September 12, 2021
Sunday GunDay: John Whidden’s New.223 Rem Palma Rifle
.223 Rem for Long Range Palma by John Whidden (5 Time Nat’l LR Champion).
In recent years, there has been a lot of interest in Long Range Palma shooting.223 Remingtons. The.223 Remington cartridge is light enough to be used long distances, but Palma shooting rules make it worth looking at.
Int’l Confederation of Fullbore Rifle Associations, the international governing body for Palma shooters, changed their rule to allow.223 Rem rifles use bullets of less that 91 grains. The rule previously allowed bullets to be less than 81 grams in the.223 Rem. We also have the option of.308s shooting less than 156 grain bullets. These heavier bullets, such as the 85.5gr Berger LR Hybrid or the 90gr Berger VLD, make the.223s very competitive against the old standby.308 Winchester in the wind. The obvious advantage of the.223 is its lower recoil than that of the.308. [Editor] John is shooting his Rem rifle with a.223 Remo in the video below. The recoil is noticeably lower than the.308.
.223 Rem Palma Rifle — Barnard Action, Tec-Hro Stock
The Barnard P action, imported by Whidden gunworks, is the foundation of many Palma rifles that have won. Our USA shooters returned from New Zealand Palma in 2019 and requested bolts to convert their actions into.223 Remington.
All of the interest in the.223 Rem led me to build one myself to see if my theories about wind performance were correct. I started with my Barnard P action and worked with Tec-Hro Germany to use one their Fanatic stocks. The Fanatic stock is made of aluminum and is suitable for Three Position or prone use. The stock can be used with adapter blocks that work with many rimfire actions, including Walther, Anschutz, and Feinwerkbau. We were the first to test it for centerfire use, so that’s what I know. After shooting the stock using my.308 Win barreled gun to fine-tune details and ensure that the stock would withstand recoil, my.223 Rem barreled gun was mounted and I went to the range.
Before I went to the range, a decision was made about bullets and twist rate. After a discussion with Mark Buettgen from Bartlein Barrels, I ordered two barrels – a 1 :7?-twist as well as a 1 :6.25? – Mark was looking for data on the Sierra 90gr MatchKing Bullet and we thought that the barrel with a faster twist rate would give him the best results. The barrels were chambered and mounted on the rifle when they arrived.
John uses a Warner rear adjustable scope with a Centra sight in the front.
Fast Twist-Rate Barrels to Hold Long.223-Caliber Bullets
The 1:6.25?-twist barrel first was installed. Testing began. The barrel shot very well straight out of the gate. All loads were loaded with Vihtavuori Nu140 powder and Lapua brass. I tested the Berger 85.5gr, 90gr bullets, as well as Sierra 90gr Bullets and 95gr Bullets. Both the Berger bullets looked great when tested with the 6.25 twist barrel. Later, the 1:7?-twist bar was mounted and tested.
Both barrels were very accurate, but we decided that the 1;6.25?-twist barrel was better than the 1:7-twist tube. We all know that certain barrels are a little more precise than others. This is a very small sample of data (only two barrels), so I’m not saying that 1:6.25?-twist is better. We have customers who shoot 7-twist barrels and they are shooting them very well. The 6.25-twist seems to be more accurate with this particular rifle.
Palma Competition -.223 Rem Load Development
Lapua brass, Vihtavuori Nu140 powder and Berger 90 grain LLDs were the loads I settled on. I moly-coat. I soft-seat the bullets into lands with only.001? Neck tension should be no more than a little.
Why the Berger 90gr VLD The secret is that the 90gr VLD performs better in the wind when we point it up using the Whidden Pointing Dies. Berger’s 85.5gr Hybrid bullet has this treatment done already, while the 90gr VLD doesn’t. The wind drift of the 90-grainer is only a fraction higher than the 85.5 due to the velocities I feel most comfortable shooting with the rifle.
I settled on 2840 fps to drive the 90gr VLD, and 2880 fps to drive the 85.5gr hybrid from a 32? barrel. The 90-grainer shoots flatter at 1000 yards by 1 MOA when pointed up. This indicates a G7 BC value of.289 for my combination. Wind drift at 1000 yards in a 10 mph crosswind is 70.8 This 90gr combination is 76.8 times more than the 76.8? 85.5gr load.
Camp Perry – Testing in Competition
I had the opportunity to shoot the rifle on a large stage at the CMP Long Range National Championships at Camp Perry in August 2021. The wind speed was between 12:01 and 1:45 in switching headwinds. Velocity was between 8-10 mph, which is not the fastest or most difficult of conditions. I finished third in the Palma match. This proves that the.223 Rem is very competitive in elite Palma events.
Performance in the Wind:.223 Rem
The.223 Rem’s wind performance was comparable to what I would expect from my.308 Win Palma gun. The.223 Rem was much easier to shoot because there was no recoil.
How to Order a Rifle Like This
Whidden Gunworks can make a Palma competitor a rifle similar to this. John tells us that he has built a number these combinations, including the Barnard P action and Tec-Hro fanatic stock. They shoot amazing and have top-notch ergonomics. The best thing about the Palma rifle is its current price of $3875.00 without sights.
About John Whidden
National Long Range Champion, 5-times
John Whidden, the founder and owner of Whidden Gunworks, is a competitive shooter who has been shooting for over 40 years. A 5-Time U.S. National Long Range Champion, winner the Australia National Queen’s Prize and a member of three USA Palma Teams are just a few of John’s notable shooting achievements. John is active in Long Range Highpower and 300 Meter Prone events. John says that his success is due to having top equipment. “The mental component in Long Range competitive shooting can be challenging, but having great confidence in your equipment is a huge advantage.” It’s not enough to have the best Palma rifle you ever owned to get your match started off well.
Whidden Gunworks is available to assist you with your shooting and loading needs. Whidden Gunworks is a specialist in custom bolt-action rifles, reloading dens and reloading parts. Whidden Gunworks is well-known for its match-grade custom rifles as well as high-quality reloading tools. The company’s growing range includes components from Berger and Vihtavuori and SK rimfire ammunition. Learn more by visiting www.WhiddenGunworks.com.
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Tags:.223 Rem Plama..223 Remington. Camp Perry. Fullbore. John Whidden. Palma. Tec-Hro Stock. Whidden Gunworks.
