Great Rifle Choices For Competition

Benefits of the AR-15

The AR-15 is one of the most common and popular rifles on the market today. With countless companies manufacturing them in various lengths, calibers, and configurations, it can sometimes be tricky just picking one for your perfect competition rifle setup. When it comes to the AR market, the number of companies making aftermarket parts and upgrades allows someone to build a rifle that is specifically tailored to them. Whether it is a captured buffer spring, adjustable gas block, or muzzle device that makes the rifle shoot flatter, these rifles can be customized almost unlimitedly.

Another huge benefit of the AR platform is the ergonomics of the rifle and how easy it is to fire. Whether it's charging the rifle, changing the magazine, or hitting the bolt release to chamber a new round, the AR platform can be used by almost everyone without having a size constraint. Many people have trouble with some rifles because they can become front-heavy or hard to manipulate, but the AR-15 is certainly not one of them. Combining the modularity, ease of use, and availability of the AR-15 means it's a fantastic choice for shooters just getting into competition shooting with a rifle.

Some Great Alternatives

Although the AR platform is one of the most common rifles on the market, there are plenty of other fantastic options out there for competition shooters. We won't get into some of the less-than-ideal choices when it comes to competition firearms since that's its own article coming down the road here in the next few weeks. These four options listed below are the ones I have experience with and they are all fantastic options when it comes to alternative rifles to the AR-15.

Galil ACE

When it comes to a capable rifle with some great ergonomics and good weight balance, we have to talk about the IWI Galil ACE line of rifles. The 556 version of this rifle offers a ton of benefits and features that make shooting as well as reloading extremely fast without having to learn an entirely new system. The grip-mounted safety allows for fast acquisition and engagement. The left-side charging handle makes changing the rifle really fast when a bolt-locked reload is required.

X95 Rifle

A rather unconventional choice is the X95, but when it comes to competitors, it can be a great choice. Bullpup-style rifles oftentimes have a steeper learning curve since they are typically harder to learn with features specific to that particular rifle most times. Bullpups have their action and movement behind the trigger, which makes these rifles very compact, but things like reloading and manipulating the bolt can be a learning process that takes some trial and error.

Having the action behind the trigger guard also allows the gun to be considerably shorter while having a 16" barrel, which allows for a small package that can reach out to 500-600 yards while having an overall short length. This allows you to keep the weight by your shoulder instead of away from your body, which cuts down on fatigue and allows a shooter to have more stability for a longer period, which can help with multiple stages. It may not be on the minds of many competitive shooters, but it's certainly a rifle with a ton of advantages compared to other options on the market.

Overall Thoughts

There are countless options when it comes to competition rifles, but making sure you have a reliable, lightweight rifle that will be able to perform is most important. There are options for all budgets out there and if you need to piece together a rifle over time, that's also an option, but having a rifle you can depend on is one of the most important parts of succeeding in competition. The AR-15 is probably one of the easiest and most common choices out there, but that certainly doesn't mean it's the only choice. In my experience, there are several other options out there that allow competitors to excel in the competition shooting world.

What are some of your favorite rifles to compete with? I would love to hear your thoughts and experience with your rifle in the comments below. If you have questions about rifles or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you in the next one.