Your first smallbore rifle

[300magman]

I'm new to competition and just soon to be getting started with some 22lr competions. Both shooting for groups (distance unknown to me as of yet) and shooting steel silhouettes out to 100 yards (as I understand it)

So I'd like to ask everyone who has competed or is still competing in small bore matchs; What rifle did you start out with...way back when you were first getting into the sport and still didn't have much of a budget for it? And if you could go back and do things differently, what changes might you have made to that first, low budget, "new to the sport" equipment?

[4EVERM-14]

I had several plinker .22's but my first match rifle was a Winchester model 52C. I later graduated to a Walther GX-1 for both position and prone shooting. I was fortunate to have known people willing to sell quality guns they no longer used regularly for fair prices. Otherwise I would have been using K-Mart blue light specials.

[darkgael]

I still shoot the occasional NRA smallbore prone match. I spend way more time practicing than competing, however.
When I started, I purchased the best gun that I could afford; it was a Feinwerkbau .22 - I forget the model # and I'm not near the gun right now. It was accurate, very nice trigger, adjustable stock. After about a year I added an adjustable butt plate and hook. It didn't and doesn't have the smooth bolt that one finds on the Anschutz or even the wonderful Winchester 52s. Later on, I bought an Anschutz.
The FWB came without sights and so I bought the best sight that I could afford - the Anchutz 6805 to which I referred in the thread about aperture sights. I didn't buy an adjustable aperture until about a year later --- that was a mistake, shoulda bought one right away. Very handy item to have. Note: there are two types of .22 prone matches: one is for iron sights only - apertures are the standard. The other match, frequently shot the next day is "any sight". Telescopic sights rule. Interestingly, these shooters are so good that there is not much difference in scores. Perfect numerical scores are common; it's a game of Xs.
I used an old military sling. Later I bought a cuff-type sling - again that would have been better up front.
I used an inexpensive cotton shooting jacket - that went away fast ; I invested in a good quality leather ISSF shooting jacket. Later, in other pursuits, I bought a canvas Highpower coat from Creedmore. I use the ISSF jacket and a sweater underneath for .22 prone.
I tried different shooting gloves and liked the fingerless mitt the best.
I picked up a shooting mat from Creedmore.
Then there was a relatively inexpensive shooting scope and mount from Champion's Choice - only shooting at 50 and 100 yards in smallbore prone. It has served me well.
Pete