Ringing steel is a blast, especially when you are racing the clock at Steel Challenge matches. Doing it with a rimfire firearm just takes it to the next level. The speed at which you can engage the plates with a rimfire pistol makes the hair stand up on your neck and gives you goose bumps. Taking out a .22 pistol to plink with is fun, and you can do that with just about any version of .22 pistol out there—but when it comes to racing a pistol in Steel Challenge and Rimfire Events, then you may want to check out what Precision Defense has to offer.
If you are used to the feel of the high-capacity, 1911-style of handguns that dominate in USPSA and other shooting sports, then picking up a Precision Defense rimfire racegun is going to feel like you are at home. The guns are built in the 2011 pattern with a modular frame, metal grip and fitted slide. This is an Open racegun but it shoots .22 Long Rifle. What’s not to love here?
The guns are packed with features that set them apart from other rimfire handguns. Make no mistake, these are not .22 conversion kits, either. Precision Defense makes most of the parts in-house for their builds in Lancaster, Ohio. They start with 4140 steel to machine the frames. From there, 7075 aluminum billet is employed to machine the slides and the grips for all builds. The barrels are also machined in-house using 4140 steel.
These parts are fit together and finished with the Doug Koenig ignition kits that consist of the hammer, sear and disconnector. An EGW hammer strut is used with a Wolff main spring. The triggers are tuned just like a regular competition racegun, but are designed to use rimfire ammunition. The thumb safeties are nice and wide with extended shield from Double Tap, and Cheely grip screws are used to secure the grip to the frame. In addition, the attached magazine wells are machined from 7075 aluminum.
The raceguns are offered currently in the five-inch “Shorty” (as pictured) or a six-inch “Classic” model. The “Shorty” weighs around 38 ounces, and the “Classic” is a just little heavier at 40 ounces. Both models are offered with a standard-style aluminum optic frame mount that has several patterns to accommodate most optics. The guns are amazing to shoot and are extremely accurate. They are built to race.
One of the most innovative features that is available is the Precision Defense Quick Release Optic Mount. Chet Whistle (the man behind the madness and CWA Firearms that is now Precision Defense) debuted this mounting system in 2023 at the World Speed Shooting Championship. Over the last year, Chet has continued to perfect the design, and it is now available as a regular offering from Precision Defense. The design allows the shooter the choice of having an iron-sighted rimfire racegun or, with a quick change, an optics-sighted pistol. Yes, with a simple on and off lever that takes less than 20 seconds, you can switch from Rimfire Pistol Open to Rimfire Pistol Irons—one gun, two divisions.
The steel rail that mounts to the frame mates with a male dovetail that is machined into it. This mount also is pre-drilled for holes to mount a thumb rest that is aluminum. The optic mount has the female dovetail machined into it and slides over the male rail. The mount has multiple hole patterns to accept most optic footprints. This is designed to allow the optic to hold zero, and comes with a hard case for storage while not in use. The entire setup is very impressive and really makes this gun an ideal setup for those that are shooting the two rimfire pistol divisions.
As Precision Defense continues to grow, so are the planned future offerings. There is going to be a basic version of the gun that should be available after the first of the year. The basic model will not have the racker, compensator, thumb rest or offer any additional custom work, but will have a two- to four-week turnaround. There is a planned gun builder page that will allow for you to spec out and have your own custom gun built. These will take a little longer with a planned eight- to 12-week turnaround, and all parts will be Cerakoted. Right now they are working on getting everything set up and have the website with all offerings in the near future.
Chet let me borrow his personal racegun to shoot at the World Speed Shooting Championship earlier this year, and I followed it up shooting Rimfire Pistol Open at Area 5. I went and, between those two matches, set eight “personal best” records in the division for a combined total time of 78.41 seconds on the eight stages of Steel Challenge. If you are in the market for a rimfire racegun, get ahold of Chet Whistle at Precision Defense. Go to precisiondefense.us.
Article from the November/December 2024 issue of USPSA’s magazine.
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