Targets from my newly restocked 6.5-06

[6.5s4ever]

Well I went out to the rifle range today to see how this was going to shoot after putting it into a Thumbhole Rifle Stock. I have not glass bedded this stock yet and here are the results. The target with the 140 grain Sierra bullets was the first grouping It was about two and a half inches high right down the center. The next grouping was with 100 grain Sierra hollow points and I adjusted the scope to shoot lower. Both groups were quite acceptable. Dont know if I will glass bed this or not. What do you think? Roy

[6.5s4ever]

[Evan03]

i would not touch that bedding. theres rare rifle that doesnt need bedded and id say you have one of them, my 2506 is also one of them.

i would not touch it in fear of messing up what you already have.

your first group looks like 4 shots or the last rd fired key holed

[6.5s4ever]

Well Evan, I think maybe I will let it be at least till after deer season. It seems to shoot most all weights of bullets well.

[Brithunter]

Hi All,

Well the bedding is fine and it does not ned any synthetic fillers to bed the action to the wood as that wood has obviously been maching a good match for your action. As the old sayoing goes:-

"If it ain't broke ............ don't fix it!"

And that stock action match sure ain't broke..

It makes me laugh when I hear folks say that unles a rifle has bedding compound it cannot and will shoot accurately. I wondoer how Harry Pope managed all those records without stnthetic bedding compound?

What the real deal is that wood stocks are not cured properly like they used to be and so they are not stable, this is why real good custom rifle builders will not put a new stock balnk on a rifle, they use blanks which they have stored in the right conditions for at least 5 years. Then they know that the stock is dreid and cured and once fitted will stay stable.

Just let us kow how the hunting goes and what you get

[Lone Star]

It makes me laugh when I hear folks say that unles a rifle has bedding compound it cannot and will shoot accurately. I wondoer how Harry Pope managed all those records without stnthetic bedding compound?

For one thing, he didn't build bolt action rifles. His most famous shooters were singleshots on Ballard and Stevens actions, chambered in very low recoil cartridges which did not move the action around in the stock. These actions are arguably easier to bed since they have smaller, relatively flat bedding surfaces, quite a bit unlike the M700 or M110 actions.

But of course as you imply, skill had the most to do with it, and time. Pope never got rich in spite of his fame as he spent too much time on each rifle, and he didn't charge enough for that extra time.

[Brithunter]

Hi Lone Star,

Well I can attest than none of the classic stalking/sporting rifles that I have in my small collection have any bedding compound in them, some of the newer ones do but then that's because the wood was kiln dried and for cost cutting. As you say a proper inletting job take skill and time. I do believe it's something thta the Like of Holland & Holland still do, Rigby's used to but now their American owned and based in the PRK (California) I do not know how they build their rifles.

The one I have from the start of the 20th century is certainly bedded correctly . And I will certainly have the Schoenauer which I am re-building stocked and beded properly once I can afford the stock and work that is .

Progress is not always a good thing it would seem

The Stevens I ahve seen had small actions and a lilited beddign area and had two piece stocks as well, not what the experts tell us is optimum for accuracy yet Pope managed it.

[Lone Star]

It is true that Pope used two-piece stocks on his rifles and achieved wonderful accuracy - for his time. But Pope's rifles didn't shoot into the 0.4s and 0.5s regularly at 200 yards like today's best target rifles can do. The famous Rowland group, shot in 1901 with a Pope Ballard, stood for well over a century as the smallest group ever shot with a cast bullet Scheutzen-type rifle. It was a 10-round group measuring 0.722" center to center, shot at 200 yards. It was fired from a Pope machine rest.

Clearly Pope's standard of accuracy would not cause even a raised eyebrow at one of today's benchrest matches with their plastic stocks and custom actions shooting jacketed bullets. But in the early 20th century, it was phenominal.

[Brithunter]

Hi There,

Yes todays Jacketed bullets are far better than those of only 50 years ago and measurment equipment should be better today than it was in Popes time. I say should because I am not impressed with some of todays wonder Electronic stuff. Vernier Calipers for instance seems to be very shoddily made especially if you compare them with an old Chesterman or Starrett verniers. The new ones wear out in a couple of years use whilst the old ones go on seemingly forever with due care, and it's the main bean of the caliper whihc wears not, the hardened stainless steel just does not hold up like the old hardened steel of years ago.

Now you mention bechrest............. hmmmmmm I am not sure a gun which really qualifies as a piece of Coastal artillry due to it's ridiculas weight is a fair comparision One day if I get the chance I will have to try Rimfire Benchrest so see what it's all about. I need to get some scope blocks for my BSA 12/15 and a decent scope first though before I can play. The BSA is factory standard except for a lightened trigger whihc was done before I aquired it, so it's a normal prone small bore target rifle, mine has the optional heavier Bull barrel on it.

[6.5s4ever]

Wanted to let you all know, The barrel on this is not free floated The channel is clear from the chamber to the just before the forend tip at the forend. There I have a pressure point with about 8lbs of pressure on it . So no bedding and not floated and a pressure point and it shoots. Well you see the targets.

[Brithunter]

Oh my Oh my it seems the old ways still work

Thankyou for that information