Thanks Randy. I wish I'd gotten one of those sets when Rodney had them for sale. Might have to give him a call and get on a list for the next time he runs some more.

I too would want to build a box that will allow transport without needing an engine hoist to get it in and out of my Suburban! So I like your box approach, and especially the reinforcing corners to ensure it stays together over years of use. I'll probably steal your design if I can get a casting set, or finished castings from Rodney.
Not sure what it takes to finish a casting set? If it's a mill and other precise equipment I would buy them finished as my little Chinese mill and lathe wont do very precise work.

I like the I beam design. I had contemplated a boxed in box, with the lid having the rest bolted to it, so things could be stored inside. But that would make a heavier box, and if the top was hinged it might not be as solid.
I use a modern shooting rest, and it works great. But it just looks weird to be shooting a nice old single shot in a modern rest.

where'd you find that? or, is it another secret?

ah, so has this man ever responded, adding substance to the things in the posting? I never read that and probably wouldn't have thought of a twelve year-old post anyway. So, if it's really true, where's he at now?
And thanks for the link- the other guy was keeping that to himself.

The Ultimate in Rifle Precision

By: Townsend Whelen

Sportsman's Press, 1951

 

THE WORLD'S   RECORD   AT 200 YARDS

American riflemen have always considered the group of ten shots at 200 yards fired by Mr. C. W. Rowland of Boulder, Colorado on May 16, 1901 as being the World's Record for accuracy. Other rifles and ammunition which have made records at longer distances have never equaled this at 200 yards, and thus we think that this target can be properly regarded as The Record.

Mr. Rowland's target, which is reproduced here in the exact size from the original, was shot with a .32-40 breech-muzzle loading barrel made by H. M. Pope, in a Ballard action. It was shot from a machine rest, probably the Pope rest, in which the naked barrel is uniformly rested at the breech and close to the muzzle, the rifle being shot with its butt-stock on it, and the butt-plate being caught and braked by the hand after a short recoil travel. The charge was a lead alloy bullet of unknown weight (probably 180 to 200 grains) lubricated with Leopold's lubricant (same as the present Ideal Lubricant), and propelled by a charge of Hazards FG black powder. The bullet was loaded from the muzzle in the usual Pope manner, and the case filled with powder inserted from the breech. Mr. Rowland has noted the weather as “No wind,” and “Sprinkling;” conditions most favorable for black powder.

Mr. Rowland's target has been measured very carefully. There is no way to measure it with a great degree of accuracy that I know of, so I will outline the manner in which it was measured. We made this assumption: in the target above the record target there is one distinct bullet hole. The assumption is that this shot displaced the same amount of paper as the shots in the record target. This seems to be a safe assumption as presumably the rifle, paper and bullet were the same.

We measured this single hole quite carefully”€�optically under 4X magnification. The average diameter of this hole is .245-inch. Then we carefully measured the extreme spread of the record group”€�that is the extreme of the displaced paper. This figure is .970-inch. Subtracting the diameter of a single bullet hole (.245” displaced paper) gives an extreme spread, center to center, of .725-inch for the Rowland record group.

The target edges here are irregular. The group has been much handled and apparently the outline of the group has been traced many times before it was mounted, so I do not believe it can be measured any more..

I am more interested in his Dad's connection with Ray Day.