One barrel for LV/HV matches

BORDERGHOST

New member
I have a Nesika C 6ppc RB/LP action glued into a carbon fiber Scoville stock with a 40x scope , I have a LV/HV barrel for this gun plus it has the weight system in the butt with different weights . I only shoot for fun at the matches , I would like to have this gun with just one barrel to use for both classes , save me changing barrels and loading for 2 different barrels .
QUESTION - If I was to do this , would I make the barrel weight as heavy as I can to make LV class with out the weight system in the butt , and add the weight to the butt to get it up to HV class , make barrel longer or stay short and heavy .
is this a waste of time/$$ so stay with switching barrels at matches ,
Any advise good/bad on this subject would be great .
thx

Thanks for the input/advise on the above subject :
Have ordered two LV contour barrels
Have a Farley co axle rest / edge wood bags / wind flags / custom reamer and all the other goodies for the sport and I have a 2 bench heated shooting hut with a 500 yard shooting distance .
Thanks again guys for your replys.
 
Last edited:
As light as rifle components weigh these days it is way easier to build a good light varmint that shoots than it used to be. A properly set up light varmint rifle will shoot as well as a heavy. A 5 lb barrel that is 21 - 23 in long will work fine and just add enough weight to get the gun to behave well in the bags. As long as the rifle does not weigh over 10.5 lb you are fine to shoot either class, as long as all the other rules are met.
 
Go with a light and experiment with the weights. I prefer to make a large tungsten weight for mine. 4oz just aint much
 
Oh and make it a light with the small weight in it so you can take it out for differing scales or scopes
 
Build a near max LV weight (10# 5 oz- 10# 7oz) out of good components, built by a winning quality gunsmith. Get your own reamer. Get used to the gun and practice, practice and practice some more. Pick a good scope and get used to this. When that barrel starts to go get another with that same reamer by the same gunsmith.

If you try to find the "best" by changing barrel brands, etc., you are just coing to confuse yourself. If you have limited funds, stay basic and practice over wind flags.

If you have megabucks, get several guns built even by many winning gunsmiths, but pick one of those many guns and practice, practice, and use wind flags.

Stay curious and enjoy!!!
 
Once upon a time, 13.5lb rifles shot better overall than 10.5lb rifles. That ain't hardly true anymore. Get yourself a good shooting 10.5lb rifle and don't touch it....with a weight or anything else. If you don't win now and then, it's not shooting competitively. Try something else, such as selling that rifle and getting another one. Don't waste your time with a rifle that won't win. Maybe a minute or two, but not three or four.

And....+3
 
Once upon a time, 13.5lb rifles shot better overall than 10.5lb rifles. That ain't hardly true anymore. Get yourself a good shooting 10.5lb rifle and don't touch it....with a weight or anything else. If you don't win now and then, it's not shooting competitively. Try something else, such as selling that rifle and getting another one. Don't waste your time with a rifle that won't win. Maybe a minute or two, but not three or four.

And....+3

Having traveled a fair bit Internationally, weight is always a problem when saddled with 23 Kg (around 50 pounds) limits on some airlines.
I have been to a number of WBC's over the years and have always taken my best LV barrel, and that's it.
Yes, you do take the chance of that barrel turning sour for whatever reason, but it has never happened this date.
And you don't just take an extra barrel, remember...there is always the extra cases and barrel changing gear to haul.
Besides, when you have utmost confidence in your one barrel outfit, that's one less thing to worry about.
 
If you don't win now and then, it's not shooting competitively. Try something else, such as selling that rifle and getting another one. Don't waste your time with a rifle that won't win.

What's the poor soul who buys that rifle going think -- much less, do with it? :)
 
In the trap shooting world I came to benchrest from I've seen, many times, shooters trade guns on the active firing line. Benchrest is a far different situation but many guns get traded and I'll bet the traded guns do not shoot the same for the new owner as they did for their previous owner.

IMO, nothing wrong with starting out with a used gun. Just make sure you have the name and phone number of who you got that used gun from. There will be shooters that try to trade off a "just broken in" rifle that if examined with a borescope may look like recently shed snake skin, but not very often. Benchrest is such a close knit group they pretty well watch out for each other.....up to a point.

As to trading or buying a used benchrest rifle spare a few coins to get a competent benchrest gunsmith to check it over. Not just your local gunsmith but one of the guys like Billy Stevens, among many, that CAN and WILL give an honest evaluation. My very first benchrest rifle, built by a top of the line benchrest rifle builder, came to me with the action unglued. The trigger guard screw and a front mounting screw was all that held it together. And I shot it for some time before I found that problem out.

As to CC&BW's statement about "if a gun does not win occasionally starting out...." and you are a new shooter, especially without a mentor, I don't agree. With todays level of competition, you may, even if you are really talented, not see your first win for quite some time....if ever!! Aggregates in the 0.13" range require bringing a lot of things together, including hundreds (and hundreds) of hours of practice!!
 
Back
Top