Benchmark vs Shilen ratchet

K

kevin1

New member
Hello everyone,
I need to choose a barrel for a custom build 22lr and would like to ask for your opinion.
This will be used for target shooting and weight is not an issue.
The build will be with a CZ455 action, factory Varmint stock, and a Basix trigger.

I need to choose between one of these barrels. All slug well:

Benchmark .900" 3 groove or .920 2 groove
Shilen ratchet rifled .850 or .900 blank

Which barrel would you choose?

Thank you
 
Last edited:
The Shilen Rachet I have is more predictable in the wind & overall my better shooting barrel. Could be any # of reasons why & I'm sure others will have some different thoughts.
Good luck with whatever you choose.

Keith
 
Well it sounds like you have physical access to four blanks. "Slugs well" is not enough, one will likely slug best. If you're not experienced enough to tell, try and get help.
In the absence of any further testing, I suspect most would pick the .900" Shilen......they tend to be more predictable quality wise.
 
Last edited:
"Slugs well" are my words. My builder's words were that it slugs perfectly and the blanks are stellar. He's the one who has access to the blanks and has the knowledge to examine them. If all barells slug perfectly, which one would you choose?
 
Last edited:
I'd go for

the three grove Benchmark. A friend from the Midwest sez they are popular where he comes from and he uses them. I've not tried one yet but may at some point.

Pete
 
kevin1 said:
"Slugs well" are my words. My builder's words were that it slugs perfectly and the blanks are stellar. He's the one who has access to the blanks and has the knowledge to examine them. If all barells slug perfectly, which one would you choose?
Click to expand...

Well I personally have never seen four barrels in one place that would slug " perfectly" nor has any gunsmith I ever used and I'd be more than a little skeptical of yours, in particular if he checked them and wants you to pick. If he does not have, at the very minimum, a strong suspicion on that I propably think I'd have two options........find another guy or the .900" Shilen.
 
Pete Wass

Do as he says he never used a Benchmark 3 grove but in the mid west they are popular. You can't beat this logic. He has more posts than most. Must be a winner. The water in Maine could be suspect.
 
My logic:

GordonE said:
Do as he says he never used a Benchmark 3 grove but in the mid west they are popular. You can't beat this logic. He has more posts than most. Must be a winner. The water in Maine could be suspect.
Click to expand...

This lad is pretty high in the Hall of Fame and I ain't. Just sayin. The Ratchet I last bought had a big tool mark in the front end of it. Unfortunately a "Gunsmith" fitted it and sent it to me after it had been shot a bunch, before I saw it. Just sayin. Must be something in the coolant in Texas I guess, eh?

Pete
 
Last edited:
First, I think it makes sense to not exceed the 0.900” contour. On my AIAT the 24” 308 barrel is 0.91” at the muzzle. I can’t imagine going thicker than that on a 22lr walnut varmint stock…..Even on my Anschutz heavy barrel the muzzle is only 0.857” and I find that pretty thick already (that’s why I was even considering going with a 0.850” muzzle for the build).
But I think I’ll go with the 0.900” contour for this rifle.
The builder has slugged both barrels (0.900 Benchmark 3 groove and 0.900 Shilen Ratchet). They are both perfect. I trust what he says. BTW the rifle will be guaranteed to shoot 0.2” or better at 50Y.
I just wanted to get an input from the bench rest community on some characteristics such as resistance to wind, accuracy, ease of cleaning, etc…
It seems to me that both of these barrels should be a good choice and one isn’t necessarily better than the other.
 
You need to realize that a guarantee of .200" is not realistic using the best components available, even twice that of .400" cannot be guaranteed. You need to look at the 40 shot Eley tunnel record....
 
Tom W said:
You need to realize that a guarantee of .200" is not realistic using the best components available, even twice that of .400" cannot be guaranteed. You need to look at the 40 shot Eley tunnel record....
Click to expand...

Kevin1,

Tom W., is one of the best RFBR gunsmiths in the USA and a top notch shooter in major rimfire competitions. What he stated above is correct.

Of the four barrel options you mentioned ... fitted to a CZ455 action in a Varmit stock, I would suggest going with the .850" Shilen Ratchet barrel, as it would be slightly lighter in weight.

I personally have not had good results with a Benchmark 3 groove barrel, that I had previously installed on one of my RFBR competition rifles. But, some shooters speak very highly of them!
 
Tom and center22… Thank you for elaborating on the accuracy guarantee.

I misspoke. The guarantee isn’t 0.2”. It’s in the 0.2s
Another point to consider is that most people (including myself) that are not from the bench rest community, don’t correctly measure our groups.

I shot the below target with a factory Anschutz 54 Sporter. This is indoor at 50Y. Instead of subtracting the nominal value (0.220), I should have subtracted the actual bullet size on this target (around 0.180).The actual group sizes on this target should be increased by 0.04” (0.220-0.180).
But no matter how this is measured, this sporter is shooting in the low 0.3s. I was thinking shooting in the 0.2s for a custom gun with a heavy barrel would be realistic.

center22, given that this is target gun and weight is not an issue, why do you think that going lighter is a better choice?


 
Last edited:
My humble opinion would be a little less stress from cantilevering on that smaller receiver in the tenon area, given a free float barrel.
 
kevin1 said:
Tom and center22… Thank you for elaborating on the accuracy guarantee.

I misspoke. The guarantee isn’t 0.2”. It’s in the 0.2s
Another point to consider is that most people (including myself) that are not from the bench rest community, don’t correctly measure our groups.

I shot the below target with a factory Anschutz 54 Sporter. This is indoor at 50Y. Instead of subtracting the nominal value (0.220), I should have subtracted the actual bullet size on this target (around 0.180).The actual group sizes on this target should be increased by 0.04” (0.220-0.180).
But no matter how this is measured, this sporter is shooting in the low 0.3s. I was thinking shooting in the 0.2s for a custom gun with a heavy barrel would be realistic.

center22, given that this is target gun and weight is not an issue, why do you think that going lighter is a better choice?


Click to expand...


Kevin,
This will be my last comment here but what these nice gentlemen are trying to tell you is that you, apparantly, are dealing with a bulls..t artist, pure and simple. Nobody worth a damn in the BR community would ever even consider the terms perfect or guarantee even with the best available componants of which you do not posess.
 
Thanks for your suggestions of using a lighter profile barrel.
I’ve made up my mind. I’ll go with the Shilen ratchet .850 straight and a length of 24”
I looked at the list of equipment that top competitors are using and Shilen has much more presence than Benchmark.
The 0.850 straight seems just a better fit for the factory varmint walnut stock…. Especially when you go with 24” length.
BTW, this is not going to be a BR rifle. It’s just for informal target shooting (prone or bench) and hitting steel at 100-200Y.
 
Pete,
What did Shilen tell you when you called them?

kevin1, I think you made a good choice with the Shilen. You may want to use a different measuring device.
 
Long story Butch

Butch Lambert said:
Pete,
What did Shilen tell you when you called them?

kevin1, I think you made a good choice with the Shilen. You may want to use a different measuring device.
Click to expand...

which I will share with you elsewhere if you will PM me or email me.

Pete
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top