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Advice needed on seting up a decent benchrest setup

KA1

I am setting up a 6mm GT benchrest rifle, i have the stock, Lee Six/Shilen thumbhole stock, thinking of going with either a Bighorn or American riffle company action (because interchangable bolts).

I am on the fence wether to find a barrel manufacturer that will also do the gunsmith work or have my own gunsmith install the barrle.

Being 64 not looking at getting into competition, i already have a 308 and 6.5 Creed that i shoot fairly well, but want to go further.

Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.
 
64 is young and if you did start competitive long range BR, you would find many top competitors that are older than you.

I am assuming you want to shoot long range BR because of your choice of the 6 GT. The best choice for short range BR (100-300) yds is likely the 6 PPC. Most long range BR shooters use some variant of the 6 BR for their light gun, like the 6 BRA or the 6 Dasher. The 6 GT isn't used a lot, but that is likely due to it being new and there not being any Lapua or ADG brass as of yet in 6mm GT. It is a promising cartridge for LR BR though.

For LR BR you'll want a 7.5 to 8 twist barrel and shoot a good 103-105 grain bullet.

BAT and Kelblys are probably the most popular BR actions nowadays.

A BR rifle needs to be chambered by a smith who knows to dial in the throat to virtually zero runout.

The best rest to get is something like the Sinclair Competition or the SEB Max or NEO, depending on if you like a joystick or not. That said, if you are not competing, the Sinclair Heavy Varmint Rest with the Windage top is excellent. For a rear bag, Edgewood is a top choice.

The Nightforce BR 12-42 and Vortex Golden Eagle 15-60 are good scope choices. They run $1200-$1400 and routinely win matches. Don't be fooled by the Golden Eagle's 60 power. Most of the time 42x is the max power where I get a good picture with the GE.
 
If you use a barrel maker that will also do your smithing work, you need to send your action to them, obviously.

A barrel sent to your smith may be the faster, less hassle option.

Were i to do the first option, i'd send it to Stan at Douglas to get done.
 
Before buying anything, I would pic an accuracy oriented smith and ask his advice on components. Most have some good recommendations on what works and what to avoid. Alex Wheeler is a good place to start. Have fun!

Paul
 
KA1 said:
I am setting up a 6mm GT benchrest rifle,
Click to expand...

The 6GT was developed for PRS-style competitions, not necessarily organized benchrest as most of us think about it. But if simply shooting from a bench is your definition of benchrest shooting then there we have it. Personally, I would concentrate on the 6mm BR family of cases and give a good hard look at the 6 Dasher. But that's just me.

Currently, I would narrow down where your interests are, 100 - 300 yards or maybe 300, 500 and 600 yards. Or if you decide that it shouldn't have anything to do with the rules of specific benchrest competitions, then a more generic solution might be more applicable. Fun, accurate shooting is a great goal!:)

The interchangeable bolt head designs are not my favorites. Like the Savage, they cater to folks who want to think of themselves as being their own gunsmith. If you choose to use a real gunsmith then choose a better action like the Panda or something similar. Then find yourself a good custom builder with the skills to create your rifle with their input on the components.

There are tons of good barrel manufacturers these days but some lead times for those know in the accuracy venues will have longer wait times. You can certainly access the secondary sales market by checking with Bugholes or Redhawk Rifles for barrels which are available right away. Remember to discuss twist rate with your gunsmith as there is a performance factor for the lighter, shorter bullets vs the longer, heavier long range bullets.

Enjoy the process no matter what you decide!:)
 
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I would start off with a 6mm br. It’s easy, brass is readily available and they flat out shoot. Plus, help is abundant if you need it.

The barrel twist would depend on what weight bullet and distance I wanted to shoot. 7.5-8 twist for 103-108gr. Bullets. 12tw for 80gr. 13-14tw for 64-68gr. Buy custom bullets if you want maximum accuracy. Berger’s will shoot almost as good, especially if you sort them. Go with any of the well reputed barrel makers- Bartlien, Krieger, ABC, Ledderer etc. If your smith is OCD and you trust his work to be true and accurate/straight, let him do the chambering.

I would go with a Kelblys’s action. Their customer service is second to none. Consider getting a barreled action from them if your smith has not done a benchrest set up.

Last, you may want to consider purchasing a used gun to test the waters. You can find some really nice guns at fair prices in this site. Ask a lot of questions if you are not sure about anything.
 
I have a Bighorn action and while it is smooth, has interchangeable bolt heads and a mechanical ejector, the firing pin travel is very short and it doesn't use a trigger hanger. Also it doesn't come in a dual port configuration which is an advantage if you want to shoot fast and catch a particular wind condition. It makes a great action for PRS, or hunting but It would not be my choice for benchrest where accuracy is everything. For a benchrest gun I would recommend Kelby, Borden, or Bat as they are all proven benchrest actions. If you go with one of these, you may want to have the action maker do the chambering.
One of the best and easiest ways to get into benchrest is to go with a used rifle and have it re-barreled. Check out the Shooters Corner website. Bob White the owner usually has a number of used benchrest rifles in stock and he is both an excellent gunsmith and benchrest shooter. He also has scopes, new actions, and just about anything for benchrest shooting. You may be able to save some money and time going this route.
 
Well if you already have your reamer you're all set. If you don't you might consider something like the 6mm Beggs Russian. You won't have to form cases and you'll be set for 100-300 yds. For a bench setup a good rear bag and Shadetree's rest top on a decent base will do the job. Good luck.
 
One Eye Pete said:
.
One of the best and easiest ways to get into benchrest is to go with a used rifle and have it re-barreled. Check out the Shooters Corner website. Bob White the owner usually has a number of used benchrest rifles in stock and he is both an excellent gunsmith and benchrest shooter. He also has scopes, new actions, and just about anything for benchrest shooting. You may be able to save some money and time going this route.
Click to expand...
^^^^^
This is the answer.
I have gone the build your own route and I can tell you right out it isn't conducive to what you want.
I did mine (2) on reworked Savage actions, bench rest triggers (no longer available), custom barrels, even the thumbhole stock (worse choice for BR). Now theses actions are in McMillan stocks with shouldered barrels and are much improved but they still don't compare to custom actioned rifles.
Take my word going the way you are leaning becomes a money pit that you will never get back.
IMO (worth what you pay for it) buy a used gun to get your feet wet in BR, and then go from there.
 
KA1 said:
I am setting up a 6mm GT benchrest rifle, i have the stock, Lee Six/Shilen thumbhole stock, thinking of going with either a Bighorn or American riffle company action (because interchangable bolts).

I am on the fence wether to find a barrel manufacturer that will also do the gunsmith work or have my own gunsmith install the barrle.

Being 64 not looking at getting into competition, i already have a 308 and 6.5 Creed that i shoot fairly well, but want to go further.

Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
After 3 barrels chambered in 6GT, I finally ditched it. Performance was mediocre, at best. Any of the 6BR variants is pretty much an easy button (I went back to a straight 6BR).
I currently have two ARC Archimedes actions in addition to an Impact 737. The 3 pre-fit barrels I have are from Patriot Valley Arms (1-223 Wylde and 2- 6BR). I've been told that PVA does the barrel work for
ARC's complete rifles.
 
KA1 said:
Gentelmen you are all a treasure trove
Click to expand...
That Sir is just the tip of the iceberg.
This forum offers so much more in ways you have not even though about yet.
You may want to join us and become a contributing member and help support this fine establishment,
Help us all grow, not only in our capabilities but also as a forum of like minded folk.
 
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