Bob Wallack Book

Wayne Shaw

Wayne Shaw

Active member
A friend gave me a signed book by Wallack "Modern Accuracy In Benchrest Shooting, circa 1951. Very interesting stuff in there. Wallack wrote he chambered throught the headstock, and never removed the barrel until everything was done on that end. Didn't know that was done back then. Straightening barrels was commonplace, etc. Interesting.
 
It is a good old book, and well worth trying to find a copy. Lots of good info about the early days of Benchrest.
 
Wayne Shaw said:
A friend gave me a signed book by Wallack "Modern Accuracy In Benchrest Shooting, circa 1951. Very interesting stuff in there. Wallack wrote he chambered throught the headstock, and never removed the barrel until everything was done on that end. Didn't know that was done back then. Straightening barrels was commonplace, etc. Interesting.
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I know of one major barrel maker who still straightens barrels. This might be OK if 1) the barrel were re-stress relieved afterwards, or, 2) the barrel was only used in something like a hunting application where the barrel temperature was not changed while shooting. Any piece of material that is subject to stress buildup will move when as its temperature changes if it has residual internal stresses, fact!!

In most of our benchrest games where we shoot, say, three sighters, then five for record, enough heat will build up that CAN cause movement, depending on the amount of internal stress present. Granted the material CAN go back to its original condition, depending on that materials memory properties.

Chambering through the headstock has been common for decades. That is why "The Great Gunsmith" Seeley Masker had three South Bend Heavy 10's.

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The Book

Us in mid 80s do enjoy good conversation such as just read.
Thanks Jerry
 
Lots of names and pictures of people that pioneered benchrest: Mike Walker, Fred Huntington, John Unertl, Harvey Donaldson, G.R.Douglas, etc. Johnstown, NY was the dominant range, up to 100 shooters attended at times. Dubois, PA was also popular. Not only did they reload at the range, some swaged their bullets between matches. Good stuff!
 
Wayne Shaw said:
Lots of names and pictures of people that pioneered benchrest: Mike Walker, Fred Huntington, John Unertl, Harvey Donaldson, G.R.Douglas, etc. Johnstown, NY was the dominant range, up to 100 shooters attended at times. Dubois, PA was also popular. Not only did they reload at the range, some swaged their bullets between matches. Good stuff!
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Do they talk about wind flags?
 
Wayne Shaw said:
Lots of names and pictures of people that pioneered benchrest: Mike Walker, Fred Huntington, John Unertl, Harvey Donaldson, G.R.Douglas, etc. Johnstown, NY was the dominant range, up to 100 shooters attended at times. Dubois, PA was also popular. Not only did they reload at the range, some swaged their bullets between matches. Good stuff!
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There was stuff like this going on in many different areas all over the country back then, and that is the sort of thing you will find in Mr Wallach’s gem of a book.

For instance, Mr Wallach credits the North West boys for their part in creating what we now know as modern BR. In his book he talks a lot about the early years… "In 1944 Dr Rod Janson, along with Roy Meister, Wally Burnham and Harry Atwood formed the Puget Sound Snipers Congress whose goal was “to improve and perfect rifle accuracy and determine the accuracy of modern rifles”. A formal competition was set up shooting at 200 yds with the winner being determined by the smallest average of the groups shot that day. The early rules stated … “any dead rest including machine rest, sand bag rest, rest over a sack of saw dust or horse feathers, elbow holes and muzzle rest, out of a car window rest, stump rest, toe holes or belly holes, any special clamps or vices or benchrest may be used”. That was 1944, the year of the first Sniper King Championship which is still shot yearly to this day at the Tacoma range. (although you don’t see many horse feathers these days) It was a big success with 37 competitors at that first shoot. Roy Meister won it shooting a 30.06 Springfield rifle, with his 200 yd group average of 2.235”. His was the first name on the Sniper King trophy which is still in existence today and awarded every year. Also, Dr. Rod Janson and Roy Meister were the NW representatives at the meeting in 1951 in Denver that resulted in the formation of the NBRSA.

Some more interesting stuff in Mr. Wallach’s book were comments on some of the attendees of the 6th annual Sniper King (1950) … Present were Sam Wilson, E.C. Bishop of Bishop stocks, Fred Huntington of RCBS, three Sierra bullet representatives and Elmer Keith of Salmon Idaho. States represented besides WA were Montana, Idaho, Oregon, California, Texas, New York and Pennsylvania with several guys from Canada as well.
 
Wayne Shaw said:
Lots of names and pictures of people that pioneered benchrest: Mike Walker, Fred Huntington, John Unertl, Harvey Donaldson, G.R.Douglas, etc. Johnstown, NY was the dominant range, up to 100 shooters attended at times. Dubois, PA was also popular. Not only did they reload at the range, some swaged their bullets between matches. Good stuff!
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Dang Wayne, you got me looking to see if I have that book. Haven't found it yet but I have the 2 volume set of gunsmithing by James Virgin Howe and it is signed "To Bill with love-Shirley- June 23, 1945" Modern women don't do that anymore....do they?

Volume 1 is 424 pages and a 82 page supplement bound in with the first book. So far I have also found Complete Guide to Handloading by Philip B Sharpe copy write 1937, 1941, 1945, 1952 and 1953. Has an introduction "Dedicated to Harry M Pope" and a full page photo of Sharpe and Pope at Camp Perry. Acknowledgements to Colonel Towndsend Whelen, N. H, Roberts (257 Roberts), Harvey Lovell, Geo. A. Howell and about 17 others including Guy Louverin (remember the unique Louverin cast bullet design?).

There is a photo of Howe at the strangest wooden bench, one of the gun rests of this bench is part ways down the barrel! "Bench designed and manufactured by C. C. Dyer, Portland, Maine".

Now I have something to do next Winter or on rainy days.

These books would not be allowed to be printed today in the US, just as the 1950 "The Iron Curtain Over America by John Beaty" is not allowed!!
 
Rick, You are right in that credit is given to many ranges across the country, I didn't mean to discredit any of them.

Jerry, I have a Phil Sharpe Handloading book too, but not sure of the date. Quite the book aint they?

Wallack had a lot of discussion about barrels of the day, his opinion that a barrel should not be lapped, that it was wearing out the barrel before being shot. But, he included writings from Mike Walker which had the opposite opinion, of unifying the barrel end to end. We all know where the current majority is now. I give Wallack credit for publishing differing views of his own.
 
Turk Takano always said an unlapped barrel was best.

Jerry S. Wasn't that Hervey Lovell? I always thought it was Harvey, but I have a couple letters that came with one of his rifles and the printed envelope says Hervey. It is a Mauser in 22 Varminter.
 
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I have a 1951 copy of "the ultimate in rifle precision" by Townsend Whelen with a chapter on barrel making by G.R.Douglas. At that time,early fifties, he was cutting his barrels. He started buttoning in the middle to late fifties at about the same time Hart did. In this arcticle he talks about a honing process he was using in both cut and buttoned barrels. This process was performed after reaming and BEFORE rifling.He made it clear that this process was not traditional lapping as was practiced then and now. To my knowledge this process was discontinued after he died and Tim Gardners dad took over the business. I have never heard exactly how he did it. He was also "if not the first" one of the first guys to realize that straightened barrels were no good for target or bench rest shooting.
 
Martin,
Some of the better barrelmakers are lapping after reaming as well as after rifling. Sunnen Hones make a reamer that Bartlein is playing with and others are looking at. It is extremely expensive, but is a very nice machine capable of doing wonderful things at extremely small tolerance.
 
Butch Lambert said:
Martin,
Some of the better barrelmakers are lapping after reaming as well as after rifling. Sunnen Hones make a reamer that Bartlein is playing with and others are looking at. It is extremely expensive, but is a very nice machine capable of doing wonderful things at extremely small tolerance.
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Butch,
Appreciate the reply. I was not aware of this development. I am guessing that Douglas was pushing a plug thru after reaming but in order to remove the reamer marks it would seem to me he would have had to have done some mighty critical figuring! In other words if the plug was to small you would leave reamer marks,if to large you would have one hell of a wreck before you got to the other end. He apparently did not intend to share this process.
 
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