Spend some time finding closest Fclass matches to you and go observe before you spend any money. Good luck.
Stephen
Damsel needs advice-what rifle is suitable for long distance competitive shooting?
- Thread starter Tori.F
- Start date
Stephen
I would find out if there are any f-class matches close to you. When I first started shooting FTR, there was a 1000 yd range within an hour of my house. We lost access to that range, so now I have to drive 3.5 hr to shoot any F-Class distance. Don't get into a discipline you can't do relatively close to your home. Today there are very few 1000 yard ranges in the US. Many states don't have a range at all. Even as big as Texas is, we only have 2-3 ranges that go to 1000 yards. Hopefully with the e-targets available, more places will open up.
CJ6
Silver $$ Contributor
Good advice here. It's hard to practice/compete at distance if there is no range close to you. Finding one and going to what matches they have will help. Buying a used Custom rig that my need a barrel is a good place to start (a lot of worn out BR bbls) will still shoot better than anything from a factory and can be bought in your price range. Good luck and enjoy the sport.
There is the best advice given so far.....
6mm in an XLR Element stock (shorter length of pull) with a really nice scope is a good place to start. Keep it lighter than the boys rifles. Go to a match and watch, most people will let you mess around with thier stuff. Be careful though, those guys don't meet many women at matches and might be scared of real ones.
Getting started suggests working with a light recoil cartridge that doesn’t ihwve to be the most competitive out there. For example the Creedmore has a lot of followers, but the recoil is enough to distract a new shooter in spite of many saying it is a “low recoil“ cartridge.
Look closely at the 6mm ARC and the 6.5 Grendel. The Grendel will ring steel with authority out to past 1200 yards one most days. The ARC can also but the lighter bullet won’t make as much noise.
Both cartridges are known to be very competitive out to 600 yards. Both will give impressive results out to at least 1,000 yards. Both are hugely fun to shoot.
Start with one of them to get a feel for the sport and help decide which discipline you want to start doing serious work in. In the meantime, explore whch cartridges win matches regularly in the various disciplines.
You will probably know when you are ready to try the most most competitive cartridges where managing recoil is a more significant factor.
Look closely at the 6mm ARC and the 6.5 Grendel. The Grendel will ring steel with authority out to past 1200 yards one most days. The ARC can also but the lighter bullet won’t make as much noise.
Both cartridges are known to be very competitive out to 600 yards. Both will give impressive results out to at least 1,000 yards. Both are hugely fun to shoot.
Start with one of them to get a feel for the sport and help decide which discipline you want to start doing serious work in. In the meantime, explore whch cartridges win matches regularly in the various disciplines.
You will probably know when you are ready to try the most most competitive cartridges where managing recoil is a more significant factor.
i would buy a new savage in 6 br $1200 and a sightron 10x50 used $800to $900 and you can shoot 300&600 yds f class & ibs benchrest at 600 yds .
Here is where Van Meter posts the match bulletins. Great(only?) 600 yard range in Iowa with electronic targets.
accurateandreliablerifle.com
ACCURATE AND RELIABLE RIFLE
Service Rifle CMP and NRA High Power Competitions at The Des Moines Rifle and Revolver Club
shooterk
Silver $$ Contributor
6 BR. Easy to shoot and load. Accurate and will do 600 & 1000. I shoot FTR so I like 308, but when I have a rough shoot, I take the BR out to get a little confidence back. If your leaning towards FTR, a fast twist 223 will get the job done for midrange 600 and 1000 after you get a handle on the wind.
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
Torif - given your intentions, the first question I would ask is whether you reload your own ammunition. Although it is not absolutely "essential" to get started in F-Class, eventually you will want to roll your own if you want to compete at a high level. There are two reasons I mention this. The first is that you will want to consider the cost of reloading equipment and supplies at some point, which will be above and beyond the cost of a complete rifle setup. Secondly, your intentions and physical description would match up very well with using .223 Rem as a caliber, which would put you into the F-Target Rifle (F-TR) subdivision of F-Class. Unfortunately, most .223 Rem offerings in commercial ammunition are not at all ideal for shooting at 600+ yd, due to the lighter bullet weights used. In order to get started (if you don't already reload), the .308 Win would be a better choice for F-TR shooting at 600+ yd, as a few heavier bullet options are commercially available. However, the .308 Win will have substantially more recoil than a .223 Rem, which might be a deal breaker in terms of just getting started. These are things to think about.
Given your location, the Milan Rifle Club might be a good place to get started:
www.milanrifle.club
Last I heard, they host High Power/F-Class matches out to 600 yd and are located a bit closer to you than Des Moines, being just across the river almost straight south of Davenport. There are certainly other options in the general region, but most will be in the range of 4+ hr driving time. I shoot F-TR at Eastern Nebraska Gun Club (https://engc.us/home), slightly southwest of Omaha, but that would also be a bit of a drive for you. Nonetheless, you are more than welcome to come out and shoot with us next season. In fact, I have a couple .223 Rem F-TR rifles that I shoot regularly in matches in addition to .308 Win. I would be willing to load up rounds and let you shoot one in a match to see what you think. I'm sure you would also find plenty of discussion with our shooters regarding an F-Class rifle setup and competing in F-Class. We have a few shooters from IA that may also be able to point you to a venue closer to home. I appreciate that the logistics of traveling to Omaha are not as appealing as finding a range that hosts F-Class matches closer to home, but the offer is open if you ever want to make the drive. You can always contact me via PM here if interested, or just for answers to any questions you might have.
To elaborate a bit more on the .223 Rem, most F-TR competitors that use one are hand-loading bullets in the 80-95 gr weight range, as these bullets are noticeably more resistant to wind deflection than the lighter (77 gr and below) bullets typically found in commercial ammunition. Because the bullets most often used are much longer (heavier) than those found in commercial ammunition, you want a rifle with a chamber that has a long throat better able to accommodate them. Barrel lengths of 30" (or more) are also the norm. These long bullets also require a relatively fast rifling twist rate (7.0-twist is generally sufficient) in order to fully stabilize them. One rifle that satisfies most of these requirements that also falls well within your price range is the Savage 12 F/TR rifle in .223 Rem.
https://www.savagearms.com/content?p=firearms&a=product_summary&s=18154
The one caveat to that is that I don't know exactly how long the throat of the Savage 12 F/TR rifle is out of the box is, but the barrel length and twist rate are spot on. Further, the throat length can be extended with a special tool. There are other considerations with the Savage rifles, those being the Accu-trigger, which some don't care for, and that the factory barrels are generally pretty rough inside the bore. Nonetheless, factory Savage rifles can shoot straight out of the box, and I have seen many very fine scores posted by folks using them. Further, once the factory barrel is shot out, it can be replaced with a quality aftermarket barrel chambered any way you like. So another attractive feature about the Savage rifles for those just starting out in F-Class is that they will typically burn out the factory barrel while learning more about F-Class shooting and gaining experience in the discipline. By the time the factory barrel is burned out, they will be more experienced and ready to upgrade with a new barrel. For that reason, the factory barrel really shouldn't be a deal-breaker, and as I mentioned, factory Savage rifles can shoot extremely well. Again, something to think about.
Best of luck with whatever you choose to do in competition precision rifle shooting! It's not exactly the "least expensive" sport you could have chosen, but you'll meet a lot of great folks and enjoy the thrill of competition.
Given your location, the Milan Rifle Club might be a good place to get started:
Home | Milan RC
www.milanrifle.club
Last I heard, they host High Power/F-Class matches out to 600 yd and are located a bit closer to you than Des Moines, being just across the river almost straight south of Davenport. There are certainly other options in the general region, but most will be in the range of 4+ hr driving time. I shoot F-TR at Eastern Nebraska Gun Club (https://engc.us/home), slightly southwest of Omaha, but that would also be a bit of a drive for you. Nonetheless, you are more than welcome to come out and shoot with us next season. In fact, I have a couple .223 Rem F-TR rifles that I shoot regularly in matches in addition to .308 Win. I would be willing to load up rounds and let you shoot one in a match to see what you think. I'm sure you would also find plenty of discussion with our shooters regarding an F-Class rifle setup and competing in F-Class. We have a few shooters from IA that may also be able to point you to a venue closer to home. I appreciate that the logistics of traveling to Omaha are not as appealing as finding a range that hosts F-Class matches closer to home, but the offer is open if you ever want to make the drive. You can always contact me via PM here if interested, or just for answers to any questions you might have.
To elaborate a bit more on the .223 Rem, most F-TR competitors that use one are hand-loading bullets in the 80-95 gr weight range, as these bullets are noticeably more resistant to wind deflection than the lighter (77 gr and below) bullets typically found in commercial ammunition. Because the bullets most often used are much longer (heavier) than those found in commercial ammunition, you want a rifle with a chamber that has a long throat better able to accommodate them. Barrel lengths of 30" (or more) are also the norm. These long bullets also require a relatively fast rifling twist rate (7.0-twist is generally sufficient) in order to fully stabilize them. One rifle that satisfies most of these requirements that also falls well within your price range is the Savage 12 F/TR rifle in .223 Rem.
https://www.savagearms.com/content?p=firearms&a=product_summary&s=18154
The one caveat to that is that I don't know exactly how long the throat of the Savage 12 F/TR rifle is out of the box is, but the barrel length and twist rate are spot on. Further, the throat length can be extended with a special tool. There are other considerations with the Savage rifles, those being the Accu-trigger, which some don't care for, and that the factory barrels are generally pretty rough inside the bore. Nonetheless, factory Savage rifles can shoot straight out of the box, and I have seen many very fine scores posted by folks using them. Further, once the factory barrel is shot out, it can be replaced with a quality aftermarket barrel chambered any way you like. So another attractive feature about the Savage rifles for those just starting out in F-Class is that they will typically burn out the factory barrel while learning more about F-Class shooting and gaining experience in the discipline. By the time the factory barrel is burned out, they will be more experienced and ready to upgrade with a new barrel. For that reason, the factory barrel really shouldn't be a deal-breaker, and as I mentioned, factory Savage rifles can shoot extremely well. Again, something to think about.
Best of luck with whatever you choose to do in competition precision rifle shooting! It's not exactly the "least expensive" sport you could have chosen, but you'll meet a lot of great folks and enjoy the thrill of competition.
gambleone
Silver $$ Contributor
Agree, best to find someone to help you through all the many options.
bobinpa
Gold $$ Contributor
Hello and welcome aboard!
Personally I think you are pigeon holing yourself too much. You are new and asking questions about scopes etc.... If I were you, I would go to a match or 2 and watch and ask questions and I am certain someone would let you shoot their rifle. Shooting 1 or 2 different guns would give you a ton of experience and may lead you down the appropriate path sooner.
Having buyers remorse stinks, so why go out and buy a rifle, scope etc and then say wait, I would like to try XYZ. I have tons of stuff that I don't use and I have tons of stuff that I have sold for a fraction of what I paid because I "thought" it was what I wanted or needed. Looking back I would have saved a lot of time and money if I had a mentor or if I had gone to a couple of matches with someone. Instead I just started buying and going. It got expensive real quick.
You may be happy with a factory gun and then again you may want a full blown custom. To get the most accuracy out of any rifle you may want to learn how to reload too. In rifle shooting accuracy usually equals money spent. Everyone has a budget, even the wealthiest.
I don't want to hurt your enthusiasm, but I hate to see people waste money just because they didn't know any better. That dirty green paper doesn't come easy.
Also, the best thing you could have done for yourself is to come here. There are many world class shooters on this forum and great rifle builders too. You will learn a ton from the people on this forum.
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Stop, Look and Think.
Go to a Fclass match a PRS match and a BR match and just look around and talk to people.
See what you like, then decide.
1911mag
Gold $$ Contributor
Got the page -
Yes we are in Davenport Iowa, Milan is the nearest range for 600 with pits (no electronics there).
My wife (4'11" and not adding weight but say very petite) started shooting 2 years ago with a Remington 223 in a HS Precision stock, Bartlien 1:7 barrel HV, ISSF reamer to run Berger 90's. (That got me too HM in Mid Range) Last year I built a new one for her. I went with Borden action HBR with no ejector, another Bartlien 1:7 barrel HV, ISSF reamer and she wanted to stick with the HS Precision stocks even though I had a Cerus FTR stock sitting. Not debating a caliber .223 VS .308 but I will say the recoil is less. I shoot Van Meter as well couple times a year. I would be more than happy to bring the gear and let you see and shoot a .223 and .308 set up for FTR. Just PM me and we can set something up.
Yes we are in Davenport Iowa, Milan is the nearest range for 600 with pits (no electronics there).
My wife (4'11" and not adding weight but say very petite) started shooting 2 years ago with a Remington 223 in a HS Precision stock, Bartlien 1:7 barrel HV, ISSF reamer to run Berger 90's. (That got me too HM in Mid Range) Last year I built a new one for her. I went with Borden action HBR with no ejector, another Bartlien 1:7 barrel HV, ISSF reamer and she wanted to stick with the HS Precision stocks even though I had a Cerus FTR stock sitting. Not debating a caliber .223 VS .308 but I will say the recoil is less. I shoot Van Meter as well couple times a year. I would be more than happy to bring the gear and let you see and shoot a .223 and .308 set up for FTR. Just PM me and we can set something up.
Find a club or range in your area that is active in the discipline you want to shoot...go to a couple events...watch/talk to club officers they will generally point you in the right direction...a lot of times you can get a really good deal and good advice on equipment...pay attention to the equipment that the guys/girls that are most competitive are using....do you reload?....thats a whole other wormhole to head down....welcome to competitive shooting!
Sandstorm
Gold $$ Contributor
This is 100% on the Money...Go find a Match and ask a bunch of questions before or after the Competition.
Before you buy anything...go talk to people.
Don't buy anything yet. Go to several shoots before you make a decision. We have a veteran here that geared up to shoot F class and discovered that his injures in service to his country prevented him from being able to get prone and shoot F class. he now shoots benchrest. Go to an f class match, go to a 3 gun match go see a benchrest match, check out service rifle attend a smallbore shoot. See what is going on close to where you live, traveling many miles to shoot takes time and money. If you spend time looking something will look fun or you will meet some people that stand out and you will know what you want to do. When you find something interesting ask around and see if someone will lend you a rifle to shoot one match with. buying now before you look may mean buying a bunch of the wrong equipment that hinders your progress.
Rope2horns
Norm Harrold
Lot's of good information in this thread.....The three posts that I would recommend paying attention to are......Post19-Post25-Post38<<< I would suggest you take Mike and Heather up on this offer, good folks can't go wrong there.
@torif This is true to an extent. It's been my observation over the years that females who take up shooting, have proper guidance and work at it, turn out to be better shooters than most men. Listen to Norm, great advice. Or, talk to Norm's wife Tracy or JennB on this forum, both of whom beat 99% of the men they shoot against like drums. Jump in with both feet with a desire to learn and you'll do fine. And believe this, the less you know now, the better you'll be in the long run. Good Luck in your quest, I hope to shoot against you some day.
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