How to have a BR gun built ??

F

fishbone

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I have been digging for info on having a gunsmith build a BR gun.
I'm having trouble on identifying the better gunsmiths.
So far I know I want a Hart barrel in SS chambered in 6mmPPC.
This will be a bench shooter with a few ground hog shots thrown in.
Any suggestions on gunsmiths?
 
call jim borden, or call kelblys. heck hart may even build it for you, not sure. good luck and just do a little more reading. You will soon learn what smiths are on top. Lee
 
If you go to the HOME page of BR central, there is a link to "gunsmiths". That is a good place to start. Not all of them build "benchrest" rifles and not all of them are still in business but there are a number of very capable smiths listed there. Bordens, Kelby, Coleman, Bryant, Stevens would be good names to pay attention to.
Depending on where you are located, there may be some very good local smiths available. Find your local shooters and ask around as well.

Joe
 
I'm in Pa. and with the above tips, I liked what I read on Bordens Rifles web site.
Thanks.
 
You have a lot of good smiths in your area. Dave Bruno, Jim Borden, Wayne Campbell, ect. One name that is kind of a hidden secret it seems, that does very good work is Bruce Lachapella, just at the Euber brothers. Bruce has smithed Championship Score and Group guns.

Hovis
 
caroby said:
Jim is one of the BEST.... KNOWS what he's doin..!

Good choise...
cale
Click to expand...

Thanks.
Next I have to decide if 6mm PPC should be my cartridge of choice.
Then price up the project with Bordens which may make me weak in the knees. LOL
I wish there where textbooks on BR shooting to guide me on the many choices/decisions.
 
fishbone said:
Thanks.
Next I have to decide if 6mm PPC should be my cartridge of choice.
Then price up the project with Bordens which may make me weak in the knees. LOL
I wish there where textbooks on BR shooting to guide me on the many choices/decisions.
Click to expand...

FB,
While they may not be exactly textbooks there are some good books that cover building a bench gun . Mike Ratigan's "Extreme Rifle Accuracy" and Tony Boyer's new book (forgot the exact title) are both very informative . Ron Hoehn at Hoehn Sales should have both of them in stock. Good luck.

Rodney
 
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PA has a number of BR gunsmiths. Some that come to mind are Sid Goodling, Bob Green, Clarence Hammonds, Jim Borden, Dave Bruno. There are others, but you can't go wrong with any of the ones listed.
 
"I wish there where textbooks on BR shooting to guide me on the many choices/decisions."

Well ... That's right here..............
Just go with what Jim Borden recommends.... From gun to dies, presses, bags, rests, wind flags..etc... He won't steer ya wrong..!

Do yourself a favor... Get both Ratigan and Boyers books.
http://extremerifleaccuracy.com/
http://www.brunoshooters.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=BSS&Product_Code=TBSC

30BR for VFS and 6ppc for group... Jim can set you up with a .478 bolt face (.308 bolt face) >and< have an extractor that will pull the ppc case head too.... Work as an ejector with both cases.

Then.......... Go to matches... Shoot with >current competitive< shooters in practice as much as possible.

Lot to learn but if ya got the "fire" to shoot this game... You'll >want< to learn and progress.....

cale
 
My first BR rifle was a Boden 6 PPC Panda

I am now shooting barrel number 5. Usually I get close to 2000 rounds down the tube and then I reshank the barrel a couple of times to get and additional 2000 rounds. By rough count I have 12,000 rounds though my Panda.

Jim Boden built the original rifle and may all five of the barrels. I reshank the barrels my self.

I use the barrels Jim made for me for competition and the re-shanked (= re-chambered) barrel for fun and shooting small matches with my buddies.

I have been shooting this rifle since 2000 or so. Never had a problem.

I can attest that Jim builds a very good rifle.

There are several very good gunsmiths on this site. Pick one you like and listen to him.
 
Thanks, Cale and Rodney, for the book tip. I have the Boyer book on order, but can't get an answer on the Ratigen phone or have the email address go through. I'll work on it.
I also have been in contact with Jim Borden, and will work towards a project there.
There is a local match I plan to attend this coming Sunday, plus Jim listed some area matches that I will check out. This should help in picking a cartridge that would work best at these events.
 
"I plan to attend this coming Sunday"

Excellent.. This will help you more than anything in getting started... The "local" matches >relativly close to you< will be the type of matches that you will want to build the gun to compete in.

I had forgot about WBC in France... That's where Ratigan is.... Give a few weeks, Mike will be available to get your order in.
There is enough goodies in both books to want to own both. Primarily because they are both current.

Welcome aboard to extreme accuracy,
cale
 
I'll second the vote for Jim Borden. He's a top shelf gunsmith, shooter, machinist and a damned good fellow to do business with. Clarence Hammonds is also very good as I've had him to work as well. I know fellow shooters who have used Sid Goodling with glowing comments as well as Bruce Baer. PA is fortunate to have a good number of well known and respected gunsmiths. The only problem is these guys are busy and stay busy. If you want a total rifle built the average wait time is about a year.
 
I now have the Ratigan book on order through Sinclair.

Cale, you will be at the Pa event on Sunday from Oklahoma?

Maybe we'll bump into each other.
 
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