Radical Rimfire: Precision Chassis 22LR

Rifle competitions are a great way for shooters of all experience levels to test their mettle in different scenarios and stages. Many think of the Precision Rifle Series — or three-gun — when it comes to competition, but another option is quickly gaining in popularity: precision rimfire. This build is a compilation of parts to make the ultimate competition piece for these rimfire matches. You may say to yourself, Whoa, that’s a lot of money for a precision chassis 22LR! That may be true, but as we’ve often come to find out, particularly in the firearms world, you generally get what you pay for.

Precision Chassis 22LR Build

The Main Components

The start of this rifle is a 20-inch Proof Research pre-fit carbon-fiber barrel, specifically made to fit into the RimX action we chose. Proof Research is the leader in lightweight-yet-rigid barrels incorporating carbon fiber. They offer a huge weight savings over steel barrels, improved heat dissipation, and extreme durability. Proof’s barrels are also very well known for their accuracy, making them an excellent choice for a competition rifle.

The rifle’s action is from Zermatt Arms, a true-to-scale Remington 700 footprint. It’s made of stainless steel with a nitride-coated finish and a DLC-coated bolt head. We chose the tactical-style bolt knob and an integrated 20 MOA base for the increased drop of rimfire ammunition at extended ranges, which may present itself during a competition. Zermatt also includes one purpose-built rimfire magazine that’s compatible with most rimfire ammunition.

At the touch of our finger is a TriggerTech Remington 700 Special Two-Stage Pro Curved Trigger. TriggerTech developed it with safety in mind, incorporating four points of safety. This is also an adjustable model; the first stage can be set from 8 to 24 ounces and the second stage at 8 to 32 ounces. It has an aluminum housing with steel components and a PVD coating for increased durability.

The chassis of the rifle is from Modular Driven Technologies (MDT), well known among precision shooters for producing high-quality chassis systems for several types of actions. We opted for the Adjustable Core Competition Premier chassis. This is a modular chassis that can have weights added to the forend, allowing the user to customize the balance and overall weight of the rifle for better controllability. The underside of the forend has 17 inches of ARCA rail, creating room for several attachments like bipods, bags, and tripod mounts.

MDT offers several stock options; we were determined to make this one a folder for easy transport, so the Skeleton Rifle Stock with folding adapter fit the bill. It has a ton of adjustment points to really fine-tune it to the shooter. All parts were Cerakoted in FDE from MDT. Lastly, the MDT Vertical Grip Elite provides a vertical platform for our hand to mate with the rifle. It can be adjusted for distance and angle to ensure consistent hand placement every time.

Crowning the barrel is the old tried-and-true Gemtech Outback IID. This suppressor has been in our armory for nearly a decade and can still hold its own against modern rimfire cans when it comes to weight (2.5 ounces) and sound reduction. The downside is it doesn’t come apart as easily for cleaning.

Keeping the build stable is an Atlas bipod with an American Defense Manufacturing quick detach lever. Not all stages are equal, and sometimes it’s better to just remove the bipod and use a support bag, so being able to choose on the fly is a great option. The Atlas allows quick adjustments for height from 5.2 to 9.6 inches and at different angles.

Topping off the rifle is a Nightforce Optics ATACR 7-35×56 F1 riflescope with a Horus Tremor3 reticle. While this much magnification may not be totally necessary for shooting targets at 200 yards, it does provide 100 minutes of angle in elevation travel and the parallax adjusts down to 11 yards, providing some clarity to closer targets. The Tremor3 has a grid pattern that helps compensate for wind and bullet drop with precise aiming points in MILs. Cradling the scope is a set of Nightforce Optics medium-height ultralite rings.

Closing Thoughts

These competitions don’t always require the absolute best in equipment, but it sure can help to have a quality gun when scores are on the line. We try to feed this only Lapua Center-X 22LR ammunition for its consistency and heavier 40-grain bullet. We tried to find the absolute finest options for this build and spared no expense. The end result is a tack-driving .22LR that tips the scales at 14.3 pounds for a plenty stable platform. Equipped with this rifle, we’re ready to get out and compete in some rimfire matches or have a fun day of ground squirrel hunting at distance.

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Editor’s Note: This article has been modified from its original print version for the web.

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Written by Alexander Crown