John “SnakeEye”, founder of VarmintsForFun, is this week’s featured firearm. John has become a “true believer in the small 20-Caliber cartridges over the past few years. This light-recoiling 20 PPC Rampro-actioned pistol, which he takes from the front seat his truck, is ideal for quick shots on critters. John says, “A long-range pistol would be a great truck gun.” It can be stored in a small space and doesn’t take up as much space as a rifle. Keep your ear protection close at hand at all times. You should always have ear protection nearby.
After getting tired of lugging a rifle around in my truck, I decided to try my hand shooting varmints with the pistol. You’ll often see a groundhog or Fox while you’re on the farm. They are usually less than 200 yards away. A single-shot pistol such as the Thompson Contender might be the best choice. A long-barrel pistol of this compact length can be placed on the truck’s seat. My two leather brick-style, brick-shaped sandbags are usually kept beside the console. I have a hard rubber box that I place on top of the door. Then, I placed the bags on top. This provides a platform for the pistol’s forearm to rest on. I prefer a forearm at least 2 inches in width. This allows the gun to lie steady, almost like you are shooting from a bench. For shooting, I prefer a pistol grip that has finger grooves and flares for the web of the hand. I tried long-eye-relief scopes for optics but they did not have the magnification required for long-range target shooting and varminting. These scopes are made to be used with a pistol at arm’s reach. This is not the way you want to shoot from a truck or at a bench. The varmint will have moved on by the time you get your eye in the right place. After much experimentation with pistol-type scopes I finally decided to use riflescopes on my long-range pistols. A 4.5-14x40mm is the minimum I use. At 4.5 power, the Leupold 4.5-14x40mm has a eye relief of 3.5 inches. It’s easier to find your target with rifle scopes, as well as a better field of view. A light-recoiling caliber is necessary for this type of shooting. Otherwise, you will have scope-eye problems! I currently own three long-range pistols. They are used to shoot 17M4, 20 PCC, 22 BR and.223 Rem. Your editor believes the featured gun is the most accurate, and the most beautiful of my pistols. John Illum and the Rampro Pistol Project
John Illum of Rampro was the man I spoke to a few years ago about building the ultimate long-range pistol. John Illum of Rampro was a seasoned long-range pistol shooter. I told John that I wanted a gun that wouldn’t recoil badly or torque when fired. Because I am a quadriplegic and have no grip, the gun needed to be easy to use under recoil so that it didn’t fall. Recoil must be straight back, no twisting. Illum listened to my wishes and created a gun that performs exactly as I expected. Illum suggested a rear-grip stock of his own design. It has a 2.25″ wide forearm, and a rear grip that is slightly wider than the palm. This ensures that your hand fits perfectly. The finger grips are another nice feature. It has a “beavertail” or extended overhang that fits comfortably in your hand. It had to be walnut, of course! Rampro’s STP small-action with a PPC bolt was my choice. His bolt uses a Sako type extractor. The action is one-shot. Because I am right-handed, I selected a right bolt, left ports configuration. This configuration works great in a pistol. You can load the pistol with your left hand, and you will see the round in the action. Gun Specifications
John Illum’s Rampro action is made of chrome-moly. They are usually blued but I had John Illum put a brushed nickel finish to the action and rings. It looks almost stainless from a distance. Illum’s 8 ounce trigger weighs in at this weight. I don’t detect any creep. The Remington barrel threads are used on the action and it will accept Remington triggers. The action has an integral recoil lever, which is similar to the current Surgeon Action. The bolt is made in one piece, no soldered-on handles. The only problem with the bolt handle is its length. However, it is still manageable for a single shot. You’ll also notice how sleek and simple the scope rings look. Illum also made those. The rings attach to the action by two screws on the inside of the ring. It is a very elegant setup. I currently have a Nikon scope that is 6.5-20x40mm on this gun. If I had to start over, the only thing I would change is to install a 30mm scope. I love ’em! The barrel is a PacNor SuperMatch heavy taper with flutes made by John Illum. John Illum did all the gunsmithing. The twilight rate is 1 in 12 inches with an 11deg crown and polished to a mirror-like finish. To reduce glare, the barrel was bead-blasted at the exterior. Illum had me cut a chamber of 20 PPC minimum specification, with a neck of.237′. This way, I don’t need to turn necks on the Lapua Brass (220 Russian necked to.204). This is a varmint gun, so there’s no need to turn necks. Rampro has ceased to be in business. John says that he hasn’t had any issues with the action thus far. “It would be a problem that most competent gunsmiths would fix.” Handgun Handling Tips
If you are interested in shooting a long-range pistol, but have never shot one before, you should find a mentor. Someone who has a gun similar to this can teach you the proper technique. First, you will notice that there is no cheek piece or comb to align your neck and head. It takes some time to get used to the optics. A pistol-type (long-eye-relief scope) is most commonly used by most people. However, these scopes can be difficult to use and frustrating at first because the field of vision is very limited. You can lose the sight picture completely if you move your head. A standard rifle scope can be used to solve this problem. However, it will place your head very close the eye-piece — only three to four inches. If you don’t hold your gun correctly, the scope-eye will be immediately removed. Once you are comfortable shooting a long-range gun, you’ll be able to shoot it as accurately as a rifle. There is a trick to shooting them. Long-range shooting is a new world. You need to hold the gun just right. You must not let the gun move a bit (i.e. Vertical stringing will occur if your grip is too tight. To guide the gun, I hold my hand against its back. However, the gun has almost no recoil. You might think that this pistol would be a great ‘walking-around’ varminter. A solid benchrest setup is essential for precision shooting. A bipod can be attached to a long-range pistol but you will need a flat surface. If you have a small, light bag, a fence-post top could work well without a tripod. This type of pistol is best used as a sandbag gun. A rifle would be better for a walk-around gun. Accuracy and Load Development
Hornady’s 32gr V Max (see footnote) was just out when I built this gun. It was a perfect match for my barrel’s 1:12 twist. The 20 PPC was chosen because of the excellent Lapua brass (220 Russian mother case). Combining Lapua brass and the.204 bullet would provide excellent accuracy and very low recoil. My expectations were met. The brass was excellent and PacNor loved the V-Max pills. I tried many different powders and all of them worked well. These powders included H322, Benchmark and AA 2460. Reloader 7. Amazingly, these powders all delivered impressive velocities with only 14 inches of barrel. They ranged from 3914 to 474 fps. 48 Harrell’s clicks on Accurate Arms (AA), 2460 drove the 32gr V-Maxs up to 3995 fps. The gun shoots consistently in the low 3s at 100 yard with AA 2460, provided I steer it right, which takes practice. For a factory bullet that is not benchrest, I believe groups in the low to mid 0.3” range are excellent. My 20 PPC pistol has very little recoil, it just rocks back into my hand, despite not having a buttstock to grab. Because I used a riflescope with short eye-relief, the main problem is keeping the scope from smacking me. While muzzle flash and noise can be tolerated, you should not shoot one without good ear protection. Your ears are very close the muzzle. I also have a 20 PPC gun that I built on a BAT Action with a Richard’s #008 laminated stock. I can shoot Berger 50gr LTB bullets with the gun’s Lilja barrel at 1:9′. These bullets perform better in the wind than the 32s. Two of my favorite 50 grainers loads are: a) 26.0gr Vive N135, CCI450 primers, 3615 FPS; and b) 27.3gr Hodgdon Varget CCI450s, 3595 FPS. The 40gr VMax and Fed 205M primers shoot well on the BAT 20 PPC. Pistol Action Legal Questions
Remember, if you are building a pistol, to ensure that the receiver was properly titled and came from the factory as an actual pistol. It is illegal to use a rifle action as a pistol. Although it is absurd, it is still in force. Factory pistol actions, such as the XP 100, can be used. You can order a custom action, such as the XP 100, and register it as your pistol. Not all states have the same restrictions and fees as for rifle actions. Before ordering an action, make sure you check your local laws. Future Trends in Varmint Hunting — There are plenty of Twenties. I believe these sub-caliber rounds (both the 20s and 17s) will be the future of recreational varminting. The Twenties are low in recoil and have excellent accuracy. And the components keep improving. Bullet-makers are now making high-quality bullets at the right weights. My 20 PPC rifle is quieter than a 22-250. Another advantage is the flat trajectory. The 20 PPC is zeroed at 100 yards. I can hold dead center and get hits to 300 yards or more without having to adjust the scope. [Editor] The 20 Practical cartridge is basically a.223 Rem necked to.20 Caliber. It has been very accurate and easy-to-tune. The 20-Caliber cartridges, in particular the 20 PPC, and 20 BR, have been well-refined. To be a very accurate and effective varmint-slayer, you don’t need to do much tuning or tinkering. If I could create a signature 20 VFF (Varmints for Fun) cartridge, it would be the 20 PC. If you use top-quality brass, almost any of the popular 17 or 20-Caliber cartridges can perform well. Sub-calibers have lower recoil and burn more powder. They also have excellent components for target-shooting and varmint applications. It seems that these small calibers work well because of the high quality components, low recoil and efficient cartridge designs (especially in the VarTarg or PPC cases). WARNING: Always reduce your starting charges by 10% and build up slowly for your safety. Pressures can be significantly increased by changes in ambient temperature, powder lot variations, or differences in barrel friction. 20 PPC LOADMAP Bullet GR Maker Powder Char Primer Case Velocity
fps Barrel
Twist Comments 32 Hornady
V-Max H322 27.6 Rem 7 1/2 Lapua 4000 Lilja 1:12 WarrenB Form Load 32 Hornady
V-Max AA 2460 29.5 Rem 7 1/2 Lapua 3995 PacNor 1:12 SnakeEye
Pistol Load 32 Hornady
V-Max H4198 25.1 CCI BR4 Lapua 4222 PacNor 1:12 A. Boyechko Load 39 Sierra
BlitzKing H322 26.0 Rem 7 1/2 Lapua 3700 Lilja 1:12 WarrenB Load 39 Sierra
BlitzKing VV N540 28.8 CCI BR4 SAKO 4064 PacNor 1:12 D.Moore, Low 2s 40 Hornady
V-Max VV N135 27.8 Fed 205m Lapua 3950 Lilja 1:9 SnakeEye Load 50 Berger
LTB VV N135 26.0 CCI 450 Lapua 3615 Lilja 1:9 SnakeEye Load 50 Berger
LTB Varget 27.3CCI 450 Lilja 3595 Lapua 1:9 SnakeEye Load Footnote – The small Hornady 20Caliber Vmax bullet was actually 33 grains when it was first produced. It is not 32 grains as the current version. I still have some 33-grainers. I haven’t noticed any functional differences between the 33s or the 32-grainers.
