I'm been looking at many rifles...

The CZ 452 and the Henry Acu-Bolt are nice...


...anybody have any guidance for a first rifle to buy? Some of the rifles on this forum are just flat out amazing and I think a bit out of my price range!

Also when it comes to scopes I know nothing... I was looking at a BSA Sweet 22 as a possibility...


I'm kind of looking to do $300 on the gun and $100 on the scope... Can I get anything in that price range?


ALL guidance is SO appreciated!


John

Hello John,
Welcome to the family, we do tend to show a little sibling rivalry here. THere are a number of things that you need to considered when setting up a rifle. CZ 452 are remarkably accurate, and well worth the money. You need to understand that this game requires constant moving the sights a significant amount, typically 40 or more clicks in a course. They may move up or down or both ways in the course of fire, so mechanics are extremly important. Be willing to spend a little more for a good scope, you can always move it to another rifle later.

As for what is good, there are several that hold their value in this group of shooters, Weaver T series, Leupold VXII and above, Sightron (newer models) are the more popular makes. There are variations on some of them, power is a personal choice, as a former position shooter I use a 18 to 40, typically around 32 to 36 power. Try different scopes, I would recommend a variable power at least to start, as lighting changes at the different ranges. Good choices there are anything from 8 power up, typically a new shooter I will suggest around 12 to 16 power as there are the new concept of learning to count what target you are on and the great field of view is valuable.
I'm sure you'll get additional suggestions from the board members, do plan on keeping at least Winnsboro dates on your calendar, the biggest collection of silhouette shooters in one spot, lots to try and learn there.

Welcome again and do not be afraid to ask, we will all tell you what you should do!!

Innocent Mary

If you can't afford an Anschutz there is nothing in between it and a CZ. I have several and they are very competitive....Don't waste money on a cheap scope....You can find deals on ebay...etc. I have an older Redfield fixed 10 power I paid a 100 bucks for and it tracks beautifully. By "track" I mean the ability to repeat settings accurately as you move between different ranges....The cheap stuff I.E. BSA, Barska, and the like may do this for a while but will soon crap out...Spend good money once and you won't be left with a boat anchor. In my opinion it's easier to learn good scope shooting with a lower power as mistakes are not amplified as much.

Well looks like I'll start getting serious about the CZ-452!

Does stock matter? I like the synthetic black stock. What model to most people buy?


Then I'll go for the scope. Have to save up a couple more bucks first...


I believe my local gun store actually has a 452 in stock...


Hey as for the final goal of an Anschutz, what model does everyone use and at what price point?

What would you buy if you wanted to get a kid interested in Silhouette? The CZ would be too heavy for my children and too big.


I also enjoy 10m air pistol shooting and it's funny how pretty much the best guns for that sport also tend to be Anschutz (amongst others)!


Thanks to all,


John

bigdaddy,

Welcome, one of the places to get advice and a scope is from chicken george http://www.chickensshootingsupply.com/ he is one of us and will go the extra mile for you. I concur with the rest spend what it takes on a scope, this is your main point of failure besides the 3lbs that resides in your head. Glad to have you here, ask questions, have fun, laugh alot and never take youself to seriously, we don't.

As far as getting the kids interested, first of all make it fun. Do whatever it takes so that they might have some success. Being competitive will come in time. My 8 year old grandaughter is small of build, so I have put together a TC Contender with a 21" match barrel with wood furniture. Since the TC is a single shot break open hammer gun, it doesn't get much safer to use, it's very accurate, and is one of the most compact rigs around. The stock is easy to cut off and replace the pad, you can add back spacers as the kid gets older.

Kitty

I'm pretty new at this sport also, but I can say that I haven't had any problems with tracking with a Weaver KT-15. These can be had on Ebay for somewhere in the $150 range. They are fixed 15X magnification, and have the "duplex" reticle, which is probably not the ideal reticle for silhouette, but it works just fine for my skill level. Certainly if you can afford to spend more, by all means contact Chicken George for the best deal on a higher-end scope.

My scope settings are consistent when re-zero-ing at the various ranges we shoot at. This may be one of the cheapest "good" scopes for silhouette shooting.

I also have a CZ Varmint rifle, which I have put into one of the black synthetic CZ 452 Silhouette stocks. I don't think you will be sorry with any of the CZ choices (Varmint, American, Silhouette, Style, Trainer, etc).

My 2 cents,

SteveM.

I jumped in to the sport this year with both feet, buying an Anschutz 1712fwt and B&L 6-24 scope. Shot one match, realized I don't have time to do it seriously, and sold the rifle and scope! Pretty stupid, because people on this site told me to buy the CZ and put the extra money into ammo! I just bought a 452 American, for a hunting rifle (the Anschutz is not the greatest hunting rig), and I am impressed. The trigger will need work, but it's easy to do. If it had a trigger that equaled the Anschutz's, I think that only a Master class shooter would lose points shooting a CZ. I would, personally, get the American model, as it has two action screws that secure the action to stock, and therefore lends itself to improvement thru pillar/glass bedding more than their other models. P.S.-- Don't skimp on the scope, it's the one place where your money gets you what you pay for. As for the rifle, it's all about the shooter. Good luck.

G'Day Dig Daddy
Welcome to the wild wacky world of Silhouette. Here in Australia there are a swag of shooters using CZ's including all my daughters and sometimes myself. On thursday nights we have about 40-45 shooters turn up and 60-70% of the are using a CZ. I have not seen one that wouldn't shoot reasonable. In fact one of the two shooters who tied for Australian Champion this year uses a standard 452 in a Anshutz style stock. My son in law is buying a silhouette and after trying one I feel they would be a good choice. As to scopes buy the best you can afford!!!! If you have to save for a extra month do it, a good scope will last forever. I agree with Innocent on a variable as your hold improves you can use more power, Just make sure it tracks properly.

Most important thing just bloody enjoy yourself.
Juddy

CZ does make a youth version of the 452, I've seen several of them, they shoot good for small stocks and light guns.

Innocent

To answer your questions about Anschutz and pricing...Most shooters are using a 1712 or 54:18 or both. You'll have close to 1400 minimum in one and a few hundred more for some trick accesories.....not cheap but worth it. Timney makes a fully adjustable trigger for the CZ and there is a huge cult following of tips and tricks and other trigger mods.....As for the model get what feels best to you...I like the 2 action screws in the american but it's too light for my liking. I have the varmint with a pillar on the action screw, bedding and very sweet trigger.

Best entry level combination I can think of is a CZ Silhouette and Weaver KT15, maybe with BKL rings? Many folks prefer the 452 American or the Varmint, but any of them is a bargain. You'll want the Brooks trigger kit right away and may even want to bed the rifle, but try it first.

I'm new at the sport myself and opted for a CZ452 Style (same synthetic stock as the Silhouette model) with a Sightron SII 6-24x Target scope.

The Sightron is very repeatable and seems to have a solid reputation as a Silhouette scope. It was strongly recommended to me when I was getting started this spring.

If you can swing more money on good glass you won't regret it!

LH2 wrote:If you can swing more money on good glass you won't regret it!

Very, very true. Get the very best scope you can afford - you will not only appreciate it every time you shoot, but good glass holds value.