Equipment Review Ideas

[Darryl Cassel]

Hello Ian

We transport our long barreled LR guns in home made boxes that almost look as big as coffins. It takes two people to get them out of the truck and sety them up.

One of my hunting friends has a box that he has everything in. A big LR gun, a set of bigeyes and tripod plus a Barr and Stroud rangefinder. he also carries an extra orange vest and some down clothes.

The benchres we use are heavy duty, 4 legged, with enough leg ajustments where as you can stand to shoot if you want to.
The return to battery system we use has a plate that screws into the bottom of the rifle and that whole assembly (rifle and plate) slides into a machined setup on the table that is chain driven by a crank for up and down and also slides on felt left and right for any movement the animal might decide to make.
My hunting buddy makes these and they sell for around $500.00. They are the best units I have ever seen. I had his first for many years now and they hold up very well.

He and I may decide to put together a web page and sell tables, rangefinders and bigeye glasses.
Think there could be an interest?

That's my 2 cents worth.

Darryl Cassel

 

[rifletuner]

Darryl

Given the relatively low cost of selling through the web, I would think it would be well worthwhile. There is a growing interest in long range shooting, both in competition and the other aspects. May people have an interest, but suppliers of this equipment are still very thin on the ground. There are a lot of gaps in the equipment line-up for both competition and varmint/hunters in the long range shooting field and I believe there is a lot of growth in this area.

So frankly, I'd like to see more knowledgable vendors out there catering to our needs. I think the product line up would grow beyond the items you list once the word got out and people started asking "do you guys have…?"

Fergus

 

[Ian M]

Darryl,
Thanks for the insight into hauling those big rifles. I would assume that your style of hunting requires a lot of patience since your rifle is not field portable. You folks have a great thing going, I hope it continues for a long time.

I agree with Fergus, there aren't many sources of some of the specialized gear. I need a really good shooting table, not sure where to look other than Precision Shooting.
ian

 

[Ian M]

Posters and Lurkers,
We could use a bunch of material for this section - can't let the other topic areas get too far ahead. If you have been using any gear that might apply to long range shooting or hunting or that is just plain neat, please jot down a description and your comments.

I have been picking up some great info from this column and the others, and I know that you guys have gear and stuff that we would be interested in.

Here are a couple of starters:
..Ultra long range shooters, how do you guys transport those 30+ inch barreled rifles out to the mountains, what cases do you prefer?
..Portable Shooting Benches - I would really like some ideas on what designs work best, particularly for heavy rifles and lots of use (the one we built did not stand up to constant banging around in the pickup and getting rained on)
..soft cases for rifles with big scopes, Harris bipods, fairly long barrels
..bore sighters - I will shortly have a Leupold but what do you guys use? I have found that the Sweeny is pretty reliable but coarse.
..how about some tips on best places to buy the long range gear that we all need - particularly reloading dies, bullets and powder etc., scopes (SWFA?) - how about lets start mentioning really good sources and warn about not so good dealers.

I enjoy this site because we are sharing a special enjoyment of the challenge of shooting long. I appreciate the skill and dedication of you guys and your willingness to share ideas. No ****ing contests, just good info in a polite, friendly setting. We all owe Len a beer.
ian

 

[Gary Rihn]

"...soft cases for rifles with big scopes, Harris bipods, fairly long barrels..."

What I use is the assault-type case for an AR-15. Get the long version (I think 46"?) that is advertised for space guns/match guns, as opposed to the service rifle length. I carry my M700 with 28" barrel & Mark 4 in it. Offers lots of padding, and a sling to carry it on your shoulder, as well as a handle. Usually about $50 or so.

(I discovered it by accident one day. It was laying there when I changed my mind on taking my match gun & was too lazy to go get the Starlite case for the M700 instead.

Been using it since for trips to the range.).

 

[Darryl Cassel]

Fellows

Found a real nice heavy duty metal case for scoped longrange rifles. Has 4 heavy duty latches and is long enough for 34 to 36 " barreled guns.

The measurements are 62" long, 13" wide and 6 1/2" thick.

It is made by "Bear Track Cases"
in Rolling Hills, Wyoming.

These are excellent for the long guns when your vehical is bouncing around in rocky terrain.

That's the only info I have at present. Will get more.

Later
Darryl Cassel