I loaded 44 rounds using 55.0 grains of H4831sc. A lot of novice (or hard-headed) shooters make the mistake to push their cartridges to the max, and disregard more accurate loads at lower velocity. I talked two stock makers into making them. Improved by definition means “made better”, I took a great cartridge, and modified it to increase capacity, reduce pressure, and increase brass life. In a hurry, don’t have time? Does this really help reduce extreme spread? To travel down to New Mexico and win at Raton was very satisfying — as I had to come from behind.” Ian told us: “This Championship was especially difficult as a particularly strong challenger [and new 1000-yard record-holder] Mike Plunkett had earned an early lead and I would have to make up 6 points in the final day to win. 600 shots with 2213sc at around 2960-2970fps for about 500 rounds. ), “Darrell Jones of DJ’s Brass Service went far beyond the call of duty, to assist me [with my first] IBS match. Project .284 Shehane. This barrel has 2200 rounds through it. On Sunday, we only shot two strings as the third was canceled because of rain. The variable power and unobstructed DD-1 reticle of the NF were deciding factors. That enhancement makes a BIG difference. The action is topped with a stainless BAT tapered (+20 MOA) Picatinny scope rail. Now lets work on this some. Q: What you do enjoy most about long-range benchrest shooting? In this story, Henry explains his set-up plus his processes for loading super-accurate ammo. This barrel has 2200 rounds through it. Save Time and Barrel Life — Let DJ’s Hydro-Form Your Brass, » CLICK HERE for MORE INFO on Hydro-Forming Cartridge Brass, Save Time and Bullets — Fire-Form with your Fouler Shots, Accurate Cartridges — The .284 Shehane, an Improved .284 Win, Sunday GunDay: Back-to-Back Championship Winning .284 Win, Sunday GunDay: “We the People” .284 Shehane F-Open Rifle, .284 Shehane — Winning Wildcat for F-Open Competition, Hydro-Forming, Annealing, Neck-Turning by DJ’s Brass, Hail the Champions: 2018 F-Class Nationals at Raton, NM, Best F-Class Cartridge Choices For Mid-Range and Long-Range, Henry’s Hammer — State-of-the-Art .284 Shehane for 1K BR, Is the .284 Shehane Inherently Accurate? My face rests on the stock and my shoulder is placed firmly into the buttplate. Load development for me starts with each new barrel. At those distances the 6mm and 6.5mm cartridges rule. Henry: The sport offers good people and a real challenge. In F-TR competition, the choice is clear — a .308 Win throated for Berger 185gr BTLRs and 200gr Hybrids will win in mid-range AND long-range comps. The .284 Shehane has won in Benchrest as well as F-Class competition. Take the 22LR for example. But in reality, on average, the .223 Rem, regardless of what powder/bullet combo is used, cannot compete with the .308 Win. We loaded 53.0 grains of Hodgdon H4831sc and shot one round, cleaned, shot three rounds, cleaned, then shot 10 rounds and cleaned. NEW for 2019! I do this because I have never had success waiting on a condition to come back. Now this one is not in the excel formula. What methods are you using to ensure consistent bullet release? NOTE: Charles Ballard always employs eye and ear protection when shooting. So after many calls both locally and internationally I finally managed to source one, well actually 3. Jim O’Connell Reports: “Congratulations to Trevor Hengehold and Jerry Tierney, the two new State Champions (High Power and F-Class). Tuners definitely can work. Tips for F-Class Competitors The bullet was moved out .003″ to maintain position relative to the lands. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); In Long-Range F-Open Class (out to 1000 yards), the big, high-BC bullets rule. Another significant improvement is that the toe of the stock is flat and parallel to the forearm. Lapua makes great brass for it (no surprise there) and Berger makes great bullets: 130gr VLD, 140gr VLD, 140gr Hybrids. Notice the huge difference in barrel life. The chamber was cut with a reamer made for Lapua 6.5-284 brass necked up to 7mm. Neck-turning is an additional $0.60 (sixty cents) per case (or $0.75 for magnums) plus actual return shipping. In a team setting, you basically leave all the decision-making to the coach and aim where you’re told to aim. Forum member Darrell Jones offers a full range of brass prep, brass forming, and brass restoration (annealing, ultra-sonic cleaning) at very affordable prices. If you look at that 5-round group you might think it was shot with a 6 PPC or maybe a 6mmBR. Without AccurateShooter.com, I would probably still be shooting double-digit (10″+) groups at 1000 yards, and I sure wouldn’t have my name on a National Championship trophy. I initially had the standard rear stock until Tommy Shurley and Mike Hearn came out with an adjustable rear plate. So if we are competitively shooting and need longer barrel life lets see how the numbers will look for the 6.5 BR Lapua. Q: How much of your success do you credit to really accurate rifles, versus superior shooting skills? The new Master Class Low Profile stock shares the same grip as the old model. Smooth entry gives the bullets a smooth release. Henry: I try to keep my charge weights consistent to one kernel of powder. This article covers only the (currently) most popular cartridge/bullet combos for F-Class (F-Open and F-TR). Typical shooting rate is about 30sec between shots. Here’s my advice: This was the first five rounds through it after I cleaned it after the last match. The sport of F-Class is rapidly growing, and the equipment used is improving constantly. It had 2000 as a straight .284 Win and then I set it back to .284 Shehane to form brass with. After the NC State Champs, the gun went into hibernation for the winter. Erik’s latest video is about the “mother of all brass trimmers”, the Giraud powered case trimmer. March scopes are also very popular and very well-made. In this sport, you can excel even in your 60s, 70s and beyond. Erik prefers to have the trimmer aligned vertically, allowing him to push cases down on the trimmer head. He is also doing a ton of fire-forming for the 100/200 benchrest crowd, hydro-forming 220 Russian into 6 PPC. This tends to hinder barrel life even more because you run out of room to chase the lands with the fussy VLD's. Shot Rate. In 2008, I went to the Williamsport Benchrest School with a friend from Pennsylvania, John Haas. Why did you go from a 6mm Dasher to a 7mm Shehane? The Giraud can be used in either horizontal or vertical modes. I will occasionally mess with the tuner and tighten things up if possible. That takes time, costs money (in bullets and powder), and consumes precious barrel life. It is right around the H4831 velocity for me. In the formula we input the bore size in inches, then the amount of powder we are using. I like to think of it as when the metal is hot it gets softer and then the gasses being forced out of the bore erode it faster when it is hot. For best viewing, click the YouTube settings button to watch in 720p or 1080p HD (high definition). I don’t shoot “free recoil” and a comfortable pistol grip is super important to me when selecting a stock. It is a no-brainer for long range — F-Class or Prone or 1000-yard Benchrest.”, Scotland’s Grant Taylor. For those who do not have a dedicated barrel for fire-forming, this should help keep your round-count down. Ballard’s huge success with the .284 Winchester cartridge helped make the .284 Win (and .284 Win Improveds) the dominant cartridge in F-Open competition worldwide. If you look at that 5-round group you might think it was shot with a 6 PPC or maybe a 6mmBR. Its proven track record helped as well. Houston–We Have a Problem A great barrel and great batch of Berger 180gr VLDs all made a difference. Why does heat do wear out the barrel so fast? I’ll make my wind call while the target is in the pits; if my previous shot went where I thought it would I will take my next shot as soon as the target stops. Andy was spot on. Its close to that of a 284 Shehan shown below pushing a 180gr bullet. Powder choice can go a long way here. If you’re looking for the “recipe for success”, get a good action plus a top-tier barrel and great glass. The rifle began its life as a Will McClosky Cerus stock. Erick offers a smart tip — He uses a die locking ring to position the cartridge holder (3:15). Part 1 - Introduction and Aims for forth coming project. With Darrell’s hydro-forming service you don’t have to buy any special dies or other equipment. Jason Jumped to Open Class after Starting with F-TR Jay’s metal-work is so precise that I can screw any barrel he’s chambered to any BAT action I own. They both use the same case but one is necked down to 6mm and the other has a very larger bore size of 7.62mm. It’s OK to be frugal, but sometimes cutting corners will cause you more problems and have you chasing your tail. In the rear I use a special-order Protekor rear “Doctor” bag with ears spaced 3 inches apart. You may see 40 units (on the K&M dial) dropping to 20, then slowly increasing pressure. In the video, Erik trims 5 pieces of brass in 15 seconds (6:32 mark). Ryan is using 54.0 grains simply as a fire-forming load. To trim and chamfer cases, you simply insert them nose-first into the cartridge-specific case-holder. They tracked well. I found that the 300 WSM’s vertical really tightened up after about 50 rounds. Erik says die locking rings work much better than the hex-nuts provided by Giraud (with the hex-nut, one must re-set cut length each time you change case-holders.). Advanced reloading techniques from start to finally firing the gun. Lets show a few more scenarios. I run a 184gr Berger at about 2850 FPS and get great brass life in my other rifles. Lastly is the number of seconds you typically wait between each shot. All this data was duplicated on several occasions. Once I get something that works well at 600 yards I go back in work around that by 0.1 grains. You can see your scope’s crosshairs stay on the target the whole time and push the rifle back for the next shot. After hydro-forming your brass, Darrell can also neck-up or neck-down the cases to meet your needs. })(); To comment on a post, click Post Title or "Comment" Link. About the Patriotic Paint Job