First foray into the world of Centrefire Benchrest

[SnipeWench]

Late last year, I stumped up the cash for one of TrevorT's rifles, a Shane Clancy custom-built Savage 12 benchrest rifle in 6x47LAP. This would be my first foray into the world of centrefire benchrest. I'm rather competitive in the rimfire space, so I wanted a rifle that I could compete with, rather than learn to shoot with.

Trevor gave me a good deal, I sent down the cash, and then spent some 18 hours driving down to Albury from Sydney to pick up the rifle and do the transfer, driving home the same day. Let's just say, it was a _very_ long day for me...

Just before Christmas, I sent an order off to BRT for the necessary bits and pieces to reload for this rifle, and had a lot of fun wrapping and then unwrapping all the goodies.

It wasn't until this week that I actually did something about playing with this rifle - I've spent far too long on the XBox playing Battlefield 3 *sigh*. So I went to the LGS and bought some AR2209 and some CCI BR4 primers (as they had no CCI 450 magnum primers).

Trev made life pretty easy for me, and sent through the "special sauce", plus a few complete rounds for me to get headspace and OAL measurements off. The other night, I loaded up 30 rounds of 6x47LAP using Berger 105VLD's, and last night went off to St Marys to try my luck.



The first shot was a bit wild, as the scope was set up for 300m shooting (?), but I was only shooting at 50m. Quite a few clicks to bring the POI down and a bit right, and I put two shots on the 10-ring at 12 o-clock, with both shots overlapped. I was shooting onto a rimfire 50m prone target rifle card, so the 10-ring is 10mm across.

A couple of clicks down, and fired shot 4 - right through the middle. Shot 5 in shot 4's hole. Shot 6 through shot 4's hole, for one neat round hole. Woah! Hello!

The next shot was a misfire. Click! Eh?? The primer is indented, but no boom (and I checked before seating the bullet that the case was full). more about this in a sec...

I then spent the next hour having fun and shooting the next 23 shots mostly inside the 10-ring on the remaining targets, with an occasional shot being "thrown" by my bench technique. "Thrown" as in touching, but sitting on the 10-ring.

I know this is only 50m, but it's indicative of the accuracy of this rifle that almost all the shots printed exactly where I was aiming, with round after round going through the previous shot's hole.

The recoil is more than a 22LR bench rifle, but hardly felt at all. I was worried that I'd get a weatherby eyebrow with my first shot, but it was nothing, so I relaxed and had loads of fun after that.

I'm now looking forward to going out to Silverdale to shoot at 200m, and see what this rifle can really do.

I'll take some photos of the groups when I get home.

[macca]

Way to go.
Looking forward to some more reports as you extend the range.
cheers

[SnipeWench]

With regard to the primers, I thought that the CCI BR4 primers were a bit "cool", as the lock time seemed quite high between me squeezing the trigger, and the BOOM.

On talking to one of the RO's after shooting, he mentioned that he'd noticed the same phenomenon. So I'll go and hunt around for some CCI 450 primers.

I can't explain the dud round. It's the first dud primer I've seen in my brief career reloading. Mind you, I left it in the rifle for a minute, decocked, re-cocked and had another go, but no BOOM...

[Rinso]

Sounds like you had a good time.
Dont worry about the dud primer it does happen.
I have used Federal 205 small rifle primers in the 6x47 Lapua with up to 41grns of 2209 and with up to 43grns of 2213SC without problems, maybe thats an option for you.
As for 200m at Silverdale, well thats still short range with a Long Range rifle you could always come to Batemans Bay and shoot either a Fox shoot ie 100 (rimfire) 200, 300, 500 centrefire the match being a combination of 3 of these ranges or a club Fly shoot.

[Rabbitz]

you could always come to Batemans Bay and

Do you have to bring your own boat to get up to the targets or does the club supply one?

[SnipeWench]

Rinso,

I might just take you up on that offer! But not until after the TRA Nationals in April.

I have to put this thing over the chrony at Silverdale, to work out the comeups for the other ranges I'll be shooting at.



The photo above is the first card, so you can see what I'm talking about.

I started in the centre target, then went top left, bottom left, bottom right.

[Camel]

Jeeze, I think I would be looking for a refund if I was you, Seriously thats some pretty good going there, dont you think you would get bored just seeing those little holes appear in the same spot