What I'm trying to point out is simply that having a BAT action will not ensure higher scores. That goes for pretty much any action/barrel/trigger/stock you care to name, because you'll find top shooters using a variety of different action. The reason top shooters are at the top is because they worked long and hard to get there, not because they shoot a BAT action instead of a Panda. Both are fine actions and equipment lists simply do not contain enough critical information for anyone to reproduce another's results. In fact, if you managed to find a comprehensive equipment list that covered Regional (or higher) level matches for a year, what you would find is that the same people are always at the top of the leader board; yet their setups/chosen equipment would vary widely. On top of that, ask yourself how many people using BAT actions did not finish anywhere near the top of the leaderboard.
Top shooters can win with a Panda, Borden, Defiance, BAT, Stiller, or half a dozen other actions; they also might prefer a Bartlein, Brux, Krieger, or a few other barrel manufacturers, the same is true of triggers, scopes, and bipods/front rests, rear bags, etc. By the time it's all said and done, it's really what they do behind the rifle that makes the difference. Not everyone can afford the absolute top-level equipment when they're first starting out. If you can, so much the better. But please tell me how you can distinguish between Panda, Borden, Defiance, BAT, Stiller, or half a dozen other actions, simply by reading an equipment list, because you will most definitely find top shooters using all of them.
My biggest concern is for new shooters that think if they don't have one of these actions, they will never be able to improve or post decent scores. A good friend and fellow member here at A.S., Steve Blair, likes to call this phenomena, "Magic Beans". Somehow, a lot of people think that simply by having the supposed "top" equipment available (i.e. "Magic Beans"), they will somehow miraculously become better shooters and it simply ain't so. Yes, having a solid setup is important. But the definition of "solid" equipment isn't really any clearer than the definition of "top" equipment. I've seen some extremely impressive scores posted with bone stock Savage F-TR rifles, although my personal opinion is that a Savage action will only shoot better with a decent barrel (again, Bartlein/Brux/Krieger, etc.) chambered appropriately installed on it.
So for those shooters my advice again is not to get too caught up in what top shooters are using, especially if your budget won't allow it. Buy yourself some "solid" equipment, certainly the best you can reasonably afford. But don't get caught up in the notion that knowing what the top shooters are using is going to be essential to any future success. Much of what they do to distinguish themselves above the rest will never show up on any equipment list; that information is simply not there. Buy what you can afford; choose a proven high BC bullet that is appropriate for your specific setup (freebore, twist rate, etc.); develop a good load that will consistently shoot 5-shot groups at 100 yd under half a minute; then go out and practice and learn to read the wind conditions, and just as importantly, when NOT to pull the trigger. I think most will find this a surer and possibly somewhat less expensive path to improvement.
