Are leftys shooting rbrp guns on the bench?

[skarke]

Guys, I discovered skeet, it's kept me off the bench. But, I am again becoming interested in casual BR shooting again. Problem is that I'm a lefty. What I want is that new savage BR gun, but it only comes with their right bolt, left load, right eject.

I am just not going to drop 3k on a Kelbly (though I routinely drool over that grade rifle when I see one).

What is a lefty to do with a budget under $1500?

I do have an old 700VS that speedy trued years ago, but the old 22-250 barrel has long since been shot out. Should I rebarrel that to a 7br or something?

 

[BoydAllen]

Buy a used bench rifle. Check out Shooter's Supply. Look under complete rifles under categories on Benchrest Central. If you cannot afford a left right, don't worry, I shoot right right rifles all the time, left handed, as well as left right. I do not like right bolt left port rifles, or for that matter left bolt and port from the bench.

 

[NorCalMikie]

IMHO, if you're a lefty, you're not doing anything with your right hand anyway so for bench shooting, go full right hand rig )rbrp) and work the bolt and feed ammo with your free right hand.
I tried with a left hand action (I'am a righty) and I love it, better than my right hand rigs.
Mounted a left hand action in a right hand thumbhole stock. My right hand keeps control of the stock, bolt work and feeding ammo is done with my free left hand. Reaching over the stock to feed ammo just doesn't seem natural.
And like Boyd said, check out a used BR rig. Already built and you just might find something that fits your needs.

 

[Erik Cortina]

You could rebarrel yours to a 6BR or 30BR.

 

[ShootDots]

I am a lefty and I shoot all right bolt / right port rifles. You said you have squarred and trued Rem 700 with a shot out barrel. I would by a benchrest style stock for it>>> McMillan, Kelbly Klub etc.. and get it rebarreld to a 30BR if shooting 300 or less and a 6BR / 6BRX or 6Dasher for beyond 300 yards. With a good barrel (Brux / Bartlein / Krieger) with the chamber job $600.00 bucks / for the stock finished and bedded $600 or so / $200.00 for a Jewel trigger.... You are at your goal with a VERY competitive rifle>>>as good as any...

 

[GerryM]

I'm a
I'm lefty and that's the way I usually shoot.
I can even shoot pretty quickly that way but not as quick and a left bolt right port.
The Right hand does all of the work. Left hand stays on the rifle, work's for me.

 

[BoydAllen]

Correction on my earlier post: I should have written Shooter's Corner. Here is a link to his list, on that site. http://www.benchrest.com/shooterscorner/

 

[skarke]

Thanks guys, GREAT info. I have always liked BR, but was concerned about needing a new barrel once a year for just casual shooting. Now that the 30 BR has come along with its super long lasting barrel life, and so many fine bullets available at reasonable prices, I think that I might take a second look.

The reason I threw the Savage out there is that I was watching a fellow at the range a couple of months ago shooting bug holes with a stock one in 6BR. He said that it was only like 1200 bucks.

Not sure about that squirrely trigger, but he said that it was crisp. He didn't offer to let me handle it, and I didn't ask, but I did watch for a while, and the thing performed really well.

He did say that he plans to rebarrel it to a 30BR, but that he'd been shooting savages for years and planned to do it himself. Just thinking.

 

[BoydAllen]

Back in the day, I built my first special purpose rifle for shooting groups at the range. It was based on a blueprinted Remington 722 (early version of the short action 700) with a heavy Hart (today it would be Krieger or Bartlein) barrel with a tight neck .222 Remington chamber, in a recycled 40X rimfire prone stock that I installed pillars in. Eventually it got a Canjar light pull trigger that will go down to 2 oz. and a 36X scope. I started loading at the range, which was made easier by its preference for a ball powder (easier to throw accurate charges) and used sticks with surveyors ribbon to see what the wind was doing. That rig would turn in groups in the twos any time that I read the wind right, if I had it in tune for the ambient conditions. I still have the barreled action. It is glued into a prototype McMillan edge stock that Kelly McMillan gave me, and has improved its previous performance by turning in some groups in the high ones. For what you want, a rifle built on a blueprinted 700 (if you already own it) or clone (if you don't) will take you just about anywhere you want to go, with the advantage of being able to upgrade to the best triggers, and the widest selection of stocks. The .222 has an excellent reputation for barrel life. Before you get too carried away on the 30 BR, take a look at what benchrest quality bullets cost...ouch, although I hear that you can have a lot of fun with the lightest Speer TNTs for considerably less, if you are just shooting for fun.

 

[skarke]

Thanks Boyd. You've been doing this for a while now, you must've started at age 3 Speedy, when he was at SYG, worked this gun over, though it wasn't the best work that I've seen him do. He was trying to close his shop, and he kind of messed up my bolt, cutting the rim around the bolt face back for some odd reason, I guess to make the barrel fit that he cut the shoulder back on too much :-\ It was paper thin, and just broke off.

Frankly, I think that he had one of his assistants do my gun as he rushed to close up, because the barrel re-chamber was also WAY (.003) crooked. You can see it with the naked eye. That said, action face and threads seem to be totally square, according to my gunsmith. After getting my gun back from SYG (it was brand new when I sent it to them), I just gave up on BR shooting, disheartened. I'd saved for three years to get the gun.

Times got better, and I had my gunsmith in Texas City, Texas (an old retired master machinist that my dad worked with at Union carbide for 30 years) convert the bolt to accept a Sako extractor, with a very nicely fitted repair of the damaged bolt (30 years working with metal makes for a pretty talented guy). It now has a fine trigger, a blueprinted action, a pillar bedded standard stock, a very nice bolt, and a super crappy barrel

I might just do as you guys suggest and re-barrel the darn thing (.473 face). I'll never compete, it's just like throwing darts for me, but I get to smell gunpowder. I still love skeet, but there is something very relaxing about BR shooting.

 

[ShootDots]

Well if you are just going to shoot paper more for fun than anything else, rebarrel it to a 6mmBR... You don't have to do anything other than load it and stay in awe because of how well it will shoot. No neck expansion, no fireforming shoulders or anything like that>>>just load and go! You will love it...

 

[BoydAllen]

For short range bench work, put a 13.5 twist, light varmint weight, Krieger of Bartlein, and if you like to shoot, and want to have long term control of your chambers' uniformity, so that your dies will fit the same, buy your own reamer. I did that when I first started planning my first 6PPC and it has turned out to be a good move. My reamer has a .060 freebore, and for all but the pointiest and shortest bullets, in the 62 to 68 grain range, that has worked out really well. Years ago, I was asking around about the shortened 6BR and how its accuracy compared with the PPC and a fellow with a lot of experience told me that he had campaigned a full length 6BR and if had been competitive. When I asked him about the issue of cases not being full, he said that he selected powders suitable to the case and they worked out fine. Based on what I have seen shot with a friend's top line varmint rifle, built on an action that was completely done up, including sleeving the bolt, by Bob Brackney, I would have to say that the BR has gotten less credit than it has due for short range work, if the chamber and barrel twist are specified for that application. Build that 6BR for the short range work. I think that you will like it a lot.

 

[skarke]

I have a Redding BR set of dies, Micrometer seater, etc., that I bought years ago on Ebay for a song in 6BR. The only thing that has held me back is that I read that barrel life in a 6BR is only about 2K before accuracy starts dropping. Going 20 times per year, that is less than 2 years at just 50 rounds per trip.

I also read that the 30 BR is a "set it and forget it" chambering, and that barrel life is REALLY long at top accuracy. Although bullets are $100 more per K, it seems that the total package cost on the 30 BR is about the same, figuring for the difference in barrel life.

I will buy a reamer. Should the gunsmith make be a sizing die with it also?

 

[BoydAllen]

For either of those send fired cases to Harrell's precision. If you can manage it, neck size and fire a couple of cases, with warm loads, until they get tight, and send those. The dies will be custom selected for your chamber. They work well, and are an excellent value.

 

[skarke]

I have a Harrell measure. What a thing of beauty. Thank you all VERY MUCH for the advice. I do love the smell of gunpowder and napalm in the morning.

 

[GerryM]

You will love a 30 BR Great case . It now holds the new record for small group.
It id easy to shoot and also easy to reload for. I would suggest to look into different twist rates on the barrels.
using the very slow twists locks you into one or two bullet weights.
As for Speedys shop you hit the nail right on the head. your not alone on that observation.

 

[BoydAllen]

Actually, I believe that the new single group record was shot with a .30 PPC. One thing about the .30 BR is that I think that it is easier to preload for than the 6PPC...less twitchy to keep in tune, However I would not want to shoot one that weighed 10.5 # all weekend, especially free recoil.

 

[GerryM]

Sorry I think your correct on that .
still like you said the 30br is a great one also Very very close in performance and easy to load like you and I have said before.
I have two and I really like them. Mt plan for the future is to have a 30 major built.
That's the 6.5 Grendel opened up to 30 cal.