Something Besides a PPC
There was benchrest before the PPC.
Don't get me wrong PPC is the cats meow in the benchrest world. Those wanting to play their own game do well with other calibers but only if they themselves are capable shooters. Calibers like 6 Tall Dog, 6 BRS, 6X36, 6BR, 22 Waldog, 6x47 Lapua, 30 BR, 30 PPC all have their place. I have several benchrest barrels in great calibers. Like I said earlier I have 25+ barrels so I have a few calibers not in today's mainstream. What I have is a .222, 22PPC, 6X47, 6BRS, 6x47 Lapua. I like them all and have several of them in rail barrels 6 to be exact.
Before PPC
Registered benchrest goes back to 1950. Records were kept and in the NBRSA there were a good selection of calibers. This is 25 years before the PPC shot registered. Some of the calibers that I know were used in the early days. Before 1950 Springfield's and Mauser's saw .473 cases and whatever a Mauser could be converted to. One of the calibers I like is the .219 Donaldson Wasp. Larger than a .473 probably used in converted Springfield's and Mauser's. If you check the Sierra manual page 169 you see this was the PPC long before the PPC. 1.8" long with a 30 deg shoulder, a long PPC. This necked up to a 6mm could be a killer benchrest cartridge. In 22 it did well. Good brass is always the determining factor in sustaining a good cartridge. PPC has always had primo brass thus consistency.
The ace showed up in 1950. Remington sought a varmint cartridge that the benchrest world would accept in droves. The .222 was a consistent cartridge that was pleasant to shoot. Women shooters appreciated it's mild report so do I. My first benchrest gun was a switch barrel. A 6X47 Sherer barrel Sporter and a .222 Hart barrel HV. This was a common setup in the 1970's. By 1970 Remington had the complete gun the 40X BR in several benchrest calibers. Like the .222, 6X47, 6 International, .308. Remington had it all for benchrest. Actions, barrel, scope, cases, bullets, powders, primers and 2 well known shooter/machinists Mike Walker and Jim Stekyl.
Early Calibers Continued
Benchrest before 1957 when HV started was big gun one class. Sometime in the 1950's big gun became 2 classes when the mechanical rests separated from the bag class. The 22 calibers were dominant and many did their own gunsmithing even at the Shoots. A lot made their own 22 bullets. Walt Berger started making his own bullets in 1957 on a set of B&A 22 dies. Walt continues to this day to make 22 bullets, in my opinion the best 22 bullet on the market. I know I shot 15,000+ of Walt's 22 bullets through 1 barrel. Barrel still shoots low 2 aggs at 100yds. Hart barrel, my first barrel, rechambered to 22 PPC.
Some early 22 calibers were .222, 219, 222.7, 222 1/2. Way back when even the 30-06, 220 Swift, 22-250 and .308 had their time. Ferris Pindell used the .308 in a big gun and won.
1975
The year 1975 is one of those years that stands a little higher in benchrest lore. This was the year the PPC first won. Only 2 PPC's were shot at the 1975 NBRSA Nats. But 1 shooter was on the cusp of making the HOF. Ferris had 7 points needing 3 more. His last point had been won in the early 60's. Ferris won his last 3 points with both the 22&6 PPC at the 1975 Nats. A movement had begun but slowly, the .22 & 6X47 continued to win. By 1984 PPC dominated and continues to this date. The small base cartridges, .222,.223,6X47, set group records in the 1970's, 5 of 6 100 & 200 yd in bag guns all held until a couple years ago. But PPC sets records in the aggs.
My friend and smith Harvey Miller had a couple of great BR cartridges. His were the 22 & 6 MCR. Both based on either the .225 Win or 30-30 whichever case he could get a good lot of brass. Harvey 4 times SW Director, 1978-1990, traveled to all the Nationals he could get to. Well liked and scouraged at the same time. I was in the well liked group. I spent many days at Harvey's place while he told me of problems developing his MCR cartridges. The only problem I saw was in his trying to make bullets. Too bad he's gone we could have continued to work together, he would be old by now around Ferris's age. Needless to say he was way beyond his time with his MCR cartridges. He favored the 6 MCR because he could travel with 1 gun and shoot the 3 gun at the Nats. One of my cohorts tagged Harvey with a scandelous name even for a benchrest shooter. His tag "Miller the Killer" only because he could kill you in the SW Region shoots and fall apart at the Nats. But Harvey had a small consolation in 1978 Harvey shot the first agg at 100 yd below the .2 level. I think up to that time Pat McMillan had the lowest 100 yd BR agg ever at .2003. Harvey scorched a .1629 at Richmond for the first sub .2 agg ever. His record stayed for 10 years and today Harvey's agg would win almost every agg shot. Harvey shot his agg record with his 6 MCR in the HV class with a Sporter gun.
Harvey passed away in 1990 due to problems with medication while getting his equilibrium fixed. A true legend in California and SW Region benchrest, 4 times Director.
This is not an easy subject to write about. I can't find my Page and Newick books so a lot is by memory and archive material I have. If I left out someones favorite let me know.
Note: As Emeril would say I just went up a notch with the Harvey Miller addition. Well deserved.
Stephen Perry
There was benchrest before the PPC.
Don't get me wrong PPC is the cats meow in the benchrest world. Those wanting to play their own game do well with other calibers but only if they themselves are capable shooters. Calibers like 6 Tall Dog, 6 BRS, 6X36, 6BR, 22 Waldog, 6x47 Lapua, 30 BR, 30 PPC all have their place. I have several benchrest barrels in great calibers. Like I said earlier I have 25+ barrels so I have a few calibers not in today's mainstream. What I have is a .222, 22PPC, 6X47, 6BRS, 6x47 Lapua. I like them all and have several of them in rail barrels 6 to be exact.
Before PPC
Registered benchrest goes back to 1950. Records were kept and in the NBRSA there were a good selection of calibers. This is 25 years before the PPC shot registered. Some of the calibers that I know were used in the early days. Before 1950 Springfield's and Mauser's saw .473 cases and whatever a Mauser could be converted to. One of the calibers I like is the .219 Donaldson Wasp. Larger than a .473 probably used in converted Springfield's and Mauser's. If you check the Sierra manual page 169 you see this was the PPC long before the PPC. 1.8" long with a 30 deg shoulder, a long PPC. This necked up to a 6mm could be a killer benchrest cartridge. In 22 it did well. Good brass is always the determining factor in sustaining a good cartridge. PPC has always had primo brass thus consistency.
The ace showed up in 1950. Remington sought a varmint cartridge that the benchrest world would accept in droves. The .222 was a consistent cartridge that was pleasant to shoot. Women shooters appreciated it's mild report so do I. My first benchrest gun was a switch barrel. A 6X47 Sherer barrel Sporter and a .222 Hart barrel HV. This was a common setup in the 1970's. By 1970 Remington had the complete gun the 40X BR in several benchrest calibers. Like the .222, 6X47, 6 International, .308. Remington had it all for benchrest. Actions, barrel, scope, cases, bullets, powders, primers and 2 well known shooter/machinists Mike Walker and Jim Stekyl.
Early Calibers Continued
Benchrest before 1957 when HV started was big gun one class. Sometime in the 1950's big gun became 2 classes when the mechanical rests separated from the bag class. The 22 calibers were dominant and many did their own gunsmithing even at the Shoots. A lot made their own 22 bullets. Walt Berger started making his own bullets in 1957 on a set of B&A 22 dies. Walt continues to this day to make 22 bullets, in my opinion the best 22 bullet on the market. I know I shot 15,000+ of Walt's 22 bullets through 1 barrel. Barrel still shoots low 2 aggs at 100yds. Hart barrel, my first barrel, rechambered to 22 PPC.
Some early 22 calibers were .222, 219, 222.7, 222 1/2. Way back when even the 30-06, 220 Swift, 22-250 and .308 had their time. Ferris Pindell used the .308 in a big gun and won.
1975
The year 1975 is one of those years that stands a little higher in benchrest lore. This was the year the PPC first won. Only 2 PPC's were shot at the 1975 NBRSA Nats. But 1 shooter was on the cusp of making the HOF. Ferris had 7 points needing 3 more. His last point had been won in the early 60's. Ferris won his last 3 points with both the 22&6 PPC at the 1975 Nats. A movement had begun but slowly, the .22 & 6X47 continued to win. By 1984 PPC dominated and continues to this date. The small base cartridges, .222,.223,6X47, set group records in the 1970's, 5 of 6 100 & 200 yd in bag guns all held until a couple years ago. But PPC sets records in the aggs.
My friend and smith Harvey Miller had a couple of great BR cartridges. His were the 22 & 6 MCR. Both based on either the .225 Win or 30-30 whichever case he could get a good lot of brass. Harvey 4 times SW Director, 1978-1990, traveled to all the Nationals he could get to. Well liked and scouraged at the same time. I was in the well liked group. I spent many days at Harvey's place while he told me of problems developing his MCR cartridges. The only problem I saw was in his trying to make bullets. Too bad he's gone we could have continued to work together, he would be old by now around Ferris's age. Needless to say he was way beyond his time with his MCR cartridges. He favored the 6 MCR because he could travel with 1 gun and shoot the 3 gun at the Nats. One of my cohorts tagged Harvey with a scandelous name even for a benchrest shooter. His tag "Miller the Killer" only because he could kill you in the SW Region shoots and fall apart at the Nats. But Harvey had a small consolation in 1978 Harvey shot the first agg at 100 yd below the .2 level. I think up to that time Pat McMillan had the lowest 100 yd BR agg ever at .2003. Harvey scorched a .1629 at Richmond for the first sub .2 agg ever. His record stayed for 10 years and today Harvey's agg would win almost every agg shot. Harvey shot his agg record with his 6 MCR in the HV class with a Sporter gun.
Harvey passed away in 1990 due to problems with medication while getting his equilibrium fixed. A true legend in California and SW Region benchrest, 4 times Director.
This is not an easy subject to write about. I can't find my Page and Newick books so a lot is by memory and archive material I have. If I left out someones favorite let me know.
Note: As Emeril would say I just went up a notch with the Harvey Miller addition. Well deserved.
Stephen Perry
I'd like to add a few of the early cartridges from my collection.
