Good Sources for .22 LR benchrest rifles?

[Zonkers]

How many are building there own custom BR rifles? Is this something the average gun enthusiast can accomplish or is it generally left to the more experienced and reputable builders?

 

[davidjoe]

How many are building there own custom BR rifles? Is this something the average gun enthusiast can accomplish or is it generally left to the more experienced and reputable builders?

I’ve undertaken to spec out and assemble my rifles for every purpose except .22 BR, because they are such a daunting project. This is my new to me, V22 rig.

These rifles are more complicated in two areas. Barrels have two precisely placed extraction grooves requiring true fitting with the action. They are actually angled in this gun like a shallow V. Devilish.

Because of low production numbers, stocks, probably, cannot be found fully inletted by the manufacturer for the peculiarities of actions, lugs, and screws.

My thought would be that enough of the BR gun would require skilled shop work to favor having a gunsmith build the entire project.

 

[TRSR8]

How many are building there own custom BR rifles? Is this something the average gun enthusiast can accomplish or is it generally left to the more experienced and reputable builders?

Unlikely if you ever wish to win anything above club level.
Big reason most CF pros usually stay away from RF.
Evaluating, fitting to length, finishing chambers are a cut above good machining skills.
It becomes almost as much art as skill, for a quality result.

P.S. I would add, in an edit, there have been several, self taught RF guys over the years that built outstanding rifles, but most turned out more than a few clunkers at the start.

 

[BowChamp]

I’ve undertaken to spec out and assemble my rifles for every purpose except .22 BR, because they are such a daunting project. This is my new to me, V22 rig.

These rifles are more complicated in two areas. Barrels have two precisely placed extraction grooves requiring true fitting with the action. They are actually angled in this gun like a shallow V. Devilish.

Because of low production numbers, stocks, probably, cannot be found fully inletted by the manufacturer for the peculiarities of actions, lugs, and screws.

My thought would be that enough of the BR gun would require skilled shop work to favor having a gunsmith build the entire project.

View attachment 1712406

Got any targets to go with that fine looking setup?

 

[davidjoe]

Got any targets to go with that fine looking setup?

Thank you, not yet, no. That day was actually its only outing and the wind was very bad, but I saw that it’s a real shooter and hands down a do it again buy. I could experience the rest’s operation and see the fantastic stability, wow. That and the Vudoo/Fare tigger…

So I’m eyeballs deep in F-Class for many years and I wrote a friend that this rig violates 5 equipment rules of F-Class, that were of course known to me but all rather abstract, and which only now have I seen the real world benefit of, when in action.

— We are missing out in Fclass, this rig violates the:

One piece rest rule;

Return to battery at the precise point of aim;

Silky rollers instead of front and rear sandbags;

Rest is mechanically adjustable from the rear support; and,

No free recoil … that trigger, man alive, you don’t need or want to touch anything else.


I’m en route to the state ABRA championship with this year’s faithful 40-X.

 

[stacy]

There’s two nice ones posted on RimFire central now

 

[1Merlin]

Thank you, not yet, no. That day was actually its only outing and the wind was very bad, but I saw that it’s a real shooter and hands down a do it again buy. I could experience the rest’s operation and see the fantastic stability, wow. That and the Vudoo/Fare tigger…

So I’m eyeballs deep in F-Class for many years and I wrote a friend that this rig violates 5 equipment rules of F-Class, that were of course known to me but all rather abstract, and which only now have I seen the real world benefit of, when in action.

— We are missing out in Fclass, this rig violates the:

One piece rest rule;

Return to battery at the precise point of aim;

Silky rollers instead of front and rear sandbags;

Rest is mechanically adjustable from the rear support; and,

No free recoil … that trigger, man alive, you don’t need or want to touch anything else.


I’m en route to the state ABRA championship with this year’s faithful 40-X.

David Joe Congrats on your winning your class the ABRA Texas State Championship. Your 40X and you beat both the wind and some quality competition for the win!

 

[davidjoe]

David Joe Congrats on your winning your class the ABRA Texas State Championship. Your 40X and you beat both the wind and some quality competition for the win!

I appreciate it, the old 40-X did shoot well Sunday and good enough this year for the season’s points race in Texas, but I was runner up to that fellow Mr. McDonald, in the state match, yesterday.

He shot lights out, but I take some comfort in his using very nearly the exact rifle to do it (without a tuner) that I pictured above in that new to me rifle, which I haven’t shot yet. He showed what’s possible with it.

Good match, good meeting you, and nice to meet Jerry Stiller and his wife Jill there, who are taking over ABRA.

 

[Richard308]

Does anyone know if Gene Davis from Ohio is still building guns ?

 

[ELR LVR]

If a new barrel has to have so many rounds down, it before it will shoot then most likely the chamber was not finished correctly. a good barrel will shoot from the start and that has to do with the smith finishing the leade. here are couple of examples showing the very first rounds shot on new barrels without tuners.

as far as guys claiming 100K rounds I have a 1411 Anschutz with a 12-year-old barrel and has that many rounds down it and it did a 10-shot 11mm group at Lapua in August.

Lee

Not to mix apples with oranges as far as rimfire vs centerfire but
I would also like to echo the same experience with a good Smithed barrel in CF
will shoot good right from the beginning, (or after the first 20 rounds anyhow)
Most CF guns I have smithed I have seen start showing their personality and accuracy within 20 rounds.
But I already kind of have known a load to begin with to test simply for accuracy potential
---
This being the case, I am wanting to learn the intricacies of rimfire smithing, since I will eventually smith myself one of those as well
or improve what I have now, likely recutting the chambers next. Then gauging improvement
I have already seen good improvement simply from lapping my existing 22's
1 step at a time, so lapping first, then rechambering will be next, rebarrel last after I learn more of the intricacies of 22 smithing.
Leade is just as important in CF, so let me ask you
in Rimfire, how should the leade be cut? what do you mean when you are suggesting a lot has to do with the smith finishing the leade?
is it the amount of freebore? dia.? is it being cut with a floating pilot so its smooth and not gouged? etc
Thanks,

 

[TRSR8]

Does anyone know if Gene Davis from Ohio is still building guns ?

I believe not.

 

[Mark4470]

Does anyone know if Gene Davis from Ohio is still building guns ?

Talked to him yesterday, he has retired. Truly one of the nicest guys you will ever meet.

 

[TRSR8]

Not to mix apples with oranges as far as rimfire vs centerfire but
I would also like to echo the same experience with a good Smithed barrel in CF
will shoot good right from the beginning, (or after the first 20 rounds anyhow)
Most CF guns I have smithed I have seen start showing their personality and accuracy within 20 rounds.
But I already kind of have known a load to begin with to test simply for accuracy potential
---
This being the case, I am wanting to learn the intricacies of rimfire smithing, since I will eventually smith myself one of those as well
or improve what I have now, likely recutting the chambers next. Then gauging improvement
I have already seen good improvement simply from lapping my existing 22's
1 step at a time, so lapping first, then rechambering will be next, rebarrel last after I learn more of the intricacies of 22 smithing.
Leade is just as important in CF, so let me ask you
in Rimfire, how should the leade be cut? what do you mean when you are suggesting a lot has to do with the smith finishing the leade?
is it the amount of freebore? dia.? is it being cut with a floating pilot so its smooth and not gouged? etc
Thanks,

There is no freebore. Almost all chambers engrave….how much is important. The best often determine final depth by how fast throat fouls. Barrel configuration often plays a role with this .
The best also finish by lightly lapping chamber and indexing to avoid an oblong chamber.
As far as lapping existing 22’s, be mighty careful, unless you really know what you’re doing easy to end with barrel too big on either end of an existing, fitted barrel.
As far as your CF opinions, I shoot CFBR as well, have had bbls fit by some of the very best and, literally, to a man, every one of them has opined they usually require 100-150 rounds to show their true potential.My experience as well.
RF barrels, usually right from the get-go but many fail to recognize a chamber needs seasoning and then it’s rate of fouling becomes less and takes longer to form.
You chase the “ intricacies” of those, be forewarned, expect to go through a few before the light goes on.

 

[Hi-NV Shooter]

Not to mix apples with oranges as far as rimfire vs centerfire but
I would also like to echo the same experience with a good Smithed barrel in CF
will shoot good right from the beginning, (or after the first 20 rounds anyhow)
Most CF guns I have smithed I have seen start showing their personality and accuracy within 20 rounds.
But I already kind of have known a load to begin with to test simply for accuracy potential
---
This being the case, I am wanting to learn the intricacies of rimfire smithing, since I will eventually smith myself one of those as well
or improve what I have now, likely recutting the chambers next. Then gauging improvement
I have already seen good improvement simply from lapping my existing 22's
1 step at a time, so lapping first, then rechambering will be next, rebarrel last after I learn more of the intricacies of 22 smithing.
Leade is just as important in CF, so let me ask you
in Rimfire, how should the leade be cut? what do you mean when you are suggesting a lot has to do with the smith finishing the leade?
is it the amount of freebore? dia.? is it being cut with a floating pilot so its smooth and not gouged? etc
Thanks,

Some call it post chamber lapping to get the finish of the leade smooth so there is nothing that will impede a smooth transition from leade to the rifling. if you ever looked at a factory barrel you will know what I mean, the machining marks left after chambering a mass-produced barrel.

Lee

 

[ELR LVR]

There is no freebore. Almost all chambers engrave….how much is important. The best often determine final depth by how fast throat fouls. Barrel configuration often plays a role with this .
The best also finish by lightly lapping chamber and indexing to avoid an oblong chamber.
As far as lapping existing 22’s, be mighty careful, unless you really know what you’re doing easy to end with barrel too big on either end of an existing, fitted barrel.
As far as your CF opinions, I shoot CFBR as well, have had bbls fit by some of the very best and, literally, to a man, every one of them has opined they usually require 100-150 rounds to show their true potential.My experience as well.
RF barrels, usually right from the get-go but many fail to recognize a chamber needs seasoning and then it’s rate of fouling becomes less and takes longer to form.
You chase the “ intricacies” of those, be forewarned, expect to go through a few before the light goes on.

A few years ago, may people were suggesting it takes about 100-200 rounds for a barrel to
"Break in" so to speak
More recently I am seeing more and more barrel makers actually reveal and echo what I am seeing more often than not. that being... "There is no break in needed"
'---
I believe that solely depens upon whose barrel was used and their lapping process
My experience by the barrel makers I personally use
is that there is no such thing as a break in period
---
I'll provide 2 real quick examples of what I mean and my opinion being based on what I personally experience with chambering a barrel
I will agree with you, for a barrel to show its TRUE potential absolutely we need to do some load development, test seating depths etc etc, to hone in our load to the barrel
If everything is right, though , this is usually what I see right out of the gate.
1st pic is a 224 barrel I recently did, starting .005" off the lands and working out
these are the first 3 shots out of the barrel at .005" off.
I call this type of clustering, "starting to group", they are not one holers yet, but at least the shots are touching and clustering to allow you to fine tune the load rather quickly.
2nd Pic is a 284 I did, searching for seating depth
they usually "Start to Group" once a few fouler shots have went down the tube and it reveals its personality. Not saying that some may take more shots for this to happen than others
I call those a "Stubborn barrel" which could theoretically be more luck of the draw.

 

[TRSR8]

You believe what you wish, I”ll believe what most of the top CFBR smiths and Team USA members practice.. they won’t shoot a new barrel in a match until it gets some rounds down range. Have you, out of curiosity, ever shot in a BR match or built a match rifle?
Lastly…..rimfire forum