I’m looking for a source for information that describes the origins of centerfire benchrest competition. Hopefully this would include the firearms that used and it would include detail about the modifications made to equipment in the attempt to improve accuracy. Who cut the first custom barrels, when were sleeved actions introduced, what stock, trigger experimentation was tried.
The need for accuracy from all of the wildcats from the 30’s, 40 and Mike Walker’s development of the .222 in 1950 using the Rem 722 with the sleeved actions were the early days. But the equipment development from the early 50 through the PPC era are a blur to me. I believe the first “custom” actions came about in the late 50’s.
What did the first set of equipment rules allow? Was it’s development exclusive to the east coast? Bob White would probably be an encyclopedia of knowledge in this.
I’ve gone through the BenchRest Primer and haven’t found much.
For health reasons I left BR and sold off all my gear in 2020. At the time I thought I was closer to a wheelchair than a shooting bench. Things broke my way and I was able to shoot again. At my age it didn’t make sense to put $15 grand into getting set up to shoot competition again so I bought something called a Savage 10F, added a tight neck Shilen .222 barrel to it and figured it could be my rocking chair accuracy rifle where I compete against myself.
I found that competing by your self is boring. So I want to make a pitch to my club to allow a class in NBRSA HV LV short range competition whose only equipment requirements are an action and a cartridge that is commercially available. After market barrels, trigger modifications, all such things would be allowed. That’s how most of us accuracy buffs got started. We bought a rifle then kept tinkering with it to shoot smaller groups.
Thanks, Bill Cook.
The need for accuracy from all of the wildcats from the 30’s, 40 and Mike Walker’s development of the .222 in 1950 using the Rem 722 with the sleeved actions were the early days. But the equipment development from the early 50 through the PPC era are a blur to me. I believe the first “custom” actions came about in the late 50’s.
What did the first set of equipment rules allow? Was it’s development exclusive to the east coast? Bob White would probably be an encyclopedia of knowledge in this.
I’ve gone through the BenchRest Primer and haven’t found much.
For health reasons I left BR and sold off all my gear in 2020. At the time I thought I was closer to a wheelchair than a shooting bench. Things broke my way and I was able to shoot again. At my age it didn’t make sense to put $15 grand into getting set up to shoot competition again so I bought something called a Savage 10F, added a tight neck Shilen .222 barrel to it and figured it could be my rocking chair accuracy rifle where I compete against myself.
I found that competing by your self is boring. So I want to make a pitch to my club to allow a class in NBRSA HV LV short range competition whose only equipment requirements are an action and a cartridge that is commercially available. After market barrels, trigger modifications, all such things would be allowed. That’s how most of us accuracy buffs got started. We bought a rifle then kept tinkering with it to shoot smaller groups.
Thanks, Bill Cook.
