22LR: THE GREATEST LONG-RANGE CARTRIDGE

Annie Oakley, Ed McGiven, and Tom Knapp. In the decades before social media consumed our everyday lives, manufacturers employed exhibition shooters to travel the country showcasing their amazing products. These individuals demonstrated unbelievable skill with all forms of weaponry and dazzled audiences. They were the OG “gunfluencers.” However, today we are stuck with the likes of MDT team shooters Matt Stiner and Dave Ostrowske—two of the premier rimfire competitors in the nation (I bet if you ask nicely, they will sign autographs!). And yes, like AFC Richmond (iykyk), they were relegated from centerfire competitions to measly rimfire.

THE SETUP

At Gravestone Precision, the dynamic duo sets out to prove that .22 rimfire rifles aren’t just for squirrels and soda cans. These rifles are tactical scalpel meets long-range ballerina—I apologize if you pictured Matt in a tutu. For their diminutive lead dispensers, Dan uses a Vudu action with a Kreiger barrel mounted in an MDT Premier Gen 2 Chassis. For optics, he uses a Burris XTR Pro. Matt, not to be outdone, uses a Rim-X action, a Beck chambered barrel, an MDT ACC Elite chassis, and a Vortex Razor Gen III optic. All are top-tier components. I suppose they do need to overcompensate for rimfire cartridges. Hopefully, their match will be more exciting than watching a Dr. Pimple Popper video (is that still a thing? I’ve literally never watched any of those videos, but my mother is obsessed with them).

FIRST CHALLENGE

For the first test, these long-range experts start with a KYL (Know Your Limits) rack at an extreme distance of 67 yards…sigh, I’ve seen a Cleveland Browns play go further. For those not familiar, a KYL is a series of targets that decrease in size, ranging from two inches down to half an inch. The person with the most points wins. But like Sheldon when he’s annoyed by Leonard, Matt and Dan let smack talk take over.

Matt, “when you start shaking in your knickers there.”

Dave, “Youth and enthusiasm, over age and treachery.” -Yoda, probably.

And as everyone expected, 67 yards proved too easy for these seasoned shooters. Dan wants to move to two hundred yards. Matt agrees but ups the ante—a traditional KYL challenge. It’s the same type of rack (with larger targets), but this time, if you miss, you lose all your points. However, if you hit enough targets and don’t feel like pushing your luck (ehem, I mean skill), you can stop and keep the points you’ve earned. But like the 67-yarder before, 200 yards proves to be just as easy. I mean, these rifles do most of the work for you.

SECOND CHALLENGE

In true exhibition shooter fashion, Matt and Dave attempt to cut a playing card in half. Their first attempt is at 50 yards. For Dave, who watched (probably) the likes of Tom Knapp, it made the legendary shooter proud and cut the card on his first try. As for Matt — who I doubt even knows who any of the exhibition shooters are—missed. I expected more. However, he redeems himself by cutting the card on the second shot. Dave, vibing, moves back to 75 yards. But the vibes came to an abrupt halt. While 50 yards seemed easy, 75 yards was another challenge. After a few shots each, Matt finally connects. What’s the blind squirrel joke?

To make things more difficult, they moved the card back to 90 yards. This time, they had a berm, which made it easier to spot their misses. With a minor correction, Matt cuts the card before Dave even knows what happened. For the distances, they move the target back to 119, 143, and 195 yards. With a backdrop now in place, hits come more frequently. But 195 proves to be impossible. The swirling wind shows up like an angry ex on Thanksgiving. Neither hits the target, but they have a few close calls. Still, this isn’t horseshoes or hand grenades. Close, but no cigar.

THIRD CHALLENGE

Everything so far has been within two hundred yards or less, which is a moderate range for experienced rimfire shooters. But what about shooting 22LR at extreme distances? That’s where the final challenge takes Matt and Dave. For extreme shooting, they move to a different range on the premises to engage targets up to 500 yards away. That might not seem like much for you 6.5 Creedmoor hipsters (I’m one), but it’s a poke for a round moving at less than the speed of sound. Of course, there’s more to the challenge—why not a KYL rack? But just like CBS hacking away at popular shows, I’m going to cut things short. Why spoil a great ending?

FINAL THOUGHT (ON RIMFIRE)

Rimfire offers an excellent entry into precision rifle shooting. Nothing is as fun as hitting small targets with small rounds. There’s hardly any recoil, and the guns can be very accurate. Trust me, my customized 10/22 shoots tiny holes at 100 yards (and that’s using a budget-friendly approach to building a rimfire rifle). So, the lesson here is to go out and shoot rimfire. It’s way cooler than anything else.