The first short range benchrest tournaments were nothing more than a bunch of good ol’ boys getting together on a Saturday afternoon with their favorite varmint rifles trying to show each other up by shooting the smallest group. But there were also other good ol’ boys doing the same thing, only with their hunting rifles. Not shooting for group but for score.
When NBRSA was founded in 1951 it was composed exclusively of the group shooters and little thought was given to any other types of shooting competition. It wasn’t until 12 years later, in 1963, that the Board of Directors first discussed the idea of establishing a Hunter Rifle Class,HBR). It took another 3 years before they finally adopted a set of rules patterned after those used by the Richmond California Rod & Gun Club. Intended to entice the average deer hunter into benchrest, the concept was really at odds with the basic premise of benchrest shooting which is the development of extreme accuracy in rifles and ammunition. As a result, the new class struggled for recognition and support and it was not until several years later when the rules were relaxed to allow shooters more freedom to experiment that it really caught on.
The first HBR cartridges were predetermined by the readily available rifles that complied with the original rules. More specifically they were the 243 Winchester, 244 Remington, and 308 Winchester, but only because the Remington Model 700 and Winchester Model 70 were the rifles most likely to be used. All three are first class hunting rounds but are not sufficiently accurate in a hunting rifle to be considered a competitive benchrest cartridge. HBR shooters realized they could be competitive only by developing cartridges with the same accuracy potential as those used in the Varmint Classes, and as the rules were liberalized it became a custom-rifle game and a wildcatters’ dream come true.
At first, many of the cartridges were 6mm wildcats, but since HBR is shot for score rather than group, shooters quickly learned, the hard way, that larger diameter bullets meant higher scores and the race to find the ultimate 30 caliber small cartridge began. But not just any 30 caliber. It had better be able to shoot ones, or small twos at worst, or you won’t hear your name being called during the A Wards ceremony. The race is still going on and a single dominant cartridge is yet to emerge. New ones show up at matches every year.
It would be impossible to show and describe all of the HBR cartridges that have been used over the years. Just the ones based on the 308 Winchester would fill your flat screen monitor. But here is a representative sampling from my collection.
When NBRSA was founded in 1951 it was composed exclusively of the group shooters and little thought was given to any other types of shooting competition. It wasn’t until 12 years later, in 1963, that the Board of Directors first discussed the idea of establishing a Hunter Rifle Class,HBR). It took another 3 years before they finally adopted a set of rules patterned after those used by the Richmond California Rod & Gun Club. Intended to entice the average deer hunter into benchrest, the concept was really at odds with the basic premise of benchrest shooting which is the development of extreme accuracy in rifles and ammunition. As a result, the new class struggled for recognition and support and it was not until several years later when the rules were relaxed to allow shooters more freedom to experiment that it really caught on.
The first HBR cartridges were predetermined by the readily available rifles that complied with the original rules. More specifically they were the 243 Winchester, 244 Remington, and 308 Winchester, but only because the Remington Model 700 and Winchester Model 70 were the rifles most likely to be used. All three are first class hunting rounds but are not sufficiently accurate in a hunting rifle to be considered a competitive benchrest cartridge. HBR shooters realized they could be competitive only by developing cartridges with the same accuracy potential as those used in the Varmint Classes, and as the rules were liberalized it became a custom-rifle game and a wildcatters’ dream come true.
At first, many of the cartridges were 6mm wildcats, but since HBR is shot for score rather than group, shooters quickly learned, the hard way, that larger diameter bullets meant higher scores and the race to find the ultimate 30 caliber small cartridge began. But not just any 30 caliber. It had better be able to shoot ones, or small twos at worst, or you won’t hear your name being called during the A Wards ceremony. The race is still going on and a single dominant cartridge is yet to emerge. New ones show up at matches every year.
It would be impossible to show and describe all of the HBR cartridges that have been used over the years. Just the ones based on the 308 Winchester would fill your flat screen monitor. But here is a representative sampling from my collection.
