Not my most imaginative title, but I just mowed the yard in 100 degree heat, so I don't have the bandwidth to be clever.
The background
I've been competing in NRL22 for about a year and a half using a rimfire rifle. I qualified for the 2025 National Championship in Open class but I couldn't travel to BF Washington so I declined. I've won a few monthly matches, so I would say I know what I'm doing (I just can't always do what I know I should be doing).
More background
I've been shooting FT and EFT for 10+ years. I've had some good GP finishes, but I haven't taken it very seriously. I actually started shooting FT because I wanted to do it as practice for PRS. Due to life-stuff, it took me a decade before I got around to shooting PRS, and it's so much more interesting, I haven't been shooting FT.
Enough background, let's talk goals
The NRL National Championship for 2026 is going to be in Alabama, which is drivable for me, so I'm planning to shoot it. I'm not good enough to think I can be in the top 10 in Open or Base class, so I decided to qualify in Air Rifle class. Based on last years scores, I think I need to shoot 88% or better in 6 monthly matches to get an invite to Nationals.
The gun
I pondered what to shoot for a while and I decided to give a little local company a shot. So I received a RAW HM1000X in .22 in May. At the time due to the old NRL air rifle rules, a .22 made sense but with the new rules, I think a .25 would have been a better choice. But I've got a .22, so that's what we'll roll with. It was supposed to come in an MPA chassis, but apparently MPA is not returning our calls so we're rocking the factory chassis. It has the big plenum and the dual hammer spring that comes with the big bore guns. The butt stock is the Luth-AR MBA butt stock and I'm using the MPA EVG grip. I've added about 5 pounds of weight and a long Arca rail to the front, balance is perfect. Topping it off is a Discovery ED-PRS Gen 2. I chose this scope because it's heavy and has huge elevation range.
The tune
The good thing about the HM1000X is that it's bullet proof once you get it set up for a projectile and velocity. The bad thing about the HM1000X is getting it setup for a projectile and velocity. My last high-end PCP was a Delta Wolf, so I'm used to having micro-control over the hammer behavior and regulator pressure. So you can imagine some of the cuss words I invented when I had to de-gas and disassemble the rifle every time I wanted to adjust the regulator. And with no gauge to tell me what the adjusted pressure is, I was flying blind. I eventually settled on a pressure that turned out to be 180 bar as determined by my local RAW expert. Note that the rifle came setup for MRD pellets, which it shot great, but I'm not shooting pellets out to 100 yards in the wind. So now we are diving down the rabbit hole of slug testing.
The ammo
I'll make a long (and ongoing) story short and tell you about the 3 slugs that are working the best. Not great, but the best out of what I've tested so far. All slugs are .217 and lubed with Ballistol.
3rd place is the ZAN 33 grain slugs shooting about 975 FPS. The main issue with these is consistency. They will shoot a great group one day, and fall apart the next day.
A close second place is the H&N Heavy 34 grain slugs shooting 987 fps. They also shoot decent groups at 998 fps, but the shot cycle feels strained and jumpy.
First place is the H&N Precision 33 grains at 1001 fps. I tested these initially and I wasn't super impressed compared to the H&N Heavies, but I was running low on the Heavies so I shot the Precision slugs today with the same tune as the Heavies. Lowering the hammer spring by 1/8 of a turn really tightened the Precision slugs up, so I'm planning to shoot these at the next match.
So where we are right now is a reg pressure of 180 bar and a hammer spring turned out from lockup 1 5/16 turns shooting H&N Precision 33 grain slugs at 1001 fps with an SD of 1.6.
Side note: The Athlon Rangemaster chrono is a game changer for air rifle tuning. I 3d printed a base for it so I can attach it to my Arca rail, so there's no excuse to not know the velocity of every shot.
The progress
The first match of the 2026 season was in May. I was out of town for my match (3rd Sunday, 10am at the Arlington Sportsmen's Club, come on out) so I had to make the 3 hour trek to Abilene. The Abilene matches are usually pretty windy and they don't have a lot of protection, so it wasn't a great time for a halfway tuned air rifle. I was shooting the Zan 33grs, and they were probably shooting around 2 MOA. I wound up with 37.77 points with a score of 170 (your score divided by the high score), but I learned some stuff.
June match was at my club. I was a little more prepared, the Zans were shooting around 1.5 MOA. But the day before I shot in a huge PRS rimfire match that took 12 hours in the Texas heat. Come Sunday, I was cooked and the Give-A-Crap meter (TM) was way in the red. I squeaked out a 63.84% (302.2 score), but I seem to recall making a lot of mental errors.
The July match was last Sunday. I shot a small PRS match the day before and did pretty good, so I felt good for the Sunday match. I had a good tune for the H&N 34gr heavys that was shooting just over 1 MOA at 50 and 100 yards. I did pretty good except for one stage. Stage 3 had two small KYL targets at 40 yards and two medium KYL targets at 63 yards and a 2.5" target at 98 yards. I missed all 8 shots at the KYL targets. I was hitting left, and I stubbornly refused to make a bold correction. After the stage, I checked my zero and I was .3 mil left, so I don't think it was a wind issue. But regardless, if I would have made centimeter corrections instead of millimeter corrections, I would have hit 6 of the 8 targets, which would have won the match. I wound up with 87% (412.5 score) and a coulda-woulda-shoulda for the other 13 points. But that's progress!
I'm currently 7th in the country for Air Rifles, but once the big boys get six scores posted I'll be racing for the bottom if I don't get some better scores.
What's Next?
I'm planning to shoot the Abilene match this Sunday. I don't think I'll be able to top 87%, but I need more time on the gun, especially in tricky winds. (Your highest monthly score is used for the National Leaderboard).
I'm interested in trying the new Zan ELR slugs, I probably need to see if they will fit in the QD Fox mags I'm using. I tried the Altaros 32 grain slugs, they didn't group well for me.
I can't think of anything I need to do with the gun right now. I had the probe get stuck in the retracted position yesterday, so I took it out of the gun, blasted it with gun scrubber and oiled it. It's working fine now.
I'm waiting for Shooters Global to come out with their new level and timer combo unit. the SG Pulse Pro. They need to hurry up and take my money!
If you have any questions about why I'm doing something or not doing something, let me know.
Here's some photos. I'll post my thoughts after the Abilene match.
50 yard groups, 5 mph switchy wind
Also 50 yards, windier but less switchy
The background
I've been competing in NRL22 for about a year and a half using a rimfire rifle. I qualified for the 2025 National Championship in Open class but I couldn't travel to BF Washington so I declined. I've won a few monthly matches, so I would say I know what I'm doing (I just can't always do what I know I should be doing).
More background
I've been shooting FT and EFT for 10+ years. I've had some good GP finishes, but I haven't taken it very seriously. I actually started shooting FT because I wanted to do it as practice for PRS. Due to life-stuff, it took me a decade before I got around to shooting PRS, and it's so much more interesting, I haven't been shooting FT.
Enough background, let's talk goals
The NRL National Championship for 2026 is going to be in Alabama, which is drivable for me, so I'm planning to shoot it. I'm not good enough to think I can be in the top 10 in Open or Base class, so I decided to qualify in Air Rifle class. Based on last years scores, I think I need to shoot 88% or better in 6 monthly matches to get an invite to Nationals.
The gun
I pondered what to shoot for a while and I decided to give a little local company a shot. So I received a RAW HM1000X in .22 in May. At the time due to the old NRL air rifle rules, a .22 made sense but with the new rules, I think a .25 would have been a better choice. But I've got a .22, so that's what we'll roll with. It was supposed to come in an MPA chassis, but apparently MPA is not returning our calls so we're rocking the factory chassis. It has the big plenum and the dual hammer spring that comes with the big bore guns. The butt stock is the Luth-AR MBA butt stock and I'm using the MPA EVG grip. I've added about 5 pounds of weight and a long Arca rail to the front, balance is perfect. Topping it off is a Discovery ED-PRS Gen 2. I chose this scope because it's heavy and has huge elevation range.
The tune
The good thing about the HM1000X is that it's bullet proof once you get it set up for a projectile and velocity. The bad thing about the HM1000X is getting it setup for a projectile and velocity. My last high-end PCP was a Delta Wolf, so I'm used to having micro-control over the hammer behavior and regulator pressure. So you can imagine some of the cuss words I invented when I had to de-gas and disassemble the rifle every time I wanted to adjust the regulator. And with no gauge to tell me what the adjusted pressure is, I was flying blind. I eventually settled on a pressure that turned out to be 180 bar as determined by my local RAW expert. Note that the rifle came setup for MRD pellets, which it shot great, but I'm not shooting pellets out to 100 yards in the wind. So now we are diving down the rabbit hole of slug testing.
The ammo
I'll make a long (and ongoing) story short and tell you about the 3 slugs that are working the best. Not great, but the best out of what I've tested so far. All slugs are .217 and lubed with Ballistol.
3rd place is the ZAN 33 grain slugs shooting about 975 FPS. The main issue with these is consistency. They will shoot a great group one day, and fall apart the next day.
A close second place is the H&N Heavy 34 grain slugs shooting 987 fps. They also shoot decent groups at 998 fps, but the shot cycle feels strained and jumpy.
First place is the H&N Precision 33 grains at 1001 fps. I tested these initially and I wasn't super impressed compared to the H&N Heavies, but I was running low on the Heavies so I shot the Precision slugs today with the same tune as the Heavies. Lowering the hammer spring by 1/8 of a turn really tightened the Precision slugs up, so I'm planning to shoot these at the next match.
So where we are right now is a reg pressure of 180 bar and a hammer spring turned out from lockup 1 5/16 turns shooting H&N Precision 33 grain slugs at 1001 fps with an SD of 1.6.
Side note: The Athlon Rangemaster chrono is a game changer for air rifle tuning. I 3d printed a base for it so I can attach it to my Arca rail, so there's no excuse to not know the velocity of every shot.
The progress
The first match of the 2026 season was in May. I was out of town for my match (3rd Sunday, 10am at the Arlington Sportsmen's Club, come on out) so I had to make the 3 hour trek to Abilene. The Abilene matches are usually pretty windy and they don't have a lot of protection, so it wasn't a great time for a halfway tuned air rifle. I was shooting the Zan 33grs, and they were probably shooting around 2 MOA. I wound up with 37.77 points with a score of 170 (your score divided by the high score), but I learned some stuff.
June match was at my club. I was a little more prepared, the Zans were shooting around 1.5 MOA. But the day before I shot in a huge PRS rimfire match that took 12 hours in the Texas heat. Come Sunday, I was cooked and the Give-A-Crap meter (TM) was way in the red. I squeaked out a 63.84% (302.2 score), but I seem to recall making a lot of mental errors.
The July match was last Sunday. I shot a small PRS match the day before and did pretty good, so I felt good for the Sunday match. I had a good tune for the H&N 34gr heavys that was shooting just over 1 MOA at 50 and 100 yards. I did pretty good except for one stage. Stage 3 had two small KYL targets at 40 yards and two medium KYL targets at 63 yards and a 2.5" target at 98 yards. I missed all 8 shots at the KYL targets. I was hitting left, and I stubbornly refused to make a bold correction. After the stage, I checked my zero and I was .3 mil left, so I don't think it was a wind issue. But regardless, if I would have made centimeter corrections instead of millimeter corrections, I would have hit 6 of the 8 targets, which would have won the match. I wound up with 87% (412.5 score) and a coulda-woulda-shoulda for the other 13 points. But that's progress!
I'm currently 7th in the country for Air Rifles, but once the big boys get six scores posted I'll be racing for the bottom if I don't get some better scores.
What's Next?
I'm planning to shoot the Abilene match this Sunday. I don't think I'll be able to top 87%, but I need more time on the gun, especially in tricky winds. (Your highest monthly score is used for the National Leaderboard).
I'm interested in trying the new Zan ELR slugs, I probably need to see if they will fit in the QD Fox mags I'm using. I tried the Altaros 32 grain slugs, they didn't group well for me.
I can't think of anything I need to do with the gun right now. I had the probe get stuck in the retracted position yesterday, so I took it out of the gun, blasted it with gun scrubber and oiled it. It's working fine now.
I'm waiting for Shooters Global to come out with their new level and timer combo unit. the SG Pulse Pro. They need to hurry up and take my money!
If you have any questions about why I'm doing something or not doing something, let me know.
Here's some photos. I'll post my thoughts after the Abilene match.
50 yard groups, 5 mph switchy wind
Also 50 yards, windier but less switchy
.
