My quest for a bench rest gun!

[elmerkeithclone]

Dad nab it! I have shot every rifle in the shop with every kind of bullet and powder I can find to stuff in them and still haven't found one bolt gun thats making me happy......but......

Murphy's new high end AR in 308 got my wheels turning(they turn slow now-a-days). About the only thing that I know about AR's is that bunches of them have left the shop since the foreigner got elected into the head office. The Rock River appears to result in the most satisfied customers with the Bushmaster running in the second spot. The DPMS batted 50% for pissed off customers bringing them back because they were broke.


Soooo...I grabbed a brand new 16 inch RR Predator Pursuit off the rack and a box of Blackhills 50 grain Ballistic tips and went shooting. After zeroing in I let the gun cool while I had a soda pop and shot corn cobs floating down the creek with my Glock.

What I am after is a gun that will fit the bill for the centerfire USBR 100 meter shoots that are being held in several locations close to home this summer. The targets used in these shoots consists of a sheet of paper with 25 bulls eyes on it! The X ring is a mere 1/10 of an inch then there are circles around it with degrading values just like any other target! Each shooter has 20 minutes to fire 25 shots...1 at each bull. My problem so far with the bolt guns is that even when pacing myself and using up all 20 minutes the gun still heats up. Many of these bolt guns will shoot an honest 1/2 inch group at 100 meters for 3 rounds, however they fall apart when trying to shoot the required 25 shot string.

Todays outing with the Predator Pursuit was very encouraging. All 25 rounds fired after the initial sighting in went under an inch. That still needs to be cut in half in order to be competitive. The fact that this is the initial group fired with store bought ammo and no load development as of yet has me smiling.

What I don't understand is why? The AR barrel felt every bit as hot as the free floated barrel's on the bolt guns. It has to be something to do with the harmonics remaining the same through the temperature increase.

Is this a characteristic of the AR platform? If so why were so few being used at the shoots I attended last year. As I recall most of the guns used were "tactical"/"Varmint" bolt guns....several 40x Remingtons. The one guy that was shooting an AR was sucking hind tit.....that coulda been the shooter.....I'll leave it at that!

Murphy, I would appreciate your input on this both in general and maybe a recommended bullet/load for a 223 with 1 in 9 twist and 16 inch barrel.

I'll welcome all input because I'll bet your all smarter than me concerning ARs!

Will I need small base dies?

Thanks in advance, EKC

 

[Smokey]

EKC,
I don't know beans about the AR's but two things came to mind when I read your post that may be worth a look into...
1. I am guessing if its all done at 100m the loads these competitors may be using are greatly reduced to help slow barrel heating in the bolt guns?
2. I would imagine the shooter works up a bit of fatigue/increased heartbeat/whatever when working a bolt that many times in 20 minutes like it or not - so is there a technique that they use to help control that aspect?
I would also think they were using on avg heavy bull barrels of length vs a 16in gun???
will be fun to learn what the AR guys say on this one...

 

[marshall]

This rifle has an AR look and superior accuracy. It is a magazine fed bolt action with infinite adjustability and 1000 yard accuracy. The ones I've handled have been chambered in 6.5mm something, I don't remember the exact chambering. The shooter would be the limiting factor when shooting this rifle.

http://www.mcmfamily.com/mcmillan-rifles-tactical-tubb2000.php

 

[MyTime]

EKC,

I have a GAP-10, an AR-10 rifle, by GA Precision. It easily surpasses its 3/4 MOA accuracy guarantee. My rifle: 308 Win, 20 inch 1:11 Bartlein barrel, Magpul PRS stock, and I have a PWS flash suppression compensator I put on it. I loaded Berger VLD Match Hunting 168 grain bullets over 43.5 of Varget, CCI primer, with an OAL of 2.81 to fit in the magazines. Last fall I fired my best 5-shot prone group of my life with this rifle..it was 0.39 from side to side which is 0.082 inch center to center. For me that is extraordinarily good. I go into and out of an abnormal cardiac rhythm that makes accuracy shooting difficult some days, I ain't what I used to be for sure, and I surely can pull shots on any given range session. For me to keep some groups <1/2 MOA at 100 yards on my better days is not unusual. I don't know the requirements for center-fire USBR 100 meter matches so you'll need to judge if this is an option for you. This rifle can be chambered in different calibers, so 308 is not the only option. The folks from GAP are good to work with and are fairly priced. PM me if you have any questions about it. For full disclosure you should know that I don't have much experience with higher-end rifles; I don't want to misrepresent my experience level. See the link below if you want to take a look at the GAP website.

http://www.gaprecision.net/ga-precision-2011-custom-rifles/ga-precision-g.a.-precision-gap-10-.html

MyTime

 

[hunt_ak]

My time, is that a monolithic upper on that rifle? I'm on my phone and I couldn't see the pic too clearly, but sharp looking rifle no doubt!!

 

[MyTime]

My time, is that a monolithic upper on that rifle?

Hunt_AK,

Not on mine. My rifle is 3 years old...it has a Badger Ordnance free floating handrail. The new ones are a little different.

The specs on the newest version of it are:

Caliber: 308 Win, 260 Rem, (others, Call for info)
Action:G.A. Precision GAP-10, upper and lower
Barrel Type:Bartlein stainless 5R barrel
Barrel Length:16.5 to 22 inches
Stock:Standard A2, (Magpul PRS optional)
Finish:Hard Anodized black aluminum, Matte Cerakote on barrel and gas block (other colors special order)"

• Description:
• GAP-10 upper and lower receiver, manufactured for us by POF from 7075 Billet
• 1-11 5R Bartlein Stainless Match barrel, 1-8.5 twist in 260 Rem
• Single Stage Match trigger, tuned to 3 1/2 pounds
• POF Sniper/Hunter hand-guard unitized to upper reciever
• POF Big Handle with Badger Ordnance Tac-Latch Installed
• Badger Ordnance scope rings included 1.125 Height will clear 50mm obj
• .875 Mk-12 style stainless steel gas block
• Finish is matte black hard coat anodized.
• Barrel and gas block finished in matte CeraKote - Black (other colors available as option)
• 3/4 MOA Guarantee

MyTime