The test rifle was designed to show case many of the options available and was made up of the following components

Benchmark stainless, 3-groove, 1:11 twist , 24″, fluted barrel, M40A1 contour with muzzle brake (5/8″x24tpi) thread protector included, chambered with 308 win. match spec reamer.

Lawton 7000 stainless action with chomolly bolt and Lawton 20 MOA scope base.

The pillar and recoil lug areas are bedded with titanium devcon, and skim bedded with marine tex.

McMillan A5 stock with saddle cheek piece

Jewel trigger adjustable from 3 oz. to 1 lbs. (I found it to be very nicely tuned when testing)

Badger M5 DBM with 5 round mag. (added after my testing)

Guarantee: ½ MOA at 500yds (3 shots) with hand loads.

The rifle came in around 12.5 pounds without scope and bipod.

The tentative price the rifle would be $3,829 (with the above options) which is very competitive with rifles built with similar components. Many I looked at where just over $4000 with similar options.  Benchmark’s rifles would also include a guarantee of ½ MOA guarantee (for 3 shots) at 500yds with hand loads (no bench rest match prepping required, just quality components in consistent proportions). It’s not uncommon to have 100yd accuracy guarantee with factory ammo, I think this is a good thing, but most who buy rifles like this aren’t shooting factory ammo anyway. Law enforcement and military are another animal altogether, but the Jewel trigger leads me to believe this rifle is directed more toward the competition (long range tactical and F-class alike) market anyway.

When I first took the rifle I was immediately struck by how solid and quality the Lawton action felt. It compared very favorably to a Phoenix action that I currently own. After looking it over, working the action, and dry firing a few times I had a very good feeling about this rifle. I took it home an mounted my loaner scope, a Bushnell 4200 6-24×50 Tactical (I mounted my Nightforce  for pictures). It’s not as nice as my other scopes but it has worked flawlessly since I got it. I wouldn’t be able to blame any “accuracy issues” on the scope. I normally avoid public shooting ranges like the plague but I didn’t have time to get out to one of my own “shooting spots” for barrel break in. I’m not personally sold on the “proper barrel break in procedure” but since I can’t afford to purchase this rife myself. I judiciously, fired and cleaned, fired and cleaned until there was very little fouling. I was provided some surplus ammo (mixed head stamps) for this process. I did shoot some groups for accuracy and separated head stamps as best I could. Some of the groups weren’t incredibly impressive (no doubt there was some human error, but it’s safe to say I could hold tighter than the surplus ammo would shoot). One head stamp though, “FN 70″ shot very well with a best 3 shot group of .271″. Nearly ¼ MOA with this ammo is pretty darn good in my opinion. Another shooter provided me with 3 rounds of 168gr GMM free of charge if I could squeeze them into less than ½ inch outside to outside. The rifle liked this ammo just fine, as the group was .091″ center to center. I took the rifle home for a thorough cleaning and found it cleaned up very easily, something I expected since it’s not my first Benchmark barrel.

The very next weekend I had planned to go with some buddies on a long range shooting trip. I knew this would be my best opportunity to test the rifle at 500yds. Benchmark didn’t give me any demands about my testing, so I selfishly based everything on my goals for an F-TR rifle mentioned previously. I didn’t have as much 308 Lapua brass as I had remembered, and realized it wouldn’t be possible to test many different loads. I tried to bribe some buddies to test my loads at 300yds during the week, so I’d know which to bring for 500yd testing, but I guess I’m not particularly persuasive. I had 3 different loads (45gr, 45.5gr and 46gr of powder) all with the following components:

Lapua unfired brass

CCI BR-2 primers

Hodgdon Varget powder

Sierra 155gr HPBT “palma” bullets

OAL: 2.825″ (average)

I did no bullet separation by o-give, weight, etc. Cases were not trimmed, or measured for capacity, powder charges are as close as I could get them with my RCBS beam scale. It wasn’t exactly fair to expect much since I had done absolutely zero load development. I had used these same components with very favorable results in 308′s I’d owned previously. More importantly though These are the components I’d plan to use in an F-TR rifle (I’d also look into the 155.5gr Berger BT).

The weekend couldn’t have come fast enough. It was very cold in my buddy’s shooting area (in the 20′s), I was glad he brought a trailer for us to sleep in even though it wasn’t heated. The next morning we drove out and set up our targets. A 14″x12″ steel plate, prairie dog silhouette and clay pigeons at 975yds. Those targets seemed to be calling the Benchmark 308 tucked safely away in the case but I simply didn’t have enough ammo and needed results on paper. Later we moved to a spot where we set up clay pigeons at 500 and 650yds. Of course I also put paper targets up at 500yds for testing purposes. By this time it had warmed up a bit, probably into the low-mid 30′s but, I’m pretty sure the ground was still frozen! There was a little wind, mostly into our face (zero value). I started out with the 45gr load, shooting a couple fowlers, and getting dialed close enough to keep the groups on paper. I repeated the process with the 45.5gr and 46gr loads (minus fowlers obviously) . The rifle clearly liked the 45gr load best with a 3 shot group (of 3 total) of 1.644″ center to center. This is just .336″ over the ¼ MOA mark and .319″ under the 3/8 MOA mark. The group strung horizontally with vertical dispersion of just .494″ which is 0.16″ under 1/8 MOA of vertical dispersion for 3 shots. The 46gr load wasn’t too shabby either at under ½ MOA. The testing was all done from the prone position using a bipod, and rear sand sock. I can only hold so tight, but if I had the opportunity to shoot more than one group with the 45gr load I’m fairly confident it could get even better for 3 shots. Most impressive to myself is the fact that there was no load development done with this rifle. Perhaps I lucked out and the 45gr of Varget is optimal, but I’d bet one could tune the seating depth to further enhance accuracy even thought the SMK’s don’t‘ seem to be very jump/jam sensitive.

I gave the rifle back the same day I tested it at 500yds. It did hurt a little, handing the rifle over along with the 500yd target, but I think I hid it very well. I’d found and shot an ideal F-TR class competition rifle. With the vertical dispersion it displayed, I feel confident in assuming this rifle is true ¼ MOA capable at 500yds. All the more so, as the testing was from a bi-pod, in less than user friendly conditions. It is very likely I’ll be talking to Benchmark about building another 308 in the near future.

Lucas Beitner

The key to shooting long range with accuracy is knowing and compensating for ballistics. Ballistics programs allow you to input your specific load information (most importantly bullet ballistic coefficient and muzzle velocity) and atmospheric conditions and then, provide you with a predicted flight path. Any experienced long range marksman will know that these predictions are often very close at closer ranges (usually out to about 500yds) and usually not so close at longer ranges. Ballistic coefficients are speed dependant because they are based off a given profile, the G1 profile being the most common. If your bullet were a perfect match to the G1 profile your BC would remain the same despite the velocity. The variance with speed is so great because the G1 profile is nothing close to the profile of long range low-drag, boat-tail, bullets most popular today. The problem is well known and the better ballistic programs have compensated for this issue to some degree.

I have been using the Nightforce Exbal program for some time and I’m very happy with it. It has allowed me to make a few cold-bore shots at extreme distances that I wouldn’t otherwise be capable. I can get information on how changing atmospheric conditions will effect my dope (data on previous engagement). I have this program loaded into a palm pilot that I can use in the field (although I’m never without a written drop chart for obvious reasons). Other features include trajectory validation, point blank range analysis, target engagement, factory load data, bullet BC data, reticle analysis, scope adjustment options, target distance estimation, etc. It’s safe to say I’ve got my money’s worth from the Exbal program. With such a comprehensive program you might wonder how Exbal compensates for inaccuracies of BC’s changing  with speed. They have included a multi-BC option where one can enter 5 different BC’s at 4 specific velocities (last velocity value must be at zero). This allows you to tailor your BC to match your confirmed drops in the field. Sierra Bullets provides multiple BC’s and using these will allow you to get very good data from the program right from the start. Unfortunately most bullet manufacturers don’t give multiple speed dependant BC’s. Obviously bullet BC’s don’t change suddenly at a specific velocity, so multiple BC’s isn’t a perfect fix, simply a compromise. Even so, I’ve found it possible to get an essentially perfect drop chart using the multiple BC option. When using bullets without published speed dependant BC’s you’ll be spending some time playing with the program to get your drop chart just right. It usually takes more than one long range shooting session to get everything just right.

Thanks to Sean (host of longrangeshooter.com) I recently had the opportunity to test the Lex Talus Delta IV ballistic program. Completely satisfied and very familiar with Exbal, I was honestly expecting just another ballistic program. It doesn’t take long to notice a difference when inputting basic data. When using standard G1 BC’s you will get drop charts much closer to actual numbers than with other ballistic programs. This is due to the type of compensation Delta IV uses for BC variation with velocity. They label it “DK” which is a way of calibrating BC degradation and they also claim it can be used to compensate for shooter to shooter variances in launch dynamics. I must say that the default DK settings gives me very close drop info compared with my confirmed data. I’ve found that adjusting the DK (and BC if  advertised BC is off)  is easier to get “perfect” drops compared with the adjustment of multiple BC’s and the velocities at which those BC’s “change”. Delta IV includes all of the options of the Exbal program mentioned above. One option of Delta missing with Exbal is the powder temperature (ammo temp). You can adjust how sensitive your powder is to temperature. I gravitate to using powders that are not particularly sensitive to temperature. I have a reasonably wide range of temperatures where my drop charts will allow hits on reasonably small targets, but there’s no getting around changes in MV due to temperature. In one competition a couple years ago, the temperature rose to over 100 degrees and I quickly discovered I was missing high. My “temperature insensitive” loads had lulled me into a false sense of security. If only I had been using Delta IV back then! Having this option will allow you to get very accurate drops even when out of your normal temperature range.

To compare these programs I did a few tests. I have some confirmed drops for a couple different rifles. I decided to input “standard” BC info (only data that’s readily available), no multiple BC’s except for Sierra bullets. I only used the default DK for Delta IV. Either program can be adjusted to match your tested drops. Obviously, I made all the elevation, atmospheric/scope height data the same. I think  these examples  give a good basic idea of the program capabilities. Before I get into all the specifics let me just say that there are numerous reasons this test isn’t a perfect comparison including: operator error (in using the programs and/or shooting the rifles) imperfections in my confirmed drops, difference in actual MV and measured MV, error in atmospheric condition and elevation data, group dispersion, scope calibration error (I check mine but when you dial over 50 MOA a small error will show up in drop chart data), bullet manufacturer BC inaccuracy, etc.

Test 1) 7wsm 168gr JLK @ 2910fps Advertised BC .690

500yds Actual drop 8.25 MOA                                     1000yds Actual drop 24.50 MOA

500yds Exbal projected drop 8.00 MOA       1000yds Exbal projected drop 23.25

500yds Delta projected drop 8.25 MOA           1000yds Delta projected drop 24.25

This test was not exactly fair to either program since the advertised BC of this JLK bullet is too high in my opinion. Delta was still very close!

Test 2) 243 win 108gr Berger BT @ 2912… Advertised BC .511

500yds Actual Drop 8.50 MOA                   1000yds Actual Drop 27.75

500yds Exbal projected drop 8.50      1000yds Exbal projected drop 27.00

500yds Delta projected drop 8.50       1000yds Delta projected drop 28.25

Test 3) 308 win 175gr SMK @ 2729… Advertised BC’s .505 (2800fps+) .496 (1800-2800fps) .485 (1800fps-)

500yds Actual Drop 10.25 MOA                                     1000yds Actual Drop 32.75

500yds Exbal projected drop 10.00 MOA       1000yds Exbal projected drop 32.00 MOA

500yds Delta projected drop 10.75                           1000yds Delta projected drop 34.00 M0A

This test illustrates how the Exbal program works with multiple BC’s.

Test 4) 338 Lapua Mag 245gr Bore Tech V3 @ 2895… Advertised BC .869

500yds Actual Drop 7.25 MOA                 1000yds Actual Drop 22.00

500yds Exbal projected drop 7.25    1000yds Exbal projected drop 21.50

500yds Delta projected drop 7.25       1000yds  Delta projected drop 21.75

1850yds Actual Drop 58.00

1850yds Exbal projected drop 59.00

1850yds Delta IV projected drop 57.75

This one is truly amazing. Delta was within ¼ MOA at over a mile! I wouldn’t have imagined this was possible. Now the info after using Delta IV’s DK calculating option which gives me a new DK of .4992 new drop info was

500yds 7.25 MOA

1000yds 22.00 MOA

1850yds 58.00 MOA

A quick and simple step (DK calculation) gives me an essentially perfect drop chart not just at 500yds (most on-line ballistic calculators could do that) but spot on at 1000yds and 1850yds! To say that I’m impressed with Delta IV would be an understatement.

Lucas Beitner

 
When getting involved in long range shooting, rifle selection can be difficult. There are so many different manufactures, cartridges, and configurations available. Many would like a custom built rifle, but wonder if it’s worth the extra time and cost. The answer depends mostly on your priorities, and needs. There are advantages for each. Here’s a quick overview.

Factory Rifles

Factory rifles can be anything from the awesome Sako TRG to the cheap Savage Stevens. Factory rifles can be purchased in many different cartridges and calibers. The accuracy ranges from excellent to unacceptable (for long range). If you have the ability to do a little research, you can avoid any that have a high probability of poor accuracy. You can also find some where good accuracy is the rule rather than the exception. Factory rifles come ready to fire. You can get them from a local shop in minuets or have one shipped in days. You’ll have little down time especially if you have optics ready to go. There are custom rifles that will take over a year to get once you order!

A reasonably priced factory rifle can have good accuracy even for long range. I’ve  owned a factory rifle that shot with accuracy above the level of many customs. This is the exception and not the rule, but it’s a joy to find and shoot such a rifle. Some factory rifles come with accuracy guarantees, but most do not. If you purchase a rifle that shoots poorly there are modifications (at relatively little cost) that you can make to increase accuracy. It is possible to get one that cannot be made to shoot with acceptable accuracy. The worst case scenario, would have you ordering a new barrel and action work from your gun smith. This extreme would be very rare, and one should not be worried. I’ve heard of plenty who get the factory to fix rifles that shot poorly  even when no guarantee of accuracy was made.

There are many options available for factory rifles. They will often have different magazine configurations (or lack thereof). Different barrel contours and lengths… heavy barrels for varmint and tactical models, helping dissipate heat and maintain accuracy for extended strings of shooting. Light barrels are most popular for hunting models, keeping weight to a minimum. They can be made  from different materials including chromoly, stainless, even titanium. Some will have synthetic stocks, some wood. Even factory rifles designed for accuracy will often have aluminum pillars or bedding blocks. Some will have stocks that are adjustable, but most will not. The choices you will have to make for selecting a factory rifle are generally very straight forward.

Factory rifles are generally less expensive than customs. Good shooting rifles will sell for as little as $400. The used market can be great way to save even more. Make sure you know what a rifle goes for new. Just because it’s at a pawn shop doesn’t mean it’s a good deal. If you order a rifle off the internet keep in mind you’ll have to pay a local FFL for transfer. This usually runs about $40 in my area. A budget minded shooter will often purchase a factory rifle and slowly make modifications over time. Doing this can be enjoyable especially if you see better accuracy as a result of your own work. When a barrel is shot out on a factory rifle, a custom can be built from it.

Custom Rifles

Custom rifles can be had in every configuration imaginable. Any cartridge can be used from a standard 308 to a custom wild cat. You can build a single shot or repeater. Left hand, Right hand, left port, right port. It can be built from a factory action you are familiar with, or a custom action of extremely close tolerances. It can take a great deal of time and research to decide what suits you.

The accuracy of custom rifles is generally much better than factory. Accuracy guarantees are not uncommon. Not all custom rifles are created equally. If you’re going to spend the money, make sure you know what you’re getting. Find out what experiences others are having with customs from the same smith or company. Amazingly there are custom rifle makers who consider MOA accuracy to be excellent.

Custom rifles will require some decision making not necessary with factory rifles. Perhaps you will be selecting each component individually and paying a smith you know is good to assemble a rifle you’ve designed. If you allow your smith to decide what’s best, make sure you know what you’re getting. If you have any concerns let them know before your rifle is built. If you have questions….ask, this is part of what you’re paying for. With the advise of your smith, it’s probably best that you make most of the decisions. You’ll have to decide what cartridge, action, barrel, stock, trigger, etc. It’s best to keep in mind the purposes of this rifle.

When you decide what cartridge and caliber best suit your purposes it would also be good to decide what bullets you would be using. Find out what twist rate is required to stabilize the bullets you plan to use and order your barrel accordingly. If your rifle will be a repeater make sure the reamer is throated so you can seat the bullets into the lands without exceeding the   mag length. By the same token if you have room in the mag, a reamer that allows you to seat the bullets near maximum mag length will give maximum capacity for powder. This can net a little more muzzle velocity which is generally a good thing!

Length of barrel is another consideration. For large magnums shooting heavy bullets long barrels will allow best velocities with slow burning powders. Some cartridges suffer little loss of velocity when used with short barrels, particularly those using relatively fast burning powders. Of course, if you will be dragging this rifle through the hills a long barrel may be out of the question. How about your trigger? Even a good rifle’s accuracy can be spoiled by a poor trigger. The trigger on a custom rifle should be tuned for a crisp brake and minimal over-travel. The weight of the trigger is up to the shooter. If the cross-hairs routinely move when you pull the trigger it may be to heavy (or poor shooting technique).Only you can decide whats best for you… that’s why you’re building a custom in first place.

Make sure the components come together in a rifle that will be comfortable for you. You’ll likely be spending more money than most “off the shelf” rifles require and you want to get your money’s worth. If at all possible handle the stock you want to use before you purchase. If the stock does not fit you correctly (and cannot be adjusted), shooting your rifle could be frustrating. Don’t leave anything out. With careful research and consideration you can build a custom rifle that will meet your needs and expectations. Such a rifle is always a pleasure to shoot.

There is a great deal of interest in .338″ caliber cartridges for long range shooting. This is specifically due to high BC mass produced bullets available. While it takes a great deal of powder to push a 250gr to 300gr bullet at acceptable velocities for long range shooting, the performance has trumped the cost in the minds of many shooters (not to mention military and law enforcement world-wide). Recently, the most popular long range 338′s are the 338 Remington Ultra Mag, 338 Lapua mag, and 338 Edge. The first two are self explanatory, the Edge is a 338×300 Remington Ultra Mag. It is most commonly referred to as the 338″Edge” due to Shawn Carlock of Defensive Edge who is the biggest proponent of the cartridge and has, by far, the most experience with it. There are some other 338′s for long range, but I’ll mostly focus one these three for the sake of keeping this brief. These cartridges can be used in factory long actions and make a repeater. Even when using long, high BC bullets, like the 300gr SMK!

One common misconception is that these cartridges are end all, be all, 1000yd lasers. While the 1000yd performance is excellent, there are much more efficient ways of getting equal and in some cases better ballistic performance at 1000yds and less. For example you could fire a 168gr Berger VLD from a 7mm mag at 3100fps and have an expected drop of 22.25 MOA and drift of 5.25 MOA for a 10mph cross-wind at 1000yds. A 338 Lapua mag firing a 250gr Scenar at 2960 would have a drop of 24.25 MOA and 5.25 MOA windage for the same range/conditions. A Lapua mag firing a 300gr SMK at 2850fps would have a drop of 25 MOA and 4.75 MOA windage for the same range/conditions. If you want to see how these 338′s stack up to other cartridges, run the numbers through a ballistic calculator. For those who take large game at or near 1000yds the energy provided by these cartridges is ideal. Where the 338′s really shine  ballistically is well beyond the 1000yd mark. They have been used effectively and with accuracy out to 1 mile (1760yds) and beyond. Two of the major obstacles to shooting at extreme range are going sub-sonic (or even trans-sonic) and wind drift. A major part of the solution to both of these, is a higher than usual BC’s. Let’s consider some of the long range bullets available for the 338′s…

250gr Sierra Match king BC: .587 (above 2150fps) .606 (between 2149 and 1700fps)

250gr Lapua Lock Base BC: .662

250gr Lapua Scenar BC: .675

300gr Sierra Match king BC: .768

The popularity of this caliber will only insure that more high BC bullets will be developed in the future. Berger will be releasing two new bullets for the .338″, one of which is rumored to weigh 300gr and have a BC of around .855!

There is great debate about the velocities these cartridges can produce in relation to each other. I do not have the resources available to build and compare each of these cartridges with identical components so we’re left to speculate on what info is available. My Sierra Reloading Manual uses a 26″ test barrel for both the 338 RUM and the 338 Lapua. It gives essentially identical maximum velocities for the bullets in question, although the RUM was reaching them with a higher percentage of the powders tested. This seems counter intuitive because the capacities of these cartridges are virtually the same and the Lapua is rated at a maximum pressure of 69,000 psi, while the RUM is rated at a maximum of 64,500 psi (Vihta Vuori Reloading manual). I can’t confirm what pressures Sierra used to test these cartridges, but the data is scientifically acquired. The respective velocities of factory loaded ammo for these two cartridges would suggest that the Lapua has the velocity advantage. There is much debate in internet forums of how these cartridges stack up. The most popular consensus (from what I’ve gathered) is the 338 Edge is the fastest followed by the Lapua mag, with the 338 RUM not too far behind. I would argue that this is the most sensible conclusion since it follows the general capacity/pressure model (please do not take this to mean I view forum opinions as scientific data). The debate is somewhat irrelevant, since we’re talking about a spread of less than 100fps between them. The barrel’s design and length could possibly have a greater impact of MV than the cartridge itself. If you’re like me, the fastest load you test for a particular cartridge may not be the one you use. Other factors weigh in like accuracy (low ES and SD) as well as temperature sensitivity etc. It would be difficult to speculate what cartridge would provide the highest velocity while remaining “accurate”.

Many  wonder about how long a barrel should be for these cartridges. From what I can gather 28″-30″ is about optimal. This gives you the MV’s you expect and allows you to keep the weight manageable. Some have used up to 34″ barrels and are claim higher MV’s and better ballistic performance. I’ve heard that going from 28″ to 30″ only nets and extra 50fps. It may not seem like much for the weight of two inches of barrel. For some it may be worth it. Depending on how far you want to shoot your rifle, an extra 50fps could be just what you need. If 28″ barrels and the weight that comes with them is unattractive to you, I’d recommend looking into other cartridges (or re-evaluate your long range goals). There is no point in wasting powder in the form of muzzle blast. These are large cartridges that use slow burning powders and require long barrels.

The biggest difference in my opinion between these cartridges is reloading cost. They’ll use around the same amount of powder, and the bullets are the same, but the brass is another story. Brass for the Lapua is commonly found for around $195 for 100pc. The 338 RUM, and 338 Edge (wich uses 300 RUM brass) can be had for around $80 for 100pc. This is a big difference in reloading cost, although a straight across comparison would probably not be fair to the Lapua. It’s quite likely that the Lapua brand brass (one of only two brands currently available for the 338 Lapua) would last a couple more firings compared to the others. It’s also notable that to build a rifle in 338 lapua a standard magnum bolt face would not work, requiring a little more work by your gun smith (my smith only charged me around $30 for this, but your mileage may vary). The 338 Edge definitely gives the most bang for your buck. Some claim the Lapua is more accurate. If this has any merritt, it’s likely due to higher brass quality available for the Lapua. If one does a quick search you’ll quickly find excellent long range accuracy can be had by the RUM and Edge. It is my opinion that the smith you select to build your rifle, will by far have the greatest influence of the accuracy potential. That being said, I personally use Lapua brass when it’s available for a cartridge I’m loading.

Some other 338 cartridges that may catch your attention and deserve your consideration include: 338×378 Wby mag, 338 Kahn, 338×416 Rigby Improved, 338 Snipe Tac, 338 Allen Magnum, 338 Titan, and others. Any of these will ballistically outperform the RUM, Lapua, and Edge.

There are many excellent actions that one can use to build accurate long range rifles. Mauser, Winchester, Sako, Tikka, Weatherby, and many others have been used with excellent results. Action selection is a personal choice. The two that seem to be the most popular are Remington and Savage. Both these actions have excellent aftermarket support, the Remington 700 is by far the most popular. The Savages have been gaining momentum over the last few years. What are the key differences in these actions with regard to long range accuracy, and which is best for you?
The Remington 700

The great variety of stocks, triggers, floor plates, scope bases, speed lock kits, and any other replaceable part, available for the Remington 700 is a testament to its following. When you look into aftermarket actions you’ll find a great deal that are built with the same bolt spacing and outside diameter as the 700. This is not only because the its of sound design, but also to take advantage of the aftermarket support. The 700 has one of the faster lock times, from factory actions. This is an advantage when accuracy is the goal. Any gunsmith will be familiar with the 700, this may also result in lower costs for work. The 700 comes from the factory with an adjustable trigger that when tuned properly can result in a light pull, crisp brake, and no over-travel. A good trigger can be the difference between a rifle that is a joy to shoot and one you must struggle with to shoot accurately. It is generally agreed that the new X-mark pro trigger available from Remington are inferior to the original. It is a joy to cycle a well used 700 bolt. The feel is smooth and solid. The action can be worked fast without issue. Excellent detachable magazine systems are available. Accuracy from the factory is generally very good.
The Savage 10/110

Savage definitely has less aftermarket support but it’s getting better all the time. Lock times are slower because the sear must drag across the trigger, instead of a dropping free. There are aftermarket triggers like Sharp Shooter’s which help alleviate this problem. One can also replace the firing pin spring with a heavier one, but this will increase trigger pull weight. Older factory triggers all but non adjustable. Lightening the trigger requires removal of material from the sear and trigger itself. I don’t recommend trying this unless you’re prepared to replace the trigger or have experience modifying the factory triggers. The new accu-trigger is a better design than the original and it’s adjustable. The accu-trigger is adequate for long range accuracy but I would still recommend replacement. Cycling a Savage bolt is not as nice as the 700 in my opinion. It has a heavy bolt lift and feels cheaper when operating (Some are better than others). There are solutions to the heavy bolt lift available from Stockade. The Savage action works just fine. The bolt face is replaceable on Savage bolts. This makes changing from small, standard, and magnum, bolt faces possible (without paying a smith or ordering a new bolt). Head spacing on Savage actions is done with a “barrel nut” rather than an indexed shoulder like Remington. Having a barrel nut allows one to change a barrel themselves. Barrel makers can make chambered and threaded barrels ready to install. One needs only to have a barrel wrench, action vise, and head-space gauges (there are other ways if an action vise is not available). This allows one to save money while experimenting with different cartridges and calibers. Accuracy from the factory is very good.

A book could be written on these actions, the above is only a quick overview. There are many aspects  of these actions that  don’t impact  long range shooting (and accuracy in general).  I’m partial to the Remington 700 although I have both. I grew up shooting Remington and will continue to do so. The Savage’s have allowed me the satisfaction of building my own rifles (as much as possible). If you like to work on rifles and don’t have a lathe, Savage may be a good choice for you. The ability to change from magnum to standard cartridges (and back again), is a definite plus. Part of Remington’s popularity is the fact that it has remained essentially unchanged. This allows the aftermarket to design a part that can be used by many. Savage seems less content with their design and changes have been made, causing a scramble to design parts that will work with the new design.   Both actions can provide outstanding long range accuracy. Like anything else the action you choose is a personal choice. I know one x-professional marksmen (sniper) that grew up shooting Savages and will not buy anything else. You’ll find most tend to go the other way, but there is no wrong choice. If you are more comfortable with one, you’ll likely shoot better with it.

Benchmark Barrels
a review by Lucas Beitner

Benchmark Barrels is a relatively new barrel maker, that has already made an impact in the shooting community. They have world records to their name (mostly in rim fire). Their barrels are as good as any, and better than most in my opinion. I highly recommend them to any. Barrel makers all seem to go through the same general process. There are button rifled (pushed and pulled) and cut rifled barrels (there are other, less popular ways to rifle), Benchmark does both. Makers of high quality match grade barrels will all have stress relieving and hand lapping to give the best results. Benchmark does all the things the other high end barrel makers do. So what makes Benchmark the ones to use? What do they do that the other guys don’t?

 Benchmark Barrels hand-laps a progressive tapper into their barrels. Many barrel makers will mark which ever end of the bore happens to be smaller “muzzle” as this enhances accuracy (you definitely don’t want it to go the other way). Benchmark Barrels has taken this a step further. It is a labor intensive process, but seems to yield barrels of extraordinary accuracy. In my personal experience Benchmark barrels, shoot better, get less copper fouling, have excellent muzzle velocity, and clean easier than other aftermarket barrels I’ve used. That’s not to say I haven’t had good results with other barrel makers. I’ve never had a aftermarket barrel from a big name maker that shot poorly, and have had some where the accuracy was excellent. The overall performance of the Benchmarks just seems to be better. I don’t plan to use anything other than Benchmark’s barrels from here on out. Finally a barrel maker who does something that’s actually different.

Benchmark Barrels

Arlington, WA

Phone: (360) 652-2594

e-mail: benchmarkbarrels@yahoo.com

Trying new cartridges is one of the most interesting aspects of shooting. Most every cartridge has its application or “place”. It seems many are   confused when it comes to selecting a cartridge and caliber. Questions like “what’s the best caliber?” are very common. No one likes to have their questons answered by another question (specifically “what are you using it for?”) but, there is no “best” caliber or cartridge. Application is the key. Here’s how I decide what caliber I want next (I say “next” because given enough time I’d no doubt have them all ). I’m lucky enough to be able to   reload my own ammo, If you can’t, the selection process is different. Those who don’t reload must take into accout ammo availability as well as cost. Cartridges like the 308 and 223 are very good when restricted to using factory ammo due to lower costs and availability of high quallity ammo. I’ve   also noticed the 308 generally comes from the factory with fast enough twist for fairly high BC bullets one would choose for long range shooting. If you do re-load, this is the basics of how I select what cartridge I want, specifically, with long range application.

Step 1) select a bullet.

I’d first decide how heavy a bullet you want to shoot, for vital shots on Elk 1200ft/lbs of engergy would be nice. 600ft/lbs is a good minimum for deer (These energy figures I read in the book “Hunter’s Guide to Long Range Shooting” by Wayne Van Zwoll, a fellow I trust to give accurate information). A   ballistic calculator can give you a good idea of the engergy available at a given distance. If you’re just punching paper this isn’t a factor. For long range, BC is paramount. For example if you want a 130gr bullet it would be foolish to use a 7mm .395 BC, when a 130 gr 6.5mm has a BC of .595. If these were fired at the same MV the 6.5mm would have greater energy at long range,not to mention superior ballistics and wind bucking ability. For my   personal use I go with the following (these will change with new bullets becoming available all the time):

6mm (.243″) up to 115gr
6.5mm (.264″) from 130gr to 140gr
7mm (.284″) 140gr up to 180gr
7.62mm (.308″)175gr up to 240gr
8.58mm (.338″) from 250gr to 300gr

Step 2) select a cartridge

You should now decide the ballistics/energy required for your application. Cartridge selection should be based on speed, and bullet BC’s. If you’re   only shooting out to 500yds it may not be wise to sacrafice too much speed to shoot a bullet with a higher BC. At 1000yds BC is extremely critical and   one may be well suited to choose a higer BC even if it requires you to sacrafice considerable speed. Spend time checking the possiblities with a ballistic caluclator. Be realistic with your expectations of muzzle velocity. It’s easy to come up with increadable results on a ballistic calculator. Check the recorded MV’s of more than one source. You may be able to match the results you read about, but your brass may become fatigued   quickly doing so. It may also be advisable to select cartridges that are common in competition as info on accurate load data, and quality components   will be more abundant. If you’re using a high quality hand-lapped barrel (especially the Benchmark Barrel’s 3 grooves I use) you are within in your rights to expect some decent MV’s.

Step 3) Compromise  

Now that you’ve found the “perfect” cartridge/caliber for your application (no doubt a super magnum) you need to compromise with…
1) Expected barrel life
2) Recoil you’re willing to tollerate
3) Weight (large magnums reqire longer barrels to explot their potential, and also subject you to carrying heavier ammo).
4) Novelty factor (there are many ways to get a desired result; in reality the 338 RUM gives up little compared with a 338 Lapua magnum. It’s the   novelty of the Lapua that makes it desirable to so many.)
5) Cost (100gr of powder per shot down range will empty your savings quick if you do much shooting.
Let me know if you find a good deal on .338″ 300gr SMK’s).
6) Availability of reloading components (no matter how good the cartridge, you’ll be up a creek if you can’t find brass anywhere).
Other things to keep in mind…

Make sure your barrel has a fast enough twist to stablize the bullets you plan to shoot. This is often the limiting factor in factory rifles for long   range use. If you’re building a custom rifle you can really exploit a caliber’s long range potential by getting the proper twist. In my experience some bullet makers don’t recomend a fast enough twist. Check what others are using to stablize specific bullets. Some cartridges require a longer barrel to exploit their capacity. If your barrel is too short for your cartridge, you may be simply wasting powder. If a short barrel/rifle weight is a priority for you selecty your cartridge accordingly. For example the WSM’s have been reported to give good MV with shorter barrels compared to the standard   magnums wich often sacrafice a great deal of MV if the barrel is not at an ideal length.

I believe the process outlined above is in a logical order, however, you may have a factory rifle or already have a rifle built. If this is the case   check your twist rate and test bullets that will work with your twist and give you favorable ballistics for your application. You may have to   compromise quite a bit, but when it’s time to replace that barrel get it right. When investing money into a rifle build, do the research necessary to   get it right. Keep in mind, new cartridges will often be hyped a great deal (some rightly so) especially on the internet. Don’t be tricked so easily.   There is no “magic” giving a cartridge supernatural performance. If a cartridge has a higher opperating pressure it may give excellent performance   per/grain of powder. If a cartridge neither withstands higher pressure, nor holds more powder than another, how can it give substantially higher performance? I won’t say it’s not possibe, but use common sense. I could find information on the internet to back any rediculous claim I’d want to make, but this doesn’t make me correct.There are some cartridges (with factory loads) that use powders not yet available to the public wich yeild excellent performance. You would not be able to duplicate this performance with your handloads.

Things will change. New bullets and cartridges are becoming available all the time. Recently the 6.8mm (.277″) has recieved a boost due to new high BC   bullets available from Berger (likely in response to new cartridges like the 270WSM and 6.8 SPC. Previously there was little intrest in this caliber for long range use, due specifically to bullet selection.
 
I’m not claiming this is the only or best way to go about cartridge selection. This simply outlines important factors that should be considered by   anyone deciding on a cartridge for practical long range use.