sure if target sights were made for it.  Looks like you had a little gunsmithing done. At least it's another option.

That AR22 looks cool, but unfortunately I still live in Illinois and the "assault weapons ban" is still moving up through the courts. The 4H rules specifically mentioned that no AR style rifles would be allowed. Otherwise I would look at a CMMG conversion for my NMA4 and call it good (assuming I can get the rifle under 7lbs and trigger up to 3lbs...)

There is a gunshop in Illinois that routinely imports huge lots of European guns. They occasionally have Anschutz target rifles for sale. You might try watching their "What's New" listings for a while. You might get lucky. Beware, the good stuff sells FAST (as in within minutes of being posted online). Sometimes good stuff that doesn't sell right away ends up in the back stock, but usually the left-overs are turds.

https://simpsonltd.com/whats-new/

https://simpsonltd.com/search-results-page?q=anschutz

As a former 4-h shooter, I guess I can offer some advice. The standard guns and stocks like bergara and savage are not relevant to 3P. The stock needs to be designed for 3 p. This means is will have a extremely deep belly, a butt plate adjustable for LOP and cant, and a Anshutz rail in the fore end for sling mounting and hand stop placement. Some budget options to look at might be a Remington 540x or xr, a Marlin 2000, or a used Anschutz 1903

ETA for CMP style matches the standard style guns are great. Cz 457, savage heavy barreled models, etc will work fine.

Having owned all 3 at various points the 540X & 540XR, were the ones that were kept, sold the other 2. The Marlin was a good shooter, but the trigger wasn't anywhere near as nice as the 540's.

An old Brno Mod 4 ZKM 456 ST-Match Rifle would serve well too, if you can find one.

My MkII FVT has been a fantastic shooter. Only gripe is the magazine any that is minor. The factory stock sucks, but I’m sure that is a cost saving measure. Add a Boyd’s stock and it’s gtg.

If I am seeing the front sight correctly (pic is fuzzy), you can buy a set of insert for those.  The set includes apertures.

OP Dash, if your son is serious about trying to grow his skills and push his potential with his goal of a scholarship, let me see if I can help with that endeavor. Please look at the pictures of this Remington 541X target government model in what I consider pretty pristine condition.

if you think this will be an excellent next step for your son, let me know and we can work out some type of free long term use thing or a very very cheap sale with a guaranteed buy back by me in a few years.

 No strings attached, I just consider it trying to do something nice out of respect for all of those who did so many nice things for me when I was his age!

Let me know…..  photos attached, I had a video, but could not figure out how to upload it.    Pax.  
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@AeroE that looks great! I'll talk to my wife about funds and see about making a trip across the river. Thanks!

@TactTm1 I appreciate the offer. I would be too paranoid about a loaner rifle. We're looking for something permanent. Thanks!

I contacted TechSights and asked about target sights to change out. They don't have anything, but say the AR15 match sight with hooded aperture will fit. I looked at swapping them. It would mean losing rear elevation because I need to remove the sight from the windage screw. Tech sights have elevation adjustment built in to the aperture piece, NM sights adjust the whole sight assembly.

Most welcome.     I was just trying to bridge the few years gap for him and avoid ya'll having to spend money during the development period.

FWIW, I am open to assisting another young person in a similar situation, with proper bona fides.  

TTM

He made a really great, generous offer.  If I read it correctly, he even offered to sell it to you with a first right of refusal contingency if it ever gets resold.  That's pretty "permanent".  

TactTm1, good one!

I prefer the old classics like Winchester 52/75, Remington 513/40x/37
Back in the 1930’s to 60’s almost every domestic rifle company made economy mid range and premier guns designs for traditional small bore competition.

These days current production guns designed for this type of shooting are few and far between and can be expensive- more than a better built older rifle imo

My most recent is a Remington 521-T that I got for less than $250

If you are patient, and visit a lot of shops, the old school small bore competition rifles can be found in dusty racks- just no demand for them like in the past.

I did a lot of shooting of a Remington 37 in college, shooting for a collegiate team. Fond memories

Please raise your hand if you actually shoot 3P NRA or CMP matches?  

College scholarship are available, but don't count on it. They are few and far between.

I don't really see any of the recommendations above being a good choice. You don't need a new Anschutz, but you do need a decent rifle set up for 3P shooting. It's gonna cost you some coin if you buy.

However before you buy a rifle, seek out a junior rifle club in your area. Get involved in that first.

I was a collegiate coach for a while and I'm currently an NRA LvL2 Smallbore/Air coach.

You should look harder at the Savage. You can get it with aperture sights, in a decent stock, etc. Check the CMP and look used. It is in an entirely different class than something like the Rascal.

With your son just starting out, something like this is going to answer a lot of questions, without having to jump into the deep end of the pool, such as Anschutz or Walther. A lot of people are recommending rifles in this thread that aren't compatible with what you want to do, because they aren't set up for the style of shooting you are talking about, i.e. stock and sights.

Also look for the older Daisy airguns with the aperture sights. He can do a TON of practice at home with one of those, for three position, without needing to get the the range. I think these can often be found for less than $100. I bought mine off the CMP forever ago, and I think they sell much of what you are looking for at a good price.

ETA - Search for this - Daisy M853 USED. CMP has them for $140 shipped. Depending on your access to a range, etc, something like this can be as important as the actual rimfire rifle.

I like the idea of an air rifle for practice. I hadn't thought of that because 4H shoots either small bore or air rifle, so I was thinking of it as a separate discipline.

My gun club has some savages for their junior shooters. I'll reach out to the guy running it and see if we can try one out. I'm not completely against savage, just had 3 out of 3 bad experiences with them.

My gun club's junior shooting program is a lot like the 4H shooting. It's more about getting kids on a bench with a rifle to teach firearm safety and fundamentals. I shot with the Navy Marksmanship Team for several years, so I've already taught my kids a lot of fundamentals. My boy is a great shot with our modified Ruger with Tech Sights. I better sight will just be one tool to make him more competitive. In the meantime, we're discussing physical conditioning and more practice.

See if there is a different club in the area. Somewhere in the state there is a club that hosts the Junior Olympic Rifle Championship. You are going to want to find out who hosts it and they will have a better lay of the landscape in the state.

If you are going to go it alone at your own club, you can get a half way decent rifle for about $1500. Don't forget you will need all the other gear.  If you are not a member already, you should join Target Talk. It's a forum hosted by PilkGuns. There are lots of international equipment for sale there.

Reply to @Trollslayer:    You are 100% correct, but I understand everyone has different concerns, esp. around firearms.

Just last night a young girl asked my why I continue to mentor at my alma mater HS rotc and I told her it was my way of giving back for the blessings I've received and lessons learned from others.  

**********

the AirGun recommendation in previous posts makes plenty of sense for OP to consider.  Plenty of programs continue to upgrade their air rifles so there must be a decent secondary market somewhere.


back in my day, we learning on the Mossberg 44, then as skill levels improved you moved to a 'step up' Remington, then a Winchester 64?? or the Remington 541, then then either plateaued or bought your own Anschutz 64 (yes i still have mine somewhere!) There were only a couple guy a year that shot the Anschutz and were almost always (like mine)  bought from a graduating senior.

******

I am on my way to get that Remington 541 now...I told the LGS to mark it sold so can't go back on my word!   great price though, so no prob!

Have a Great and Peaceful day, All!!

Update, just to close this out mentally.

Went to the LGS to pick it up...they were a bit busy so i was hanging around for the paperwork, approval, etc, with the 541 on the counter.   I was taken aback by how many 'shooters' were flummoxed by a 22 cal target rifle!   What is that for?   How many rounds does it hold?   Why would you want that?  Can you put a Red Dot on it?   Do they make longer  'clips?'  Why is it so heavy?   Can you get it with a polymer stock?   Is that some type of sniper rifle?               Generational differences, i guess!!!   maybe not to many target rifles to choose in the video games!    

Anyway, my above offer is still up for consideration...meantime, I am compelled to send some lead downrange, one standard velocity shot at a time!!!  

OP, what did you end up with?  My son went to 4H last night and completed the proto-marksman target.  Unfortunately he returned home with some Anschutz desires.

Don't know what you ended up getting..  I'm into longer range .22LR target shooting, so I use a different Remington 541.  It's the sporter stocked 541-S Custom Sporter.  It has a high power 6-24x rimfire first focal plane "tree" reticle scope.  I believe accuracy is likely similar - easily sub MOA, sub 1/2 MOA with Eley Tenex, Blackbox Ely Match or Lapua Center-X.

Sadly, we haven't been able to jump on any rifles yet.  As soon as we got the feedback in this thread and saw the 541 across the river, we got a bunch of medical bills.  Now we're trying to prioritize all of our other expenses.

The good news is that now I know what we're looking for and the price range that should be close enough to start budgeting and saving for.  Thank you to everyone that helped in this process.  We WILL eventually get one, it's just a matter of time.

Check your local clubs, generally most junior small bore programs  have club loaner rifles for beginners.

Win 75, Rem 513,521,541 are good starter rifles for smaller kids, not too expensive and fairly easy to find deceant ones.

rem 37/40x, win 52 are very heavy and more adult size old school SB rifles for position shooting.

Kimber 82 agree would be a good choice.

Another vote for CZ.  I have a 455 American and it is amazingly accurate.  It appears it can be set up with aperture sights fairly easily.

It's just better and cheaper to buy an actual ready to go 22 small bore Target rifle.

CZ makes great 22s but by the time you bought one and modified into a usable  small bore Target rifle you would be past Kimber82  or used older gen Anshutz money.

I believe as a JR (under 16?) the OPs kid has a limit on trigger pull of 3 or 3 1/2 lbs.

Anschutz rifles are crazy expensive when new but there are always good solid used rifles out there .

In my area they mostly never see the inside of a regular gun store . There are a couple of specialty dealers .

Find a range that has youth programs and hunt down the coaches . Most of those folks track who has rifles available .

For the most part when a parent spends good money on a used or new top of the line target gun it is only going to get used for 4-6 years and most get re-sold .


Back 6 or so years ago a local guy started bringing his daughter to our club matches and pretty much every match within driving distance . Guy was of modest means and surprised everyone when he bought two brand new top of the line Anshutz guns , one 22lr and the other a Air gun . Seemed kind of silly for him to lay out $10,000 or more for all the cool toys. Scary to see what he spent for gas and motels to haul the kid to every match in 4 or 5 states.

Keep in mind the kid was good and liked doing all the work.

Turned out the kid had her choice of Full Scholarships at 3 or 4 different schools , the $10,000 dad put out for guns was a pretty good deal .

NEGATIVE.

It depends upon the match rules.  

Quoting from NRA Smallbore Rule Book -

3.1 The Rifle - The rifle authorized for use in smallbore rifle matches
is the .22 caliber rimfire chambered for cartridges commercially
catalogued as the .22 Short, .22 Long, or .22 Long Rifle cartridges.
There are no restrictions on the barrel length or overall weight of the
rifle and accessories. No portion of the rifle or any attachment to the
rifle shall extend more than 3 inches beyond the rear of the shooter’s
shoulder. The trigger pull must be capable of lifting 3 pounds. The
same rifle must be used throughout all stages of any one match (except
aggregate) except in the case of a malfunction or disabled rifle, when
the competitor may change rifles with permission of the Chief Range
Officer.

3.2 Any Rifle - A rifle authorized for use in smallbore rifle matches
using cartridges commercially catalogued as the .22 Short, .22 Long or
.22 Long Rifle cartridges. There are no restrictions on the barrel length
or overall weight of the rifle and accessories. Any safe trigger is allowed.
No portion of the rifle or any attachment to the rifle shall extend
more than 3 inches beyond the rear of the shooter’s shoulder. A butt
plate conforming with NRA Rule 3.15 may be used. Around the body,
or around the shoulder hooks are not permitted. The same rifle must be
used throughout all stages of any one match (except aggregate) except
in the case of a malfunction or disabled rifle when the competitor may
change rifles with permission of the Chief Range Officer. In NRA Metric
Position Course shooting, this rule will govern the conduct of the
match and may not be waived by the Match Sponsor.

3.3 Light Rifle - Any .22 caliber rimfire (.22 Short, .22 Long, or .22
Long Rifle) with not less than a 2 pound trigger pull and which weighs
not more than 8 ½ pounds when equipped with sights.

3.4 Junior Rifle - A rifle authorized for use in Junior competition
using cartridges commercially catalogued as a rimfire .22 Short, .22
Long, or .22 Long Rifle cartridge. There shall be no restrictions on the
barrel length or overall weight of the rifle. Any safe trigger is allowed.
The rifle may not be equipped with thumb hole stock, Schuetzen Type
Butt Plate (Rule 3.15), or palm rest (Rule 3.14). Adult use of this rule in
open competition is permitted.

I was surprised 20 years ago when one of my coach's younger students got a full ride to, IIRC Tennessee.

Since OP was talking about scholarships to "college"; please tell us what rulebook the NCAA uses.

There is nobody shooting rifles under NRA Rule 3.1 at a Division I school.

If you are directly involved and already know from experience, please tell us.  Simply saying, "NEGATIVE" is not clear at all.


I quoted NRA rules because I am familiar with those.

I went looking for NCAA rules, too, again, trying to help.  It seems they use a version of the USA Shooting rules.  However, the rules address only "Standard rifles" and "air rifles" with no mention of smallbore rifles.

I found this 1500 g rule for the NCAA but it applies to "standard rifle" (centerfire) for 300m competition.  

1. The minimum trigger pull is 1500 grams. The trigger pull must be measured with the barrel in a vertical position. Trigger weight control checks must be conducted immediately after the last series. A maximum of three (3) attempts to lift the weight is allowed. Any shooter whose rifle fails the test must be disqualified.


I have no more time to spend right now.

The problem with 4-H is they shoot multiple different types of competition at their nationals, NRA 3P, NRA silhouette and CMP  Rimfire Sporter, if I recall correctly. If you want the best equipment, you will need three rifles.

For starting out, a sporter rifle with windage/elevation adjustable target sights that meets the CMP Rimfire Sporter rules will work. The Savage FVT MK II is not bad for youth up to about 13 yo old. After that youth are of the size and experience they can move up to a heavier better equipped target rifle in 3P. The FVT can hold its own and a modified one has taken top Oregon 4-H shooter several years in a row.

Best option is shoot at a club that already has rifles. We have over half a dozen Anschutz junior rifles. The working rifles we have are a set of FVT MK II right and left rifles most the 4-H kids use.

Don’t overlook some home gunsmithing. Here is a modified FVT for 3P that weighs about 10 lbs.