Best ML for benchrest shooting?

[07Kingpin]

Lots of food for thought.

What are some realistic expectations? Let's say benched off bags/rest at 100, 200 yards out of a:

Lyman/TC

Pedersoli target

Full custom

50 cal PRB on all of the above.

 

[Boomerang]

With no wind and aperture sights close to 1" at 100yds with the optimum load combo. At 200yds it's really gonna drop, but if everything is close to perfect, you might get 3 to 4 inch groups. Wind is going to be your biggest problem at that distance.

 

[07Kingpin]

That's pretty respectable. Have never shot with peep sights before, going to be quite the learning curve.

 

[FishDFly]

Lots of food for thought.

What are some realistic expectations? Let's say benched off bags/rest at 100, 200 yards out of a:

Lyman/TC

Pedersoli target

Full custom

50 cal PRB on all of the above.

Light bench shot at 50 and 100 yards. Powder charges are going to be in the 100 to 130 range range.

Heavy bench is 50, 100 and 200 yards. Powder charges are going to be in the 185 to 200 grains range.

Last light bench I was at, the winners were:

50 yards--47.1
100 yards-44
100 yards-45

Overall score:

135.1
131
123

The above scores were shot in quite a bit of wind.

To win at 50, one hole groups and at 100 yards, 1" groups
Custom is going to beat out Lyman and TC for the most part day in and day out. You can shoot Lyman and TC but not going to be on the leader board on a regular basis.

You might win one target, but not the agg.

 

[rich pierce]

Lots of food for thought.

What are some realistic expectations? Let's say benched off bags/rest at 100, 200 yards out of a:

Lyman/TC

Pedersoli target

Full custom

50 cal PRB on all of the above.

It’s hard to tell what factory guns can do because the best benchrest shooters are not going to be shooting anything but a full custom gun. And accurate shooting is user-dependent. Open or peep sights are not the same as shooting with a 16x scope. Anyone who can shoot into 1” at 100 yards is a rare and gifted shooter no matter what type of firearm is being used.
I know that 2-3” groups with peep sights at 100 yards has sometimes been accomplished with TC rifles. Certainly groups better than that have been shot with TC rifles equipped with Green Mountain and other replacement barrels, which are usually much longer. In general longer barrels allow for better sighting.

 

[07Kingpin]

Looking at some of the Pedersoli models, Gibbs, Creedmoor etc and it looks like they are mostly .45 cal and have pretty fast twists- are they not intended for use with PRBs?

 

[FishDFly]

"are they not intended for use with PRBs?"

No, not meant for roundballs.

 

[Grenadier1758]

One of the shooters that Rich and I know at our club has a T/C with a 1" across the flats Green Mountain 50 caliber rifled barrel. He has regularly put 4 holes touching out of a 5 shot group, but there is always one that sneaks away from the group. Often it is the 4th or 5th shot.

At our last bench rest shoot, there were several shooters with 40 to 45 pound bench rest rifles of excellent construction. These had high quality peep sights and top notch actions. Mostly custom under hammer actions. Even those require lots of practice to wring out the best performance. You start by weighing the balls so all balls shot are the identical weight. Patch thickness is uniform and generally thick if shooting round ball. If shooting conical bullets, the bullets are wighed after sizing and wrapped with a uniform paper patch and dipped in lubricant.

Its not easy to get into bench rest style shoting.

 

[Longbow53]

We do Schuetzen Offhand and Bench Rest Matches here in Hamilton, MT.Going 17 years now. I'd like to do more ML BR shooting but it just isnt here much. Your shooting cast bullets,breech seated for accuracy. A little easier to do over ML with false starter......

 

[TreeMan]

My Pedersoli Mortimer is a nice shooter at 100. I can pull some 3” groups with it if I try hard. If you got the target version with better sights than mine I’d say you could pull 1” off pretty easy. I can’t see well anymore either and mine is a flintlock. I’m sure I could do better with a percussion one. My flint skills of not flinching are pretty bad.

 

[Redcow]

Here's a benchrest rifle. It's a .54 cal underhammer. Came to me with two Redfield micro rear sights (Olympic and International), a globe front and various inserts. Has false muzzle. Nipple is under a protective cap that sports a firing pin. This prevents the escape of gas and cap fragments when shooting from the bench. Receiver is marked Belle Precision. I got it some time back as part of a deal from an estate and haven't fired it. Probably never will. Benchrest isn't my thing.
John

I would be interested in purchasing you underhammer rifle.

 

[Lakeman]

I would be interested in purchasing you underhammer rifle.

Sorry, it sold some time back.
John

 

[52Bore]

NMLRA- Walter Grote 1940’s-50’s
Could be round ball or bullet?