Guest Article By Michelle Gallagher, Berger Bullets
Let’s face it. In the world of firearms, there is something for everyone. Do you like to compete? Are you a hunter? Are you more of a shotgun shooter or rifle shooter? Do you enjoy running around between stages of a timed course, or does the thought of shooting one-hole groups appeal to you more? Even though many of us shoot several different firearms and disciplines, chances are very good that we all have a favorite. Are we spreading ourselves too thin by shooting different disciplines, or is it actually beneficial? I have found that participating in multiple disciplines can actually improve your performance. Every style of shooting is different; therefore, they each develop different skills that benefit each other.
How can cross-training in other disciplines help you? For example, I am most familiar with long-range prone shooting, so let’s start there. To be a successful long-range shooter, you must have a stable position, accurate ammunition, and good wind-reading skills. You can improve all of these areas through time and effort, but there are other ways to improve more efficiently. Spend some time practicing smallbore. Smallbore rifles and targets are much less forgiving when it comes to position and shot execution. Long-range targets are very large, so you can get away with accepting less than perfect shots. Shooting smallbore will make you focus more on shooting perfectly center shots every time. Another way to do this with your High Power rifle is to shoot on reduced targets at long ranges. This will also force you to accept nothing less than perfect. Shoot at an F-Class target with your iron sights. At 1000 yards, the X-Ring on a long range target is 10 inches; it is 5 inches on an F-Class target. Because of this, you will have to focus harder on sight alignment to hit a center shot. When you go back to the conventional target, you will be amazed at how large the ten ring looks.
Also, most prone rifles can be fitted with a bipod. Put a bipod and scope on your rifle, and shoot F-TR. Shooting with a scope and bipod eliminates position and eyesight factors, and will allow you to concentrate on learning how to more accurately read the wind. The smaller target will force you to be more aggressive on your wind calls. It will also help encourage you to use better loading techniques. Nothing is more frustrating than making a correct wind call on that tiny target, only to lose the point out the top or bottom due to inferior ammunition. If you put in the effort to shoot good scores on the F-Class target, you will be amazed how much easier the long-range target looks when you return to your sling and iron sights. By the same token, F-Class shooters sometimes prefer to shoot fast and chase the spotter. Shooting prone can help teach patience in choosing a wind condition to shoot in, and waiting for that condition to return if it changes.
Benchrest shooters are arguably among the most knowledgeable about reloading. If you want to learn better techniques about loading ammunition, you might want to spend some time at benchrest matches. You might not be in contention to win, but you will certainly learn a lot about reloading and gun handling. Shooting F-Open can also teach you these skills, as it is closely related to benchrest. Benchrest shooters may learn new wind-reading techniques by shooting mid- or long-range F-Class matches.
Position shooters can also improve their skills by shooting different disciplines. High Power Across-the-Course shooters benefit from shooting smallbore and air rifle. Again, these targets are very small, which will encourage competitors to be more critical of their shot placement. Hunters may benefit from shooting silhouette matches, which will give them practice when shooting standing with a scoped rifle. Tactical matches may also be good, as tactical matches involve improvising shots from various positions and distances. [Editor: Many tactical matches also involve hiking or moving from position to position — this can motivate a shooter to maintain a good level of general fitness.]
These are just a few ways that you can benefit from branching out into other shooting disciplines. Talk to the other shooters. There is a wealth of knowledge in every discipline, and the other shooters will be more than happy to share what they have learned. Try something new. You may be surprised what you get out of it. You will certainly learn new skills and improve the ones you already have. You might develop a deeper appreciation for the discipline you started off with, or you may just discover a new passion.
This article originally appeared in the Berger Blog. The Berger Blog contains the latest info on Berger products, along with informative articles on target shooting and hunting.
Hodgdon Powder Company (Hodgdon) offers a series of informative, “how-to” instructional videos through its online Reloading Data Center. These 3.5-minute videos present rifle, pistol, and shotshell reloading basics in an easy-to-understand, step-by-step format. These mobile-friendly, informative videos can also be viewed on a smart phone or tablet.
To watch the reloading videos go to the Reloading Data Center at hodgdon.com. Click to the right/left of the displayed video to switch between pistol, rifle, and shotgun videos. Or, for your convenience, we have embedded the Rifle and Pistol videos here. Just click to watch!
Click to Watch Hodgdon Rifle Reloading Video:
Click to Watch Hodgdon Pistol Reloading Video:
In addition to these videos, Hodgdon’s Reloading Data Center (RDC) provides a wealth of information on Hodgdon, IMR, Accurate, Winchester, and Ramshot propellants. Along with reliable load data, you’ll find explanations of reloading basics, safety procedures, plus answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ).
Based on its external appearance, a modern riflescope may seem simple. It’s just a tube with two or three knobs on the outside right? Well, looks can be deceiving. Modern variable focal-length optics are complex systems with lots of internal parts. Modern scopes, even ‘budget’ optics, use multiple lens elements to allow variable magnification levels and parallax adjustment.
A few seasons back, we had a chance to look inside a riflescope thanks to a product display from ATK, now called Vista Outdoor, parent of Alliant Powder, CCI, Federal, RCBS, Speer, Weaver Optics. The Weaver engineers sliced open a Weaver Super Slam scope so you can see the internal lens elements plus the elevation and windage controls. We thought readers would like to see the “inner workings” of a typical modern rifle scope, so we snapped some pictures. The sectioned Super Slam scope was mounted inside a Plexiglas case, making it a bit hard to get super-sharp images, but you can still see the multiple lenses and the complex windage and elevation controls.
Check out the details of the focusing and magnification rings near the ocular (eyeball) end of the scope. There is very fine machining and threading to make everything work properly. The ocular lens is the piece of glass that faces the shooter while he aims.
Our friend Robert Whitley of ARX Enterprises LLC has learned, through careful measurement and testing, that some barrels threaded 5/8″ x 24 TPI at the muzzle may not deliver optimal accuracy. The reason is that the end of the barrel can bell out slightly, like a trombone, because too much steel has been removed. This is particularly true with .30-caliber barrels, but it can also be a problem with smaller caliber barrels (even 6mm). Robert demonstrates this phenomenon in the video below. All gunsmiths, and anyone considering threading a barrel, should watch the video. At 1:00 – 1:30 Robert gauges a 5/8″ x 24-threaded .30-Caliber barrel. You can see the belling effect clear as day.
“When setting up a commercial barrel in the lathe, we noticed that the maximum-sized bushing that would fit in the bore at the chamber end was almost .0015” smaller [than what would fit] at the muzzle. That precipitated my pin-gauging of a number of different commercial barrels that were threaded for 5/8” x 24 tpi. What I found is what’s shown on the video.” – R. Whitley
Solve Problem with a Larger Thread Diameter
If 5/8″ x 24 threading is potentially harmful to accuracy, is there a solution? Yes, you simply need to leave a little more steel on the barrel. (See Video starting at 02:40.) Frank Green of Bartlein barrels states: “We get these questions all the time. I say run the largest thread diameter that is possible.” Robert Whitley has found that a 3/4″ x 28 TPI threading does not cause the “belling effect”. Accordingly Robert recommends 3/4″ x 28 if you need to thread your barrel for a muzzle brake or suppressor. Robert explains: “We only make 3/4” x 28 TPI muzzle brakes and that’s what we recommend to customers.”
“See how much meatier the 3/4″ threading is vs. the 5/8″. The 3/4″ threading offers a lot more metal around the bore. There’s a lot less opportunity for the bore to become bell-mouthed…” – Robert Whitley
Barrel Threading Diameter — What’s Important to Know
By Robert Whitley
In truth, the 5/8″ x 24 TPI threading never came out of any accuracy-based think tank or set-up, it’s a military .30-Cal threading for barrels that someone has to carry around (they needed to keep the barrel weight down so it was smaller in diameter and the threading had to work with that situation). People have somehow assumed because the military uses that threading for certain things that it must mean that it’s also fine for a highly accurate rifle too, but that’s not really correct.
I don’t think there is any better and realistic option than the 3/4″ muzzle threading, and we also do it so there is no relief cut behind the threads on the barrel (i.e. put the relief cut on the brake or jam nut, don’t chop down on the muzzle of the barrel). For some reason many have a hard time grasping that the metal at the muzzle end of a rifle is “sacred” and you should not cut it down any more than absolutely necessary. A little threaded pencil diameter nub on the end of a barrel is not ideal for accuracy especially if it’s threaded and you need to torque on it. I cringe when I see a barrel with something like an MTU or Heavy Varmint contour, only to have an itty-bitty pencil thin threaded nub right at the muzzle so someone can “screw on a can” or a muzzle brake.
Lessons Learned Over the Years
A number of years ago I did a 30BR rifle project with Craig Kostyshyn who was big in the 30BR game and he made some of the best 30BR rifle barrels for benchrest competition. When I did the project I wanted a medium-heavy Palma type contour barrel I could use and also have a muzzle turndown for a front sight band. When he found out I was going to have the muzzle turned down he said “whoa, I need to provide for that when I make the barrel because if you turn the front down later you’ll be shooting a trombone” (i.e. the muzzle bore dimension would open up).
What he did was rough contour the barrel with the turndown (about .010” oversize) before he lapped the barrel, then when he lapped the barrel he took it easy in the muzzle area and worked the back of the barrel more. I thought he was a little bit excessive in his concerns but the barrel shot great and I wasn’t going to argue with him, after all he was shooting groups in the ones. I kind of just filed that away and never thought about it until recently when I went to have Fred from Sabreco do some chamber re-work on a commercial .30-caliber barrel I had. When setting up the barrel in the lathe and indicating things Fred noticed that the maximum-sized bushing that would fit in the bore at the chamber end was almost .0015” smaller [than what would fit] at the muzzle and he mentioned it to me. That precipitated my pin-gauging of a number of different commercial barrels I had that were threaded for 5/8” x 24 TPI. What I found is what’s shown on the video.
NOTE: This is a copyrighted article. Do not reproduce or re-link more than 75 words without written permission from AccurateShooter.com.
A while back, the Precision Rifle Blog conducted a fascinating study of Muzzle Brakes. PRB figured out a way to show the actual “blast pattern” of gasses ejecting from the ports of muzzle brakes. The result was a fascinating (and eye-catching) series of images revealing the distinctive gas outflows of 20+ different types of muzzle brakes. If you are considering buying and installing a muzzle brake on your rifle, you should definitely review this important PRB Muzzle Brake Test.
For a prone shooter, particularly on dusty, dirty or sandy ground, muzzle blast is a major bummer. Muzzle blast can be very disturbing — not just for the trigger-puller but for persons on either side of the gun as well. Some muzzle brakes send a huge shockwave back towards the shooter, and others send blast towards the ground, kicking dirt and debris into the prone shooter’s face. If there was a way to illustrate those factors — shockwave and debris — that might help shooters select one brake design over another.
Cal Zant at PrecisionRifleBlog.com applied a unique blend of creativity and resourcefulness to try to answer that question for 20+ muzzle brakes. Using high-speed photography and household products, he captured the blast pattern of 20+ different brake designs for easy side-by-side comparison. Can you figure out how Cal managed to show muzzle brake blasts so clearly? His “hi-viz” solution, revealed in the article, is very clever. See the eye-opening results for 20+ brakes, with illustrative photos, by visiting the Precision Rifle Blog Muzzle Brake Ground Signature Test Page.
Many visitors to the site ask us, “I’ve got a .223 and .308. What will a 6mmBR Norma (6BR) give me that I’m not getting already?” Well first you will probably average consistently smaller groups than your current .223 or .308 rifle (assuming the 6mmBR has a quality barrel and trigger). A good .308 Winchester can be superbly accurate, no question about that, but the lesser recoil of the 6BR works in the shooter’s favor over a long string of fire. Even with a Rem 700 or Savage action factory action, a 6BR with a benchrest stock, premium barrel, and a high-quality chambering job should deliver 5-shot groups in the high twos to mid-threes, provided you do your job. We have one 6BR rifle that shoots Lapua factory-loaded 6BR ammunition in the low twos and high ones. That’s exceptional, we admit, but it still shows how the 6BR is an inherently accurate cartridge, even with factory loads.
Compared to a .223, the 6BR offers a much better selection of high-BC projectiles, and will deliver considerably more power on the target. Compared to the .308 shooting 168gr MatchKings, a 6BR shooting 105-107gr bullets offers better ballistics all the way out to 1000 yards. Plus, for most people, the 6BR is just easier to shoot than a .308. Recoil is less than half of the .308 cartridge. Both the .308 and 6BR chamberings offer good barrel life, but the 6BR uses 15-18 grains less powder, saving you money. On the other hand the .308 is the designated cartridge for F-TR and Palma shooting, so it may be a more versatile chambering for Long-Range competition. So which would we choose between the 6BR and the .308? Actually we think you should have both. The 6BR is my favorite cartridge out to 500 yards, and I like the .308 Win for F-TR. The .308 Win has shown outstanding accuracy, as displayed at the NRA F-class Nationals. And… if you want to shoot at the Palma Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio or Bisley in the UK there’s only one choice — a .308 Win.
At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Sunday afternoon or Monday morning we offer our Best Bargain selections. Here are some of the best deals on firearms, hardware, reloading components, optics, and shooting accessories. Be aware that sale prices are subject to change, and once clearance inventory is sold, it’s gone for good. You snooze you lose.
NOTE: All listed products are for sale to persons 18 years of age or older. No products are intended for use by minors.
Brownells — Clearance Sale + 20% Off with Code EXTRA20
⏺️ » Deals on guns, ammo and gear plus save 20% with Code
Get big savings with the Brownells Clearance Sale. Along with the already discounted prices, on select clearance items you can save an additional 20% by using Code EXTRA20 during check-out. Sale items include including rifle scopes, rifles (Howa, Hammerli, Henry, Rossi, Mossberg), pistols (Colt, S&W, Sig Sauer, Walther, Springfield, Canik), tripods, ammunition (Federal, Remington, Winchester, Fiocchi), and Nosler brass. Definitely check out this Clearance Sale. There are exceptional deals PLUS 20% Off.
Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s — Fall Hunting Classic Sale
⏺️ » Major discounts on hunting optics, accessories, gear, ammo and more…
Affiliated companies Bass Pro and Cabela’s are running a massive Fall Hunting Classic Sale right now with signficant discounts on rifles, shotguns, optics, ammo, hunting gear, rifle cases, gun safes and more. This is a great opportunity to get everything you need for an upcoming fall hunt. Plus the discounts on optics and rangefinders are great for all rifle shooters. And if you need sleeping bags, a tent, or camping accessories, this is a good time to buy.
As an Amazon affiliate, this site can earn revenues through sales commissions.
M14 rifle from the NRA National Firearms Museum. Photo by Lloyd Hill.
Interested in a semi-auto M14 for $2K or less? That would be a very impressive addition to any gun collection (and cost less than a similar Springfield Armory M1A). The CMP has acquired a massive number of military full-auto M14s that are currently being converted to semi-auto functionality. But these rifles retain the stocks, action blocks, and barrels of the originals so they remain very collectible. You should be able to get one of these historic M14s for under $2000.00 with units starting to ship in January 2027. There is no active order page yet for the CMP M14 rifles. CLICK HERE for CMP Official M14 Announcement.
CMP CEO and board chairman Jerry O’Keefe has stated that eventually over 100,000 M14s will be offered for sale, at prices under $2000.00 with a limit of two (2) M14s per buyer per year. Prior to sale, the rifles will be modified to be permanently and irreversibly semi-automatic rifles.
The CMP has stated that the modified M14s will start shipping in January 2027, just 4.5 months away. Why January? The CMP initially stated the first orders would ship in late 2026. However the massive positive response convinced the CMP that more time would be required to build a substantial inventory of converted M14 rifles. CLICK HERE for Shooting Sports USA article with details. NOTE: Purchasers must comply with CMP Sales Eligibility Requirements.
The CMP plans to modify its surplus M14 military rifles, making them permanently semi-auto rather than fully automatic as originally issued. These converted semi-automatic M14s will then be offered for sale through the CMP sales department in early 2027. Do note that the Springfield M1A, basically a civilian version of the M14, has been available for many years. However, this is the first time true, historic military M14s will be sold to the public, albeit after conversion to semi-auto function.
About the M14 Rifle — Military History
The American M14 is a direct descendant of the M1 Garand rifle. The full-auto M14 is a 7.62×51 rifle that was officially adopted as the U.S. Army’s service rifle in 1957. While the M14 was no longer the standard-issue rifle by 1970 — having been replaced by the M16 — M14 variants were used until the late 1980s, often as sniper rifles.
The M14 was developed at Springfield Armory as an upgraded, select-fire evolution of the M1 Garand rifle. M1 designer John Garand worked on the transition and final designs — such as the magazine system — before retiring, while other engineers added features including the gas system and automatic fire capability. The M14 uses an interior receiver and general layout heavily based on the M1 Garand.
This Sunday GunDay story celebrates an impressive victory by Raymond (“Ray”) Gross, one of America’s most skilled marksmen and a top team coach. Ray has mastered many disciplines including Service rifle, Palma rifle, and F-Class (both F-TR and F-Open). Recently Ray notched another notable victory at the CMP’s 2026 National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio, winning the Kerr Memorial Match (Palma Rifle division).
Report by Ray Gross
I had a successful trip to Camp Perry this year, winning the Palma Rifle division of the 1000-yard Kerr Memorial Match and winning two Golds and a Silver coaching in the three team events. This is actually my first time back at Camp Perry for Long Range since 2015. I really enjoyed my time there this year.
For the Kerr match, I used my standard Palma rifle. My Barnard action and Master Class / Robertson stock have been with me for 21 years now and have seen numerous barrels and a few upgrades to the stock. The stock has a bedding block and originally I had two Barnard actions that I would swap in and out. I currently use the standard Barnard P Trigger, set to 1.5 kg.
This rifle has a Warner rear sight with true 1/4 MOA clicks. It is fitted with a Gehmann 530-0 rear diopter. The front sight is a Doug Beach 22mm ladder sight with a Centra 5.0-7.0mm adjustable aperture. For my eyesight (-2.75 x -0.75 in my aiming eye), I will generally run 5.1 to 5.6 on the 1000-yard target. At that size, I am more or less cutting the corners off the 6×6 target. Most of the ranges I shoot at have a large, dark-colored safety berm behind the target.
Camp Perry has a rather unique sight picture at 1000 yards, with the target surrounded on three sides with open sky, but with the dark pit safety berm below. It took a little bit to get used to that. The dark pit berm was prominent inside my aperture, even when turned down to 5.0. Next year, I plan to swap out the from aperture to allow me to get down to about a 4.7-4.8mm size.
The barrel is a Bartlein 5R 300×308 Light Palma taper. Chad Heckler of 5×5 Precision chambered this barrel for me. I recently troll-posted some bore pics on Facebook of this barrel at about 750 rounds. I work at Manson Reamers primarily as a chamber designer and tech support role and get to hear many stories about chambers and barrels. I think a lot of people really misjudge what they are seeing with borescopes causing a lot of worry and anxiety. The real measure of a target rifle is how it performs in competition.
Leaving Camp Perry it has about 1500 rounds down the tube and is shooting plenty good enough to win at the National Championships. By the way, I showed up with about 30 rounds fired since the previous thorough cleaning and did not clean once while there. I am not necessarily recommending that, but this barrel shoots fine dirty.
I am on my 16th firing of the Lapua large primer .308 Win brass. I have a bunch of new small primer brass that I want to use, but the lot I have been using just won’t wear out, so I keep reloading it. My Perry ammo was loaded with Vihtavuori N150 powder, but I started the year with N140 to use up that particular jug of powder. My bullet of choice for long range with the Palma rifle is the Berger 155.5 gr FullBore Target Rifle bullet seated about .035″ off the lands. Editor: The video below provides a comparison of Lapua large primer .308 Win brass vs. Lapua small primer .308 Win brass.
Most of my recent Palma barrels have the Manson 308 Win 2019 Fullbore T30 chamber (that I designed). That is a very widely-used chamber designed to pass Bisley Rule 150 inspection. It is a ‘Bisley Reamer’. Bisley reamers tend to have fairly long throats. I have a collection of various ‘Bisley Reamer’ prints from all over the world. The Manson 2019 Fullbore T30 is not the longest, but it is among the longer throated designs. SEE Diagram below (click to zoom):
Since 2019 I have had a number of competitors request a shorter-throated chamber in hopes of achieving higher velocities with the NRAUK Bisley issued ammo, currently made by GGG*. The issue ammo is essentially old school Palma ammo with a Sierra 2155 seated to 2.80″ COL. The Sierra 2155 is a very accurate bullet, but it does not have the BC of more modern 155gr designs. I love shooting them at 300 and 600 yards. If you want to learn to read the wind, practice with them at long range.
The chamber in this rifle is a ‘prototype’ shorter-throated reamer designed with the help of Brandon Green and measurements of the GGG 2025 issued ammo*. The reamer is the GGG25 reamer. On the print I have a big disclaimer that the chamber probably will eventually fail the rule 150 test as bullets change over the years, but it did pass with the 2026 issued ammo. My recommendation is to stick with the 2019 Fullbore design if you plan to go to Bisley.
Video shows first 2.5-3″ of another one of Ray’s Palma barrels, with an estimated 2800 rounds.
Ray reports that approximately 70 rounds had been shot in this barrel since it was last cleaned.
Ray says his Palma rifles shoot well even with high round count between cleanings.
Here is Ray shooting his Palma rifle at Winnequah Gun Club Range in Lodi, Wisconsin.
Ray Gross Marksmanship/Coaching Biography Ray’s shooting career began early in life hunting with his Dad. He began competing in NRA matches in 1991 as a Service Rifle shooter and earned a place on the Michigan Rifle team in 1993 and 1994. He earned his Distinguished Rifleman’s Badge in 1995 and began competing in the Palma class that year.
Ray has represented the USA as a Shooter or Coach on two Palma teams, two Australia Match Teams, and eight America Match teams. He has been the winning team coach on numerous events in Canada and the USA over the last decade. His international accomplishments include a Silver medal as a shooter on the 2003 U.S. Palma Team, a Silver medal as coach on the 2015 U.S. Palma Team, two Gold medals as a coach on the 2008 and 2014 U.S. America Match Team. The 2014 team set a new record for team aggregate score. He was Captain of the 2016 Gold medal America Match F-Class Team.
In F-Class, he was the F-TR individual Silver medalist at the first F-Class Nationals in 2004 and has coached the F-TR National Championship Team squad in 2004, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016, the latter five as part of Team Sinclair.
* GGG ammo is high-grade rifle ammunition produced by Giraitės Ginkluotės Gamykla, a state-owned Lithuanian manufacturer established in 2000. It is the largest military and civilian small-caliber ammunition producer in the Baltic states, supplying strict NATO-specification rounds like 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm, alongside commercial .223 Rem and .308 Win loads for civilian shooters.
With barrels, one wonders “Can a little more length provide a meaningful velocity gain?” To answer that question, Rifleshooter.com performed an interesting test, cutting a .308 Win barrel from 28″ all the way down to 16.5″. The cuts were made in one-inch intervals with a rotary saw. At each cut length, velocity was measured with a Magnetospeed chronograph. To make the test even more interesting, four different types of .308 Win factory ammunition were chronographed at each barrel length.
This is a very useful test is you’re thinking about building a .308 Win hunting rifle, or perhaps thinking of going shorter for your F-TR rifle to save weight.
Test Barrel Lost 22.7 FPS Per Inch (.308 Win Chambering)
How much velocity do you think was lost, on average, for each 1″ reduction in barrel length? The answer may surprise you. With a barrel reduction from 28″ to 16.5″, the average speed loss of the four types of .308 ammo was 261 fps total. That works out to an average loss of 22.7 fps per inch. This chart shows velocity changes for all four ammo varieties:
Summary of Findings:
The average velocity loss per inch, for all four ammo types combined, was 22.7 FPS. By ammo type, the average FPS loss per inch was: 24.6 (Win 147 FMJ), 22.8 (IMI 150 FMJ), 20.9 (Fed GMM 168gr), and 22.5 (Win 180PP).
Interestingly, these numbers jive pretty well with estimates found in reloading manuals. The testers observed: “The Berger Reloading manual says for the 308 Winchester, ‘muzzle velocity will increase (or decrease) by approximately 20 fps per inch from a standard 24″ barrel’.”
How the Test Was Done
The testers described their procedure as follows: “Ballistic data was gathered using a Magnetospeed barrel mounted ballistic chronograph. At each barrel length, the rifle was fired from a front rest with rear bags, with five rounds of each type of ammunition. Average velocity and standard deviation were logged for each round. Since we would be gathering data on 52 different barrel length and ammunition combinations and would not be crowning the barrel after each cut, we decided to eliminate gathering data on group sizes. Once data was gathered for each cartridge at a given barrel length, the rifle was cleared and the bolt was removed. The barrel was cut off using a cold saw. The test protocol was repeated for the next length. Temperature was 47° F.”
CLICK HERE to Read the Rifleshooter.com Test. This includes detailed charts with inch-by-inch velocity numbers, multiple line charts, and complete data sets for each type of ammo. Rifleshooter.com also offers ballistics graphs showing trajectories with different barrel lengths. All in all, this was a very thorough test by the folks at RifleShooter.com.
Much Different Results with 6mmBR and a Longer Barrel
The results from Rifleshooter.com’s .308 barrel cut-down test are quite different than the results we recorded some years ago with a barrel chambered for the 6mmBR cartridge. When we cut our 6mmBR barrel down from 33″ to 28″, we only lost about 8 FPS per inch. Obviously this is a different cartridge type, but also our 6mmBR barrel start length was 5″ longer than Rifleshooter.com’s .308 Win start length (and we ended where Rifleshooter’s .308 started — at 28″). Velocity loss can be more extreme with shorter barrel lengths (and bigger cartridges). Powder burn rates can also make a difference.
Position shooters can also improve their skills by shooting different disciplines. High Power Across-the-Course shooters benefit from shooting smallbore and air rifle. Again, these targets are very small, which will encourage competitors to be more critical of their shot placement. Hunters may benefit from shooting silhouette matches, which will give them practice when shooting standing with a scoped rifle. Tactical matches may also be good, as tactical matches involve improvising shots from various positions and distances. [Editor: Many tactical matches also involve hiking or moving from position to position — this can motivate a shooter to maintain a good level of general fitness.]
Many visitors to the site ask us, “I’ve got a .223 and .308. What will a 6mmBR Norma (6BR) give me that I’m not getting already?” Well first you will probably average consistently smaller groups than your current .223 or .308 rifle (assuming the 6mmBR has a quality barrel and trigger). A good .308 Winchester can be superbly accurate, no question about that, but the lesser recoil of the 6BR works in the shooter’s favor over a long string of fire. Even with a Rem 700 or Savage action factory action, a 6BR with a benchrest stock, premium barrel, and a high-quality chambering job should deliver 5-shot groups in the high twos to mid-threes, provided you do your job. We have one 6BR rifle that shoots Lapua factory-loaded 6BR ammunition in the low twos and high ones. That’s exceptional, we admit, but it still shows how the 6BR is an inherently accurate cartridge, even with factory loads.
The barrel is a Bartlein 5R 300×308 Light Palma taper. Chad Heckler of 5×5 Precision chambered this barrel for me. I recently troll-posted some bore pics on Facebook of this barrel at about 750 rounds. I work at Manson Reamers primarily as a chamber designer and tech support role and get to hear many stories about chambers and barrels. I think a lot of people really misjudge what they are seeing with borescopes causing a lot of worry and anxiety. The real measure of a target rifle is how it performs in competition.
Ray’s shooting career began early in life hunting with his Dad. He began competing in NRA matches in 1991 as a Service Rifle shooter and earned a place on the Michigan Rifle team in 1993 and 1994. He earned his Distinguished Rifleman’s Badge in 1995 and began competing in the Palma class that year.
