I want to put together a rim fire Standard class rifle. What are the cool kids shooting right now? Want to know if reverse taper barrels and bloop tubes are still getting it done?

Would love to have your input and maybe some photos of "state of the art" Standard Class rimfire rifles.....

I shoot a 54.18 MSR. Hard to beat that rifle. I have a homemade barrel weight on mine that I like.

Dustin

State of the art ? out of the box 54ms. Spend the rest on ammo

Boats

42% of the shooters at the Nationals are shooting one gun for SB.
ppkny

Find a used 54MS/MSR and mount a 6x20EFR and you are done.

I am very surprised to see the general consensus seems to be for a "stock" gun. After seeing the hot rod custom stocked and barreled Frankenhunters every where I thought Standard would be more of the same....

So...the 54 match gun barreled action installed in this 54 MSR stock is pretty much what the hot ticket is....

54.18 MSR in 1808 stock. well balanced & great trigger. A very good package.
b

Yep. The Frankenhunters are the 54.18 actions with a new barrel in a Pharr type stock with the trigger weighed up to 2 lbs. and made for Hunter class, thus the Franken"hunter" name. Some might even consider a 1712 in the same stock a Frankenhunter.

I recently got a 54.18 MSR in the McMillan thumbhole composite stock and I have yet to shoot as high of scores with it as I have with my 1712 in a Pharr stock I have had for a few years now. More time with it is required but I am starting to get a good feel for it now.

Dee

Strategic advantage of shooting same gun both matches overcomes disadvantage of lighter weight heavier trigger in the Hunter gun. Hot rods look nice give no score advantage.

Boats

Boats, I agree, before the Frankenhunters there was a advantage but just check the scores from the last 5 nationals and you'll see that it's to close to call.
ppkny

ppkny wrote:Boats, I agree, before the Frankenhunters there was a advantage but just check the scores from the last 5 nationals and you'll see that it's to close to call.
ppkny

Just a thought but...

Is it to close to call because there is not that much difference in the guns? Or, because a large percentage of the shooters no longer shoot a second or different gun thereby skewing the stats to appear that the heavier gun/lighter trigger combination is not that much of an advantage.....?

Merlin wrote:

ppkny wrote:Boats, I agree, before the Frankenhunters there was a advantage but just check the scores from the last 5 nationals and you'll see that it's to close to call.
ppkny

Just a thought but...

Is it to close to call because there is not that much difference in the guns? Or, because a large percentage of the shooters no longer shoot a second or different gun thereby skewing the stats to appear that the heavier gun/lighter trigger combination is not that much of an advantage.....?

Good question! I always thought the rules for the standard class should be opened up and have what few restrictions there were removed.

Create a bigger difference between the classes.

Guys,
This was not a scientific study with controlled conditions. I just walked the line during the SB Standard matches and counted the guns that obliviously were Hunter style stocks and barrels.
ppkny

Merlin to put it more directly the mechanics of the 54-18 (trigger etc) are top notch. I use one in a Wooster thumb hole stock that fits me. The factory stock didn't. I'm 6'3" and the length of pull and balance didn't get it done for me.

After getting the Wooster stock my scores improved and after getting the trigger adjusted they bumped up again. Getting the rifle to fit the shooter and not the other way around is the way to go.

There are folks using other rifles to great success like rem 40x's and Coopers but I think the anny 5018 trigger is the common thread behind so many 54-18's being out there.

I think the newer 2013 barreled action is being used by a few. It has a better trigger than the 18 (edit - I stand corrected that it does use the 18 trigger) and you can switch barrels without too much effort.

One of the shooters from Mexico had one at last years TX state match and shot it very well.