Rimfire precision shooting is a serious discipline — and the right barrel, action, and ammo matter more than most people expect. Here's how to build a .22LR that competes at the top level .22LR precision shooting has exploded in popularity over the past decade. International and national-level competitions, NRL22, and dedicated rimfire PRS matches have created a serious demand for purpose-built rimfire rigs — and a barrel that's just "good enough" stops being good enough fast when the competition heats up. Here's what makes a winning .22LR setup.

Why Rimfire Precision Is More Demanding Than It Looks

The .22LR cartridge seems simple — it's a small, slow rimfire round that's been around for over a century. But that simplicity cuts both ways. The low velocities mean wind drift is significant, tiny aiming errors get amplified at 100m+, and the variation between ammunition lots can be the difference between a clean run and a frustrating one. At the top level, the rifle, barrel, and ammo all have to be dialed in together. The margin for error is slim.

The Action: Start With a Solid Foundation

A precision .22LR rig starts with a quality action. The Deuce 2.0 from IBI is built on a full-sized Remington 700 footprint, which means you have access to a wide range of chassis and stock options designed for centerfire competition rifles. A quality .22LR action with a tight bolt fit and repeatable lockup is foundational. The 700 footprint also means if you're already shooting a 700-pattern centerfire rig, you're training on familiar controls. That consistency matters.

The Barrel: Where Accuracy Lives

For a rimfire setup, the barrel is where the most performance variation happens. .22LR bullets leave the case unsupported — they're seated in the case with minimal force and driven by a rimfire priming compound. Any variation in how the bullet enters and travels the bore affects where it goes. A quality rimfire pre-fit barrel like our rimfire pre-fit options are precision-reamed, hand-lapped, and profiled for use in competition builds. At IBI, we spec a 1:16 & 1:14 twist for our rimfire barrels — the standard that works across the full range of quality .22LR match ammunition.

Ammo: The Variable You Can't Ignore

​Your .22LR barrel will shoot some ammunition better than others. It's not a flaw — it's a characteristic of rimfire shooting. The same lot of ammunition will group better in some barrels and not as well in others. This is why lot testing is such an important practice for serious rimfire competitors. You're not just picking a brand — you're finding the specific lot of ammunition your barrel prefers, then buying enough of that lot to last a season. 

The Chassis, Scope, and Pulling It Together

​Since the Deuce 2.0 uses a 700 footprint, you have full access to the wide world of precision rifle chassis — AICS, MDT, KRG, Manners, McMillan. For optics, parallax adjustment to 25–50m is important. High magnification helps you call shots on paper targets. Many rimfire competitors run 25–50× scopes for 50m/100m matches. A winning rimfire build comes down to: a precise, repeatable action → a quality hand-lapped barrel → lot-tested ammunition that the barrel likes → a stable platform to shoot from. Skip one of those pillars and you'll be chasing accuracy that isn't there.