f class for next year

[1967spud]

hi there as i am new to the f class open sport i am having a new build done in .284 shehane.

 

i inttend to shoot f open, so working on from that point could a few off you reccomend some bits ill be needing . i have a person in mind to build it but i need to know which i want him to build it with

 

my first consideration , would what action should i go for. meant to say as well that i have a bout a 4k budget for the complete rifle not including sundries

 

any comments very welcome

[OSOK]

Mark , Having shot the F Open for the past four years or so on the National circuit i know that the first thing to consider would be the stock and how it feels to you and how it sits and rides the front and rear bags .

Too much attention is given to actions as Bat's , Barnard's , Stolle etc all work well so just pick one that floats your boat and suits the stock .

You need to be shooting a 180g Berger at around 2,950 ft/sec to be in the running as well as having to read wind changes well because you'll be shooting against WSM's that are being pushed at 3,150 to 3,200 ft/sec and that difference in a full value 10mph will be around 3 inches and considering the 'V' has a radious of 2.5 inches .

Your gain in the Shehane will be barrel life , i guess 1500 to 2000 round pending how fast you push it but compared to the 700 to 1000 rounds of the WSM's it will be more economical .

Assuming your rifle will group well and your extreme spreads are under 20 ft/sec then the reality of F Open is that the faster you can push the bullet with the greater BC the more chance of wining you will have which leads to another requirement , that of deep pockets !

Do not be put off by this but see it as a challenge and know that you'll have to read the conditions better as i've found that the guy's who have 10-15 barrels to test and pick from don't care if they only get 700 rounds from it BUT velocity confidence can equal complacency so they are beatable !

Get a good front rest and rear bag with plenty of heavy sand and not 70% full but 100% full and have a go .

Your welcome to PM me and i will help you or anyone interested in F Class in getting started .

 

regards

 

OSOK

[1967spud]

thanks osok will pm you some question later on , either tonight or tommorow

[1967spud]

firstly osok do you think a 4k budget is enough for me to get going , i will be getting a seb front rest in the next week or two as well

[1967spud]

Am i correct in thinking that the overall weight for the rifle is less than 10kgs now does that in clude the rear bag and front pedestal ?

[OSOK]

The rifle is a 10kg limit not including bags etc , I think your best bet would be to buy a good second hand F Class rifle as time maybe another factor with 'good gunsmiths' and I think you could buy a nice rifle for £3000 to £3500 and even if you had a re-barrel your not far away from your budget .

 

regards

 

OSOK

[Laurie]

Mark,

 

I'd agree with OSOK re starting off secondhand. have a look at the 'for sale' section of the F-Class Asooc website. There are some rifles listed there at the moment, assuming they're still unsold.

 

F-Class for sale page

[1967spud]

thanks for the input, cant buy any thing till my certificate is back. but once it is

 

 

neil you have incoming

[Elwood]

I think if you shop around Mark you may even get some change out of your 4K.

 

Ronin on here has a Shehane tracker stock for sale and OSOK has a NF 12-42x56 scope with a very good reticle for F class. All you need now is a Barnard action and a barrel and someone to glue it all together.

 

All I will say is that from my own experience is do it right first time, not like myself who had a dual purpose rifle made and I now wish I had a dedicated F class rifle built the first time.

[1967spud]

yes i agree there ian , i had spudgun built didnt i

[1967spud]

Ronin you there buddy

[Ronin]

Hi Spud

 

 

the stock is actually a Greg West Cherry laminate. When I built my F Class rifle I ordered the Greg West, but there was a big delay, so ended up buying a Shehane Tracker in Obeche - as they were available on short time order.

 

 

The Greg West is going spare - its inletted for a Barnard P action, although it would probably suit most round actioned actions as the trigger is uninletted as are the action holes.

 

http://www.westcustomrifles.com/m8pop.htm

 

 

With regards to what others have posted - I aggree.

 

I am only in my second year of F Class - its a steep learning curve - you think you can read the wind (and can't!!, you think you can shoot a bit, well maybe) then you see guys clean targets when you are floundering....

 

 

The sport is very enjoyable, the guys (and girls) who compete are good fun and there is definately a team spirit at comps (mutual pixx taking etc etc)

 

 

 

Open and FTR are both "arms races" make no mistake.

 

Go in with your eyes open.

 

Buy the best, buy it once.

 

 

Steer clear of Quadlocks - too stiff to cycle the bolt (IMHO they unsettle the rifle on the bags)

 

 

Sure, buy second hand, but caveat emptor with regards barrels....

 

Also be aware or ammunition costs (you will need a 7mm to be competative and that means 180g Bergers), travel costs and accommodation all require factoring in to the overall annual budget.

 

 

Once you get a good stock, trigger and action, remember that barrels are expendable.

 

Optics - buy the best you can - as always.

 

Rests - get a SEB or Farley.

 

 

Look forwards to shooting with you.

[1967spud]

Thans Ronin out of interest how much is the stock likley to be please

thanks

[Ronin]

The stock cost me £425 to me inc taxes and shipping.

[1967spud]

thanks ronin , when i know wghat iam up to and after and if you still have it i'll contact you later on

[Gun Pimp]

Spud,

 

Have a look at the rifle that Grant Taylor built to win the League last year. Don't think you could better it.

See interview with Grant on the F Class website - www.f-class.org.uk

 

Vince