Had a great Morning today shooting the new 308 Bellm barrel for the first time. Had it for several weeks but the busy schedule and very hot weather slowed me down.

WOW! Had several of the Club shooters out gathered around for the lighting off of the first round. I had loaded both mild and warm loads to try out.

Just sighting it in and this thing GROUPS! I do need another scope to mount on it as I grabbed a Trashco out of the shooting box just to try it out.

This one was proclaimed a KEEPER by the Group!

Glad to hear it...but then again, with the Bellm name on it, I wouldn't expect otherwise. As to scopes, I am a dedicated Nikon user. But I have to admit that the B&L (now Bushnell) Elite 3200 series is terrific for the money. I have the 3-9x40 version, and the optics are excellent. swfa.com has them for app. $175, and you get a certificate for a rain parka ($99 value). That deal is pretty hard to beat.

I'm mentioning rifle scopes here; I seem to recall your barrel being rifle-length, right?

[ 08-12-2002, 09:42: Message edited by: Bobby Tomek ]

Bobby, Mine is a 14" w/o a brake. I have thought that adding a brake could help out with the heavy loads. I talked to a guy in San Marcos, TX that can add a brake and will make it the needed 2 1/2" longer so that it could be used with the stock.

My concern is what effect a screw on brake will have on accuracy and if it is welded on to make it a "legal" rifle lenght how would it effect my perfect Bellm CROWN!

I have been looking at IER type scopes as I might just try this 14" out as a IHMSA Rig.

Normally the barrel has to be put on center to install an add on brake, so unless the fellow you referred to uses a different process, you precision crown will be history, at least so far as how I cut it.

I'd stick with the lighter bullets instead of going to a brake. What weight are you shooting, and what do you intend to hunt with it?

You might use it as is for now, then find another loving home for it this winter. Pick up a carbine barrel and start over. I'll be doing more .308 Bellms this winter sometime.

Have fun. Thanks for the opportunity to be a part of your shooting.

Mike

Like I said this one is a keeper!
I was shooting 150gr. Balistic tips over 4320.

Heck I'm going to shoot thru the Ohler next weekend to see what it is doing with my loads.

I love this barrel as is so I would hate to ruin the crown. I will shoot it as is and then find a longer tube to add to the collection later.

For deer hunting in the Texas Hill Country long shots are not often needed. Millions of very small deer, 130 lbs or less.

I think a shotgun/scout style 4X scope may be the ticket I'm looking for.
If I get to go to a Bower Clinic then I may need that 10X or higher!

KENTX
If you get a chance try the Hornady 150 SST's. Man those things fly well out of my 308 Bellm. a 4 shot group measured 3/8" center to center @100 yards. My fifth shot opened group up to 1 1/2" but, the brass was slightly shorter & the bullet wasn't seated the same as the others. I was shooting them with 42.5 grains of 4895 Fed 210 primers. Velocity at 2215 Fps ave.
Rich Jake

Sorry...for some reason, I was thinking carbine here. There are lots of good EER scopes on the used market, and one of the most overlooked is the TC 2.5-7x. I have a couple dating back to the mid 80s or so, and they are bright with excellent contrast and resolution -- and very forgiving eye relief. In the newer scopes, the Bushnell 2-6x is nothing to sneeze at, and the Burris 2-7 is excellent and my most widely-used handgun scope. I don't care for the 2.5-8 handgun scope by Leupold because any variation in side-to-side presentation results in losing your sight picture -- and in hunting conditions, that's not good news. The older Redfield 2-6x20 is pure junk; don't buy one. It takes so much torque to change the power settings that you'll feel like you're ripping the base off the barrel. Also, it is dark and relatively useless in low-light situations. ANd the resolution is truly lacking. I have not tried the newer Redfields.

Give Ed's Contenders a shout. He'll probably have just what you are looking for.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look at the SST's and see what is in stock at the local shop.

I'll also keep my eyes open for one of the T/C variables. I have a 2X from many years ago and it is on my 357 Max. It uses the old Rail Mount so I keep it off any thing larger. I recall seeing the T/C scopes in Cabelas a while back.

The search is on!