LV HV competition question

T

Tim Singleton

Member
I've been practicing and absorbing as much information as I can for the last 2 years. Sold off one rifle and built another.
I plan to go to several matches this season. In the southeast region.
Right now my drop port viper is set up for HV. Do some change barrels to shoot LV then HV? Or do most build another dedicated rifle?


Thanks
Tim
 
My thoughts

Use the KISS method. You say you are new to the sport. Just a question, did you have a LV? Is that the rifle you sold?

The reason I am asking is you say you have a HV. Why did you build a HV if you have no LV?

Regardless, I have been shooting the game for 6 years. I have 2 rifles. Both are LV's. I shoot which ever I think is working for me at the given time. The other is the back up.

As a new shooter it is so much easier to load and keep one gun in tune over a weekend. Unless everything is PERFECT between your LV and HV you may be shimming sizing dies, seating dies, change in powder charge, etc etc........... An LV also lets you compete in ALL classes. Yes a HV is nicer to shoot but if you can ever get an LV working and drilling them I feel you are at an advantage over someone who changes to shoot there HV. there are exceptions to this when you look at the current Hall of Fame list. Those guys on that list are the cream of the crop and some of them do shoot a dedicated HV rifle.

In regards to changing barrels to go from HV to LV depending how heavy your HV is I doubt you can shed 3 lbs if your rifle is right at the max HV weight.

I would go the way of LV learn to shoot it well, get confident in your reloading practices and then you can think about a LV and a HV.

Just my thoughts.

Calvin
 
It also depends on what format you are shooting in.

If you are shooting NBRSA and/or IBS group shooting, the LV is the way to go.

NBRSA and/or IBS Varmint for score and UBR, a 13.5 lb rifle is the way to go.

Your 13.5 lb 220 Beggs is perfect for UBR. Matches near you include Jonesville, VA and Buck Creek, KY. There may be more. See http://www.ultimatebenchrest.com .
 
My plans were for nbrsa group.
My thoughts were 220 Beggs low recoil in Heavy 13.5 lb gun and switching barrels for LV
Maybe not such a good plan
 
Question

Do you have a removable weight in the butt stock of the rifle?
If so all you would need is a LV profile barrel.
As for changing dies consider getting two sets of dedicated dies.
Centerfire
 
Light rifle if you can...

I've thought about this a bunch....many times over.

Say you had a heavy and a light rifle. Let's say for argument sake that the heavy rifle was better than the light rifle. You would shoot the light when it was called for and live for the heavy gun. Now, picture yourself with a light rifle that outperformed the heavy. When the heavy class came up.....would you shoot the heavy rifle knowing that the light rifle was the better performer? Those situations will be the same whether you have one barrel or two (or 100 actually). Some folks screw barrel after barrel on a rifle that is not capable of winning - ever. I don't know why..but they do.

Why not just have a good light rifle...a sometimes winning rifle. Truth is, unless you have the cash, a winning rifle is not that easy to come by but you need to try. I'm hoping that your rifle is THAT rifle. THAT rifle is few.

Wait a minute...I have to say this. If you don't win a few matches now and then I'm sayin' that your rifle is not THAT rifle. Sell it and buy another. Benchrest shooting is not that difficult to perform. Getting your hands on the right stuff is what's difficult! When you get the right stuff you'll know it's the right stuff.
 
I've had a good shooting HV rifle since I built it in 1985. One of those that shot well with just about any barrel that was installed on it. However, at most matches, especially the nationals, you start off shooting the 10.5 pound class rifle. You've been shooting it for two days and have been adjusting the tune of the rifle for those two days. It's very hard to want to switch over to a HV rifle and probably foolish as long as the LV rifle is shooting well enough to be competitive. If the tune is right on the LV, then you don't want to switch rifles. If you aren't competitive with the LV, then it's not hard to want to switch over to the HV rifle. I shot the HV rifle for the first time in probably 4 or 5 years at the Cactus this year. It had come to the point, that I wasn't even bringing it with me to matches and was leaving it in my gun vault. I installed a new barrel on it right before the Cactus. I probably should have installed on on my LV instead. Pretty easy to try to get one more match out of a barrel and not hard to figure out when it was one match too many.

For a new shooter, build a LV class rifle or two identical LV rifles and shoot them exclusively.
 
Mike Bryant said:
For a new shooter, build a LV class rifle or two identical LV rifles and shoot them exclusively.
Click to expand...
Again, that answer is specific to IBS or NBRSA group. That's what Tim wants to shoot, just don't want someone else to read only parts of the thread and find themselves in the inverse problem...having built a LV 30 BR or similar to shoot in UBR or IBS or NBRSA Varmint For Score.
 
SGJennings said:
Again, that answer is specific to IBS or NBRSA group. That's what Tim wants to shoot, just don't want someone else to read only parts of the thread and find themselves in the inverse problem...having built a LV 30 BR or similar to shoot in UBR or IBS or NBRSA Varmint For Score.
Click to expand...

I tend to answer in what I shoot. Since group is the only thing I shoot, that's how I answer. If I was going to shoot varmint for score, I'd go with a HV rifle in either a .30 PPC or BR depending upon what size bolt head I had. The HV rifle is easier to handle. Once shooting season is in full swing, I could probably shoot group matches ever weekend in the GC region or MC region. I'm not going to travel to shoot varmint for score.
 
LV HV competition question.

A lot of shooters have 2 10.5 rifles made. 1 main rifle and 1 back up rifle and use them in both classes.
Many think your better off this way.
 
The late Skip Otto told me that if he owned 4 bag guns, they would all be sporters. Of course he had a great shooting rail. Also, after shooting well with a LV in the morning, I changed to a HV for the afternoon .... Dwight Scott was shooting next to me and asked what happened. When I told him, he gave me this bit of sage advice, " Never put down a hot shooting rifle to change to one just as good."
This was many years ago at the "Crawfish" , but I will never forget it. Another great shooter (Billy Stevens) said that when one changes rifles in the middle of the day, it takes two matches to get your tune right. Why put down the rifle that you have already tuned to start over. Of course, when one has a great shooting HV and has a chance to redeem one's self after a bad outing with a LV, then he should do so. The late Jerry Simison said that his HV had saved many aggs for him and of course Tony B. has used his old Hart to whip many shooters in his day. Good shooting...James
 
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