Custom Rifle with Custom Ammo

t951 · t951's Garage

Thoughts on this piece? I guess you would have to always make your own ammo, but it seems like you could purchase a more accurate one, or am I missing something.

Beggs Develops Radical Rigs in West Texas Tunnel « AccurateShooter.com Bulletin

dhoward · dhoward's Garage

Benchrest unlimited guys are crazy.

Mo_Gearhead · 10-14-2009, 01:13 PM

"Bench-rest" shooters (gunsmith/armorers) are ALWAYS playing with new designs.

One may look at a ballistics table and ponder; "Hummm, what if I...?"

They resize/neck-down brass, play with different bullets, calibers, powders with differing burn rates, etc. They get custom turned barrels, different twists, varied barrel lengths ...the chase is endless.

It's experimenting - for gun enthusiasts.

If they find something that gains the interest of others, they may get a certain 'round' named for them!

m21sniper · 10-14-2009, 01:15 PM

Looks cool but i have no use for that.

Mo_Gearhead · 10-14-2009, 01:17 PM

Quote: "Benchrest unlimited guys are crazy."
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Damn ...I could have answered in five words!

emcon5 · emcon5's Garage

Not only that, they tinker with the cartridges as well. I wonder how his wildcats differ from the 6mm PPC, as both are derived from the 220 Russian case.

Jeff Higgins · 10-14-2009, 01:20 PM

Nothing special, in competetive benchrest circles. The .22 and 6mm PPC beat the Beggs versions to the punch by oh, about 40 years or so, being based on the .220 Russian case. They were all the rage in the '70's and '80's, maybe into the '90's, but not so much anymore. The cartridge head has a weird diameter and requires a special bolt face to match. There are far easier ways to arrive at the same thing today, like the .22 and 6mm BR Remingtons.

Playing in this sandbox will always require that you handload, regardless of chambering. Most competitors will cut their dies and chamber their barrels with the same reamer, and treat their brass better than their children. They will form and trim perhaps a dozen cases, after culling a much larger lot for uniformity of dimensions and weight. Those dozen cases stay with that rifle forever, and are the only ones ever fired in it. They are reloaded at the match for every string fired - two foulers/sighters and ten for record.

Benchrest at this level can be fun, but it is certainly not for everyone. The attention to detail required, the cost of the equipment, and whatnot kind of drove me out. It is a very demanding sport, and the crossover into "real" guns has long since become questionable. While benchrest has contributed most of what we think we know about pure mechanical accuracy, rigs like the one Beggs shows are well removed from what we can use anywhere else. We owe a lot to benchrest, but they have kind of "jumped the shark" in these unlimited classes today.

t951 · t951's Garage

What does a set up like that cost, approx?

That has to be insanely expensive. If you machine the whole thing, then what about registering it, or a background check. It seems if you just make it all yourself you would bypass all of that.

Mo_Gearhead · 10-14-2009, 03:25 PM

QUOTE: "That has to be insanely expensive"
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If you have to ask the cost...

Jeff Higgins · 10-14-2009, 03:49 PM

Starting from scratch and buying the rifle, optics, reloading equipment, etc. required to be competitive in unlimited class bench rest ain't cheap. It's been awhile, so my guess is probably outdated, but I don't see where you could do it for less than seven to eight grand. If you really want to win, that is. From there, you still need to acquire an in-depth knowledge and "feel" for all the nuances of all the specialized little gadgets indigenous to the game.

That said, many of the guys at the top of this game make all of their own equipment. Some of them sell it, and advertise in magazines like Precision Shooter, but sometimes it's hard to catch them when whatever it is is "in stock". Much of it is made to order, one at a time, and the waiting lists can be years deep. For most who make the cool little widgets, it remains a hobby, and they really aren't looking to make a business out of it. So, in other words, a lot of the very best stuff is virtually "unobtanium", at any price.

Far easier and cheaper to get into are the "varmint" or "sporter" classes. These look a lot more like real rifles, although the rules get pushed here like anywhere else. "Production" class bench rest is the easiest and cheapest, but the gamesmen are invading that, too. I know guys who buy rifles several at a time, wring the very best possible out of all of them, and then sell all but the most accurate one. This process is repeated over and over again, always keeping one ready for competition. Sometimes I think the "production" guys actually spend more than the "unlimited" guys. Sort of like sports car racing...

BlueSkyJaunte · 10-14-2009, 04:11 PM

Yeah, it's crazy.

Joel Pendergraft Sets New IBS 1000-Yard Heavy Gun World Record « AccurateShooter.com Bulletin

tabs · 10-14-2009, 06:35 PM

I have several prototype rifles that became standard cataloged items.

The first is a Springfield Arsenal 1922 that was made for the 22 Hornet caliber... An article on the development of the caliber can be found i the 1998 Gun Digest by Mark Bennson..In that aritcle he mentions 13 guns as being amont the first Hornets, I own 3 of them.

The other rifle is and AO Neidner heavy Barrel Tgt gun in 25/06. AO Neidner developed the cartridge in the 30's, later it became a standardized cartridge.