1000 yard benchrest shooting in the United States is barely 40 years old but “conventional†competition at long range can be traced back more than 150 years. In the second half of the 19th Century most long distance shooters used large caliber rifles, firing black powder cartridges topped with long, heavy paper-patched lead bullets. Tournaments were headline events with the winning teams and individuals garnering near-celebrity status. Shooters were primarily those with leisure time and disposable income. Expensive Sharps, Remington, and Ballard rifles put the matches beyond the means of the ordinary American. But with the development of smokeless powder, emphasis switched to the small caliber, high velocity cartridges as adopted by the military of most countries. Finally, even the middle class could afford to compete.
For most of the first half of the 20th Century the 30-06 dominated conventional long range shooting in the United States but in 1935 something happened that had a profound effect and started a change that continues to this day. In that year a shooter named Ben Comfort won the Wimbledon Cup with a rifle chambered for the 300 H&H Magnum, shooting factory match ammo of all things. The magnum craze took over, at least temporarily.
After a lull during World War II, “any rifleâ€competition at the longer distances started anew but shooters had not forgotten that big belted H&H case, and the BBAB,Big Bullets Are Better) theory prevailed . For the next 40 years it was a rare firing line that did not bristle with 30 caliber rifles firing long boat tail bullets of 180 grains or more. A few 30-06s and even an occasional 300 H&H were seen but most competitors turned to wildcats of large, and even larger, capacity.
One of the more popular was the 30-338, a wildcat based on the 338 Winchester Magnum case necked to 30 caliber. It’s near twin, the 30 Short Ackley Magnum, was seen in matches in the western states. In 1963 Winchester introduced the new 300 Winchester Magnum which eventually took the place of both. One or two shooters might be seen using the big 300 Weatherby or the equally big, full size Ackley Magnum. The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit,AMU) developed their own cartridge, another big 30, that can be mistaken for the Ackley if you’re not careful. Only its’ headstamp gives it away. Even when seen side-by-side it is difficult to tell one 30 magnum from another.
But in just a few short years, the glamour of the 30 caliber faded and by the late 1990s more and more 7mm, 6.5mm, 6mm, and even 22s were seen. Availability of new powders, new bullets and better barrels seemed to peak at the same time. Today, shooters realize that accuracy is all that matters and they’ve learned that it’s not exclusive to the big boomers. Where it will lead is anyone’s guess.
For most of the first half of the 20th Century the 30-06 dominated conventional long range shooting in the United States but in 1935 something happened that had a profound effect and started a change that continues to this day. In that year a shooter named Ben Comfort won the Wimbledon Cup with a rifle chambered for the 300 H&H Magnum, shooting factory match ammo of all things. The magnum craze took over, at least temporarily.
After a lull during World War II, “any rifleâ€competition at the longer distances started anew but shooters had not forgotten that big belted H&H case, and the BBAB,Big Bullets Are Better) theory prevailed . For the next 40 years it was a rare firing line that did not bristle with 30 caliber rifles firing long boat tail bullets of 180 grains or more. A few 30-06s and even an occasional 300 H&H were seen but most competitors turned to wildcats of large, and even larger, capacity.
One of the more popular was the 30-338, a wildcat based on the 338 Winchester Magnum case necked to 30 caliber. It’s near twin, the 30 Short Ackley Magnum, was seen in matches in the western states. In 1963 Winchester introduced the new 300 Winchester Magnum which eventually took the place of both. One or two shooters might be seen using the big 300 Weatherby or the equally big, full size Ackley Magnum. The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit,AMU) developed their own cartridge, another big 30, that can be mistaken for the Ackley if you’re not careful. Only its’ headstamp gives it away. Even when seen side-by-side it is difficult to tell one 30 magnum from another.
But in just a few short years, the glamour of the 30 caliber faded and by the late 1990s more and more 7mm, 6.5mm, 6mm, and even 22s were seen. Availability of new powders, new bullets and better barrels seemed to peak at the same time. Today, shooters realize that accuracy is all that matters and they’ve learned that it’s not exclusive to the big boomers. Where it will lead is anyone’s guess.
