After getting in late one Saturday night, I forgot to clean my rifle. My target seating force on the K&M dial is 20-23 units for Dashers and 35-40 units for the .284 Shehane. The standard way to fireform for the 284 Shehane is to load ammo with 54gr H4831SC (a standard load for the parent cartridge) and a 180gr Berger Hybrid seated into the lands and go shoot a match or at the range. The turn around time was very fast and the brass was to the exact specification I ask for. I screw on the new barrel, fire 25 rounds of whatever I have left over and then clean it. This gun hammers with 105gr Berger Hybrids., Courtesy Forum member Dan H., here are two red-stocked Dashers plus an Anschutz 54.30 (Benchrest Stock) to make it a trio. Loading Procedure: My CCI BR-2 primers are seated with a RCBS hand priming tool. Typical load for a Shehane is around 57.0 grains of Hodgdon H4831 SC. By blowing the sidewalls out 0.010, the .284 Shehane picks up about 3.3 grains of extra case capacity. Thats a $.25 per round difference, equivalent to a 60% savings for the .284. I actually shot the hydro-formed brass in a match [without further fire-forming]. March scopes are also very popular and very well-made. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); In fact, this impressive sub-quarter MOA group was shot while fire-forming with a very well-worn barrel! The stainless Blake barrel is chambered for the .284 Shehane wildcat, and sports an F-Class Products tuner on the end. 1 of 2 . I will occasionally mess with the tuner and tighten things up if possible. Last year (2017) at the SW Nationals I took a VERY casual survey of all the 284 Winchester (and Shehane) shooters I could find and asked them about the pros and cons of doing a Shehane vs. a straight 284 Winchester as I was about to build a 284 of one variety or the other and wanted to get an idea which way I SHOULD go. In this sport, you can excel even in your 60s, 70s and beyond. I also sought barrel life that would be far superior to that of a 7mm WSM or 6.5-284. Note: With this fouler fire-forming routine, you should ALWAYS do the fire-forming with the SAME POWDER you load for your match ammo. And he tells us Those guys in Montana are keeping me very busying hydro-forming the 6BR Ackley (6 BRA). Joel currently works as the Supplier Quality Process Engineer for MMI-TruTec, a company that offers barrel surface coatings that can further extend your barrel life. With Darrells hydro-forming service you dont have to buy any special dies or other equipment. This sports a suppressed, 26 MTU 1:7.5-twist barrel. DJs Brass Service now offers custom case hydro-forming to your exact specs. But no, this was done with heavy 180gr Berger Hybrid bullets and the .284 Shehane, an improved version of the .284 Winchester. The .284 Shehane shoots inside the 6.5 AND the straight .284, the .300 WSM, and the .300 Win Mag with less recoil. The price starts at $60.00 per hundred for standard cases or $75.00/100 for magnum size. The 284 KMR IMP seems to have two nodes, one around 2820 fps and other at 2940 fps. The extra boiler room is enough to drive the 180s at 2900-2950 fps with 30-32 barrels using H4831sc, Vihtavuori N560, or Alliant Reloder 16. Explore. Locally, I use a Champions Choice soft bag. We knew we wanted a Broughton 5C, but what twist rate? I sent him a Panda F-Class action with a +20 MOA Picatinny rail. The turnaround is usually less than five days. Then use the tuner and tune the barrel to the load. Henry told us: I want to share every lesson Ive learned, so that other guys can improve their game and enjoy the sport more. Henry also wants to encourage other senior shooters: If you pay attention to details (when reloading), and get a good rifle with a good barrel, age is not a handicap. We also compared notes and made each other better. Just wondering if it is enough for 284W f class. Joel explains: I like to have relatively new brass always ready. In fact, this impressive sub-quarter MOA group was shot while fire-forming with a very well-worn barrel! Gun builder Ryan Pierce of Piercision Rifles explains: Heres a 5-shot 0.191 group at 100 yards with my .284 Shehane fire-forming loads. Turns out this was my fault. This stock features a fully-adjustable buttplate plus a removable cheek-piece with thumb-wheel adjustment. 7mm Short Magnum Options You must log in or register to reply here. This eye-catching F-Open rifle was crafted by Blake Barrel and Rifle in Arizona. The .284 is my hands-down choice for shooting F-Class. Team Pierce Engineering won the F-TR Mid-Range Team event. 2016 F-Class Open Canadian Championship, Silver Medal (tied for first on score), 2015 F-Class Open National Championship, Silver Medal, F-Class Open National Championship Teams, 2015, 2014, 2013, Shooting Team Member, Over 15 wins in Regional and State Championships in Palma, F-TR, F-Open, 2017 U.S. National Development Team Member, Share the post "Sunday GunDay: The Modern F-Open Rifle". I think thats why Ive been able to build loads that consistently deliver single-digit Extreme Spreads with ultra-low SDs. On top is a Nightforce 42x44mm Competition scope in BAT rings. The most common problem is wait-time custom die orders can take months to be completed. })(); To comment on a post, click Post Title or "Comment" Link. At least with regard to brass the situation should improve this year: https://www.lapua.com/new-lapua-brass-cartridge-cases-for-2021/. [The load was] 180 Hybrids with 54.0 grains of H4831 SC. He loaded Sierra 100gr Pro-Hunter bullets, and took this nice Roe Buck at 240 yards through a gap in the foliage. That takes time, costs money (in bullets and powder), and consumes precious barrel life. It has already demonstrated great promise, scoring second place in its very first match, a 320 at 1000 yards in Wyoming. Typical load for a Shehane is around 57.0 grains of Hodgdon H4831 SC." By blowing the sidewalls out 0.010, the .284 Shehane picks up about 3.3 grains of extra case capacity. With the Right Bolt, Left Port action, I can shoot the entire match with minimal movement. The Lawn Ranger Owner Jason Cohen explained why he chose the .284 Shehane chambering: The .284 Shehane has a proven record of accomplishments and that is why I have chosen it. This handsome rifle, which belongs to Forum member J.J.Coe, represents the state-of-the-art for 100/200-yard benchrest rifles. I felt the same result could be had with a Light Gun. And if youve got a bucket of brass to neck-turn, thats fine with Darrell he recently neck-turned 1500 pieces of brass for one customer! What is not to love about the 284 Shehane? My bullets were so consistent that I did not sort by bearing surface. I considered getting a RAD Pad but that would have required expensive machine work. Ians father, Ken Klemm, finished third among High Masters, and also nailed the highest score among ALL shooters in the 1000-Yard F-TR team match. Forum Member JimmyMac posted: Picked up my new 6 PPC today. At this stage in life, we now have the time and money to get good equipment and rifles. With the latest high-BC 7mm bullets, the original .284 Winchester is proving tough competition for its 6.5-284 offspring. There are hundreds of cartridge types capable of winning in F-Open. The barrel action rides in a Roy Hunter stock. In this match I found the first weakness in my beloved .284. Our friend Erik Cortina notes that the .284 Shehane has a velocity edge over the straight .284 Win because it holds more powder: The Shehane has more capacity than the .284 Winchester. With N560 or Reloder 17 you can go even faster. Editors NOTE: These numbers are 10 years old. The stock is a Deep Creek Tracker with 4 forearm and rudder system (the toe of the stock adjusts for angle, allowing better tracking). And Darrells turn-around time is typically very fast. The update also features a lot of new lines for existing calibers. Think how much range time (and barrel life) that saved me. Now that Lapua and Peterson has released 284 Winchester brass, this could alleviate the need to neck up 6.5 brass. At this point the barrel had 439 rounds through it. With only 11 rounds through the new tube, I shot a 600-yard match on June 22, 2008. After a brief conversation with Alex, I placed an order, and had the stock inletted and bedded at my shop in a month. L6: 2.591 inch = 65.81 mm Barrel Length : 28.0 inch = 711.2 mm Powder : Hodgdon VARGET Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge, incremented in steps of 0.652% of nominal charge. My fireform loads are going 2765 FPS. Also, most custom die makers want you to send them two or three cases, each fire-formed three times. Once you get it formed I would push it faster than that or I wouldnt even bother with the Shehane. For accurate dispensing, put very little powder into the Omega so you can drop one kernel at a time. Dale chambers all my barrels on all my rifles. He also won the North Carolina F-Class Championship with the gun, and then captured the 2008 F-Open National Championship, followed by a second F-Open title in 2009. The stock was finished in gloss black per the customers request. recoil reduction system (hydraulic-damped buttpad), Bix N Andy trigger, and Nightforce Competition scope. Its OK to be frugal, but sometimes cutting corners will cause you more problems and have you chasing your tail. Two months ago, I was contacted by Duane, a gentleman I met at the 2015 F-Class Nationals. How important is practice, and what do you do during a typical practice session? The stock in laminate weighs 3lbs. Then the idea of We the People popped into the head. Here is why: You have to shoot a 30 Cal Magnum with a 240gr bullet to equal the performance of most 7mm chamberings with the 180 Berger VLD. I will occasionally mess with the tuner and tighten things up if possible. Whats the water volume of the case? At the end he holds the Oehler Chrono up to the camera so you can view the readout yourself. My match load clocks at 2935 fps with single-digit ES. PLEASE CHECK YOUR BOLT DIAMETER BEFORE ORDERING. I went to some VHA jamborees also. Please call Darrell at 205-461-4680 for special services pricing. Do you think some guys clean too often or too aggressively? The rear bag also has the new 3M material on contact surfaces (photo at right). For these posed photos, he removed his safety glasses. Plus, our years of work experience help us to think, analyze, and thereby make progress. I used a Fulghum (Randolph Machine) front rest with an Edgewood bag made with the low-friction 3M material. This prize rifle features all top-of-the-line components: Borden BRMXD Action, Cerus multi-laminate stock with forearm extension, R.A.D. DJs Brass can process everything from .17 Fireball all the way up to the big magnum cases. The rifle was smithed by Dave Bruno., Share the post "Sunday Gunday: Pride & Joy Guns of Summer from Our Forum". This has proven to be a valuable tool in my load development. Primer pockets start to get a little looser and the brass seems to need more sizing than the newer brass with less firings. In this 15-55X NF model, I like the DDR-2 reticle best, because fine cross hairs (FCH) are hard to see in heavy mirage. JC Steel Gunny Sergeant . ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? To start this project, I contacted Ray Bowman of Precision Rifle & Tool, PrecisionRifleSales.com. He posted: Some like synthetic and some like wood I have both. The .300 WSM loaded with Berger 215gr or 230gr Hybrids is very tough to beat at long range, and it is currently my number one choice. The Vortex Golden Eagle HD scope showed the mirage I needed in order to make timely wind-hold decisions.. Darrell can neck-turn any size case to your specified neck-wall thickness. For shooters who are not sold on the .284 Winchester, I give you a real-world ballistics shoot-off. The case length of the .284 measures 2.170" (55.1mm). Jason explains why he selected the .284 Shehane chambering: The .284 Shehane is amazing, very forgiving and not temperamental. The event was well-attended, with excellent turn out for both the Mid-Range and Long-Range cycles. The barrel is a Blake Machine 1:8-twist finished at 32 inches. Smooth entry gives the bullets a smooth release. Holding elevation in F-Class is crucial. After speaking with Mr. Tierney at the 2006 US F-Class Nationals, I decided the .284 Win would be the chambering for the new gun, despite several shooters telling me I would not be able to obtain the desired velocities. _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-6323545-2']); Share the post "Sunday GunDay: Back-to-Back Championship Winning .284 Win". I then push one wet patch of Eliminator through the bore and leave it. After hydro-forming, Darrell can also neck-turn the case for an additional charge (call for combined quote). The stock by Precision Rifle & Tool has a 3-longer fore-end which solves the problem. You Better Believe It. Next Last. Single digit ES (Extreme Spread) is the goal. Darrell took the time to advised me every step of the way to allow me to shoot a 3.158 (5) shot group to win my first round of my first competitive match ever. Mike Youngblood, Share the post "Save Time and Barrel Life Let DJs Hydro-Form Your Brass". It also has become one of the best for varmint and long range big game shooting too. Want to try a Dasher or 6 BRA but dont like the hassle of fire-forming? Our buddy Erik Cortina interviewed Norm in this video, starting at 00:15: Interview with F-Open Champ Norm Harrold at 00:15: In Team competition, Team X-Men won the 1000-Yard F-TR Team Title, with a 1568-61X score. Ryan is using 54.0 grains simply as a fire-forming load. With a standard .284 Winchester, or better yet, a .284 Improved, you can drive the high-BC Berger 180gr and 184gr bullets to competitive velocities. What can you reveal? Q: Henry, you have been a Forum member for many years. Register for the Forum and you can add your favorite gun to the list. I start 0.6 grains lower than my last charge that worked. The last segment of prep time is spent trying to dope the wind. I clean my barrels at the end of each day when I get home. Annealing plus ultrasonic cleaning starts at $35 per 100 cases ($45 for magnum cases). After sizing, the case mouths are cleaned with a spinning bronze brush. Q: Tell us about the combined tuner/muzzle brake on some of your barrels. This not only saves barrel wear, but it saves you trips to the range for the purpose of fire-forming. F-Class Mid-Range matches usually are usually shot at 300, 500, or 600 yards or all three. It takes a great rifle to approach that goal, but it is also up to the shooter to learn and experiment as much as possible in order to achieve success. The proud owner, Forum member Aeon, tells us: This is a Gary Eliseo RTM chassis with pickle forks. Support Our SPONSORS Competitive Edge 5 x 2.5 'Big Bottom' Team member Jay Christopherson praised his team-mates and also gave credit to his rivals: Team Grizzly was outstanding for the LR Open Gold. Dan says: The Anschutz provides good practice in trigger-pulling. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; Best powders are: Varget, H4895, and Reloder 15. With the .284 Shehane, my bolt cycles like there is no case to eject. All hydro-formed cases are annealed at no extra charge after the forming process. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; Ballards Purple Haze rifle features superb components, including a BAT MB action, Nightforce 12-42 BR Scope, and a wickedly accurate 32 Broughton barrel. I use Erics tuner/brakes on all my new barrels.) I damaged an extractor and had to send the bolt back to BAT. We can expand your necks from .22 caliber to .30 caliber and anneal shoulders for consistent bump-back. Do not go for the hottest loads, which just reduces brass life. The 284 Shehane is amazing, very forgiving and not temperamental. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); The photo above shows multiple wood-stocked Palma rifles belonging to Forum member SParker. Henry was kind enough to talk about his rifle, his reloading methods, and his strategy for success. Darrell tells us: At DJs Brass, we can handle all your brass refurbishing needs. In addition to the 6mmBR-based cases shown below, Darrell can now hydro-form 6PPC cases from .220 Russian brass, and he also offers .284 Shehane. The barrel is a Hawk Hill HV contour finished at 28 inches. Ease of Load Tuning I asked him to modify my stock and fit it with the new forearm rails, shown in the photo below. Dale also threaded the barrel for a Woolum Accuracy tuner.