ACT QUEENS - Some Equipment Details

[ecomeat]

Sorry I didn't have enough spare time to do a complete Equipment List for F Open, as I put more effort into trying to do regular updates to keep those who couldn't make it, in the picture. Factor in the time I spent mentally recovering from having my a##e chewed, and crying under my ute, and I couldn't fit it all in.
However, the following Equipment details of a couple of high performers whom I hadn't met until last week may be of interest to some and I have included most of the Top Ten details

PAUL READ : shot a 6mm Hobbit of his own design, based on a Lawton 7500 action, a 30" Benchmark barrel with a 1 in 7.7 twist, a Jewell trigger and a self made stringy bark stock. It wore a 12-42 x 56 NF BR and shot Berger 105s started with 2208 and CCI 450 Primers and jumping 0.015" at unknown velocity. His "Hobbit" is, I think, sort of like a Dasher on steroids.

MIKE WAITES : shot both a 6.5 x 47 and. 7SAUM. Both on Barnard actions and Krieger barrels. 1in 8 and 30" on the 6.5 and 1 in 8.5 and 32" on the 7mm. Both with Sightron scopes. He shot Berger 130 VLDs and 140 gr Hybrids in the 6.5, propelled by CCI450 primers at 2850 fps. The SAUM was 180 Bergers and Fed 210GM primers at 2950 fps.
His final range at 600 meters, last to shoot and in very unfriendly conditions was one of the best F Open displays that I have seen. Very patient and held his nerve to shoot a 59-5 and equal with Paul Read for that range. We will definitely be forced to nobble them both if they are shooting for Victoria in the Teams event in Tassie next March.

PAUL DEEHAN : shot a 7mm SAUM, built on a Hart action, and a 30" Lawton barrel with. 1 in 9 twist. It had a Hart trigger and was in a self made stock. It wore a Nightforce scope. He shot 175 gr SMKs at approx 2950 fps using CCI magnum primers behind 2213sc

MICHAEL HENRY : shot a 6.5 x 47 built on a Barnard action, a 30" Trueflight barrel with a 1 in 8 twist. It was in a Phil Mastin stock, a Barnard trigger and wore a March scope. He shot 140 gr Berbers using CCI 450 primers and 2209

PETER MERRIMAN : shot a 6.5 x 55 Ackley Improved built on a Pearce action, and a 31 " Benchmark barrel with a 1 in 8" twist, had a Shilen trigger and shot 140 gr Bergers at approx 2950 fps, using 2209 and CCI BR4 primers
The stock was made by his shooting mate, local gunsmith Russel LeMaitre and wore a 12-42 x 56 NF BR scope

BEN FERRARA : pretty sure he shot the same ones listed previously...namely a 6 x 47 Lapua , built on a Barnard switch barrel, using a PacNor 1 in 8 twist originally at 31", a 8-32 x 56 NF BR scope and 105gr Berber VLds that were "smokin", in front of 2209 and CCI 450 Mag primers. His long range gun is a 284 Win on the same Barnard action, but a Krieger barrel, 31" and 1 in 8.5" twist. All in a Mastin stock.

MATT PAROZ : shot a familiar outfit, his Barnard actioned 280 Ackley Improved, with a Trueflite barrel, a Barnard trigger, set in a Kelbly 1 M copy stock and a March 10-60 scope on top.

TIM NUGENT : shot his 284 Win, built on a Stiller Viper, Jewell trigger, Lillja barrel and a March 10-60 scope, shooting 180 Hybrids at 2840. It sits in a McMillan stock

MARK FAIRBAIRN : shot both a 260 Rem and a 7mm SAUM. that he had taken to win a Gold Medal at the FCWC. Barnard actions and triggers, Brux barrel and Sightron scope on the SAUM, shooting 180 Hybrids .
Wild Dog carbon fibre stocks of course

KELVIN BELL : went oh so close this time, shooting his 284 Win, built on a Stiller Python action, a Jewell trigger and a Benchmark barrel, 30" long and 1 in 9 twist, in a McMillan stock and using a Leupold scope

ROD DAVIES : shot Gertrude , his 6.5 mm Wildcat, through the Rolf lead up event, but not happy with "her" performance, she was removed from the action and went home with Matt Paroz to have a sex change. So next time we see her, she will have become a macho Scandinavian male, and will have all the bells and whistles ( and the hanging bits!) as a 6.5 x 47 Lapua
Roderick then bought out his familiar skeleton stocked 284 Win based on a Barnard action, Barnard trigger and a Broughton barrel, topped with a Sightron 10-50 scope

SPENCER DUNSTALL : shot his 6mm Dasher again, and did it superbly. What I would give to have this mans wind reading ability ! I could probably get about 50% of it if I dedicated the next 50 years to TR the way Spencer has done.
His Dasher is built on an Angel action, Angel trigger, Maddco barrel, with a NightForce 8-32 x 56 scope on top and shooting 105 gr Berger VLds with amazing accuracy.

[AlanF]

Thanks Tony. Great report once again. Canberra sure is a strange range. Has anyone actually figured it out? Some have got close, but if they keep going back, it never fails to serve up something new and will get them eventually.

Alan

[DenisA]

That's a huge amount of info to collate all while trying to win the Queens yourself, write the daily updates, squeeze under your ute and all with a hangover.

Your Busy Bee Tony.................. Thanks.

Has Kell gone away from the McMillan MBR stock?

[ecomeat]

Has Kell gone away from the McMillan MBR stock?

No Denis........i didnt get his actual details, coz i knew i had something down from Brisbane earlier in the year. 99% confident he was shooting exactly the rig that you are familiar with. Plus getting his info is not unlike pulling teeth .
I only got fresh, on the spot details from Paul Read (Chopper on here) Mike Waites (Bartman007 on here), Paul Deehan (Ratshot on here, I think), Pete Merriman, Mike Henry. The rest were shooting rigs that I had details from on paper(Ben, Matt, Kelvin, Rod).....except Wild Dog who has far too many to choose from , and couldnt get him on the phone so posted it while interest was still current !! Mark and I had a 16 hour road trip home tegether from Canberra, so you would have thought I had plenty of time to get it right, wouldnt you !

[Brad Y]

Tony dont tell me a 6mm beat all the bigger cals! Ive just gone and set up a new gun! Always the same story, put a good shooter behind and accurate gun no matter what and they will do well.

Thanks for your efforts in reporting!

[Quick]

Cheers tony. Good info. And brad , you just have to get a good barrel for your dasher and you will be fine.

I'm interested to hear about this 6mm Hobbit. Ive got some ideas about the 6x47L I want to improve.

[ecomeat]

Brad and Shaun,
There were 7mm's everywhere........in big numbers......including a number of SAUM's but at the end of the day none could beat Paul Read's hot little 6mm.
At the end of the first day, I asked someone who the hell this Read fella was that just shot 3 x 60's, and they told me that he would be fiercely competetive out to 5 or 600, but the wind would probably get him on Day 2, .....coz he only had a 6mm.
That part was right.....it DID get him on Day 2............but it basically got everyone else too !
And then he turned around and smoked us !! What you might call a seriously good recovery.
Have a look at his scores......60-8, 60-7, 60-7 then 58-0, 59-2, 54-2 and finished with 59-3, 59-5. He got smashed on the second 800 alright, where only 8 out of 24 scored higher than 55. Readey shot a dreadful 54-2.... I shot a 54-0 with a 284 Win,. On the first 800, I dropped all 8 points on my last 5 shots. Geoff Grenfell was shooting at exactly the same time as me, right beside me, and according to the photo that i took of his scoreboard his last 4 shots in TR were 4-4-3-5. My last 5 were 5-4-4-5-4 !!

Michael Henry was in that same squad, and after taking the first 800 Range with a 60-5, he finished the second 800 with 46-1 ! Sorry Mike.....only mentioning it to highlight the wind !!
Spencer Dunstall has had a lifetime of TR and has won many Queens....he is simply a superb wind reader, and he and his red hot Dasher got up with 48-0. When he shoots 4 x 4's its a pretty fair sign that the wind is smply impossible to read.
I was talking to Spencer at the NSW Queens, and at that stage he was going to build a 7mm for rough weather, but when i asked him how it was coming along at Canberra.....hoping and praying it wouldnt be ready by Tasmania .....he told me he had decided to only step up to a 6.5 x 47 Lapua for the "longs" and in rough weather.
Ben Ferrara shot well and was very much in the hunt for the whole event, and he used a 6 x 47 Lapua for a few ranges,
To say the Canberra winds were brutally inconsistent would be a serious understatement, but we all have to take what we get from mother nature and just do our best when its our turn.
Paul Reads win would appear to be serious proof (if anyone needed any more !!) that a fine rifleman with a superbly accurate 6mm can keep everybody honest out to at least 800 metres. Thats 880 bloody yards ! Something tells me the extra 120 yds to 1000 wont bother him much either
For those like me, who didnt already know, Paul Read imports and sells the Montana Extreme range of serious copper cleaning solvents, so PM him (Chopper) on here if you want a great product.
Tony

[Chopper]

Ecomeat, please contact me 0412578 303, Regards Chop.