West Texas Granny Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I did my first match ( out to 1000 yards) this past Saturday though the rifle I used can reach that far there are problems. The barrel is one, then the stock and the scope just to start with. I just don't know where to start. I want to compete in open F class. Your suggestions are welcomed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Here is how I started. I bought a Rem 700 SPS Tactical .308. Did a little home polishing on the action and trigger and put a decent stock on it. I got a take off from a friend that put a .700 PSS in a McMillan. Then I bought the best glass I could afford and I didn't spend enough money. I bought a Leupold 3.5-10 X 40 and while the glass is nice, the reticle leaves a lot to be desired. Spend once cry once but that's a whole 'nother topic. The .308 is easy to load for and is very capable @ 1K. It will be a bit cheaper than most as well. Then there is also the advantage of being able to buy factory ammo. My rifle has a 20in barrel and I use it for hunting and target shooting. I would highly recommend a 24in barrel if you ain't going to be carrying it around much. It is easier to get the velocity you will need at 1K out of the longer barrel. I would buy a Rem .700 XCR Tactical Long Range in a minute. Put a nice Night Force 5.5-22 X 50 with a NP-R1 reticle and go have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve L Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 If you reload and Don't want to deal with all the aftermarket stuff savage makes a competitive package in the 6.5 x .284 http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=258545697 top that with a Leupy mark 4 or Nightforce scope This would give you a nice place to start till you truely find why you want to change each little thing. This cartridge has been the leader for a little over 15 years now. .308 is competitive but people shooting open use 6mm BR or the 6.5 x .284 some with 7mm wsm or .284. .308's true home with f class is in the F/TR division Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inadaze Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 HI, I was in the same boat and just settled on .260 Remington. It shoots so nice, 6.5mm bullet is very efficient (high BC), a lot less recoil than .308, plenty of factory components available. Savage has just come out with a factory rifle the Model 12 in that caliber too. I'm having my Savage action rebarreled right now with a Shilen Select Match barrel, bedded into an XLR Evolution chassis. It's topped with a Sightron SIII 6-24x50 scope, on a 20 MOA Warne rail. I'm using it for sniper/precision matches out to 1000 yards no problem. FYI, the Sightron is a really nice scope, my only minor thing is the crosshairs are a bit thick... but great glass, solidly built scope, half the price of Leopold or Nightforce. After a while price does become a factor in my life. Thousands spent recently... wife would kill me if she new all the costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodownzero Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I agree with the others that 6, 6.5, and 7mm are the bullets of choice, not .30, although I also agree with others that .30 can be used. My next barrel on my rifle is going to be 7 WSM or perhaps 7-08 for the cheap brass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 (edited) If you are going to be shooting F-Class open, then as others have said, you should probably be looking at 6mm (generic term) and hand loading. Much more information here Edited November 2, 2011 by Graham Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Texas Granny Posted November 3, 2011 Author Share Posted November 3, 2011 So should I just start with an action and go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJW Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I started with a round and a price range and went from there. I decided on the 6.5 Creedmoor, looked for what was available stock, and settled on the Savage 12 LRP. I am slowly paying off a Nightforce scope to go on top of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I started with a round and a price range and went from there. Agreed. The desired range, accuracy, and type of shooting will dictate the caliber which, along with the budget will, in turn, dictate almost everything that follows. For this kind of shooting, you are best off getting in touch with some local folks who you will be shooting with. Let them help you find a gunsmith who can help you decide what you want and help you get it built. There is nothing off the shelf that will work for you because you are going to need a barrel and action that are matched and have been blueprinted (trued and squared) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-Bros_JLR Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 There are a whole bunch of options for F-Open, but I think your best best will be something in the 7mm range. Anything that you can drive a 180vld at around 2950fps will allow you to cheat wind the most. I'd consider a straight .284win on a long action so you can seat the bullets out and run like a 30" tube. That cartridge is just inherently accurate and RL17 works really well with the 180s in a longer barrel. If recoil is an issue, I'd look to something like a 243Ackley, 6brx, 6xc, 6-6.5x47Lapua, etc. Any of these will allow you to drive a 115DTAC at speeds which will keep you competitive and not beat you up with recoil in the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowtop Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Here is my 2 cents I just got done with a rifle, all the suggestions are great from the forum. I found out that what I want, might be different then what someone else suggest so you have to go online and search all the info received. Not to say that any one is wrong on what they suggest but the price might be to high, might choose a different manufacturers with same quality and style is important. The one thing that was always consistent was the glass Nightforce or S&B but that also might be to expensive. So here are my sugestions stock Mcmillan or H&S Precision stocks, barrel Krieger, Lilja or benchmark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgary Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 (edited) My suggestion: A decent rifle in .308, with a good stock and good scope, will get you a long ways. IMHO, the most important thing for the steep part of the learning curve is trigger-time, and that's easy to get with a .308. I started with a Rem-700 "5R" in .308, with an H&S stock and a Horus 3-16x scope. By the time you've fired enough rounds to burn out the barrel, you'll probably know what you want to change. For me it was a rebarrel to .260-Rem (Lilja), re-stock to a Manners stock, and saving up for an S&B. Next step will be to take that scope and move it to a purpose-built rifle, but I haven't yet learned everything that this rifle can teach me... ymmv Edited November 3, 2011 by jakers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregdavidl Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 "Precision Shooting" magazine is a good source for this type of information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokshwn Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 There are a whole bunch of options for F-Open, but I think your best best will be something in the 7mm range. Anything that you can drive a 180vld at around 2950fps will allow you to cheat wind the most. I'd consider a straight .284win on a long action so you can seat the bullets out and run like a 30" tube. That cartridge is just inherently accurate and RL17 works really well with the 180s in a longer barrel. If recoil is an issue, I'd look to something like a 243Ackley, 6brx, 6xc, 6-6.5x47Lapua, etc. Any of these will allow you to drive a 115DTAC at speeds which will keep you competitive and not beat you up with recoil in the process. FWIW this advice is spot on......oh and RBros makes some of the finest bolt guns around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin16 Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 Remington 5R in .308 to start and Bushnell makes a decent FFP(First Focal plane) Mil/Mil scope. Set that rig up the way you like and shoot,shoot,shoot to make sure that's the game you want to get into. Long range shooting is very addicting especially out to 1K yards. Or go big and get Accuracy International AW or new AX top it with a Schmidt and Bender scope and dont look back! Buy once Cry once but it will last you forever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lead Head Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Here is how I started. I bought a Rem 700 SPS Tactical .308. Did a little home polishing on the action and trigger and put a decent stock on it. I got a take off from a friend that put a .700 PSS in a McMillan. Then I bought the best glass I could afford and I didn't spend enough money. I bought a Leupold 3.5-10 X 40 and while the glass is nice, the reticle leaves a lot to be desired. Spend once cry once but that's a whole 'nother topic. The .308 is easy to load for and is very capable @ 1K. It will be a bit cheaper than most as well. Then there is also the advantage of being able to buy factory ammo. My rifle has a 20in barrel and I use it for hunting and target shooting. I would highly recommend a 24in barrel if you ain't going to be carrying it around much. It is easier to get the velocity you will need at 1K out of the longer barrel. I would buy a Rem .700 XCR Tactical Long Range in a minute. Put a nice Night Force 5.5-22 X 50 with a NP-R1 reticle and go have fun. Singlestack I like this answer. I'm putting together my wish list for a longer range rifle myself since a couple of years ago I joined a club with a 300 yard range; all I had was a Ruger 10/22 with a bull barrel, so my challenge was to hit a 22 x 22 target at 300 yards with it and I did. Hooked on the distance challenge, for now I have my heart set on a Savage 12FCV 22-250 which has Accustock and Accutrigger which at Buds Guns isn't a bad out of the box price (I'm on a retired budget). If I could find a 1,000 yard range I'd love it but 300 yards seems to be where I'll be spending most of my time. I'm a tight group nut which is why I get off so much on reloading. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Stick Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 The Salvage CFV is twisted 12" in 22-250 which will slam many LR doors shut on you by default. Their 223 is 9" and it will smoke the 12" 22-250. Think bullets first,twist second and then headstamps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lead Head Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 The Salvage CFV is twisted 12" in 22-250 which will slam many LR doors shut on you by default. Their 223 is 9" and it will smoke the 12" 22-250. Think bullets first,twist second and then headstamps. That makes sense. People speak of the speed of the 22-250 but as I look in the loading book, there isn't a lot of difference between the two and believe me I'd rather be loading a cheaper cartridge in my retirement income. Now for accuracy what headstamp am I looking for or just keep them the same? For my straight wall shells I use Starline, who makes a good rifle shell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Stick Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Speed is but part of the LR equation and the opportunity to push much higher BC's at comparatively reduced speeds,will make for reduced drop and much reduced drift. Lapua 223 brass is tough to beat on the average,though I tend to shoot mostly R/P in my 223's/223AI's. 9" is yet a bubble twist rate,but in the 26" Salvage you'll likely make the velocity requisite to stabilize a 75A-Max and it's .435BC does nice things to 1K. My 20" LTR punched 223AI is a phenom with same and 26grs of '335 in a R/P hull with 400's makes 3100fps+. I've zero qualm with O/F brass and it's easy to score for $80 per 1000 to the door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lead Head Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Speed is but part of the LR equation and the opportunity to push much higher BC's at comparatively reduced speeds,will make for reduced drop and much reduced drift. Lapua 223 brass is tough to beat on the average,though I tend to shoot mostly R/P in my 223's/223AI's. 9" is yet a bubble twist rate,but in the 26" Salvage you'll likely make the velocity requisite to stabilize a 75A-Max and it's .435BC does nice things to 1K. My 20" LTR punched 223AI is a phenom with same and 26grs of '335 in a R/P hull with 400's makes 3100fps+. I've zero qualm with O/F brass and it's easy to score for $80 per 1000 to the door. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Stick Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Last I counted I had (13) 223AI's and twists run the gamut from 7-14". 8" is where it's at and a 21" barrel makes me happy. Contours run from sub #1 to straight 1.350" and less is more. I shoot a lot of 22-250AI in fast twist spouts too and herds of 243/243AI,7-08/7-08AI,284Win,7SAUM,7WSM,etc,etc. It's an inordinate circumstance,when I leave the house without a fast twist 223AI in my mitts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Stick Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Aforementioned 223 LTR punched AI. A5,Badger M4,Badger rings/20MOA rail,Badger knob. Throated longer than my others and kisses the 75A-Max at 2.510" COAL,fed from an OEM box/follower with spacer moved rearward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Stick Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Biggest 1k+ Sleeper. Kimber Montana 223AI,Mike Rock 1-7" in OEM contour dupe at 21". She has a knack for slapping heavyweights around and making them look silly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Stick Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Another Sleeper. S/S s/a 700 wearing PacNor 3-grooved 1-8" at 21". Throated to kiss the 75A-Max in the HS DBM and a 40X trigger,McMillan Classic handle. Sleepers hurt feelings,which is why they are so much fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lead Head Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 I've zero qualm with O/F brass and it's easy to score for $80 per 1000 to the door. Cant find it that cheap, where are you getting it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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