Gear

Match Gear & Competition Essentials

Support bags, bipods, data holders, chronographs and range-day kit for NRL22 and PRS Rimfire. Prices were checked on maker pages (or a named seller where flagged) on the date shown.

Some links may be affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you (disclosure). Prices are as listed on the date shown and change often; we don't track stock. We haven't tested this gear hands-on.

1. Support bags & plates

Shell: Armageddon Gear sells the Shmedium Game Changer in waxed canvas and in nylon Cordura^[1]. Armageddon also sells a reconditioning wax for its waxed-canvas bags^[1]. We found no maker test comparing grip or wear between the two, so pick on feel and climate. Fill: fill sets the weight. The Shmedium is about 10 lb heavy, 5 lb with standard beads, or 1.2 lb with SpexLite; the SpexLite version costs more ($139.99 vs $114.99)^[1]. Heavy fill settles into props; light fill is easier to carry between stages. Armageddon offers SpexLite on the OG bag too^[2].

WieBad: the maker now sells the Fortune Cookie as Micro ($95), Mini ($115) and Max ($135), plus X versions^[3]. The original "DRC Fortune Cookie" ($79.99) still shows up at retailers^[4]. Bridge plates: Gray Ops CNC makes bag-riding Arca plates (Mini Gun Plate V2, AMP ELITE). We found no standalone Area 419 bridge plate; Area 419's closest product is the RailChanger, a bag with a rail made with Armageddon Gear^[5].

2. Bipods

Mounting: Arca rails let a bipod slide fore and aft and lock anywhere along the rail; Picatinny is the common lever-mount standard; M-LOK slots take an adapter (Arca or Picatinny section) bolted to the forend. The CKYE-POD Gen3 head fits both Arca and Picatinny^[6]; Atlas lever models mount to Picatinny^[7]; the Harris S-BRM clamps to a sling-swivel stud^[9]. Correction: the Atlas BT46 is a PSR-series bipod, not CAL; the CAL equivalent is the BT65^[8][7].

3. On-gun data & leveling

A data holder keeps your DOPE in view without breaking position. A bubble level is cheap and needs no battery; an electronic level such as MDT's SEND iT Gen2 lights up when you're level so you can keep your eye in the scope. A throw-lever clamp lets you move a bipod between rifles or rail positions without tools. Parallax: rimfire targets can be close, so check a scope's minimum parallax setting; the Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50 FFP, for example, adjusts from 10 yd^[10]. The MDT M-LOK Data Card Holder is no longer on MDT's US site; the price below is from a seller^[15]. Print a free card from our downloads.

4. Chronographs & solvers

The Garmin Xero C1 Pro is a compact Doppler radar unit that sits beside the rifle instead of mounting to the barrel or requiring you to shoot through sky screens^[11][12]. A solver like the Kestrel 5700 Ballistics combines weather readings with a ballistic calculator^[14]. Aerodynamic jump: in a U.S. Army study of Eley Tenex match .22 LR, crosswind produced a vertical shift (aerodynamic jump) of about 1 part vertical to 4 parts horizontal at 50 m; McCoy suggests 1 click of elevation per 4 clicks of windage (add for left windage, subtract for right) for that ammunition^[13]. That figure is for one ammo type and range; confirm it on your own targets. Run your numbers with the ballistics calculator.

5. Range day

Use a chamber flag made for rimfire. We verified TANDEMKROSS and MDT flags; we couldn't find Carm or TapOut rimfire chamber flags (searches for "TapOut" return an automotive tuning company). Check your match's rules on flags.

Some links may be affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you (disclosure). Prices are as listed on the date shown and change often; we don't track stock. We haven't tested this gear hands-on.

Related: Builder essentials · NRL22 Base calculator · competitions · all gear

Sources

1. Armageddon Gear Shmedium Game Changer page (materials, fills, weights)
2. Armageddon Gear OG Game Changer page (standard vs SpexLite fill)
3. WieBad Fortune Cookie range (maker)
4. DI Precision listing: WieBad DRC Fortune Cookie, $79.99
5. Area 419 ARCALOCK system products
6. MDT CKYE-POD Gen3 Single Pull page
7. B&T Industries: Atlas CAL series
8. B&T Industries: BT46-LW17 (PSR series)
9. Harris S-BRM page
10. Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50 FFP specs (parallax 10 yd to infinity)
11. Garmin Xero C1 Pro product page
12. Garmin Xero C1 owner's manual
13. R. L. McCoy, BRL-MR-3877 (1990), .22 LR match ammunition flight (Eley Tenex)
14. Kestrel 5700 Ballistics with LiNK page
15. Creedmoor Sports: MDT M-LOK Data Card Holder