This site is about and for accurate shooters. Today we are focusing on the short-range Benchrest game where you have to shoot tiny groups of “zeroes” and even “ones”. It’s easy to believe that the precision of 6 PPC aces is due to the equipment when you see the small groups they produce. But there’s a lot more to it. A talented person still has to pay attention to the flags, operate the gun correctly, and tune the loads for the conditions. Charles Huckeba, one of the best benchresters in the world, shares some tips. Charles Huckeba, a Texan, was the top individual at the 2013 World Benchrest Championships held near Sydney Australia. Charles Huckeba, the 2013 WBC Two Gun Overall winner, shoots a group of 1/8th MOA at 200 yards. That’s impressive. Huckeba’s style can be described as “smooth, constant, and rapid, but not hurried”. Charles used some unusual hardware. Look closely at the joystick of the Farley Coaxial Front Rest in the video. There is no knob at the end. It’s been replaced by a small wood ammo box. Charles replaced the standard knob on the handle of his Farley Rest with a homemade wood block that stores cartridges for the target. The BAT Machine Action is mounted on a composite wood-and-carbon-fiber stock and chambered for 6PPC in the 10.5-lb Light Varmint. Watch Charles Huckeba shoot a 200-yard group of 1/8 MOA at the World Benchrest ChampionshipsHere is the actual 5-shot group Charles fired in the video. Stuart Elliot took this photo (by Stuart Elliot), taken through Huckeba 50X March scope.
Boyd Allen, a benchrest shooter at short ranges, noticed some interesting things about Huckeba during his WBC performance. Boyd noted Huckeba’s smooth gun handling and efficient loading. Boyd also noticed some interesting equipment including an innovative “handle-caddy” for the joystick. 1. Low Friction Bags – When Huckeba moved his rifle, it was apparent that there was little friction. The sliding surfaces of the front bag are made from the new 3M material, ScotchLite. The rear Protektor bag also has ears made of the same low friction material. 2. Pause before Chambering — As Charles was watching the flags to decide when to fire, he kept his first cartridge in the action but out of the barrel chamber. This was probably to avoid heating the cartridge, which would change the point of impact. 3. Ammo Caddy Attached to Joystick Arm. Charles uses a Right Bolt/Left Port Action, so he pulls the rounds with his left. Huckeba’s records are stored in a small wood caddy that is attached to the shaft of the joystick. You’ll notice that the wooden ammo block is in place of the black ball normally found at the end the joystick. Charles can now pull off shots with a minimum of hand movements. Ingenious! Huckeba moves very quickly and efficiently. Charles was able to focus better on the flags and his aim because his ammo literally was at his fingertips. 4. Smooth-Cycling Action of the BAT — Note how smoothly Huckeba operates his action. Charles does not disturb his rifle when he lifts the bolt handle to extract a round or cock the firing pin. The gun does not wobble when Charles closes the bolt. Charles can maintain his point of aim when shooting quickly because the smooth action makes it possible. Huckeba’s BAT action uses chrome-moly. Some shooters think this metal is smoother than stainless steel or aluminium. 5. Long-Wheelbase stock — The wood and Carbon fiber stock is lightweight, long and stiff. The stock is well-damped, but that’s not all. The longer stock (with extended forearm), seems to help the gun track without jumping or shaking. The longer forearm allows for a longer “wheelbase”, which shifts the weight distribution to the rear (less weight in the front and more weight at the rear). The gun’s weight is distributed more evenly on the rear bag than with a benchrest stock. Huckeba’s stock, designed by Bob Scoville is at the forefront of short-range benchrest designs. Its lightweight balsa wood construction and carbon fiber construction provide a combination stiffness and vibration-damping that allows its relatively longer fore-end be fully utilized to increase weight on the rear-bag (always a problem with 10.5-pound guns). For more information about this benchrest design, you can read the comments made by stock-builder Bob Scoville. You can find them in our Gun of the Week archives in the PPC with Pedigree article. Bob said: “There’s a lot more structure to the stocks than what meets the eye.” The carbon fiber skin that I use to cover the stocks provides a light and tough exterior surface. This has a very small impact on the overall performance of stocks. The internal beam using balsa core/carbon fibre technology is what gives the stock its real strength and stiffness. This type of construction is used in aircraft, racecars, powerboats and sailboats. It is interesting to know that balsa is the wood with the highest strength-to-weight ratio, and carbon fiber has the lowest stretch (modulus elasticity) in relation to weight. In the world of high-performance, these two materials are often combined. Boyd Allen found this video. Video by Stuart Elliot, BRT Shooters Supply in Brisbane, Australia.
