.284 Win. for 1000 yard Benchrest?

H

HUNTER3401

New member
Guys,
I was wondering what kind of success people are having with a straight .284 Win./Lapua Brass for 1000 yard benchrest (not F-Class). I have 6 Dashers for good weather, but would like to have a windy day round for the bad days. I have a barrel ready in 1-8.5 twist that is 32 inches and have plenty of 6.5x284 Lapua brass, dies, and plenty of Berger 180g VLD's ready to go. How does it do against 300 mags on bad days? Or should I not worry about it and just stick with the 6 Dasher's all the time? Thanks for your replys. Samuel Hall
 
one of the most common calibers presently in "F" class. 180 gr. bullets at around 3000 ft/sec.1/4" MOA guns are common...less recoil than 30`s....more HP. than dashers.... but we are restricted to 22#.
bill larson
 
Sam:

The .284 Winchester is used regularily in F-Open. A opened up 6.5 X .284 (Lapua brass is the choice) to .284 with a Sinclair expander mandrel then full length sized with a Redding .309 neck die will fix your brass. A loaded .284 (180 Berger) in a no neck turned Lapua case will have a neck diameter of .3125". The SAAMI spec chamber neck diameter is a .320-.322 neck ID. My reamer cuts a .3175" neck diameter. The 180 Bergers are very long bullets and I cut my throats with 1* throating reamer. I have used H-4831, H-4350, Reloader 17, and Varget. Most of the target rifles I have built in this caliber have 30-32" barrels. They will acheive sub .5 moa vertical at 1000 yards. Charles Ballard won the F-Class Nationals a few years ago using the .284 win. Bill Shehane developed a wildcat (.284 Shehane) different shoulder angle (a little more case capacity). The US F-Open team has been experimenting with the 7mm RSAUM. The .284 Win gives better barrel life with only giving up a few inches to the 7mmRSAUM. The Lapua brass is worth the difference. I would suggest anealing before loading your first time. I now anneal every loading. There is a lot of information available on the 6mmBR web site. Charles Ballard's and Jerry Turney's write-ups are worth the read.
Nat Lambeth
 
Forget about visions of 3000fps
Shoot the 168vld or the 180 hybrids where they shoot accurate and consistant and it will do well for you, hot rod it and you will get vertical.
Been watching the Fclassers shoot 15 to 20 shots over 20 minutes and they hold a tight water line, like 4" or less @ 1000yd. With no vertical its all about readin the wind and knowing what to do about it, you might be just the man the 284 needs to make it famous.
I have dies and a reamer for the 284 Shehane Ive been thinking about playing with, you might gain some velocity probly get an easier bolt lift.
Ive been shootin up old lots of brass powder and bullets and havent got to the 6.5-284 Shehane brass I have so I havent done it yet.
Let us know how it goes if you decide to try it.
 
Nat:

F-class open does not allow muzzle brakes, IIRC. That is a game changer. Do you shoot for winning group, regardless of score in F-class? If not, that too changes the thinking.

Come shoot benchrest with us some time.

Edit:

Or perhaps not. Might find it lacks any challenge. If, as Jay says, you F-class guys can shoot 20 shots into 4 inches or less at 1000 yards most of the time, you'll take most of the BR records in a years time -- it takes a full season for the 10-match agg -- and can then dismiss it as too boring.

Here's a link to the IBS records. 1K is below 600 yards

http://internationalbenchrest.com/records/long_range/index.php
 
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I understand that some are having success with the 280 Rem.AI. I am wondering if the plain 280 Rem could be made competative with a no turn neck. It has a small case capicity advantage on the 284.
 
I think that the only advantage "might?" be the shorter fatter powder column.........i.e. PPC?
Rich De
 
The biggest issue with the 280 is brass quality, unless you can get (and afford RWS) and the 284 has quality brass (Lapua and Norma), I've had both and would go with the 284.

Matt
 
(This isn't for Sam, he already knows such stuff.)

Sort of a futile debate -- since the .284 isn't a popular benchrest round, let's go down half a millimeter to the 6.5, where we have the 6.5/284 and the 6.5/06 AI. Both of those were popular in 1K benchrest, and have essentially the same case shape and brass availability as the 7mms

And both have about the came performance. Rich De set an IBS Light Gun group record with the 6.5/284. Both Joel Pendergraft and I got more IBS points at a couple Nationals than Rich with the 6.5/06 AI.

If someone gave me the choice, I'd take the one based on the '06, because it's a little bigger. Question is whether or not you can use that capacity with available powders. Which is why a number of people went to the 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm Weatherby Mag, etc. Scott (forgot his last name, Bill Shehane called him "Ain't nothin' to it") took the overall IBS Nationals with a 7mm Rem Mag. Believe that was back when the Sierra 175 MK's first came out; the first run of a new Sierra bullet is usually outstanding. Now we have the Bergers as well.

But what I'd really like is the better barrel, whatever it's chambered in. And bullets & powder that barrel liked.

BTW, Why don't you F-class guys use the .338 with 300 grain bullets more? They have a BC of .818. Less drift at 1,000 yards (4.4 inches per each 1mph change in wind, as opposed to 6.6 inches). A full 2 MOA in a 10 mph wind, right? Oh, you can't use a muzzle brake, and you have to shoot prone? It's a different game, folks.
 
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If, as Jay says, you F-class guys can shoot 20 shots into 4 inches or less at 1000 yards most of the time.Quote

I never said they could shoot 4" 20 shot groups most of the time. I said they are holding a tight water line "like 4" or less at 1000 yards", ie waterline is no verticle above or below the X ring (Xring=5" on the fclass target) so a tight waterline would be less than that.
Not to say a 4" group isnt possible with good wind reading or consistant conditions but that includes a number of cartridges already in use for long range competition.
 
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