I have a little input of my own on it from a very long time ago. Years ago when I came to NC, I had heard the term Beanfield Rifles. Coming from the hills of W.Va, I had always been interested in rifles that could reach out. Growing up groundhog hunting, an accurate rifle was a must. Deer season would roll around and a shot in the woods could be inside of 100 yds or you could step out on a ridge top and shoot across a hollow 600yds.
When I relocated to NC and noticed my first bean fields, I thought you just can't shoot that far. How is it that flat. Did not take long before I learned about elevated stands and long range rifles. I was fortunate to have been involved in the USPSA shooting sports and had done okay in it. I got to shoot with Layne Simpson (Shooting Times). at one of the SC State Championships. Layne was a very well established shooter. Well, Layne had done the first 7 STW story for Shooting Times.
Kenny Jarrett was the rifle builder in that article. Kenny had been successful in benchrest. Layne said, give Kenny a call. I did, but I could not afford a complete Jarrett Beanfield rifle. Kenny agreed to rebarrel my action with a Schneider barrel in 7 STW. I acquired the action from Kenny and it shot okay. A local gun shop owner that I knew was a world traveler and had been on many safari's. When Mark found out that I had a Jarret rifle, he wanted it more than I did.
Back then, there was not any 7 STW brass, you had to neck down the 8mm Mag brass. I enjoyed the caliber and at my first Charlotte NC gun show, I was lucky enough to have met a fellow that had a couple of custom rifles set on a table. His rifles were very impressive. He was a one man shop set up in his garage. He had some benchrest experience also. After much conversations and this custom rifle builder, he agreed that if I could get him my action, a Remington Model 78, a cheaper model with less frills of a 700 action, he would build me a complete rifle to his specs.
That rifle artist was our very own David Tooley. The STW at that time still did not have the factory brass and the heavy for caliber bullets did not exist like todays standards. Sure the 160 gr and the big 175's were the biggest bullets, and no where close to the streamline missiles of today's standards. The rifle that David built for me was $900 back then, which was pillared, McMillan stocked, Schneider barreled work of art. Accuracy was unbelievable, shooting in the .2's
When I would run into Layne again, we would joke about how much he cost me by the 7 STW story. David Tooley is still a friend that I still need to go visit sometime now that he is even closer. And we all know how well David has done. David now's accuracy inside and out.
My WVa boy introduction to the BeanField rifle.
