Bench gun

[charles bonner]

I am tired of shooting out my long range barrels on short range play ; so I am building a bench gun for play.I have found some 6 ppc norma brass and a Krieger 1 in 13.5 barrel.PTG offers many reamers for 6 ppc and I really do not know which to buy..
If any of you have a suggestion as to a reamer ( neck size ) that I should consider please help.I can turn necks inside or out ; but don't know if I need to on this rifle.I most likely will never shoot a benchrest match.
Thanks for the help. Charles

 

[rifle 57]

Hi Charles.
I have been chambering 6PPC benchrest barrels for 17 years, and I have reamers from .262 nk to .269 nk diameters and I have chambered some no turn necks with customers reamers that were .271 nk and .272 nk. And they all shoot great. With that said you will still get a little better consistent neck tension when you turn necks even if you only turn them .002 or .003 just to make sure that they are round. If it were me and it would just be for fun and enjoyment of shooting a 6PPC I would seat a bullet in your new brass and measure the outside diameter of the loaded round and add .002 to that and order a reamer with that neck diameter on it and .035 to .050 free bore is plenty enough for 65 or 70 grn bullets. Also measure the over all length of your brass and only add .010 to that for your chamber length. And as far as the body diameters at the base and shoulder You can measure them and add .002 or .003 to them or you can tell the reamer maker what brass you will be using. Or you can send in a couple of your brass and they can grind a reamer to match the brass you sent them. I hope this is what you were after.

Loren

 

[charles bonner]

Loren:
Thank You for the help.That is exactly the information I needed before placing my reamer order with PTG.I have bought a Krieger 1 in 13.5 barrel and Norma brass ( perhaps a mistake ) and am researching actions.This build is just a fun project to keep an old man busy as I will never be a benchrest shooter.I do not even know other than Whittington Center where I could find a match and my eyes are so bad that I could never compete.The joy is in building a rifle and loads to shoot through it that I am happy with.
When I decide on an action and stock I will get them on the way and put it all together.Perhaps it will shoot good enough for my old shooting buddies to appreciate the groups it shoots.Then I can put it in the safe and start on that next project.Retirement is GREAT! Charles

 

[rifle 57]

Charles the most common way to make brass for the PPC is to use 220 Russian cases and neck up to 6mm , and you probably all ready know that and that is what I would do if I were doing it. Have fun with your project that is what it is all about any way. I have been shooting competition for a long time and sometimes it is more fun to just go out with a buddy and shoot for fun.Also the Krieger 13.5 twist will work great with 65 to 70 grain bullets. I use V V 133 AND H-322 powder. It is not hard to get a PPC to shoot under a 1/4 " with a Krieger barrel and a good chamber job. Good Luck!!

Loren

 

[charles bonner]

Loren:
Being in Greeley did you go to school in Trinidad.I Enjoy the NRA summer program.Went last year for the stock making class;but after the first week a great friend was murdered and I had to come home.Hope to make it back again some day.Thanks for your help. Charles

 

[rifle 57]

No Charles I did not take any gunsmith classes I am just self taught .

 

[Trickymissfit]

just some thoughts:

If you are planning on shooting past 300 yards (say out to 600 yards) off the bench, then the 6BR is better. (per Ferris Pindell) The 13.5:1 twist pretty much limits you to 300 yards due to bullet selections alone. Yet you don't have to have an 8 twist barrel to shoot 600 yards (but it helps). A ten twist ought to handle a .35 BC (least a .33 BC) . I had trouble with Berger VLD's and a 9.5 twist (88 grain). My 14 twist barrel will just barely handle an 80 grain bullet in a 6BR.

Shooting off the bench requires a good stock. I recommend Tom Merrideth in northern Indiana. He is the best. I use a home built front rest, but there are good ones out there, and not so good ones as well. The top plate is critical.

I would opt for a .264" chamber. A little more work, but the results do show up. I also would build up a range reloading box with an arbor press. I use a small K&M press with custom reamed Wilson dies.
gary

 

[charles bonner]

Thanks Gary.
Past 300 I will use my 6 XC , .260 Rem or my 6.5 X 284.I will only use the PPC at 1 and 2 hundred. I will take a look at Tom Merrideth's before I buy one.All my shooting is done above 4400 ' elevation ; so I have a little more room on the twist rate.I have been looking at putting together a a range reloading box and will get it done.
I listed a couple of rifles on Armslist and will apply that cash to defray the cost of this rifle.This is just a fun project to keep me busy and if I get lucky it will be a good shooter

 

[Trickymissfit]

Thanks Gary.
Past 300 I will use my 6 XC , .260 Rem or my 6.5 X 284.I will only use the PPC at 1 and 2 hundred. I will take a look at Tom Merrideth's before I buy one.All my shooting is done above 4400 ' elevation ; so I have a little more room on the twist rate.I have been looking at putting together a a range reloading box and will get it done.
I listed a couple of rifles on Armslist and will apply that cash to defray the cost of this rifle.This is just a fun project to keep me busy and if I get lucky it will be a good shooter

Then of course I'd stick with the PPC or whatever derivative (there are several). Buying a stock is one thing, but bedding it is another. Off the bench, I like the McMillan Edge, but with Tom doing the work. Yes he's that good. Kelby and Borden are also at the top of their game along with Dwight Scott. I wouldn't be afraid of any of them.

I would opt for a single shot custom action, as the price tag has seriously came down thru the years. Barrel wise, it's kind of a ******* match. Krieger gets all the nods, but seems to rarely win meets. I kind of like the ones that start with the letter "B". Boyer uses nothing but Shilen barrels, and he's won more than anybody else. Kind of tells me that a cut barrel is not always at the top of the game. If it were me I'd go with a Lilja or a Ron Pence barrel (Pence is hard to get, but known to be the best out there). I think in the end it's the chamber reamer and the trigger puller as they all make good barrels. (although Calfee says he rejects 60% of the new barrel blanks sent to him).

Optics are a killer! And I mean a serious killer. You could probably get by with a Sitron or some other high end piece. Bare in mind that guys like Boyer don't use the same scopes you and I are forced to buy (same with barrels by the way).
gary

 

[charles bonner]

I went ahead and had PTG make me a reamer.I sold a couple of rifles today and am looking at a Panda and still studying stocks.Picked up 100 rounds of .220 Lapua brass and 300 Barts bullets.Got a set of Wilson dies and a Harrel arbor press on the way.
I am not now and never will be a good BR shooter .My eyes are not good enough.I shoot mostly Nighforce optics but I can not see a bullet hole at 100 yards.The cross hairs in my scopes are wavy so shooting groups in the ones is now only a dream.All that said I still like to shoot as good as I can and build rifles that can shoot far better than I can.
I may go ahead and build a second rifle to use to fire form my brass. Maybe a light rifle to shoot whitetail and prairie dogs.So many options and so little time.I'm at that age where today is the best day of my life because there is no sure tomorrow.
Thanks for the help and I will keep you updated as I progress. Charles