.22 BENCHREST BEGINNINGS: GET YOUR GEAR

Created on 14th May 2009

CARL BOSWELL gives an overview of the kit you need for successful shooting

OVER THE last two years I have inundated readers with new equipment, facts, targets, ammunition and rifles. Here I'll provide a brief recap, minus some of the finer detail. This article is partly a result of my efforts in preparing for the World Championships, as the kit you need continually increases.

Shooters who are new to the sport often have to glean information from a variety of sources. The UKBR22 website (www.benchrest22.org) links help, as do a number of other websites like Benchrest Central (www.benchrest.com). This article will, I hope, serve as a reminder of the range of equipment available to buy which will be useful to the determined shooter in gaining supreme accuracy.

I have covered information about techniques and setting up your equipment in previous articles. However, further reading may include:

The Ultimate in Rifle Accuracy by Glenn Newick

Rifle Accuracy Facts by Harold Vaughn

The Benchrest Shooting Primer published by Precision Shooting Magazine

These are a few of my favourite books. I have gleaned plenty of information from them over the years.

It would be nice to say that there is a book written specifically for rimfire benchrest, as technique, ammunition and rifles differ from centrefire shooting. Maybe after the 2008 World Championship someone could start thinking about this and take the idea a little further - we live in hope!

Rifles

Any custom, Prone or Three-position rifle would be good to start off with for Unlimited class, although some modifications may have to be made to shoot from a rest. The forestock should be flat or parallel to the barrel. A variety of manufacturers make Unlimited class rifles in a range of stock and action combinations. The successful Anschutz BR50, which is an off-the-shelf benchrest-specific rifle, is sadly now discontinued but Anschutz offers benchrest models that have adjustable frames. This would not be my choice and I would rather aim for a one-piece composite or wood stock. This may involve buying a barrelled action and then purchasing the stock to fit.

The 10.5lb class uses a variety of rifles that can be bought off-the-shelf. Most CZ rifles fit into this class or with a lighter scope even the Sporter class. Any standard rifle with a heavy barrel usually fits into the 10.5lb class, but remember the weight is the rifle with everything fitted, including the scope. Whatever rifle you choose do consider one that comes with, or can be fitted with, a good-quality trigger. A good trigger with a trigger pull-weight of well under 1oz is a basic element of any accurate rifle.

As in the 10.5lb class, Sporter includes a variety of rifles that can be used off-the-shelf (though you may have to consider getting a good trigger job.) Scopes do have limitations within the rules and you need to check which weight you are aiming for with these rifles. Most firearm manufacturers produce a sporter rifle in bolt action. If you consider getting an after-market stock specific to benchrest a number of manufacturers do these, such as Macmillan and Shehane in the US and Cicognani in Italy. These are becoming more widespread and the internet is a good place to start looking for that. I am hoping to review some of these in the future.

Ammunition

There is a variety of ammunition on the market. It is here that you need to spend money on the best you can afford. Through numerous tests over the years I have found that better brands do hold groups better and therefore are more accurate. However, this will depend on your rifle. What you have to find is the ammunition that your rifle likes and ensure you can get that type and batch all the time. Examples of brands with proven success are: Eley Tenex and Match, Lapua Midas and Master and RWS R50. Choosing the right one for your rifle is up to you and can be a long process. There is a lot of research on the internet that you should look at and I suggest you start by visiting the ammunition manufacturers' websites (links can be found on the UKBR22 website).

Ammunition accessories

Shooters are constantly looking for the most consistently accurate ammunition. There are a variety of tools to help you ensure yours is the best at all times. The concentricity gauge ensures that ammunition is tested for bullet and case concentricity, i.e. they are both fitted together precisely. The rim thickness gauge tests for how thick the rim is on rimfire ammunition. Although this may be small, slight differences do occur and this means the bullet head can be closer or further away from the rifling in the barrel, which can cause shots to be inaccurate. An electronic scale will also allow you to determine consistency in ammunition weight. Using these tools allows you to have batches of ammunition that shoot in the same way.

Accessories

Barrel tuners are devices that are fitted to the muzzle of the barrel or at some point along the length of the barrel. They are in fact sophisticated weights that alter the harmonics of the barrel. These devices can give more accuracy to the rifle once the barrel has been ‘tuned' to the specific ammunition and the way the action has been set in the rifle stock. These are quite expensive products that can take a while to get used to but reports suggest they can help achieve the best accuracy possible. Experimentation is required to set them up.

Another product for rifle set-up is a torque driver in some form. This is to set the force that is holding your rifle to the stock via the action screw(s). These allow the rifle to be taken apart and put back together quickly, giving the same conditions you started off with.

A good-quality ammunition box is also useful to have for a match, so ammunition can be kept ready and easily accessible. These can vary from the plastic to the wooden ‘fantastic'. Cost obviously comes into this as hand-crafted ones are expensive.

Lastly it's also important to mention windflags, which I have discussed recently. These really will help you read the wind better and develop your shooting to a higher level. Sets of three are relatively cheap in the UK, or you can make your own.

Rest and accessories

Rests come in a variety of shapes and sizes and the costs reflect this. The cheaper models are sometimes good to start with but you will soon outgrow these. Having a windage adjustment on the front rest is an advantage, as it allows horizontal movement of the rifle. Bags are generally made out of leather or cordura. It is down to your taste and personal experience to determine which material is better. A spirit level is a must on the front rest, and possibly the scope, to ensure the rifle is level in the rests. A further addition to this set-up is a ‘doughnut', which is a spacer that can provide extra height to the rear bag if it should be needed in a specific situation.

Scopes

It goes without saying that all rifles need a scope and, for benchrest, the more magnification the better! Some Sporter classes do place limitations on the magnification you are allowed. Scopes range from £150 to £1,400. You will need to decide which is best for your needs. Only by seeing a scope will you be able to know for certain that it suits its purpose. Parallax adjustment is also essential if you will be using it at different distances and reticle choice can be crucial too. A fine reticle is better for benchrest shooting, so that the small targets can be clearly seen.

Rifle scope rings

Good scope rings are essential to secure your scope to the rifle. A mount or rail may also be needed depending on your rifle. Most for rimfire are made from aluminium; steel ones are better but more expensive and weigh more. Scopes should be attached securely but not so tightly as to crush them. Retaining bolts need to be fixed with a thread-locking solution. A scope level is also useful: this will indicate that your rifle is level and it is quite valuable for ensuring that all your equipment is correctly set up.

Cleaning equipment

Last but not least are all those bits and pieces that you use for cleaning your rimfire rifles. There are many suitable cleaning products available: my personal favourites are the VFG felts, and these come in intensive and standard types. The intensive has bronze elements embedded in the felt, while the standard is of softer plain felt material used for the final stages of cleaning. Oil, pastes and cleaning fluids can be used with these felts, which need adapters for most types of rods. The company websites are worth a browse. I tend to stick to one type of oil or cleaning fluid and look at new brands as they become available.

Do use a rod guide in your rifle when cleaning. These can be manufacturer-supplied or after-sales versions. They really are important, so be sure to get one.

The rods I tend to use are Parker Hale, which are very well-made, but with the plastic stripped from them. The reason for removing the plastic coating is that the plastic can pick up fine particles that embed themselves in it, which may abrade the rifling if any contact is made with a sleeve so impregnated. It may be a small risk, but one that I won't take. Some gunsmiths use Parker Hale rods for lapping a barrel so they are obviously well-regarded within the wider benchrest community.

Finally, do give .22 Benchrest shooting a go with what you already have! It's fun and can be addictive. We all start out with the basic kit and honestly, it's really satisfying to get good scores with very basic rifles and equipment, as many .22 benchrest shooters do on a regular basis. You could be one of them!

More information can be found on the UKBR22 website - it's well worth checking out.

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