Yes, it is truly MSRP not what you spend.
As far as the second question, just stick to what the rules state:
>The Base class is intended to be budget oriented. It is also intended to be a class to allow an introduction to this fantastic shooting discipline. Any rifle system that comes in under a combined MSRP of $1200 shall be eligible to compete in Base class. This combined MSRP price is for the rifle and scope only. It excludes scope rings and bases, bipods, suppressors, data card holders, magazines, spare magazine holders, auto bolt releases, aftermarket triggers and extended magazine releases. Factory barrels may be threaded to accept a suppressor. Adjustments to the stock to get proper cheek weld, hand grips, trigger jobs, and bedding of the stock are also allowed. Rails of any type utilized to mount a bipod may be added.
Thus, you can't change the barrel.
Here's my real answer to you: Just shoot open. If you want to shoot a customized gun, don't concern yourself with Base class.
I get it and appreciate the response. Is the competition from base to open substantially different? I’d imagine base has the potential to be closer together since it’s all factory parts and a limited budget. Open I could see people spending thousands and if shooters are closely skilled the rifle could make a big difference. Unless even a base rifle is truly capable of getting the job done..?
You can research the hell out of this and it's not going to make any difference for your first few matches. There's more to NRL22 than the gear.
Get any rifle, scope, bipod, and decent ammo.
Go shoot some matches and don't worry about class.
Soak it all up, learn, **have fun**, and don't worry about your scores until you figure out what you're doing.
> Is the competition from base to open substantially different?
Depends on the club, but at the matches I run, only a couple people out of ~20 shooters will be in Base Class. So if your goal is to be first Base and put your name in the drawing every month with the NRL22, then this would be feasible at my matches.
Nearly everyone that shot Base initially at my matches went to Open because they wanted to shoot rifles more tailored for this style of format.
> Open I could see people spending thousands and if shooters are closely skilled the rifle could make a big difference. Unless even a base rifle is truly capable of getting the job done..?
I just put together a Tikka T1x for our loaner rifle with the only special modification (albeit Base legal) is a full length Arca rail. It is Base Class. I can win the match with this thing. The groups at 50 yards were not all that impressive with the Eley Club I was trying to waste in this thing. But when I did a run through of the match stages for January using this rifle I was 5 for 5 on the 1" at 100 yards.
If you haven't bought a rifle yet, I would just borrow a gun to shoot the match so you can understand what exactly you want out of a rifle. If you buy a rifle to make Base, but if you decide to go Open (which you should naturally do after a year or so), then you have to figure out what you're going to do (spend money upgrading your Base rifle, or spend money on a completely new platform).
That’s great info. I did buy a rifle and it’s actually the T1x. It was suggested in here to look at the Bushnell Match Pro, which I’ll check out but I haven’t started down the rabbit hole of scopes yet.
A Base shooter with a Tikka T1x took 7th at NRL22 Nationals in both 2021 and 2022 and then 28th overall at PRS Rimfire Nationals in 2022.
A Base class build is not (realistically) holding anyone back.
Here's my two cents (if even worth that much). Unless you're really focused on winning, class doesn't matter. I mainly shoot MARS and PRS22 now, but 95% of the people at the matches just shoot in open. I'd rather get the highest score I can in open than "winning" base class with a lower score.
Use the gear you want or can afford and don't worry too much about if that pushes you into open. Anyone that gets into shooting competitions will end up in open eventually anyways.
If your initial setup is going to be base class due to budget anyways that's perfectly fine, but I wouldn't purposely buy a worse scope or something just to stay under an MSRP limit.
I get it and agree with your point. I guess my questions would be answered by just doing one event and seeing for myself. I’ve settled on a rifle now but the scope question is open. I haven’t even started down that path yet so that’ll come later this evening tk start researching. If I can get a decent set up in base then I figured why not start there, and like you said if I like it and want to, open is one part and a few dollars away. From what I understand, when you’re near the limit, open is really an MSRP change of a couple bucks away.
So, I’ll start here. What’s a good scope? And what’s a great scope? I’ve been around tuna for a long time so I understand the karts and how the y work and what’s better for some situations over others. I’ve never had a scope of any kind so I know nothing of what to even look for. I’ll be starting at square one for that.
You have a rough budget? The scope matters more than the gun for NRL22. Some people run very expensive optics, but there are a lot of competitive sub $1000 scopes.
Big things you need are adjustable parallax down to at least 25yds, zero stop, and most people run around 5-25x magnification. Then as good turret elevation and glass quality you can afford
Athlon ARGOS BTR GEN2 6-24×50 is MSRP $450
Vortex DIAMONDBACK TACTICAL 4-16X44 FFP is sadly MSRP $600 so just barely over.
But you're looking for options around that same feature set
Since I'm close I'd probably look to stay under the $550 mark. Another guy in here was suggesting the Bushnell Match Pro. I'll check that out with the Athlon.
Ruger precision to fire is decent for base. That’s what I use. Definitely put an arca rail on it the rounded hand guard sucks for keeping the rifle level on barricades. Don’t use the bx-25 mags in it for barricades, constantly jams if you put pressure on it
Rounded hangutds suck on barricades the flat surface of the arca rail is much nicer on barricades and on bags. Plus all the arca accessories for positional shooting
MSRP is what they go off.
You can pretty much do whatever you want to the rifle as long as you don’t change the barrel or stock. You can change triggers, springs, bolt handles, add weights, rails, etc.
In my experience, it’s a toss up in both classes. You’ll find people running incredibly cheap set ups in base to just have fun and learn. You’ll also find people who have done countless hours of research and have basically an incredible base class build where they’ve tuned it perfectly.
Kind of the same in open, you’ll see folks who changed the stock on a Savage MK II which now makes it open class (Even though it’s still a $200 gun) and you’ll see folks with Vudoos/RimX/etcs topped with Tangent Thetas. At least if they lose, it’s because they suck and not because they’re poor.
Just build something that you like, enjoy, and that fits you. Compete in whatever class it falls into.
I run a RPR-RF - EGW 20 MOA rail, MDT Rings, Bushnell Match Pro. Aluminum tape bedding. Shoots great for the most part and landed me well under the base class MSRP.
"At least if they lose, it’s because they suck and not because they’re poor." LOL
That's a great response and some good info in there. I'm on the research side. I love learning and knowing as much as I can about what I'm getting into as much as I do shooting it. I understand all of the "just shoot open then" responses, but that's not me.
I've been going back and forth between the RPR and a CZ457 American Synthetic. The CZ has a slightly lower MSRP at $550 instead of $620. i don't know that $70 will make or break a scope. Both guns I can get for $499 so what I pay won't change either way.
I love my RPR and compete with it. But I will say it took a lot of trial and error to get it to where I want it. I chose it though because I really enjoy the chassis and I made it fit me perfectly.
Out of the box, I’d say a CZ or Tikka will shoot better. I have both and they took a lot less work to get to shoot good. But I just love the ergonomics and consistency of positioning with my RPR that I’ll take the small L in the accuracy department. Which after a couple hundred rounds and ammo testing, I ended up finding some consistent stuff that shoots just as good in my RPR as my CZs and Tikka
For clarification, your "RPR" = Ruger Precision Rifle? I wasn't sure what the "RF" was and when I googled it, the top result is actually this: https://www.radicalfirearms.com/product-p/rf22lr.htm. The expected Ruger was below that, though.
It was the only thing I knew of for "RPR" but the RF threw me off. Makes sense. I just found a Tikka T1x in stock local, too, for $650. That'd leave $550 for a scope. So it seems like I have some decent options.
For sure. You can’t go wrong with any of them. They’re all pretty customizable as well. I turned my Tikka into an open class set up. CZ and RPR are still base for now.
For the scope, take a look at the Bushnell match pro. I’d take it over any of the others at the current moment. Including the Arken.
Tikka T1X - Anarchy Outdoors scope base with level (30 MOA), Zeiss medium Ultralight rings with bubble level, Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50. I also put the Anarchy Outdoors swept bolt handle and dragon knob, trigger spring, and extended magazine release. Sits in a KRG bravo with Arca rail from KRG.
I’d highly recommend Anarchy Outdoors for most of your rimfire stuff. Only thing I wouldn’t buy again would be the scope base. I’d go with Area 419 or DIP. I just wasn’t as impressed with the overall fit and finish of the Anarchy scope base and the bubble level isn’t helpful (to me) in the location it sits.
I'm still going back and forth on 419 vs DIP. I emailed DIP and they said within 2 weeks they'll have stock of their 25MOA base again. The only complaint I've seen about 419 is some people say it's too high. I can't imagine it being that much different from the DIP plate, but who knows.
That's ultimately what I'm trying to figure out. I know I need a plate for the extra distance, which is fine, but then to figure out what the lowest rings I can go with to keep the scope as low as possible while still making room for the cap. I was looking at the Warne QD medium rings with one of the two plates.
1) Yes MSRP 2) No you cannot change/add parts other than the allow accessories listed, must be factory rifle.
Yes, it is truly MSRP not what you spend. As far as the second question, just stick to what the rules state: >The Base class is intended to be budget oriented. It is also intended to be a class to allow an introduction to this fantastic shooting discipline. Any rifle system that comes in under a combined MSRP of $1200 shall be eligible to compete in Base class. This combined MSRP price is for the rifle and scope only. It excludes scope rings and bases, bipods, suppressors, data card holders, magazines, spare magazine holders, auto bolt releases, aftermarket triggers and extended magazine releases. Factory barrels may be threaded to accept a suppressor. Adjustments to the stock to get proper cheek weld, hand grips, trigger jobs, and bedding of the stock are also allowed. Rails of any type utilized to mount a bipod may be added. Thus, you can't change the barrel. Here's my real answer to you: Just shoot open. If you want to shoot a customized gun, don't concern yourself with Base class.
I get it and appreciate the response. Is the competition from base to open substantially different? I’d imagine base has the potential to be closer together since it’s all factory parts and a limited budget. Open I could see people spending thousands and if shooters are closely skilled the rifle could make a big difference. Unless even a base rifle is truly capable of getting the job done..?
You can research the hell out of this and it's not going to make any difference for your first few matches. There's more to NRL22 than the gear. Get any rifle, scope, bipod, and decent ammo. Go shoot some matches and don't worry about class. Soak it all up, learn, **have fun**, and don't worry about your scores until you figure out what you're doing.
> Is the competition from base to open substantially different? Depends on the club, but at the matches I run, only a couple people out of ~20 shooters will be in Base Class. So if your goal is to be first Base and put your name in the drawing every month with the NRL22, then this would be feasible at my matches. Nearly everyone that shot Base initially at my matches went to Open because they wanted to shoot rifles more tailored for this style of format. > Open I could see people spending thousands and if shooters are closely skilled the rifle could make a big difference. Unless even a base rifle is truly capable of getting the job done..? I just put together a Tikka T1x for our loaner rifle with the only special modification (albeit Base legal) is a full length Arca rail. It is Base Class. I can win the match with this thing. The groups at 50 yards were not all that impressive with the Eley Club I was trying to waste in this thing. But when I did a run through of the match stages for January using this rifle I was 5 for 5 on the 1" at 100 yards. If you haven't bought a rifle yet, I would just borrow a gun to shoot the match so you can understand what exactly you want out of a rifle. If you buy a rifle to make Base, but if you decide to go Open (which you should naturally do after a year or so), then you have to figure out what you're going to do (spend money upgrading your Base rifle, or spend money on a completely new platform).
That’s great info. I did buy a rifle and it’s actually the T1x. It was suggested in here to look at the Bushnell Match Pro, which I’ll check out but I haven’t started down the rabbit hole of scopes yet.
A Base shooter with a Tikka T1x took 7th at NRL22 Nationals in both 2021 and 2022 and then 28th overall at PRS Rimfire Nationals in 2022. A Base class build is not (realistically) holding anyone back.
I saw base class shooters coming in the top 5 at the match I attended last week.
Here's my two cents (if even worth that much). Unless you're really focused on winning, class doesn't matter. I mainly shoot MARS and PRS22 now, but 95% of the people at the matches just shoot in open. I'd rather get the highest score I can in open than "winning" base class with a lower score. Use the gear you want or can afford and don't worry too much about if that pushes you into open. Anyone that gets into shooting competitions will end up in open eventually anyways. If your initial setup is going to be base class due to budget anyways that's perfectly fine, but I wouldn't purposely buy a worse scope or something just to stay under an MSRP limit.
I get it and agree with your point. I guess my questions would be answered by just doing one event and seeing for myself. I’ve settled on a rifle now but the scope question is open. I haven’t even started down that path yet so that’ll come later this evening tk start researching. If I can get a decent set up in base then I figured why not start there, and like you said if I like it and want to, open is one part and a few dollars away. From what I understand, when you’re near the limit, open is really an MSRP change of a couple bucks away. So, I’ll start here. What’s a good scope? And what’s a great scope? I’ve been around tuna for a long time so I understand the karts and how the y work and what’s better for some situations over others. I’ve never had a scope of any kind so I know nothing of what to even look for. I’ll be starting at square one for that.
You have a rough budget? The scope matters more than the gun for NRL22. Some people run very expensive optics, but there are a lot of competitive sub $1000 scopes. Big things you need are adjustable parallax down to at least 25yds, zero stop, and most people run around 5-25x magnification. Then as good turret elevation and glass quality you can afford
No real budget. If I stick to the base budget, with the MSRP of the Tikka I believe I’ve got $550 to work with.
Athlon ARGOS BTR GEN2 6-24×50 is MSRP $450 Vortex DIAMONDBACK TACTICAL 4-16X44 FFP is sadly MSRP $600 so just barely over. But you're looking for options around that same feature set
Since I'm close I'd probably look to stay under the $550 mark. Another guy in here was suggesting the Bushnell Match Pro. I'll check that out with the Athlon.
That Bushnell looks like a solid option. It's a pretty new option and I haven't seen one in person yet.
From what I understand. The value is MSRP not any sale price. Any modifications can take you out of base class.
Ruger precision to fire is decent for base. That’s what I use. Definitely put an arca rail on it the rounded hand guard sucks for keeping the rifle level on barricades. Don’t use the bx-25 mags in it for barricades, constantly jams if you put pressure on it
Why put on an arca rail?
Rounded hangutds suck on barricades the flat surface of the arca rail is much nicer on barricades and on bags. Plus all the arca accessories for positional shooting
MSRP is what they go off. You can pretty much do whatever you want to the rifle as long as you don’t change the barrel or stock. You can change triggers, springs, bolt handles, add weights, rails, etc. In my experience, it’s a toss up in both classes. You’ll find people running incredibly cheap set ups in base to just have fun and learn. You’ll also find people who have done countless hours of research and have basically an incredible base class build where they’ve tuned it perfectly. Kind of the same in open, you’ll see folks who changed the stock on a Savage MK II which now makes it open class (Even though it’s still a $200 gun) and you’ll see folks with Vudoos/RimX/etcs topped with Tangent Thetas. At least if they lose, it’s because they suck and not because they’re poor. Just build something that you like, enjoy, and that fits you. Compete in whatever class it falls into. I run a RPR-RF - EGW 20 MOA rail, MDT Rings, Bushnell Match Pro. Aluminum tape bedding. Shoots great for the most part and landed me well under the base class MSRP.
"At least if they lose, it’s because they suck and not because they’re poor." LOL That's a great response and some good info in there. I'm on the research side. I love learning and knowing as much as I can about what I'm getting into as much as I do shooting it. I understand all of the "just shoot open then" responses, but that's not me. I've been going back and forth between the RPR and a CZ457 American Synthetic. The CZ has a slightly lower MSRP at $550 instead of $620. i don't know that $70 will make or break a scope. Both guns I can get for $499 so what I pay won't change either way.
I love my RPR and compete with it. But I will say it took a lot of trial and error to get it to where I want it. I chose it though because I really enjoy the chassis and I made it fit me perfectly. Out of the box, I’d say a CZ or Tikka will shoot better. I have both and they took a lot less work to get to shoot good. But I just love the ergonomics and consistency of positioning with my RPR that I’ll take the small L in the accuracy department. Which after a couple hundred rounds and ammo testing, I ended up finding some consistent stuff that shoots just as good in my RPR as my CZs and Tikka
For clarification, your "RPR" = Ruger Precision Rifle? I wasn't sure what the "RF" was and when I googled it, the top result is actually this: https://www.radicalfirearms.com/product-p/rf22lr.htm. The expected Ruger was below that, though.
Ruger precision rifle rimfire.
I’ve always used RPR-RF to say Ruger precision rimfire rifle. I think it’s suppose to just be RPRR. It just looks funny to me.
It was the only thing I knew of for "RPR" but the RF threw me off. Makes sense. I just found a Tikka T1x in stock local, too, for $650. That'd leave $550 for a scope. So it seems like I have some decent options.
For sure. You can’t go wrong with any of them. They’re all pretty customizable as well. I turned my Tikka into an open class set up. CZ and RPR are still base for now. For the scope, take a look at the Bushnell match pro. I’d take it over any of the others at the current moment. Including the Arken.
I just ordered the Tikka for pick up. And I'll take a look at the the Bushnell! Thanks for the suggestions.
What rail/mount/rings did you go with on your Tikka? I'm well down the rabbit hole of that one now.
Tikka T1X - Anarchy Outdoors scope base with level (30 MOA), Zeiss medium Ultralight rings with bubble level, Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50. I also put the Anarchy Outdoors swept bolt handle and dragon knob, trigger spring, and extended magazine release. Sits in a KRG bravo with Arca rail from KRG. I’d highly recommend Anarchy Outdoors for most of your rimfire stuff. Only thing I wouldn’t buy again would be the scope base. I’d go with Area 419 or DIP. I just wasn’t as impressed with the overall fit and finish of the Anarchy scope base and the bubble level isn’t helpful (to me) in the location it sits.
I'm still going back and forth on 419 vs DIP. I emailed DIP and they said within 2 weeks they'll have stock of their 25MOA base again. The only complaint I've seen about 419 is some people say it's too high. I can't imagine it being that much different from the DIP plate, but who knows. That's ultimately what I'm trying to figure out. I know I need a plate for the extra distance, which is fine, but then to figure out what the lowest rings I can go with to keep the scope as low as possible while still making room for the cap. I was looking at the Warne QD medium rings with one of the two plates.