Recently retired and looking to get into the benchrest game

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keithherrington

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I retired about a year ago and am looking to get into benchrest shooting. I've shot bullseye pistol since college in the 70's, IPSC, IDPA, rifle shooting out to 600 yards, and am very familiar with how to craft good accurate ammunition. But now that my body doesn't much care for the rigors of cross the course shooting I'm looking for something that challenges my abilities but is fun as well. Benchrest seems to fit my needs.

I have two rifles.

1. A Hall B glued into a fairly traditional (albeit obsolete) flat bottom benchrest stock. It sports a 26" Krieger barrel and is chambered in 257 Roberts Improved (tight neck). I've only shot it about 300 times and only with fire forming loads. I have not done any load development at all.



2. and I'm picking up a used Remington 40xb ks in 7.62X51mm. It's in exceptional condition with a documented round count of 608.

Both rifles are using Weaver T-24s (recent manufacture) which I plan to use until my skill improves enough for me to upgrade to a better scope.

Based on my equipment, what type of benchrest competition is best for me to get started in? What range seems to be most appropriate?

Any and all comments and recommendations are appreciated.

Keith
 
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Keith

Recommend you find some local BR matches in your area (short, mid, long range) and attend a couple. Ask questions and go after what interests you the most. You may be limited on the type/style of shooting in your area. Equipment and rules differ based on distance and governing association.

Regardless of the style of BR you choose to shoot in, a set of wind flags and quality front/rear rests are critical to shooting small.

Lots of info to read on the web. This site along with the link below will provide a lot of useful info.

http://www.accurateshooter.com/

Good Shooting.

Rich
 
Welcome to the forum and that's a really nice Hall B you have there. As Rich said, the equipment will vary depending one what style of benchrest you pursue. For instance, short range will steer you towards the proverbial short and fat cartridges. If you go that route, your Hall could easily be rebarreled to 6 or 30 BR. But regardless of the choice you make, have fun.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
 
Keith, depending on your location, you're more likely to find short ranges (100-200 yds) more available than longer ones. This would mean group or score shooting. I started out like you going from Bullseye pistol to cross the course to Palma and Fullbore and finally to bench rest. Being used to cranking on 5 to 15 minutes of windage on my Palma rifle at a 1000yds I thought shooting at 100yds from a rest would be a piece of cake. Talk about a rude awakening. It's amazing how much that 65 gn 6mm bullet is affected by a 10 mph full value wind. This is a really challenging sport but, more importantly, a helluva lot of fun. Welcome.
 
Keith,

Don't overlook 22 rimfire benchrest if there is an active group in your area. You just buy the bullets and you don't have to worry with the hassle of reloading. It is amazing how accurate an ultimate .22 can be at 50 yards.

Bill Wynne
 
Your profile doesn't show your location.
your hall B can be re barreled to either 6ppc or 6 or 30 br.
Check out varmint for score on the IBS web site to see what matches are near you.
Check out 6MMbr {accurate shooters] web site also, It has a wealth of information on the ppc and Br cases .
 
Run! Run Away!! Fast and Far!!!

keithherrington said:
I retired about a year ago and am looking to get into benchrest shooting. I've shot bullseye pistol since college in the 70's, IPSC, IDPA, rifle shooting out to 600 yards, and am very familiar with how to craft good accurate ammunition. But now that my body doesn't much care for the rigors of cross the course shooting I'm looking for something that challenges my abilities but is fun as well. Benchrest seems to fit my needs.

I have two rifles.

1. A Hall B glued into a fairly traditional (albeit obsolete) flat bottom benchrest stock. It sports a 26" Krieger barrel and is chambered in 257 Roberts Improved (tight neck). I've only shot it about 300 times and only with fire forming loads. I have not done any load development at all.



2. and I'm picking up a used Remington 40xb ks in 7.62X51mm. It's in exceptional condition with a documented round count of 608.

Both rifles are using Weaver T-24s (recent manufacture) which I plan to use until my skill improves enough for me to upgrade to a better scope.

Based on my equipment, what type of benchrest competition is best for me to get started in? What range seems to be most appropriate?

Any and all comments and recommendations are appreciated.

Keith
Click to expand...



Benchrest will creep into your soul and take over your life, keep your credit cards hot, keep you awake at night and soon make you realize you just thought you knew something about shooting. Exterior ballistics, effects of wind on projectiles, mirage, tuning, case prep, bullet seating depth, twist rates, wind flags, rifle handling, front and rear rests, and on and on and on. :mad: It's deadly man! :eek: Run away before it's too late! :eek:


Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a little but not much. :rolleyes:

Benchrest is certainly not for everyone but for the right type of person, it's the most fascinating and challenging study one can undertake. My advice is to stay close to Benchrest Central. You will soon learn who to pay close attention to and who to ignore. The expertise and knowledge of those that participate year after year here on the forum is awesome.

By the way, although your Hall B/McMillan stocked rifle is older and handicapped somewhat by weight, it is far from obsolete. Those old original McMillan BR stocks are among the best that have ever been built and if you will re-barrel the rifle with a modern BR cartridge and a state-of-the-art cut rifled barrel, you will have one fine heavy varmint rifle. And those old Hall actions can't be beat. You will need a better scope. If I were you I would sell the 24 power scope in the classifieds and buy a 36 power Leupold or Weaver. I would pass on the 40 X and spend that money on a state-of-the-art light varmint; perhaps a good used rifle from Bob White at the Shooters Corner. You can't go wrong dealing with Bob White.

Get to know the benchrest shooters within a reasonable distance and concentrate for a while on LV and HV group shooting. Attend all the matches possible, particularly the Super Shoot in Ohio. Get to know the Kelblys. Fine people.

Be patient and when you have a question about anything someone here on BR Central can and will help you.

Welcome aboard. Don't say I didn't warn you. :)

Good Shootin' !

Gene Beggs
 
Welcome. You have received some excellent advice in the posts above. If you tell us what area you live in, perhaps we can direct you to some matches that you can attend as a spectator, to see what is going on, and get a better idea of what you might like to participate in. I think that you will find that the people that you meet at matches are friendly and helpful.
 
Matches near me

The closest benchrest matches to my home are IBS 600yd matches at Quantico, VA; two on July 25 and others on August 29/30. Next to them those in WV and NC might be good for me to visit. In my first few matches I might not spend much effort worrying about equipment. I've got a fine set of rifles, Over the Course guns and Prone guns to be sure, but I know they shoot very, very well. If my load development for my Hall and my Remington 40XB KS is successful then I have to make a choice of which gun will serve me best. But I'm not going to stress over it. For the next year or so I'll just soak up what I can from the other competitors, then make a choice as to which gun I should concentrate on.

I've got a Caldwell pedestal...not the best but it has good functionality, is heavy and has easy to use adjustments for elevation and windage. Bags are not problem. Have a full set of rear bags.

I see your point about the scope, but I'll not switch the 24s out for higher power until I see how much they hold me back. No experience with more than 24 power scopes and there is a lot to learn with the higher power scopes. I know wind pretty well, but mirage I've never been able to master.

Thanks for all you advice and help so far. I'll be dipping into this well a lot as the months pass.

Keith
 
what you will need

Keith, You seem to be a very experienced shooter which greatly simplifies things. Benchrest shooting covers many venues. You should have some idea what aspect of the sport you want to try before making the plunge. This will greatly decrease the amount of money you will need to spend to get started. The most popular types of benchrest shooting are as follows:
1) Varmint for score. This is shot at 100,200 and sometimes 300 yards. You shoot at individual bulls eye targets, 5 per match, 5 matches per yardage, 1 shot on each target. Time limit 7 minutes with 10 minutes allowed on the first match. The most popular calibers are the 30BR, 30 PPC, followed by the 6PPC and various 30 wildcats. Many shooters preload in this venue. Others reload at the range. Rifle weight is max. 13 1/2 pounds.
2) Group shooting which is what I mainly shoot. You shoot 5 record shots on one target per match. The time limits and distances are the same as VFS. Group sizes are measured for the results. Here the 6PPC is the best cartridge. Rifle weights are 10 1/2, 13 1/2 and unlimited pounds depending on the class of rifle. In unlimited class groups may be 5 or 10 rounds. If 10 rounds the time limit is 12 minutes with 15 minutes on the first match. This type of shooting is perhaps the most complex of benchrest with most shooters loading at the range during the match.
3) Rimfire 22LR benchrest. This is shot mainly at 50 yards at a target containing many small bulls eyes. You fire a lot of targets at once with a longer time limit. Loading at the range is non existent but good ammo is usually expensive for 22LR. Cleaning is less then with centerfire benchrest. The scoring is similar to varmint for score in that you fire 1 round per bulls eye. There may be other types of rimfire matches but I have no experience with it so my knowledge is limited.
4) long range benchrest. I have no experience with this so I can't advise anything.
5) Various informal matches shooting at various sized clay birds at distances of 250-600 yards. These are not registered matches and the rules vary. The rifles are usually more powerful such as the 6 Dasher, the 6-284, 6.5-284. Most competitors pre-load.
All of these types of benchrest except 1 are shot from a bench sitting down using a rifle rest and rear bags. The unlimited class in group shooting usually uses a type of rifle called a rail gun which does not use a front rest or rear bag. Google rail gun to see what they look like.
I will not go into all equipment needed as the list is long but here are some general things you will need for most all types of competition: Front rest with a front bag to fit into the rest. Rear sand bag with "ears". 3 to 6 wind flags. Cleaning rods one for the brush and one for the jag, Bore guide to use while cleaning. You can use your 24 power scopes but most scopes fall into the 35-45 power range either with fine cross hair or 1/8 minute dot reticule. You can use the stools at the range but an adjustable stool is nice. If you go the center fire route you will need lots of loading and case prep. equipment. Boxes, bags and tote sacks to put everything in and last but not least a fork lift to load and unload all of it. An excellent reference source are two books on benchrest shooting: The Book of Rifle Accuracy by Tony Boyer and Extreme Rifle Accuracy by Mike Ratigan. I would recommend you buy both and read them cover to cover. They are not expensive, are very informative and will save you lots of money in the long run. Tim
 
You're gonna have some fun shooting any type of benchrest. That said, stop buying right now and attend a match - a registered match. Never mind about that "stuff"... attend a match and look around. It doesn't really matter at this point, take the time to GO LOOK!!!
 
The Fairfax rod and gun club holds IBS score matches 100-200 yds the 2nd Saturday of the month and that should be with in your range of travel.
 
Have made a couple of decisions

Since I'm 62 and now on a fixed income, logistics has been playing a big part in my shooting decisions. Also, after reading all of your comments and doing further research I've made a few more preliminary decisions.

I have two Schneider barrel blanks in .284, 1 in 9" twist. They were originally for my cross the course gun (which is a 280 Rem) but now that I'm moving away from that game they'll be used to rebarrel the Hall. I've chosen 284 Win as my cartridge since I already have 1000 pieces of new Win brass, a full set of Redding Competition dies and a lot of experience loading 7mm. I've ordered a couple of boxes of Berger 180 grain VLD match bullets, but already have 150 and 168 SMKs on hand as well. I also have IMR4350, H4831SC and RE19 on hand for testing, as well as Varget and IMR4895. My research has shown the 284 to be quite good at 600 and 1000 yards and was my choice for F Class, but never got around to it. Now, I think it will serve me well for benchrest as well as F Class.

I also have two Krieger 1 in 10" twist .308" barrel blanks so if I can't get the 40xb ks to perform to my satisfaction, I can get my gunsmith to rebarrel that gun with a match chamber in 308. I've got a whole bunch of once fired 308/7.62 brass from which to manufacture good cases so that isn't a problem either, and since one of my go to rifles is in 30'06, 30 cal. match bullets are in good supply as well.

Strictly from a logistics perspective, 284 Win and 308 seem to be a good combination at this point in the process.

Keith
 
I think a vld bullet in a 284 case is too long for your action. But you can carefully wedge it in at an angle. Just a pain to use
 
Keith

The thing that jumps out at me about your post is the fact that you're 62 and retired. I was 57 when I retired. Benchrest is a good Hobby choice.

Just don't make it another job. Retirement is precious.




Glenn
 
keithherrington said:
I retired about a year ago and am looking to get into benchrest shooting. I've shot bullseye pistol since college in the 70's, IPSC, IDPA, rifle shooting out to 600 yards, and am very familiar with how to craft good accurate ammunition. But now that my body doesn't much care for the rigors of cross the course shooting I'm looking for something that challenges my abilities but is fun as well. Benchrest seems to fit my needs.

I have two rifles.

1. A Hall B glued into a fairly traditional (albeit obsolete) flat bottom benchrest stock. It sports a 26" Krieger barrel and is chambered in 257 Roberts Improved (tight neck). I've only shot it about 300 times and only with fire forming loads. I have not done any load development at all.



2. and I'm picking up a used Remington 40xb ks in 7.62X51mm. It's in exceptional condition with a documented round count of 608.

Both rifles are using Weaver T-24s (recent manufacture) which I plan to use until my skill improves enough for me to upgrade to a better scope.

Based on my equipment, what type of benchrest competition is best for me to get started in? What range seems to be most appropriate?

Any and all comments and recommendations are appreciated.

Keith
Click to expand...

"a fool and his money soon parted" Enjoy it's a major source of frustration and fun.
 
I can tell you this...

You mentioned in your post - "until my skill improves enough". Well, that's what folks think to begin with but it's the rifle that holds all the skill. If the rifle is not capable of winning you simply can't. Yes, two rifles having the same capability....one will beat the other based on the shooter's choice of when to pull the trigger but it's really, really difficult to beat a better rifle regardless of the shooter.

You may have the better rifle! I'm just saying that if you don't place well it's not you but rather the rifle. Never give up trying to improve your rifle. Buy in for the long term and never think that it's you because it ain't. It could be but not likely....

Get your feet wet, get all the stuff you need, and then try to improve your rifle. If you don't believe what I wrote here, ask to shoot a few shots with a winning rifle - about three shots will be enough.
 
Wilbur is right YOU need to be the limiting factor in all of your equipment. If you go to the line with a thought that those dies just dont produce straight ammo so if im the best ive ever been a .250 is all theyll shoot then you lost the mind game before you even show up. Buy the best you can afford then when you get it all go back thru and get better stuff to replace each piece you have. The mind game is very important
 
The rifle is very important no question about it, but as Paul Wolf once told me, "Charlie, I don't need a scope checker, I need a head checker". It wasn't a trigger pull down at the Shamrock, no gun could shoot through a bad decision poorly executed.
 
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