Need direction for first purchase

S

seasterl

Guest
I'm not new to shooting (been doing it for thirty years), but I would like to buy my first benchrest rifle and get more serious about target shooting. The NRA range I belong to has a 600-yard range and nice facilities where I used to shoot air guns and field targets. I'm wanting to buy my first benchrest rifle, but I'm unsettled about which caliber to use. I understand some calibers have been designed for Benchrest (with an uppercase "B") like the "BR" calibers and "PPC" as well as those commonly found over-the-counter in "match grade" factory ammo like .223 and .308. No doubt, there are competitive shooters using other calibers, as well. I already have a Remington Custom Shop ABG in .338RUM, and so I was considering getting a Remington Custom Shop 40XB-KS in the same caliber for 600-yard work, but it would be pricey. So I was starting to consider the .222Rem, .223Rem, and .243Rem in case I wanted to take advantage of low-priced bulk ammo for general shooting with the rifle. Should I consider the commonly-found calibers like these, or should I give more consideration to the dedicated calibers like 6BR, 6PPC, 7BR, etc.? I realize that in order to get the most accuracy, I'll need to get dies made for my rifle and reload cartridges specific to my rifle. I just wasn't sure if there would be any merit to buying something in .243, .222, or .223 due to the abundance of bullet selection. In all likelihood, even if I did go with, e.g., a .243, would I find myself unhappy with the performance of most of those bullets as they paled in comparison to the best accuracy bullets? (I suppose if the occasion arose to do some varmit hunting that I could be just as successful with something like a dedicated BR bullet, too). Lastly, what about the rifle? I'm tempted to get something from the Remington Custom Shop, but I'm gussing most guys here are shooting $5k+ customs. Any advice or direction would be great. I've read Glenn Newick's book a while back and I feel I'm more of a Benchrest guy at heart and practice and the way I approach the game, I just need to get caught up more since I haven't been shooting since I got married and we have a kid now (so it's been several years). Sorry to ramble, but comments most welcome!
 
Your best bet might be to go to one of the events you'd like to compete in, and see what the top shooters are using.

You definitely don't have to spend anywhere close to $5K on a rifle to be competitive, and if you don't mind starting with a used rifle you probably won't have to spend more than $1500-$2000 for a rifle (not counting scope) that will let you get back in the game and not feel handicapped by the equipment.

Toby Bradshaw
baywingdb@comcast.net
 
You do not say where you are in the country/world. If you would break down and post where you are? Folks will come and tell you where to go to see BR in action, get acquainted with the locale folks, shoot their rifles, have fun and most importantly of all, ask questions. No other discipline in shooting will go further to infect you with the BR madness and help with your new addiction.

Don't spend one dime until you get acquainted with the shooters. It's just a wild stretch of the imagination I know, but some one you might meet, will have a direction and help you spend money on a good used BR rifle.:D
 
6 br

If your going to get serious get youself a 6mmBR and don't look back. You don't need custom dies, Reddings are available off the shelf. The 2 most important things are finding a BR gunsmith to build it and using Lapua brass.
You can go with a no turn chamber or tigthten things up a bit.
I can't get mine to shoot poorly. You'd also be good to go out to 600 yards.
223s, 243s and 222s can't hold a candle to this round.
The PPCs will hang with it up to 200 yards, after that the BR will shine.
www.6mmbr.com
 
Thanks for the very helpfuls posts. Last night I dusted off Newick's book and started reading it again, and he was really pushing the PPC over the BR. Even though I haven't decided between those two (thanks, Twud, for your advice on that), Newick did remind me why the commonly-found calibers like .222, .223, .243, and so one should be ruled out. Of course, at the time of the writing of his book, maybe they were still doing a little more homework on the flash hole a primer combinations. Anyway, Newick's best advice was just as you guys said already, and to make the first BR rifle something chambered in a PPC or BR, etc. rather than the common rounds like .222, etc.,... just in case I ever wanted to sell it and to save time by not having to reinvent the wheel of accuracy by pouring money into something, only to find the PPC, etc. more accurate to begin with. Thanks, guys. BTW, I live in Central FL.
 
BR gun

You have gotten some good answers, but I have shot a 6PPC and 30BR at 600 and both will hold their own if you are not expecting to win on a regular basis,but will be able to shoot in the upper half of the class.
The advantage in buying one of these calibers is if you club shoots short range BR in both Score and Group you are ready to compete with the best.
If you only want to shoot 600 then look a gun in 6BR,it will not let you down.
Nick
 
manatee match

is not too far from tampa and guys will start to gather this weekend. the custom rifles cost a lot less than you think they do.
 
I vaguely recall reading about the 7BR. Is this a caliber I should consider if my range does most of its competitions at 600 yards? Also, I already have a Remington Custom Shop (not benchrest, though) in .338RUM. Is there any merit to using this rifle for the the 600-yard competition, or even considering the round for a future benchrest setup, or should I abandon that idea altogether. There are several guys in my area that keep buying up all the brass for .338RUM, and I suspect it's for that very purpose. Of course, that doesn't make them right, but I have read about the .338Lapua being used for sniping and other target work. If another caliber will be better in the long run, then I'll do the right thing and not chase this .338RUM rabbit.
 
Dual purpose

"Dual purpose competition rifle" is an oxymoron. Evidence of dual purpose rifles can be found at the extremes of a bell curve and written on cave walls. If you find yourself serious about two or three disciplines, then you'll need two or three rifles. Within any seriousness, you will also find a curious passion that forsakes all others. Varmint hunting, plinking, and such quickly become things you once did and now others do. At this stage, cheap/bulk ammunition are gone from your thoughts as well as the Remington custom shop.

We have all been where you are now. Don't spend a dime until you know what you're doing. Don't assume you know what you're doing until you go see it for yourself. If you can't find the time to go or think it's too far, there's not enough motivation to continue with the uppercase "B" line of thought. It's gonna be that far every time.
 
Thanks for the words of wisdom, Wilbur. I know that you are right. I just needed the encouragement to rule out that "rabbit." I have a lot of respect for the game and want to stay on track. I won't spend any money on it until I can see it in action and talk to key players in my area that compete. For the time being, though, you guys are it for me. There's more wealth of wisdom and knowledge here than I'll find at just one local match. I think I just leave the .338RUM rifle that I have now as just what it is, an accurized hunting rifle. But BTW, what purpose would a caliber like that (or any of the high-powder-capacity big-caliber bullets) serve in this sport? Is it for when the bullet is hitting something other than paper and actually needs to bring about some effect (like sniping)? Sorry for the silly questions, but I do appreciating getting set straight early on about this. I'm not a "sniper" and hope I never turn into one, and I don't believe in hunting game at those long distances, and feel that the best thing to do at long range is to just hit a basic target (not to kill anything).

One other thing,... it sounds like the Remington 700 or 40XB action must be the equivalent of Kimber and more of a semi-custom that gets marketed a lot. What actions and builders are out there than build BR rifles that compete at the prices of the bigger manufacturers. I'd like to check out their websites and read up on them, and give them a call. It would be better to spend just a little more and start off with a superior rifle.
 
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Wilbur is right. There is no such thing as a dual purpose round. However, if you want to shoot both short range and medium (600 yd) you can use the same platform (action, stock trigger, etc) with different barrels. Get a action that can pull both ppc and 308 brass and will eject both (if you want a ejector) and just switch barrels and weight in the butt and you won't leave anything on the table. If I was you and your just starting. Start with short range and a ppc so you can learn wind flags and see the bullet move on the target. That knowledge will only make you a better long range shot by shortening some of the learning curve.

Believe it or not. You can have what I just described (new gun/two barrels), rest, bags and loading gear and come in way under 5000.oo and probably about he same as a Remington custom shop 40X.


Hovis
 
Thanks, HovisKM. I think I'll steer clear of the Remington stuff for a first-time benchrest rifle. I just off the phone with Mike Ratigan to order a book and he gave me some contact info for a guy he knows in my area that I can follow up with. He was great to speak with, and he's even going to send me a signed copy of his book. Unfortunately, you guys already bought up all of his hardcopies and I'm stuck with a softback, but I guess your advice is worth the difference. :) At any rate, Mike confirmed Newick's advice to start with a 6PPC (esp. since it'll be a first-time purchase), so I'm good with that. Now all I have to do is find someone selling a nice used rifle and get it rebarreled. What length, twist, and weight should I be looking for. I already have a Bausch & Lomb Elite 4000 6-24x40mm scope that worked great for me when shooting air rifles, so I'm very comfortable with it. I'll have to verify it's weight, though, so I can still make weight. I don't want to start with a rifle that will be too heavy out of the gate.

Just a little off-topic, but Mike asked me if I was right-handed, and he quickly mentioned something about right-hand bolt, left-hand feed, and I recall seeing a beautiful red custom rifle and it was designed that way. Does this make the action less stiff, or is it compenstated by not having a magazine? I would have no problem with a standard action of right-hand bolt and feed, but wondering if the practice of using both hands is advantageous.
 
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