John Lewis Shoots 0.386" Group at 600 Yards with Home-built Gun

Terry Brady reports that on Saturday at the Oak Ridge (TN) IBS registered Benchrest match, John Lewis shot a spectacular 0.386″ 5-shot group in Heavy Gun Class. When certified, this substantially lowers the existing record (currently held by Brady.) A 0.386″ group at 600 yards is the equivalent of 0.0614 MOA. John shot the group with a wood and metal-stocked gun he built himself. It is chambered in .308 Win. John was shooting a Lapua 155gr bullet. Amazingly this record was set with a “second-hand” 14-twist barrel John acquired many years ago for just $50.00.

Mark Schronce reports that the group was shot in blustery and rainy conditions. That makes the record group all the more remarkable. Congratulations to John. That just proves that the old-fashioned .308 Win round is capable of some amazing accuracy.

The other big winner at the Oak Ridge match was Sam Hall. He shot a sub-2″ Aggregate in Light Gun and captured both the Light Gun and Heavy Gun overall wins. It was a dominant performance by Sam, and there was other great shooting. According to Terry Brady, there were three sub-inch groups shot at the match, lead by Lewis’ 0.386″ in Heavy Gun.

ShootingUSA 30-06 Rifle Contest

Want to win a new Smith & Wesson I-Bolt rifle chambered in 30-06? Then enter ShootingUSA’s Gun-A-Month Contest. There is no fee, and no purchase is required. You simply have to fill out a contest entry form, and answer one multiple-choice fact question. The answer to the question is revealed in the weekly ShootingUSA broadcasts on the Outdoor Channel.

You are limited to one entry per person/per question. But, that does give you four chances to win each month’s drawing. And with each entry you’ll get a confirmation email that includes a certificate good for free merchandise if you later purchase a Smith & Wesson firearm.

Official Contest Rules and Privacy Notice.

AR and Service Rifle Smiths — Sinclair's Recommendations

AccurateShooter.com has a list of Recommended Gunsmiths. Most of the smiths listed on our Gunsmith Page specialize in bolt-action rifles, for Benchrest, varminting, and long-range. While some do work on AR15s and “space-guns”, this is not their primary focus.

If you need a first-rate gunsmith for a service rifle, Sinclair International has compiled its own list of smiths including highly respected names. For service rifles (including AR types), Sinclair recommends the following:

Phil Arrington (Service Rifle)
Arrington Accuracy Works
1408 West Ross Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85027
Phone: (623) 582-5066

Compass Lake Engineering (Service Rifle)
719 White Dr
Alford, FL 32420
Phone: (850) 579-1208

Fulton Armory (Service Rifle & Parts)
8725 Bollman Pl., #1
Savage, MD 20763
Phone: (301) 490-9485

Derrick Martin (Service Rifle)
Accuracy Speaks, Inc.
3960 N Usery Pass Rd.
Mesa, AZ 85207
Phone: (480) 373-9499

Scott Medesha (Service Rifle)
Medesha Firearms Ltd.
10326 E. Adobe Rd.
Mesa, AZ 85207
Phone: (480) 986-5876

Albert Turner (Service Rifle)
Turner Enterprises
2200 Seminole Ct.
Plano, TX 75074
Phone: (214) 424-8409

Bill Wylde (Service Rifle)
Wylde & Co.
PO Box 261
Greenup, IL 62428
Phone: (217) 923-3266

To Sinclair’s list we would definitely add John Holliger of White Oak Precision. John built the upper for the Smith & Wesson M&P AR with which Carl Bernosky won the Camp Perry High Power Championship in 2007. This marked the first time an AR-style semi-auto has won that event. John also builds many outstanding components for AR-style rifles, including windage-adjustable front sight bases, and the White Oak Precision Adjustable Buttstock (shown below).

John Holliger
White Oak Precision
101 South Perry
Carlock, IL 61725
Phone: (309) 376-2288