Newbie Question on getting 1st gun

S

spook1

Guest
Guys, I am looking at getting my first benchrest setup and have a question about either building one or buying one used. I will mostly be shooting 100 yards and am definitely getting a 6PPC. I was wondering your opinions on the Farley actions, expecially the pre Black Widow actions. I have found a used 6PPC with an early model Farley Action mounted in a Bruno stock that I thought about buying. I have been recently searching the Classifieds here and this is where I found this particular gun. I didn’t know if I would be better served by building a rifle or buying this particular used gun. The price seems to be fair enough. Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated. Also, how hard is it to swap barrels on these Farley actions? This particular gun I am looking at comes with 2 barrels, and I was wondering how hard it would be to swap the barrels. I have swapped Savage barrels and seen Remington barrels changed out, but I didn’t know if this was something that could be done by me with Headspace gauges, or if it was definitely a gunsmith tasks. Again, thanks for any advice.
 
!st Gun
I think it is good advice to talk to the gunsmith who you will be using and get his reccomendations on various actions/guns. He will be able to work on all guns/actions but I'm sure he has a preference and some dislikes. Its usually good advice to buy a used gun 1st and you will soon realize what you will want to buy and not as likely to buy/make something you dont like but have a lot of money in. The Farley actions have been around and proven their worth. I would advise you go to a few matches and see whats out ther and get some idea of what you desire.
You will definately be able to change barrels providing they were threaded and chambered for your gun. All you need is an proper action wrench and a barrel vice and your good to go.
Keep us posted on your progress, and remember there are no stupid questions just stupid answers.
CLP
 
IMO "provenance" (WHO built it) is arguably the single most important part of the equation. If it was built by a true Bench Rest Gunsmith, buy it.

You can't possibly know all the tricks that go into making a real shooter.

IMO any of the good actions are a tossup for accuracy and they're all easy to work with. I'm wit' Peterson, swapping barrels is child's play, 10min job. Ask here how to do it RIGHT once you've got it all in hand.

al
 
#1 are you sure that gun is still for sale?
Certain guns sell quick.
#2 IMO. agree with Al.
I have bought used. You get started quicker and will get an honest opinion from the former owner.
Barrels are like components. They get used. And then set aside or tossed.
The old guy told me. Buy the best you can. Eventually you will buy the best. :eek:
And the best way to learn benchrest. Go to matches.
Next major buy. Front rest. Farley, Sinclair, SEB any of the big heavy ones.
 
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Just a point to add to the good advice of buying a used gun first. Consider carefully its port configuration. Assuming you are right handed, a left port is much quicker to load than a right port, and a right eject or drop port is a little quicker still. If you find that your style of shooting includes trying to get shots downrange quickly before the conditions change, you will quickly lose interest in a right bolt right port (RBRP) gun and look for one that is faster to load.

Good luck,
Keith
 
mks said:
Just a point to add to the good advice of buying a used gun first. Consider carefully its port configuration. Assuming you are right handed, a left port is much quicker to load than a right port, and a right eject or drop port is a little quicker still. If you find that your style of shooting includes trying to get shots downrange quickly before the conditions change, you will quickly lose interest in a right bolt right port (RBRP) gun and look for one that is faster to load.

Good luck,
Keith
Click to expand...

Keith,
Having spent a fair amount of time either behind or beside you watching the timer click down to the last few seconds, I would never have guessed that you had any interest in anything moving quicker :) Does this mean that the R/R Wichita will be for sale one day soon? :D

Just yankin' your chain. Hope to see you at Gallatin Saturday.

Rick
 
Greyfox said:
Keith,
Having spent a fair amount of time either behind or beside you watching the timer click down to the last few seconds, I would never have guessed that you had any interest in anything moving quicker :) Does this mean that the R/R Wichita will be for sale one day soon? :D

Just yankin' your chain. Hope to see you at Gallatin Saturday.

Rick
Click to expand...

LOL for the day.:D:D:D
See you Saturday

Dan
 
Greyfox said:
Keith,
Having spent a fair amount of time either behind or beside you watching the timer click down to the last few seconds, I would never have guessed that you had any interest in anything moving quicker :) Does this mean that the R/R Wichita will be for sale one day soon? :D

Just yankin' your chain. Hope to see you at Gallatin Saturday.

Rick
Click to expand...

Rick,
You guessed it. I am tired of the flags changing before I can load and get another shot off. Can you order up some STEADY wind for Saturday?;)

Cheers,
Keith
 
mks said:
Rick,
You guessed it. I am tired of the flags changing before I can load and get another shot off. Can you order up some STEADY wind for Saturday?;)

Cheers,
Keith
Click to expand...

Keith,
I'll be glad to put in the order, but there's no guarantee that reasonable conditions will arrive. Oddly enough, I spent 3-4 hours at Gallatin last Saturday and although there was wind, it was readable and not the gusty, switchy mess we usually have to deal with.
Are you sure you wouldn't prefer what we had for the 200 yard @ Wilmore? :)

Rick
 
Thanks for the responses guys. I am just getting into this, so I may be better off holding off and going to a few matches to see some other guns first. I am thinking I may be better off just building from the start so I can get everything exactly how I want it. I was thinking I may be able to save a little money by buying used and getting into the sport that way. I was thinking that many of these used guns would shoot better than I am going to be able to until I learn to read wind, etc. But I may be better off just building from the start. Thanks for you advice and keep them coming.

Brad
 
Good advise! Get a gun and start shooting, it is a huge learning curve. The learning is not so much about the GUN, more about you and the enviroment in which your projectile exists. Get flags and shoot a lot > practice > practice and practice some more. Get a mentor or two, they help shorten the learning curve. Get a gun and start shooting it takes awhile to figure out how and what you like to shoot.
My 2 cents, oh yeah > have fun!
 
macflyboy said:
Good advise! Get a gun and start shooting, it is a huge learning curve. The learning is not so much about the GUN, more about you and the enviroment in which your projectile exists. Get flags and shoot a lot > practice > practice and practice some more. Get a mentor or two, they help shorten the learning curve. Get a gun and start shooting it takes awhile to figure out how and what you like to shoot.
My 2 cents, oh yeah > have fun!
Click to expand...

Spot on... Brad, your in Ohio................. North Lawrence, Oh is not gonna be too far from ya........ Go talk to Jim / George Kelbly...
New or Used from these fellers.......... Ya'll have your shooter..!

http://www.kelbly.com/main.html


Welcome to Benchrest,
cale
 
I started with a used Hall action and three 6ppc barrels, gun built by a well known benchrest smith. Do yourself a favorite and look at this list. http://www.benchrest.com/shooterscorner/ Call the owner Bob White. He is a great guy, good gunsmith and very fair and honest.
 
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