Newbie/Novice needs help.

L

Lee F.

Guest
I know very little about Bench Rest shooting, other than what I've been reading here, but it sounds like a lot of fun, and I'd like to give it a try.

I have always wanted a high end 22 LR, and was about to buy a Cooper Jackson Squirrel Rifle, but since I'm thinking I might try Benchrest, I decided to ask for some advise. So, with a budget of about $3000.00, what might be a good rifle/scope choice that would be a great informal hunting/shooting gun, meet the rules and be competitive in the 7.5 pound Sporter class, and possibly, with a scope change, be useable in 10.5 pound class also. Would the Cooper be a good choice? What other guns might be better? For a scope, how about the Leupold FX-3 6X42 with target dot?

I know a lot of guys suggest going to some matches and seeing what others use, but there are no competitions that I know of within 150 miles of me, and I don't think I would find guys any more knowledgeable than what are right here.

Thanks,
Lee
 
Lee,
Where in the ADK's are you? We shoot IR50/50 matches in Salem, about 30 miles from Glens Falls. We have some shooters from Chestertown that travel about an hour to get here. We have a match on Sunday, come on down and we'll set you up with something to shoot.

As far as the rifle, I've seen a few Sako P94's built as both Sporters and 10.5lb guns, and also a few CZ's. The Anschutz 54:18 is a good platform, too, and has the best out of the box trigger you can get on a factory rifle. Keep in mind the Sporter needs to be a repeater.

Hope this helps,
Todd
 
Lee, your asking a lot...but

With that budget, if your patient you could pick up a good used custom sporter out of the classifieds. One with a Jewel trigger can be changed from 2oz. to 2 pounds with just a spring change without having to remove it from the stock. If you are willing to change scopes between classes so much the better. If you could rig up some sort of detachable block for the forearm to make it 3" wide that would help. If you check the scores you'll see that the better sporters are remarkably accurate and while not exactly ideal as a field gun could at least be carried without resorting to hiring a gun bearer to lug it around! The soft wood used on most custom sporters won't take much abuse so a lot of dings are inevitable. As much as I like Coopers, I have a few, I wouldn't say they would be my first pick for a competition gun. I have however shot against one modified LVT that has shot well enough to be competitive. Just the odds aren't in favor of that being the case with every one that comes off the line.

Dennis
 
Todd,

I live in the hamlet of Adirondack. It's on the east side of Schroon Lake about 8 miles from Chestertown. I've only been in this area a couple of years, and had no idea Salem was nearby. I had seen another post somewhere that seemed to indicate it was near Syracuse so I never got out the map and looked.

Unfortunately, I have a memorial service to attend Sunday, so getting down there isn't possible. I will definately try to get to the next one though.

Regarding the rifle, the Jackson Squirrel is a clip fed repeater styled as a sporter. The one I'm looking at weighs 6 lbs. 5 oz.. This leaves 1 lb. 3 oz. for the scope and mounts. I did look at a real nice Anschutz 1712, but it was 7 lbs. 5 oz. and would be too heavy for sporter class when scoped.

Lee
 
If you aren't planning on shooting big-time benchrest competition, but are more interested in informal benchrest, (you said there were no BR clubs near you) then the Cooper with say a Weaver V24 6-24X scope would be close to ideal. It should shoot well enough off the bench for you to have lots of fun with it and it'll be great as a woods rifle and will look good in the gun cabinet.

If you want to be competitive at a match, like they have in Salem, you'll want a custom sporter. You should be able to find a decent one with your budget if you keep an eye on the classifieds.

I have an early model Cooper 57M Classic and, with a Weaver V24, it weighs 8.5 lbs. The earlier models have a heavier barrel contour then the current production. Still, with those nice walnut stocks, the weight is bound to vary some. I wouldn't bank on it being exactly 6.5 lbs. You could probably get a BR sporter stock from Don Stith for match use and still be within your budget.
 
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Bill,

The Cooper I'm looking at does weigh 6 lbs. 5 oz's on a postal scale. It also has a really nice piece of wood, and the test target shows 5 rounds of Lapua Matrix + in one round hole that looks like one bullet until you look really close. I know it was shot at 46 yds, indoors under controlled conditions, using a Leupy BR-36, but according to Dan Picket at Cooper, the target is factual. I think it shows the potential of this particular rifle.

Lee
 
Lee,
Send me an e-mail at TKBanks98 at aol.com and I'll send you our schedule. I have an extra front and rear rest, and there are usually a couple of spare rifles available.
Todd
 
Thanks for the replies.

Would I be correct in believing that there are no factory rifles that would be competitive out of the box? If this is the case, do I buy a gun and have it modified, or are there people who build custom guns from scratch that would meet the rules of Sporter class? Since I like the Cooper so much, and the price is right, I'm thinking I might just buy it, and get a dedicated BR gun when I have a better idea what I want.

Lee
 
Profit

Lee:
Factory Rifles are built with the idea, the company will make a profit. Custom guns are built to drain one's bank account. Buy a factory gun, compete and have some fun, or build a custom and wonder if you will ever have fun again,
 
Lee,

Don't buy anything until you've been to a match and have a chance to talk to the shooters there. You will then have a better idea of what you want and which way you may be headed.

Ken
 
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