benchrest action value ?

2

.222 ND

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The most accurate rifle ever to punctuate the stillness of the Houston Warehouse happened to be Virgil King’s own 10 1/2-pound Light Varmint benchrest rifle. The rifle was built around an action made to Virgil’s specifications by Houston shooter Wilbur Cooper, a mechanical engineer, master machinist and fanatical perfectionist. The action was machined from #416 stainless steel and had an integral sleeve extending 5/8" forward around the barrel, but not touching it, to provide additional bedding surface. Virgil said the tolerances were held so close in this action that he estimated, as an example, that the clearance between the bolt and boltway measured perhaps a minuscule .0001" on all sides. Consequently, simply inserting the bolt took a measure of concentration. The rest of the article here.
http://www.angelfire.com/ma3/max357/houston.html
Can anyone tell me what the value of the Wilbur Cooper action described here. I have one that has never been used.
 
Not That Much

A good friend of mine has one. It's probaly worth what a 40X Action is worth, maybe $600, if you can find someone that wants it.

The Houston Warehouse has little, if anything, to do with the real world of Benchrest .........jackie
 
Real world

Many landmark discoveries in the world of benchrest shooting were made in the Houston warehouse that are still being used today...............Eric
 
Benchrest is an activity of incremental improvements. Those increments have occurred over a period of several decades. For example, the move from the 219 to the 222, to the 22 PPC to the 6PPC. From initial bullet shapes to the ones used today. From crude brass prep to turned necks to really close diameter control we strive for today. The Houston Warehouse pointed out many of these increments that are strived for today in places like the Beggs tunnel and others.
 
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.222 ND said:
Many landmark discoveries in the world of benchrest shooting were made in the Houston warehouse that are still being used today...............Eric
Click to expand...

A lot of water has gone under the bridge, and a lot of advances in the world of action building have occurred since 1983. It may have been an outstanding almost one of a kind action back then, it is an average at best action now. Oh and also BR shooters are not collectors who think certain old rifles are highly valuable we are willing to pay more for something innovative and new if we really think it is an advancement.
 
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