Barnard s action

[Scotch_egg]

I am in the process of planning a new rifle build. It will be single shot and built into a 6mmbr. I really cannot justify spending over £1k on an action as it will not be used in competition shooting. The only competition will be between me and my dad out in the fields.

 

Any users of the Barnard out there? If not can any one recommend a good value alternative. I have considered the savage but really don't like the accutrigger.

 

All in put appreciated.

 

regards

 

Dave

[1967spud]

SAKO 75

[Scotch_egg]

I really should check my typing. I do of course mean Barnard. I don't know how to adjust the title.

 

 

 

Spud the 75 is a repeater. I would like sinlge shot for a stiffer action.

 

cheers

 

Dave

[1967spud]

OOPS sorry me bad , didnt see that bit

 

why single shot though

 

 

what about an rpa action

[Scotch_egg]

No problem buddy.

 

Single shot cos of the extra rigidity, the 6mmbr doesn't like to feed that well in a repeater and I don't see the need for a fast rate of fire when out varminting. And finaly single shot on custom actions means no need for a £300 magazine system!!!!

 

The RPA's are about a grand if memory serves me right. About twice that of the Barnard. Just a little too much. If I could justify that much it would have to be a Bat.

[Vermincinerator]

Hi Scoth egg, have a look HERE and only about £300 as well.

 

Ian.

[ejg223]

Dave,

first of all the Barnard people are great to deal with.

I spoke to them regarding me needing measurements for a stock that I am developing for production.

They straight away turned around and sent me dummy actions. These actions

seem to be made to the best standards. I'd love to make myself a repeater

with the small action.

Chris from NZ who is on here has a Barnard single shot as far as I know.

 

edi

[Chris-NZ]

Dave-

If it's quality + value you're after, you can't go wrong.

The only "negative" according to some commentators on this site is it isn't stainless.

Other than that, the engineering is very high grade- my clubmate gunsmith who made the HHE Millennium actions etc has the -highest- standards and freely admits the current Barnards are very well engineered.

 

Here's mine including the second group fired through it (3@100yds)

 

 

 

cheers

Chris-NZ

[Laurie]

Three benefits from the Barnard 'S' single shot action (as well as value for money):

 

(1) the usual Barnard pluses - they work! (stiff, straight, smooth-operating etc.)

 

(2) unlike the Musgrave and RPA, the exterior dimensions are (deliberately) designed to match those of the Remington 700 short-action, so you have a huge choice of target / sporting / tactical etc etc stocks, many incorporating a bedding block for drop-in use. You can save a lot of time and money simply through this feature given the value of many good Remy-compatible stocks.

 

(3) Barnards are so precisely made that to quote their words any reasonably well made pre-threaded and chambered barrel will fit with minimal gunsmithing. Brian Fox supplies both the Barnard S and suitable True-Flite match quality barrels (also from NZ).

 

You do have to note that unlike the big Model P target action, you don't get a trigger with the 'S' - it's also Remy 700 compatible, so you can fit a Timney, Jewell, Jackson CG etc (or even an unwanted Remy, but that rather defeats the object of the exercise unless it's been reworked).

 

I borrowed a semi-custom Barnard S based 'kit gun' from Brian F late last year - S action, Timney trigger, a good Bell & Carlsson adjustable tactical stock and True-Flite stainless Palma profile match barrel pre-chambered for 6.5X47L. It was reviewed in 'Target Sports' within 'The Sporting Rifle' and will get another airing in Targetshooter.co.uk, the free online magazine in some future issue. It shot very well, quickly averaging 0.4" five-shot 100yd groups with minimal load development using 123gn Lapua Scenars and Viht N540 / 150 loads straight out of the Vihtavuori manual, despite testing in pretty (no, actually really) poor weather.

 

Although it used a pre-chambered etc barrel, there was still gunsmith input in the build - but it cut the workload and time down a lot, hence reduced the cost (c. £1,900 excluding sights).

 

So, I'd say go for it. If you want a precision-manufactured single-shot action, the Barnard is as good as any short of out and out benchrest designs, but is a lot cheaper, and has the Remy 700 profile benefits.

 

Oh, it has one other benefit alongside the RPA and Musgrave that a lot of people (myself included) often don't realise with their custom rifle builds until it's too late - a small diameter firing pin that fits the bolt closely. It's not a great issue if you're building a rifle for cartridges that use large size primers, but definitely is with those precision high-performance cartridges that use the small size - BRs, PPCs and 6.5X47 based numbers. A lot of factory actions have overly large and loose pins and you can get primer cratering, then piercing before maximum loads are reached limiting your options.

 

Laurie

[Scotch_egg]

Chris, your groups certainly look good. Thanks for posting the pic, the action looks better in a stock compared to the pics I have managed to find on line. I am pretty certain on this action now. Just need to decide on a couple of details then its time to order. What rail have you got on your action?

 

 

Laurie, cracking post. Gave some good reading and I have been onto the Targetshooting.co.uk site. Some great articles on there.

 

I am looking forward to this build.

 

cheers

 

Dave

[1967spud]

I must admit this might be a build i try next year, looking forward to seeing end product.

[baldie]

A great and informative post there Laurie.

The one thing i would disagree on however, is the pre chambered barrel bit. With the best will in the world, no two actions measure the same, i dont care who,s made them. This makes a pre-chambered barrel ....a compromise. Some will be very close to zero headspace, some will be well back. If a gunsmith is going to fit them correctly, they need to go back in the lathe, so they would have been better off reamed in there in the first place, to match the action they are going on. I,ve seen quite a few of these pre-chambered barrels, and none of them have had the flutes aligned. If the gunsmith cant be bothered to align the flutes, is he going to correct excessive headspace ?

Scotch, the barnards are great actions, and Tru-flites are one of the very best barrels there is.....get them put together properly.

[Scotch_egg]

Just been browsing the Barnard website and found the bedding block. Has any one used this? Looks like a good alternative to having a bedding job done. Any one got an idea of price on the block? Thats one thing I struggle to find on line and that's up to date prices of most stuff.

[Laurie]

Baldie (Dave I presume?)

 

I'll bow to your direct, superior knowledge here. Will have a chat the next time I get along to Wombwell to see you and Roger.

 

Laurie

[baldie]

Look forward to it Laurie, your overdue mate !

Are you going to the plate shoot tomorrow ? i have a cunning plan to use the grendel AR....

[Scotch_egg]

Thanks for changing the title

[skany]

Hi Scoth egg, have a look HERE and only about £300 as well.

 

Ian.

 

 

FLIP

 

theese any good?

 

cheap 6mm br in the making there!!!!!

 

£300 action

mchale stock should suit or bell & carlson!

cheap barrel £550

cg trigger £175

 

thats not much cash....................for a custom ish build!

 

cheers Andy

 

Andy

[Chris-NZ]

Chris, ... Just need to decide on a couple of details then its time to order. What rail have you got on your action?

 

 

Dave

 

It's Barnard's 17MOA rail and my gunsmith milled it off flush with the ends of the action.

I got a three-lever Timney trigger through Barnard rather than getting my American mate to send one (read: impatience)

 

I didn't use their block- we just glued the action in after some pre-bedding. My RPA NRA gun is Flexi-bedded with a block (as per the HHE design) but it's a lot more work and the glue-in works fine so I saved Tony some work.

 

cheers

Chris-NZ

[Ronin]

Scotch

 

 

 

The bedding block is RRP £49, however, this is for a P Action, there is no bedding block for the S (SM), it is Rem footprint and similar barrel tenon, it is best with either Rem recoil lug (oversized custom job, not standard shxte) or with custom made pillars that seat into recessed action thread holes in base of action.

 

Triggers - the S and SM will take most Rem 700 triggers (Timmney, Shilen, Rifle Basix, CG Jackson) BUT they require work to accept the Jewel I understand.

 

I am also sure that a bottom safety is also required as there is no inlet in the action for a Rem style safety.

 

 

(This may not be an issue to you if you only load when ready to fire, or with bottom safety, they are dead easy to operate)

 

 

"Pre-chambered barrels"

 

 

Sorry Laurie, disagree with you on this, ive fitted several that have been supplied by people wanting a quick turnaround - out of all I have done, I cannot think of one that wasnt out of true (the chamber) by several thou.

 

I have some take off barrels that are so far out you can see that they are not true, but I digress....

 

 

The barrel requires setting up properly in the lathe with 0 runout (or less than a few tenths), then threaded and chambered with the same care by the same person who is putting the rifle together.

 

All actions are not the same, ive made 3 rifles on Barnard P actions and looking at the barrel tenon measurements, ive recorded they are not the same - had I made them all to the same "baseline" measurement headspace would be different in all of them.

 

Admittedly they are within +/- .003" of each other, but they are not the same..in my opinion.

 

 

The S, SM and P actions are very very good, I have a P and am weighing up my next build using an SM.

 

Yes they are a little cheaper than some customs, but they are no less engineered because of it.

 

 

Good point re the smaller pin, very valid with high pressure loads....

[Laurie]

Ronin,

 

thanks for the additional insight re pre-chambered barrel problems. I did wonder if it was too good to be true!

 

Laurie

[Guest varmartin]

FLIP

 

theese any good?

 

cheap 6mm br in the making there!!!!!

 

£300 action

mchale stock should suit or bell & carlson!

cheap barrel £550

cg trigger £175

 

thats not much cash....................for a custom ish build!

 

cheers Andy

 

Andy

 

Ive got one chambered in 7.62 !...think you seen the pics ?

[Scotch_egg]

Ronin your on holiday how do you find the time to post. Thanks for the info re the bedding block. I'll be giving you a call when you get back.

 

Chris, I think it makes a big difference having the end of the rail machined off. Just makes it more pleasing to the eye.

[skany]

Ive got one chambered in 7.62 !...think you seen the pics ?

 

HI martin

oh yeah!

 

whts the spec & hows it shoot?

 

whts it like quality wise

seems peanuts

 

cheers Andy

[Ronin]

Ronin your on holiday how do you find the time to post. Thanks for the info re the bedding block. I'll be giving you a call when you get back.

 

Chris, I think it makes a big difference having the end of the rail machined off. Just makes it more pleasing to the eye.

 

 

 

Having the luxury of a villa with broadband wi fi and my lap top with me helped.

 

I am now back in blighty, after a bumpy flight last night.

 

Welcome to call whenever, I am off till wed any time no prob.

[riddos204R]

I am in the process of planning a new rifle build. It will be single shot and built into a 6mmbr. I really cannot justify spending over £1k on an action as it will not be used in competition shooting. The only competition will be between me and my dad out in the fields.

 

Any users of the Barnard out there? If not can any one recommend a good value alternative. I have considered the savage but really don't like the accutrigger.

 

All in put appreciated.

 

regards

 

Dave

 

 

Just had an F-class rifle built on a Barnard S and it is uncomprimisingly gorgeous. Expensive, yes, but it is extremely solid and well made with an excellent reputation and once you have cycled the bolt on it a few times u wont want to consider a different action! It must be said however that if you wont be using it in competition then a slightly cheaper alternative might be better like a trued Rem700 action or one of the Savage target actions but i agree with you on the trigger which isnt great. Definitely right to be after a single shot action, especially in 6BR, if you are after serious accuracy theres not a lot of point playing around with repeaters.