Practising with a smaller calibre for F class

[dorg]

I have got to thinking at our local range we can only reach out to 600yds and we usually shoot 300yds, 500yds and 600yds, would we learn more with a smaller calibre than a shahane ie a 6mm br. the reasoning behind this is it would move more in the wind and be cheaper to run or would we be better off sticking to our main competition guns?

[Elwood]

Simon, your idea is sound in principle, but It will only make you a better wind reader on your home range.

[garyw]

simon- i tried that idea at diggle with a 6x47 for short range -out to 600yds but found that when it came to using my .284 for longer range it was like starting over again.it took me sighters and 3-4 shots to get the feel of the rifle again. a kind word from MR B. he told me to use the .284 regardless of the range.i have stuck with that for the last few shoots.

[6mmBR]

Hi Simon, I use a 6BR to practice with its a case of train hard fight easy lol

Like a lot of others I just don't want to trash 7mm's practicing.

The 6BR is awesomely accurate and has a barrel life of 3-4000 rounds or at least that is when my last one died.

It shoots great with Sierra 107 match kings which are just over £20 a hundred and 30.5 grains of N150 so cheap as chips to run.

It also will beat the 7's if your on your game, it did well on the training weekend at 800 yards embarrassing some much bigger calibers.

Give it a go you won't regret it.

See you Sunday

Dave.

[kindwart]

I have just started using 6mm BR, after my 6.5 x 55 barrel got shot out, supposed to be more accurate at 600yds and it held, or still holds the 1000yds record for the smallest group.

[dorg]

One thing in the back of my mind is I only have enough tips and powder for a thousand rounds in the shehane, but I also have enough stuff for a thousand rounds of 6.5 x 47 how much of a gamble is it running out of ammo in the current climate.

[Laurie]

how much of a gamble is it running out of ammo in the current climate.

 

 

It depends on what components you're using, but in general terms, the answer is: "A lot", especially a favoured powder if that happens to have the name Hodgdon on the label and it's an Australian manufactured 'Extreme' stick type!

 

People have varying views on this issue of diferent rifles and cartridges for different ranges, types of competition etc. For some people, it's got to be one rifle, and there is a lot of truth in the old American saw about being wary of the man who only carries one gun. On the other hand, you don't see many F/O competitors who use their national GB League 7mmWSMs in 300 yard club comps, maybe the 600-900 round barrel life being a slight constraint!

 

Since last autumn, I've shot .308, 6XC, .260 Rem, 6.5X47L, and .284 rifles in a mix of national league and Diggle club F-Class comps and had a thoroughly grand time. The only rifle in my F-Class / F-TR arsenal that's been missed is my LR .223 shooting 90s and it'll get hauled out into the open air too sooner or later. I'll even happily shoot an overweight (for F/TR) .308 in F/O class off a front-rest instead of bi-pod in shorter range matches as this cartridge gives nothing much to speak of away to its theoretically ballistically superior competitors at up to 600 yards, 800 in good conditions. It works for me, but that won't be the case for everybody. It helps a lot if all of your rifles share configurations and stocks - mine don't and there's a lot of difference in the gun handling and body position etc needed between a Joe West F-Class long forend stocked job, one of the best set-ups in the business IMO, and a chassis rifle, and again my Eliseo / CSS tubegun. Likewise, .284 Win with 180s generates a lot more recoil than 6.5X47L with 123s, so is harder work to shoot well. It means you have to be alive to these issues, find out what hold works for you and remember to reapply the lesson the next time you switch rifles - otherwise you have a shaky start to a match until you get back into the groove, especially when you move up to the heavier recoiling number.

[oaken]

Personally, I think trigger pull is the biggest factor when using different rifles. I have 4 rifles in different configurations that I use fairly regularly and often several on the same day. I found adjusting the triggers so they break the same, made switching between them far easier. Simple job using a spring balance.

I also think there is no substitute for time spent shooting regardless of what is used.

Rup

[DaveT]

I think that both Lauries point about a standard stock configuration and Rups regarding the trigger pull are key factors rather than the actual calibre being an issue......I have a 308 Win, 260 rem and 338 Lap mag all on Mac A5 adjustable stocks with jewel triggers and they all 'feel' the same (recoil aside!) BUT when I go to my 6mmSLR on an XLR industries chassis with pistol grip etc it takes some time to adjust to it....completely different feel to it.

[Jagged 77]

Agree with most of the comments, however I would add length of pull and correct cheek piece alignment is critical. I shoot a combination of rifles with different stocks and provided I have those two factors covered I can get into a repeatable position whether it's a T4 or AX stock.

[The Gun Pimp]

Agree with most of the comments, however I would add length of pull and correct cheek piece alignment is critical. I shoot a combination of rifles with different stocks and provided I have those two factors covered I can get into a repeatable position whether it's a T4 or AX stock.

With a rifle rested both ends, length of pull and cheek-piece is largely irrelevant - you will only touch it with your trigger-finger and light shoulder contact - if you want shot to shot consistency.

[Jagged 77]

With a rifle rested both ends, length of pull and cheek-piece is largely irrelevant - you will only touch it with your trigger-finger and light shoulder contact - if you want shot to shot consistency.

 

Fair point Vince, I'd not considered the technique you guys adopt in F-Class and Benchrest. Most of not all my precision rifle shooting including forays into club F-class is done by building a position around the rifle with a front bipod and rear bag. Length of pull is important to me in order to get into the correct position to control recoil pulse in order to stay on target. The cheek piece alignment ensures no black circling out of the scope image and correct parallax. I adopt the same technique from .22 to .50 BMG. However always keen to try and learn new things

[gbal]

Perhaps one kind of answer is a switch barrel rifle-all the same except the cartridge.

 

Limited choice,of course,outside custom and expensive factory.But Savage seem to have one solution.

Are there serious problems in having a (smithed) switch barrel Remington ,Tikka-etc?

Gbal

[taylor]

I use a 6x47 lap for practice out to 600 yds it's a great idea makes you a better wind reader

[The Gun Pimp]

 

Fair point Vince, I'd not considered the technique you guys adopt in F-Class and Benchrest. Most of not all my precision rifle shooting including forays into club F-class is done by building a position around the rifle with a front bipod and rear bag. Length of pull is important to me in order to get into the correct position to control recoil pulse in order to stay on target. The cheek piece alignment ensures no black circling out of the scope image and correct parallax. I adopt the same technique from .22 to .50 BMG. However always keen to try and learn new things

You'll never see an adjustable cheek-piece or butt-pad on a benchgun - and we often get five precisely aimed shots off in 15 seconds.

[1967spud]

why would you want to practice with another caliber/gun

 

you dont see louis hamilton practising in a rally car

 

 

if you are purly trying to perfect your wind reading use the rifle/bullet combination you intend to use in competitions so you knopw how they react to wind changes

 

 

if you purley are practising for trigger tecnique as above still applies unless you have 2 identcal guns

[Laurie]

Personally, I think trigger pull is the biggest factor when using different rifles. I have 4 rifles in different configurations that I use fairly regularly and often several on the same day. I found adjusting the triggers so they break the same, made switching between them far easier. Simple job using a spring balance.

I also think there is no substitute for time spent shooting regardless of what is used.

Rup

 

 

Ha ha - chance would be a fine thing! Mine vary from a 2-ounce Jewell BR trigger to bog standard Savage 'Target AccuTrigger' running at 12 ounces or maybe even 1lb with a Barnard and Timney at ~1/2lb in between. Interestingly, shooting the Savage PTA a lot recently after a long spell of using slicker actions with lighter and more precise triggers, it initially seemed 'agricultural' to put it mildly. However, I found I could quickly readjust and it does the business perfectly well as they say, just not so prettily.

 

Stuart Anselm (Osprey Rifles) tells me he has hopes of finally being able to get PTA action kits again at a reasonable price and if so will resume offering Savage based builds. I hope so as they do work remarkably well all things and the price considered, although people tend to either learn to live with the trigger, or simply hate it, not many loving it.

 

Agree 100% with your final comment. I think that's the answer to Spud too as to why practice with another rifle / calibre. It's an issue of getting lots of range time in at a reasonable cost, and maybe spreading barrel round counts around a bit too to preserve either a barrel burning job for major comps or to keep a particularly accurate set-up back for important matches. I can think of two rifle+barrel combinations, one 6mm BR the other .308 Win, that I wished with hindsight that I'd shot less at the time and prioritised their use more as they simply shot so well. If you've got a good 7mm, especially short magnum, you'd be very unwise to wear the barrel out in short distance practice shoots or club matches - Dai the Dentist (6mmBR) puts it succinctly in post #4 above - many might find it odd to practice with the 6BR when you shoot 7WSM in major comps, but I don't at all. I'd substitute the 6.5X47L for 6BR as a personal preference.

[dorg]

Having read all of the above , I think we will give it ago to improve our basic wind reading skills, in conjunction with useing our 7mms to learn how they react in the wind, by the way we are building a 300rum using 240gn tips for bad weather conditions, we expect that to have a barrel life around 500, not a gun to practise with. By the way this idea is mainly for Joe as he has only ever been on a range 5 times so far and would hopefully benefit the most.

[Nicky]

Hi to you all, I shoot F class, only wish I had listen to Vince when I started shooting, FClass I find a good Discipline , Vince and Laurie are good blokes and many time goet me out of the mire, when my brain gone to sleep. Right enough praise for these 2 . I have 223 but in 20" barrel 1-9 twist and would like to use this for range work , but what disciplines ? But I am not sure ? Any ideas ? Please.

I enjoy being a member of diggle, good crowd, if you never been to diggle you should come along, this is the only range I have ever been to, would like to go to Bisley and shoot .

 

The Fclass group who meet up for nearly every comp, are a good mixture of shooters, some laughs along the way. I must be doing something right this year I managed to get on score sheets. ( Vince again ) using mathematic , just shakes his head when he sees me.

[pcon]

I've just had an ftr gun built on a savage action with both a 308 1 in 10 barrel and a 223 1 in 12 barrel, the thinking being a 55gr 223 at 600 yards is a nice little challenge for wind reading and then apply the learning to my 308 at 1000 yards...

[Laurie]

the thinking being a 55gr 223 at 600 yards is a nice little challenge for wind reading and then apply the learning to my 308 at 1000 yards...

 

You'll learn something alright, probably about the up and downsides of self-inflicted masochim.

[pcon]

It's all fun Laurie, as long as I'm squeezing a trigger I'm happy ... and I love the challenge ..;-)