Benchrest Build Help NEEDED

M

manitou210

New member
I want to build a 30br for light class

Best lightest action should I choose.
seems most actions like Kelbys, Borden & Stillar seem to be around the 30oz +
Read about Pierce Titanium seem to be lightest but know nothing about there quality or anyone using them.

The best scope to choose,thinking of Variable power as where I shoot there is lots of mirage at times and a fixed 40 or 45x would be problems
I like my benchrest 12 to 42x Nightforce but it is very heavy need something lighter.

Bullets; Berger or others/grains?

Smith has 2 reamers available one is tight neck must neck turn brass, which I usually do anyway.

Any info is appreciated

Thanks
manitou
 
Manitou,
You will definitely get some good information from the posters here, and I am sure that you will also get some questions regarding your intended purpose of this gun.
A LV class gun has some fairly finite limitations as to action type, scope weight, and stock type.
If you will be shooting in the short range group arena or going for LV in the VFS category you will need to plan your choices carefully:
"Best" will also get lots of votes as there are many fine actions available and which will fill the bill. The three action makers that you mentioned all make excellent actions and will serve you well - any of them will also be happy to answer any questions you have regarding their actions and Kelblys and Borden will be happy to build you a gun to spec. You will be hard pressed to find a better setup than with those components and they will do all the calculating for you.

Bullets: Berger or custom get my vote every time: BIB, 10x, Hills, Euber, etc... all make match winning bullets and just depends on what your gun likes. There is a listing on the home page for bullet makers.
Scope - 10.5lb gun will most likely be left to a fixed power or a very light (expensive) variable power http://marchscopes.com/ep-zoom-36-55-x-52.html. If heavy mirage is an issue you can go with a 36x Weaver, sightron, leupold, 40x march and learn to roll with the boil.
Definitely want to turn necks.
www.accurateshooter.com has a 30br info page that will help with loads and such if you haven't shot the 30br yet.
Good luck
Mike
 
from alberta, and have HAD BUILT over 25 centerfire BR guns over the last decade, once you have had your fill of knowledge here (most know of what they speak and can start to steer you in the right direction) but may not know your "smith" like I would and other factors (what stocks are or are not available) PM me and then we can chat some evening, make a list of questions and we can methodically find your way around Jefferson
 
Manitou, which custom action is the best? They are all good. They may not be 100% perfect but they are all good. The latest rage over the last while is talk about ignition and consistent ignition. Do they all have that? Who knows. All I know is that with a bit of elbow grease, 600-2000 grit wet, and some fine rubbing compound you can POSSIBLY aid in resolving these ignition issues. Oh you may also need to add a little stiffer spring but all in all after one has been around these customs for a while and talking with the various top shooters it all becomes quite easy. Everyone will tell you that you pay top dollar for a custom action. Why is it not perfect? Reality is, time is money. It may be frustrating at times and deflating, but I am beginning to see the fun in slowly figuring out what makes these rifles tick and possibly working at it bit by bit trying to make it better and me a better tuner and shooter. Sorry for getting off topic a bit.

The lightest today that I know of is a BAT SV. Some of the guys will know better. Doc Marsh's new action may be lighter but I do not know for sure. It has not been around long but the Doc just won the first match of the year in Phoenix with it. The person who you may want to contact about this is Gary Ocock.

Personally we have some guys in Canada who I feel can build winning BR rifles but the issues is gathering all the components. I know you know all the BS with the border issues. Personally, not taking away from these guys, if I was getting into the game today I would have my first rifle built in the US and exported into Canada. You will have to add about 2-300.00 Canadian for the importation but I feel it is worth it. Most of the fellows who build theses rifles are current with what is going on in the game and what is required. These fellows handle BR rifles on a daily basis. Maybe they get tired of it but man they know what to do. When the burnout sets in, there is what is called vacation to get away from it. This is just my opinion.

Bullets, now this is where I think there is an issue in Canada. The only bullet that would be easy to bring into the country are Berger. I am fortunate that my local gun shop is probably one of,if not the,top recognized dealers of Berger bullets in Canada. When it comes to what is a good Berger bullet for a 30BR I cannot say. I would like to see some time and effort spent by Berger for a GREAT light 30 as they did for the column bullet. Then I would build a 30BR. Not that I would compete, at this time, but I would sure love to have one. Bullets are what hold me back.

I sometimes think that maybe I should start to make my own but I am not sure if I want to make the investment. If I ever plan to get into that venture the person whose name always pops into my head to learn about bullet making is Al Nyhus from SD. I assume he is like a lot of the BR shooters I have met and would be more than willing to help out a new guy. He appears to do quite well with the bullets he makes. So Al if you are reading this...................

Scopes, so many out there. Variable....... I don't know. Personally I think you got to learn that mirage is NOT always your enemy. You have to learn to shoot through it. You add so much more weight with a variable thus the need for the lightest action around. Probably,in regards to variable I would say you would be limited to a March in a LV rifle. I weight of the rifle is NOT an issue then you do what you want. For a HV then just shoot your NF's. Again just my opinion.

Living up in Canada BR is such a small venue. It is pretty tough to build a gun, shoot it, and then flip it because you realize it is not what you want or it is not working for you. I think you need to take your time with your decisions and build what you want the first time.

Good Luck
Calvin
 
Having built my own 30 LV for score shooting I have a few ideas you may want to consider. First I think about resale. When I build something for myself, I am often likly to change my mind and try something else soon after. In these cases it is nice to be able to sell what you have without it being undesireable. In my area, the BAT action is very popular and is easy to resell. In your area you should look at what others are using or desire then base many of your decisions on what is desireable for resale. Usually what others desire is based upon best performance. This is also what you want, best performance.

From my experience I can assure you that a LV 30 has a lot of recoil. Therefore, in order to keep recoil to the lightest most accurate level possible, you will want to shoot the lightest bullets that are also the most accurate. I would start with something in the 110 - 112 range. Lighter bullet moving slightly slower gives less recoil. Less recoil contributes to better accuracy in most cases. These lighter bullets are also usually made on shorter jackets. A shorter bullet will allow the use of a barrel with a slower twist, 18 - 19. Less twist equates to less rotational recoil. Your gun rides the bags better, resulting in better accuracy. Also using a faster burning powder will help keep most of the blast in the barrel instead of out past the barrel. I believe that less recoil results when more of the powder is consumed inside the barrel and there is less muzzel blast.

It is very desireable to have as much weight in the barrel as possible. More barrel mass provides a better heat sink for the heat being built up as more shots are fired. I would want components that are light enough so that a HV barrel can be used, even if it has to be a bit shorter. The extra diameter in a HV barrel assures the slowest possible heat build up, and thus less variation between the first few shots and the last shots fired.

The lightest scopes that I have had excellent results with is the Weaver 36. I like the silver because if my rifle is in the sun for a period, the heat on the scope does not build up as quickly as it will with a black scope. I always worry that point of impact could change because my scope goes from sun hitting it to the shade at the bench. I also like the dot in the Weaver because it is just the right size for aiming in the score targets. If I am shooting group, I bracket the mothball, which is done more precisely with the dot reticule because the cross wires that hold the dot are very fine. An added feature is the price of the Weaver is very reasonable. The Weaver is very light, good quality, durable, and low priced.

Another important feature is the stock. I like a long stock that is low profile. I make my own stocks, so I don't know a lot about what is available and at what price. For you, weight is going to be a very important factor. You will need to ask a lot of questions in this catagory. I would start with a call to Kelbly's. They make a lot of different stock models and their prices are reasonable. You may want to consider a stock that does not need to be painted. Paint is expensive and it adds weight.

Kelbly's also makes the Stolle action, which is made of aluminum, which is a bit lighter. Again regarding the action, lighter weight will allow more weight to be left in the barrel.

Use the best possible trigger, but find out about the weight. I prefer Jewell triggers.

I hope this information is helpful.

Larry
 
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