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October 18th, 2024
 Have a good look at the photos below — this may be one of the most noteworthy target strings we’ve ever published. What you can see is the effect of barrel tuner position on point of impact (POI). You can clearly see that the tuner position alters the up/down POI location in a predictable fashion.
This remarkable 15-shot sequence was shot by French benchrester Pascal Fischbach using his 6 PPC fitted with a CG (Carlito Gonzales) action and a Bukys barrel tuner.
Pascal reports: “After [bullet] seating and load validation, I put the Bukys tuner on, screwing it out 10 turns. According to Carlito, the CG’s super stiff action-to-barrel fit gives a faster vibration modulus that is detrimental below 10 turns [position of the tuner].” Pascal’s procedure was to screw out the tuner 1/4 turn progressively from one shot to the next. He shot one bullet at each tuner position, with a total of 15 shots.
15-Shot Sequence with Tuner Changes
CLICK HERE to SEE Large Version of Complete Test Strip (All 15 shots in a row).
Left Half of Target Strip (shots with 1/4 rotation change of tuner in sequence)
Right Half of Target Strip (shots with 1/4 rotation change of tuner in sequence)
Pascal observed: “Note the point of impact displacement [from shot to shot] tracks clearly along a sinusoide (sine wave curve).” This is indeed notable and significant! This shows how the tuner’s ability to change barrel harmonics can alter the position of the muzzle as each bullet exits, resulting in a higher or lower POI. Pascal sent his results to Carlito Gonzales in Argentina for analysis.
Pascal poses this question to readers: “Guess which three positions Carlito recommends to try?”
Editor’s Note: While this target sequence clearly shows how tuner position can alter bullet point of impact, this, by itself, does not tell us which tuner position(s) are best for accuracy. That will require further multi-shot group testing, involving careful experimentation with tuner position (and powder charge weights). But for those folks who doubt that a tuner can make a difference on a short, fat barrel, just take another look at the photos. The up/down changes are undeniable, and noteworthy in the wave pattern they follow.
Shooting Set-up and Test Conditions:
Pascal did this test at an outdoor range under very good conditions: “This was shot at my home range, outdoors, with four Smiley flag. The range is a narrow cut in high woods. Wind was consistent with readable flags. I started testing the tuner from 10 turns out and on to 15. I recently… found a sweet spot very close to the rearmost position of the tuner, so the rigidity provided by this super long tenon (just short of 70mm) was not a reason to overlook the recommended Bukys tuning procedure.”
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October 4th, 2014
 Have a good look at the photos below — this may be one of the most noteworthy target strings we’ve ever published. What you can see is the effect of barrel tuner position on point of impact (POI). You can clearly see that the tuner position alters the up/down POI location in a predictable fashion.
This remarkable 15-shot sequence was shot by French benchrester Pascal Fischbach using his 6 PPC fitted with a CG (Carlito Gonzales) action and a Bukys barrel tuner.
Pascal reports: “After [bullet] seating and load validation, I put the Bukys tuner on, screwing it out 10 turns. According to Carlito, the CG’s super stiff action-to-barrel fit gives a faster vibration modulus that is detrimental below 10 turns [position of the tuner].” Pascal’s procedure was to screw out the tuner 1/4 turn progressively from one shot to the next. He shot one bullet at each tuner position, with a total of 15 shots.
15-Shot Sequence with Tuner Changes
CLICK HERE to SEE Large Version of Complete Test Strip (All 15 shots in a row).
Left Half of Target Strip (shots with 1/4 rotation change of tuner in sequence)
Right Half of Target Strip (shots with 1/4 rotation change of tuner in sequence)
Pascal observed: “Note the point of impact displacement [from shot to shot] tracks clearly along a sinusoide (sine wave curve).” This is indeed notable and significant! This shows how the tuner’s ability to change barrel harmonics can alter the position of the muzzle as each bullet exits, resulting in a higher or lower POI. Pascal sent his results to Carlito Gonzales in Argentina for analysis.
Pascal poses this question to readers: “Guess which three positions Carlito recommends to try?”
Editor’s Note: While this target sequence clearly shows how tuner position can alter bullet point of impact, this, by itself, does not tell us which tuner position(s) are best for accuracy. That will require further multi-shot group testing, involving careful experimentation with tuner position (and powder charge weights). But for those folks who doubt that a tuner can make a difference on a short, fat barrel, just take another look at the photos. The up/down changes are undeniable, and noteworthy in the wave pattern they follow.
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October 6th, 2013
This story has all the ingredients: exotic location, exotic hardware, cool POV video (with John Lee Hooker blues soundtrack), plus something you’ve probably never seen before — a gravity-fed cartridge caddy that loads a PPC round into a benchrest rig with the push of a button. Watch this video to see Benchrest in Argentina with some very cool equipment:
Soundtrack includes John Lee Hooker’s blues classic “Boom, Boom” (starting at 0:28).
This video was filmed by our friend, Frenchman Pascal Fischbach, during his recent visit to Argentina. In Buenos Aires, Pascal met with action-maker extraordinaire Carlos (“Carlito”) Gonzales, creator of the CG Thunderbolt action. The video shows Carlito shooting groups with his CG-actioned benchrest rifle and MCF (“Manual Cartridge Feed”) ammo caddy. Look for the push-button control at the 1:15″ time-mark. The five-shot groups, shown at 1:20″, are pretty impressive. Even more impressive is how flawlessly this trick cartridge-fedding system works.
About Carlito’s Benchrest Rifle
 The rifle features Carlito’s CG thunderbolt action, in a low-profile carbon-fiber stock also made by Gonzales. Up front is a Bukys-style tuner. If you watch the video carefully, you may wonder “how do the cartridges get into the action?”, since you won’t see the shooter (Carlito) pulling rounds from a loading block. Well the secret is that metal contraption to the left of the gun. It is a gravity-fed caddy connected, via cable, to a hand control. After working the bolt to extract a fired case, the shooter can push a button and the next round drops down from the upper left into the left port/right eject action. Simply close the bolt and you’re ready to roll. For more information, visit Benchrest.com.ar or email casagonzalec [at] benchrest.com.ar .
External Horizontal Cartridge-Feeder
The Gonzales loading device is an open-ended, covered metal tray situated on the left side of the action (but it does not touch the gun — it is supported by an arm attached to the front rest). This feeds into the left-side loading port. The cases are gravity-fed, but the shooter has positive control over feeding. A cable with a push-button control runs from the magazine down to the rear foot of the pedestal rest. You just push the button to drop one cartridge from the magazine. We don’t know exactly how the cartridge is released in the magazine itself, but in the video below you can see how the push-button works. This device has been approved for competition by USA and International benchrest sanctioning bodies.
Photo by Rich Pollock of Benchrest.ca
Video Shows Cable-Operated Cartridge Feeder in Action
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August 6th, 2012
Our friend Pascal Fischbach from France offered us a sneak peak at the final production version of a new benchrest rig from Argentina. Pascal reports: “I’ll be in Buenos Aires soon and will meet Carlito Gonzales, maker of the CG M1 Thunderbolt benchrest rifle that performed so well at 2010 Supershoot and WBC10 last August in the hands of Dr. Cris Rando.” Pascal has ordered one of these rifles for the 2013 benchrest season. If you want more information about the CG M1 action or complete rifle, contact Pascal through his Facebook Page.
Pascal tell us: “The CG M1 action is a short, tight but smooth 3-Lug, Right Bolt, Left Port, Right Eject model. The receiver features a special 66mm-long tenon with threads in the center area and two bearing-centering areas on each side of the threads. Any gunsmith will be able to chamber additional barrels with the data and tools provided. This action offers strength and rigidity to enhance both accuracy and longevity. Carlito’s trigger is excellent — I recommend keeping it. The complete rifle will feature special quality rings that mate to the top of the receiver. Barrels can be chambered with your custom reamer or with CG’s conventional 6PPC reamer or even a PPC-AI chamber design (PT&G) that Carlitos realy likes. Price for the complete rifle will be very competitive.”
One reason this rifle performs so well is the innovative stock design. The fore-arm is very low profile in the front. At the back of the stock, an exaggerated Vee profile aids tracking and reduces vibration. Pascal says the stock tracks very straight for the first couple of inches during recoil, and the marked Vee in the rear makes it ride on the sides of the bag ears, not the bottom stitching. This helps quell vibration and improve damping. The carbon construction makes the stock “stout and stiff”.
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| The fluted 3-Lug Bolt is extremely well-machined. |
The tang on the 2012 version has been shortened for weight reasons. There’s still plenty of bedding area on the main body. |
Super-Sized Action Offered for Long-Range Rifles
For long-range shooters, Carlito Gonzales has also crafted a larger 600/1000m version of the CG M1 designed for bigger cartridges used in long-range competition. We don’t have any specifics on price or delivery date, but the action looks nice. The extended front section should provide excellent support for long, heavy barrels.
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