On page 90 in the NRA publication "American Rifleman" January 2018 issue is the summary report of the 2017 NRA National Pistol Championships.
Jonathan Shue won shooting a Cabot Guns 1911 Black Diamond Deluxe .45. Searching Cabot Guns website that pistol without optics lists for only $11,950. See link. http://cabotgun.com/better-than-custom- ... -deluxe/#1
Then you have to add optics to it.

There is no silhouette rifle on the line and there has never been a silhouette rifle on the line that costs $12,000 because it is just not necessary.
I guarantee you that the $12K 1911 will wear out and need major refitting work much sooner than a properly maintained CZ silhouette rifle.
Then you have to add in the cost of the 22 rimfire pistol they shoot.
Silhouette equipment does not look so expensive now. Does it?

As I have said before............. It is the Indian, not the arrow. No one can buy shooting great. Shooting is one of the most perishable skills a person has and can only be maintained with GOOD practice. A well tunes CZ can get you into master class and by then you might want to screw a new bbl on.

You can spend a fair amount on a custom silhouette rifle with carbon fiber stocks like Jerry has. You can put together a rifle using a custom action and barrel. Even if you do this it won't cost you $12000.

The great thing about silhouette shooting is that you do not need to do that. Go buy a nice CZ rifle, put a nice Leupold scope on it and go have fun. That rifle and scope combination is plenty competitive.
I have to admit Jerry is correct.

Annie with a Wooster stock about - $1600
Leupold scope about - $1000
Case of good Ammo about - $1000
Box of yellow drywall anchors for dry-firing $5 This is a MUST don't skimp here.

I ain't even close to $16,000 and that is as good as the equipment gets.

If you are just starting out get the $500 ammo which will still shoot around 1 1/4 minute.

Or:
CZ 455 - $400.00
Talley Rings - $53.00
Leupold VX-2 6-18x40 Target - $469.00
Ammunition - $50.00 for a brick of 500, or $500 for a case of 5,000

You can have it tuned by any one of several competent gunsmiths, upgraded, and customized. Or you can shoot it as is for a very long time. The nice thing about these pieces is that they'll take you as far as you want to go, and then readily resell when you're ready.

Jerry G wrote: ↑Fri Dec 29, 2017 1:26 pm Annie with a Wooster stock about - $1600
Leupold scope about - $1000
Case of good Ammo about - $1000
Box of yellow drywall anchors for dry-firing $5 This is a MUST don't skimp here.

I ain't even close to $16,000 and that is as good as the equipment gets.

If you are just starting out get the $500 ammo which will still shoot around 1 1/4 minute.

Yeah, what he said.

Phony advertising con.

A best quality 1911 match gun from any of the top five NRA Precision Pistol gunsmiths in the country would max out under 4k.

Not one, as in NONE, of the top level competitors has ever paid big money for a match gun. Very few builders will loan guns and give a bit of support to use their stuff.

Brian Zins and Jon Shue are the only two top level shooters to win the National Championship with a Cabot. Both are good enough to win with any of the top gear at a fifth of the hot air price.

I've shot the Precision Pistol (Bullseye) game for 49 years. To the Nationals 17 years. Listened to most of cons over the years and this is just another load of crap.

Bullseye98,
That does not sound like good business practice just to sell a pistol.
Do any of the bullseye competitors besides Zins and Shue actually buy and shoot that $12K Cabot?
Silhouette still sounds awfully reasonable moneywise compared to a lot of other hobbies.

I built a silhouette rifle this year and the only corner I cut was using a scope I already had. Everything I chose to use was ridiculous overkill and I did not even approach a quarter of that 12K. At least Bobby approved of it though.

You know I must chime in on this one.
I always tell people you can start cheap. Use what you have. Move up to more expensive equipment later.

Or like me, stay cheap. Started with a 10/22 "moved up" to a Ruger American.
Im no super star master shooter.

But Our sport is about the cheapest.to get started in. Almost everyone has or knows someone who has a .22lr
No excuse to not have more new shooters.
....
Hey now, by the way, I saw a nice NRA Sports Advertisement on t.v. the other day. Nice to see. No Sihouette featured but still an improvement!

HI ALL ,
ARE silhouette rifles CHEAP ???

YES , compared to some !
FOR cheapskates NOTHING is cheap ...
THINK about that ...

GSL .

I still shoot my Ruger 77/22 that I bought back in 2004 with no intention of ever buying anything better because it still shoots better than I do.

Another Dang 9 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 05, 2018 6:18 pm I still shoot my Ruger 77/22 that I bought back in 2004 with no intention of ever buying anything better because it still shoots better than I do.

What he said.

BCloninger wrote: ↑Sat Jan 06, 2018 8:48 pm

Another Dang 9 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 05, 2018 6:18 pm I still shoot my Ruger 77/22 that I bought back in 2004 with no intention of ever buying anything better because it still shoots better than I do.

What he said.

You shoot a Ruger 77/22 also? I have always wanted to try one of those but I never broke down and bought one. I would probably still shooting my CZ 455 American if it was not for a member here called .
"Have you ever tried an Anschutz 1712? No, here try mine."

I was hooked after that.

DavidABQ wrote: ↑Sat Jan 06, 2018 10:26 pm

BCloninger wrote: ↑Sat Jan 06, 2018 8:48 pm

Another Dang 9 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 05, 2018 6:18 pm I still shoot my Ruger 77/22 that I bought back in 2004 with no intention of ever buying anything better because it still shoots better than I do.

What he said.

You shoot a Ruger 77/22 also? I have always wanted to try one of those but I never broke down and bought one. I would probably still shooting my CZ 455 American if it was not for a member here called .
"Have you ever tried an Anschutz 1712? No, here try mine."

I was hooked after that.

I was agreeing with the "it still shoots better than I do" part. After a trip through a couple of different CZ's, Remington's, and even an Anschutz or two, I've learned that almost all of them shot better than I did. My free advice is to find a reliable, well-balanced rifle that fits you, put a good scope on top, and then buy a case of good ammunition that your rifle likes. Then practice until you sweat Eley primer.

Of the rifles I've tried, three stand out for the way they feel: The Anschutz 1712 (duh!), the Ruger 77/22, and the Remington 547. CZ's are excellent rifles, and less expensive than the other three, but they always feel too small - almost toylike - to me. As for the 1712, if anyone ever tempts you with theirs, just say no! It's a trap!

Years ago, I had one of the few Remington 504's that was an excellent shooter, and I traded it - with the Leupold on it - for a 1712. In hindsight, I should have kept that rig and just found another way to buy the 1712; it's always a mistake to sell a good rifle or a Leupold scope, and I am remorseful.