• Please consider adding your "Event" to the Calendar located on our Home page!

New member looking for benchrest rifle advice

Jump to latest Follow Reply
M

MrSpradlin

Member
Oct 29, 2017
55
0
Washington
Hello everyone. 
I am a short range benchrest shooter and am going to be starting to shoot airgun benchrest and would like to get some advice from folks who have more hands on knowledge. So here I am. 
So I know about the Thomas, RAW, EV2 and Sumo. What other rifles are out there that are very competative? And where do you recomend looking for them. 

Thanks folks. 

Matt Spradlin
 
Have you fired the 4 you mentioned?
Been to Tacoma rifle & .. club ?
People are always happy to let you shoot what they have.

Personally I would'nt try the EV2 unless you can do any work needed. Dont think you can actually purchase a Sumo unless you know someone selling one?

You pretty much mentioned the top rifles. What exactly are you looking for you are not seeing?

You've already studied Benchrest Central right?

You are in a decent area of the U.S. to find target shooters, get with them and test drive some first.

John

nothing too fancy here but if you ever get to the far East side of the State your welcome to shoot what we have


 
Upvote 0
I'm partial to the Thomas since I own one. I really love the swing port for pellet loading and barrel cleaning. Although you will pay dearly for it! LOL
This design makes it so easy to use my Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod. Cleaning an air rifle barrel has never been easier with the Thomas.

Now if RAW would come out with a swing port similar to the Thomas, I would be all over it.

I clean my barrel just about every half a tin of pellets.

Here's what I use

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/373256/tipton-max-force-1-piece-cleaning-rod-carbon-fiber?cm_mmc=se_service-_-OrderConfirmation-_-OrderConfirmation-_-ProductLink
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/155275/dewey-rifle-cleaning-jag?cm_mmc=se_service-_-OrderConfirmation-_-OrderConfirmation-_-ProductLink
One inch round patches https://www.amazon.com/Professionals-Choice-Cotton-Cleaning-Patches/dp/B00KJLT70Y?th=1&psc=1
Kroil oil https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1322120784/kano-aerokroil-penetrating-oil-and-bore-cleaning-solvent-aerosol

Usually just 3 wet patches and three dry ;-) Been doing this ever since I bought the gun with great success.

Man, if my Kalibrguns were that easy , maybe they would get cleaned more? LOL
 
Upvote 0
Yes those Polygon barrels foul up quickly. The RAW BR rifles use the same barrel. I think most of the BR shooters run a patch or two through their barrels between 25 shot cards? Have heard of some doing it half way through the card? I shoot Field Target with mine which isn't quite as critical. Took me a year, but I finally shot a 250 card with it.
And I've never even put a scope on a rifle until I got my first Gamo silent cat in 2013! LOL The addiction was strong with this one.

Maybe Ken Hicks will chime in? He won 25 meter at EBR this year with his RAW. I think he has a pretty strict cleaning regimen as well?
He's shot plenty of 250's
Me only the one so far, but haven't shot BR competition ever. Just something to try at home. Shot plenty of 247's, 248's and even a 249 with it.

0a36510de5f77825af715c7a6f580a34.jpg



 
Upvote 0
take a look at the Extreme Benchrest results here:
2017 Extreme Benchrest Results[/QUOTE]http://www.extremebenchrest.com/2017-extreme-benchrest-results/embed/

Winners guns are listed. FX Guns took 1,2,3 and 4th place, so you might want to look at FX along the way. The new Crown won, 2nd and 3rd went to the Impact with 4th going to the FX Boss. RAW's come in right after that. From what I heard, it was brutal competition in the final round with wind killing most scores.

Just one more to throw into the choice pile.
 
Upvote 0
I just received my USFT upright version (Hunter) last week.

You owe it to yourself to at least look into a USFT. Tim won the EBR with one in .30 a few years ago. They're not cheap but they're cheaper than a Thomas. Exceptional trigger. Swing port loading breech same as the Thomas. Tim put a .177 polygon barrel on mine. Same hole accuracy at 55 yards from a rest. After spending five or six hours shooting it on Saturday I concluded that it is perhaps the first gun, airgun or powder burner, that I've ever owned that can shoot more accurately than I'm capable of. In 1/2 of a tin there were no flyers-when the pellet didn't go where it was supposed to, it was my fault. I also had him work up a .22 barrel that I've yet to put in the gun.

I'm not sure why the USFT fell out of favor, but it sure seems to have taken a back burner as far as mentions on the forums. Tim is back to making them though. It took him seven weeks to make mine. He was very accommodating and made the whole process a truly custom gun-buying experience. 

I'm sure this sounds like an ad but I feel like a lot of shooters either look past or aren't even aware of MAC1s USFT guns. I would have never known about them other than a few of the members at the Field Target matches I go to let me shoot theirs and they just rave about the longevity, accuracy, durability, etc.

Don't let the FT part of the name deter you, many people use them in benchrest competitions. The guy who makes them actually competes in benchrest with one.

While no airgun over 2 grand can be considered a poor mans airgun, the USFT will save you a couple thousand over a Thomas, and has many of the same features. I've heard it argued that the USFT was some of the inspiration for the Thomas.

At least add it to your list of guns to check out.

 
  • Like
Reactions: CampFussell
Upvote 0
Frank, Thanks for bringing up Tim's USFT
We have at least one member in our FT club that has one of his masterpieces.
I had to go back and revisit a video Ted Bier did on the USFT Hunter back in 2011.
I was amazed at the low pressure air fill of only 1500 psi shooting down to 1200 psi? And that 2 land barrel? Amazing stuff here!


Fuss
 
Upvote 0
Hey guys, for 25m (short range) as Mr Spradlin stated ....Raw and Thomas is the most accurate and high scoring rifles out there. I shoot for Team RAW so im alittle bias, but i have a wall of awards to show for it. Is one more accurate than the other? I dont think so... Thomas rifle is almost 1500$ more than a RAW, they have the ability to shoot all classes, and that price could be more if you buy a barrel for every class of BR. For example if your rifle is set up for heavy varmint and shoots a certain Pellet Then you switch it to light Varmint The pellet that you shoot for light Varmint might not work well for a heavy varmint barrel.... don’t care for this option in my opinion it adds too many variables. I like to have a rifle that is set up for each class and then you never have to touch the rifle again. Makes for more consistent shooting rigs, consistency wins.... have seen people changing their Thomases for different classes During a match And from what I seen they do not seem to do well after changing their gun to shoot from class to class in the same match. Too many inconsistencies in my Opinion. But I have seen people have a Thomas rifle for each class and do very well but again that is a huge amount of money. I’m not on here talking bad about the Thomas rifle or boosting the RAW rifle just being honest and relating what I have seen on the match circuit. If you have any other questions feel free to message me.
-Ken Hicks
 
Upvote 0
"Saltlake58"take a look at the Extreme Benchrest results here:
2017 Extreme Benchrest Results
Click to expand...
http://www.extremebenchrest.com/2017-extreme-benchrest-results/embed/

Winners guns are listed. FX Guns took 1,2,3 and 4th place, so you might want to look at FX along the way. The new Crown won, 2nd and 3rd went to the Impact with 4th going to the FX Boss. RAW's come in right after that. From what I heard, it was brutal competition in the final round with wind killing most scores.

Just one more to throw into the choice pile.[/QUOTE]
FX only did well in longrange, i believe the topic is short range, Fx doesn’t make a competitive short range rifle, Ted was honest with me about this, thus the reason why he didnt shoot in 25m EBR. My .25 RAW is just as accurate as the Crown/Impact, but me as the shooter didnt prepare enough for the 75/100 EBR. Ted shot my .25 at EBR practice and was amazed with its performance. I’ll be focused on the long range this year and not so much short range. But yes the FX rifles are nice rigs for sure, just not for short range precision shooting.
Ted shooting my RAW
77d28436bed2b1bc3a97e15c22abd34f.jpg

 
Upvote 0
"CampFussell"Yes those Polygon barrels foul up quickly. The RAW BR rifles use the same barrel. I think most of the BR shooters run a patch or two through their barrels between 25 shot cards? Have heard of some doing it half way through the card? I shoot Field Target with mine which isn't quite as critical. Took me a year, but I finally shot a 250 card with it.
And I've never even put a scope on a rifle until I got my first Gamo silent cat in 2013! LOL The addiction was strong with this one.

Maybe Ken Hicks will chime in? He won 25 meter at EBR this year with his RAW. I think he has a pretty strict cleaning regimen as well?
He's shot plenty of 250's
Me only the one so far, but haven't shot BR competition ever. Just something to try at home. Shot plenty of 247's, 248's and even a 249 with it.

0a36510de5f77825af715c7a6f580a34.jpg



Click to expand...
Hi Jimmy my friend, yes I usually pull a patch after every 25bbull card..... but..... at EBR i did not.... the dry desert air i guess made a difference from the humid fla air I train in. I didnt clean the barrel at all during the match and i shot a 248-11x
250-13x
248-10x
just when u think you have your gun figured out....lol
 
Upvote 0
"MrSpradlin"Strever,

That TM1000 looks slick. So what is your thoughts on the TM1000 compaired to the BM500?

Matt
Click to expand...
I have a TM with the polygon barrel. It has the same action as the BM. I use a Sinclair adapter plate on the front accessory rail to fit the rest. IMO, it’s just as good as the BM. Shot a few 250s with it, and my highest score was 748-53x. I clean about as often as Ken, which isn’t too much. Any rifle’s performance is highly dependent on pellet quality. If you have a good lot of pellets and sort/inspect properly, you should shoot well. If you have a bad lot, then all the inspection in the world will result in a mediocre score.

More info. I've had my TM for five years and have done a lot of FT and BR shooting with it. The original LW barrel was replaced by the poly barrel when I dedicated the rifle to BR shooting. I think Ken and Ted Bier would agree that you have to do a lot of shooting with any rifle to hone your skills and understand the strong and weak points of your gun and yourself before you will be getting winning scores. Some people think that just by buying the most expensive rifle on the rack will automatically put you on the podium.
 
Upvote 0
"jps2486"
"MrSpradlin"Strever,

That TM1000 looks slick. So what is your thoughts on the TM1000 compaired to the BM500?

Matt
Click to expand...
I have a TM with the polygon barrel. It has the same action as the BM. I use a Sinclair adapter plate on the front accessory rail to fit the rest. IMO, it’s just as good as the BM. Shot a few 250s with it, and my highest score was 748-53x.
Click to expand...
Agree with Paul!!, BM/TM is same action, just different stock config. And BM action is silver, TM is black.
my BM is black action, rare config, not longer avail.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu