Cruiser Class

S

Stephen Perry

New member
Again I bring this topic to BRC. I and others would like to see a NBRSA Cruiser bag gun class Registered. The Class would be for local Registered only not replacing any guns in State, Regional, and National level 3 and 4 guns. National Records to be kept.

The proposed would be for an 18 1/2 lb max bag gun no other guided means. No limit on stock, barrel diameter, or scope. Tuners according to current Tuner rules. No muzzle brakes. Proposed 30 cal max.

I have 3 pillar bedded stocks that take 2 actions and 5 of my 1.35 barrels. My guns weigh between 16 and 18 1/2 lb. I run 2 barrels 6 PPC, 2 barrels 22 PPC, and 1 barrel 6BRS with my Cruisers. All these barrels and actions fit into my Rail guns. I enjoy these pillar bed Cruisers guns and plan on shooting a few in Unlimited events next year.

The Cruiser class would allow all bag guns to compete. Make a shooter out of ya having to read conditions and decide where to aim each shot.

Like to see a Director present this as an Agenda item next year I will present this to our SW Region Director.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR
 
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Stephen

As long as you kept it out of the Nationals Format so the current HOF format would not be affected, it might fly.

But as of now, with the advent of Varmint for Score on the one year interim basis, clubs might become "class saturated". We are out of week ends now.

What Region, (through their Director), would you like to see bring this up. I doubt ours would touch it..........jackie
 
SW Region Jackie

Cruiser would be a Group class so no extra equipment for Ranges already shooting group events.
 
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Stephen,
Why do you need NBRSA sanctioning to hold a local match? Any time a bunch of guys want to have a match, and the facilities are available, I say more power to them. Is it an insurance issue or something like that?
Boyd
 
Boyd

When I say local Registerd that includes all the Shoots outside State, Regional, Nats, Worlds, and Super Shoot. Since Visalia has neither the State Shoot or the Regionals next year all their Shoots will be local Registered. If you have a better name to call the Shoots I'll use it.

Boyd I really don't want to get into semantics rather talk a Cruiser Proposal.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR
 
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Stephen.
This has come up in MI.
Some people have stocks with Thumb holes. Would this be included?
They have tried to compete. But, due to restrictions of stock design and weight.......
 
I never did understand the whole stock Configuration thing. I mean really, if it weights 10.5 for LV, and 13.5 for HV. Who cares what the stock is, and how it is confiqured. If people thought that it had some kind of advatage, they would just switch over to that particular stock.. Maybe someone can Educate me on why this is.. I for one would like to use whatever stock I wanted to use, like a really nice thumbhole stock.:D
 
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Dan

Anyone can use a thumbhole.The rules are about width & but angle.Get the rules and read them.
 
I have the rules and I did read them.. I was just wanting an education. I was wanting to know why there has to be an angle on the stock like it says in the book. Also I had a thumb hole stock and when I started BR and everyone told me nice stock, but its not legle. It was a Lee Six thumhole stock. As I said before I dont understand and I would like to be educated..:D
 
Once again a proposal to "do something". Why not consider a combined effort to "do something" with the redundant Sporter Class. A few years before I had proposed a class named "Experimental Rifle Class". This would be 17# limit to allow the 600 yard LG folks to participate. There would be no problem in going to Stephens suggested 18# or even to, say, 20# but much beyond that would defeat the intent to keep the class a "rifle like" concept.

Other considerations, that it must be fired from bags (no return-to battery), a "stock" (should be one-piece), etc. My idea of a one-piece stock restriction has since then been complicated by these Tinker Toy type stocks like the Beggs so we would need a definition to keep it "rifle like". Many of us have come across accuracy innovations like barrel blocks in some of the long range varmint shooter crowd.

This new class would allow more innovations like different accuracy chamberings and calibers, more rigid scope designs and even some action innovations even though the Long Range shooters have got some of the custom action builders into heavier designs that would better support heavier barrel weights. One anchoring point, action anchoring only or barrel block anchoring only.

As with the current UL/HB, the existing Varmint/Sporter qualified guns would be allowed. This would not require anyone to build another gun to compete in this class but would open up the sport for more innovation.
 
DanK said:
I have the rules and I did read them.. I was just wanting an education. I was wanting to know why there has to be an angle on the stock like it says in the book. Also I had a thumb hole stock and when I started BR and everyone told me nice stock, but its not legal. It was a Lee Six thumhole stock. As I said before I don't understand and I would like to be educated..:D
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Illegal? Mike Walker in later years seldom used anything but thumbhole stocks.

As to the "stock angle" issue there is still a slight difference in requirement between IBS and NBRSA. The intent of this rule was to limit "return-to-battery" features within the Varmint/Sporter classes.
 
Go Back And Read

There are reasons why the rules are the way they are. If you have some time, go back and read all of the archives of the NBRSA Meetings going all the way back to the early '50's.

There was always a feeling among the purist in Benchrest to keep the Rifles looking like "Rifles", or at least what the general public recognizes as a "Rifle". In short, shooters were coming up with some really strange concepts that the "powers that be" nipped in the bud by instituting the stock and barrel profile rules that still stand to this day.

The compromise came with the Unrestricted Class. Read the rules. If you can't be 'innovative" in that, go bowling.

But remember, even that was not concieved as we know it now. Any body remember back when "one piece bases" were not allowed in Unrestricted Class. The final evolution of the Unrestricted, (Heavy Bench in IBS), class came about when the Sanctioning Bodies allowed the one piece base. The modern, true return to battery Rail Gun is a direct product of this rule change.

I have an article about Benchrest at home, circa 1971, in Shooters Almanac. The jist of the article was lamenting about some of the disturbing trends in Benchrest. It seems that a few young upstarts were starting to compete with Rifles that just did not look like "Rifles". They were short, stubby, and had strange looking stocks, and were useless for anything except shooting off a bench. We were witnessing heresy. One of those new "upstarts" was was a shooter named Ed Shilen.

The truth be known, if the Sanctioning Bodies decided to institute some sort of ultra heavy Bag Gun Class, such as Cruiser, the majority of shooters would still show up with a Sporter. Just like they do in LV and HV now.

One of the dirty litle secrets in Benchrest is that there are really only two categories of Rifle. Bag Gun, and Return to Battery Gun. The way things have evolved, anybody with a lick of sense recognizes that a Sporter with a great barrel and great tune will beat a HV with a average barrel. All of that other stuff, mainly weight, means nothing. Fancy stocks, weight, and any other thing that would be different from what we have now all take a backseat to that all important barrel-bullet-tune combination.

Without causing too much ire among my fellow shooters, I say this. Benchrest doesn't need more group classes. We need fewer. HV and Unlimited would really satisfy the mandate just fine. Rifles that do not have return to battery capabilities, and those that do have return to battery capabilities. Because in reality, that is what the sport has evolved in to.

This is showed to be true at just about every Benchrest event held, including the Nationals, The World Championships, and Super Shoot. Even though the classes are LV and HV, 98 percent of the shooters show up, and win with, a Sporter.....jackie
 
Bag Guns

Since this Thread is for a proposed Cruiser Class I don't want to get into another change Sporter Class discussion.

Cruiser Class would be the ultimate do what you want bag gun class. I do feel Cruiser needs some guidelines and that leaves enough room for innovation that current SP, LV, and HV rules have kept us from. Stock rules never enforced would be cleared. Barrel blocks could be used. No taper rule on barrels. Cruisers have been around as long as Unlimited had been a Class. The original BR rifle of the 1950's was essentially a Cruiser but some screwed things up when they added the guided means. This Cruiser Class is the big bag gun that is shot from current front rests with a rear bag no crutch no guided means.

Give it a thought. New Classes don't come easy. Nothing will be given up if Cruiser becomes a Class. Nobody will be forced to put Cruisers on their schedules. Cruiser will make it strictly on shooter demands as it should be.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR
 
That's right Stephen

New classes don't come easy!

In the case of the cruiser, the perception would be that those with a cruiser would have an advantage and those without would stay home. Match directors would be fully aware of that and hesitant to schedule the cruiser class. Without many scheduled cruiser matches folks would be hesitant to build cruisers. Three or four times around that loop and the cruiser class gets tanked.
 
Cheechako

That last post you deleted kept me laughing for a long while. I tried not to but the more I thought about it the funnier it got.
 
Cheechako

Wilbur said:
That last post you deleted kept me laughing for a long while. I tried not to but the more I thought about it the funnier it got.
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Me, too! :D:D:D:D:D

I considered undeleting it; but, nawwww...:p
 
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