what Barrel length for FTR .308 200s

[6BRinNZ]

Hi everyone
just wondering what barrel length most are using in FTR these days for the 200s.
I've got Kelbly panda actions so I'm looking at a heavy varmint profile 29" finished.
I think think the 200.20s have node 2660 ish - I'm hoping I can get there with a 29" barrel without pushing the SRP brass too hard.
any experiences thoughts?
Thanks

 

[Codyway]

30" hv tuned to 2645, n150, cci 450, 200.20x, 0.170 fb
Gets 10-12 firings from peterson brass before pockets get pretty loose
I get a pretty good ejector swipe on the first firing, nothing after that

 

[XTR]

30” in general, but a 29 should work fine. I’ve got Lapua SRP in the range of 12 to 15 firings that is beginning to get loose. Running 200s in the mid 2600s MV. Similar freebore to the post above.

 

[D-4297]

I also run a Kelby Panda ; Left Bolt , Left Port in TR , and have always run a Brux or Kreiger 30" , 5r . Currently using both 185 Juggs , and 200.20x , set .005 off touch , with 43.6 grains of VV-150 and Rem 7-1/2 BR primers . Lapua SRP Brass . Average FPS runs 2660 - 2670 , and SD from 5.8 to 8.0 ....Scores run 195 - 8x to 200 - 13x on a really good day . Mostly 195 - 197 .
Shouldn't be any issue for you to get 2650 - 2660 from a 29" barrel .

 

[Fairchaser]

There’s a trade off between longer faster barrels versus shorter stiffer barrels. I ran a 27.5 inch HV kreiger with an EC tuner at a low node 42.7 grains of Varget at speeds of 2685 with 185 Berger juggs. This is not a LR load but very accurate for midrange. I shot 4 clean matches in a row with 200-15x on two of those cleans.

I’m about to chamber a 28 inch finished length with an Ezell tuner in a speedy taper in 10 twist .308. I’m hopeful I can develop an accurate and stable midrange load.

 

[memilanuk]

In the past, I had a 28" Bartlein HV 10 tw that tuned in nicely @ ~2610 fps, when a lot of others were running 2640-2660 @ 30" from a heavy Palma. IIRC, when I ran the OCW numbers that was right about where a half node was supposed to be at, for that barrel length.

So, this time around, when I sent all the bits off to the gunsmith for a new build, I sent two barrels: one, a 30" heavy Palma - because I *know* I'll make weight (with a bunch of room to spare) with that one, and a heavy Varmint that finished out @ 28". Took a little bit of finagling, but I managed to just squeak under the weight limit with a few ounces to spare @ 8.20 kg. I like the 28", and don't feel I'm giving up enough in velocity to worry about.

 

[Jon Leary]

What twist are you using for the 200's?

 

[XTR]

What twist are you using for the 200's?

Most of the FTR world has been shooting 1:10 since about 2013

 

[XTR]

This is the reality of F-TR shooting. It’s not an arms race, it’s match racing. The transition to custom stocks, purpose bipods, and heavier bullets was complete by about 2014. In the 5 yrs before that there was some transition from 155s to 185s to 200s. And some folks dabbled in 215s, even 230s, but by ‘15 all that pretty much ended. There has been some tweaking around the edges as a couple of things have been improved, but…

1. Single feed action - pick one
2. Stock or Chassis you like (Jade won the FCNC with an MPA chassis a few yrs back, Ian shoots a McM.)
3. 30 inch 1:10 barrel. Most folks can make weight with a HV these days. If you run a Phoenix bipod it’s harder.
4. NF Comp, Vortex GE, March HM, Sightron III scope with max mag at 50x to 60x give or take
5. 200gr Bergers running mid to upper 2600s
6. N150 or Varget
7. Small Primer Brass
8. 205m primers

other than some folks experimenting with Berger 208s in the last yr or so that’s it. I laugh at the “equipment race” comments on the WWW.

 

[Laurie]

I laugh at the “equipment race” comments on the WWW.

On our Eastern side of the Pond, there used to be ferocious criticism of FTR and the 'equipment race' from tactical shooters that focussed particularly on FTR bipods. Since then, these guys have spent as much, I'd say more, money on their kit including some very pricey bipods.

In the past, I had a 28" Bartlein HV 10 tw that tuned in nicely @ ~2610 fps, when a lot of others were running 2640-2660 @ 30" from a heavy Palma. IIRC, when I ran the OCW numbers that was right about where a half node was supposed to be at, for that barrel length.

Monte, I'm sure you remember Paul Crosbie from the US FTR visit to Blair Atholl in 2011. I don't know what Paul uses nowadays, but he too made a lot of use of very stiff 28-inch barrels for years with excellent results. This included winning FTR at least once in the annual GB F-Class Association Long-Range league round held at Bisley every June, all 1,000, 1,100 and 1,200 yards stages. This was pre 200.20Xs, so I'd imagine he was shooting the old Berger LRBT 210gn bullet which a lot of UK FTR shooters liked back then.

 

[memilanuk]

Oh I remember

I also remember you guys had the legacy of your 'Match Rifle' shooters, with those crazy hot heavy bullet loads that we (over here) thought were insane. And now, look where we've ended up

 

[Ned Ludd]

This is the reality of F-TR shooting. It’s not an arms race, it’s match racing. The transition to custom stocks, purpose bipods, and heavier bullets was complete by about 2014. In the 5 yrs before that there was some transition from 155s to 185s to 200s. And some folks dabbled in 215s, even 230s, but by ‘15 all that pretty much ended. There has been some tweaking around the edges as a couple of things have been improved, but…

1. Single feed action - pick one
2. Stock or Chassis you like (Jade won the FCNC with an MPA chassis a few yrs back, Ian shoots a McM.)
3. 30 inch 1:10 barrel. Most folks can make weight with a HV these days. If you run a Phoenix bipod it’s harder.
4. NF Comp, Vortex GE, March HM, Sightron III scope with max mag at 50x to 60x give or take
5. 200gr Bergers running mid to upper 2600s
6. N150 or Varget
7. Small Primer Brass
8. 205m primers

other than some folks experimenting with Berger 208s in the last yr or so that’s it. I laugh at the “equipment race” comments on the WWW.

Nowadays, the equipment race includes magnetic force restoration balances, high-end powder ticklers, 80X scopes that laugh in the face of mirage, spotting scopes that cost more than Hunter Biden's legal team, motorized bullet seaters, priming tools with more features than the space shuttle, and possibly a few other items that are not necessarily specific to either F-TR or F-Open. So even though on the surface the winning formula may seem less expensive and more straightforward for F-TR shooters, we all know you simply can't win if you don't own at least three or four of these items. Thus, the equipment race in F-TR has merely shifted to other "must-have" items, LOL. The sale of a [spare] kidney or lung may still be necessary to fund a winning F-TR setup.

 

[DumpHollow]

Ned, U R crackin’ me up!
Competition being what it is, humans just can’t help themselves. Shooters just need to learn to shoot and have fun with what they can afford and be happy with that. I started shooting back in the day in a club BR match against guys with Hart and Shilen rifles when the PPC was an infant with a lowly 40x 222, because that’s what I could afford. I see the top end competition as a yard stick and objective for my ability.

 

[Laurie]

Nowadays, the equipment race includes magnetic force restoration balances, high-end powder ticklers, 80X scopes that laugh in the face of mirage, spotting scopes that cost more than Hunter Biden's legal team, motorized bullet seaters, priming tools with more features than the space shuttle, and possibly a few other items that are not necessarily specific to either F-TR or F-Open. So even though on the surface the winning formula may seem less expensive and more straightforward for F-TR shooters, we all know you simply can't win if you don't own at least three or four of these items.

Ned, I'm not sure a lot of these pricey gizzmos make better ammunition, but they generally mean you can load good ammunition quicker.

With all the time their owners save, they now have more hours to work longer hours to pay for them.

 

[Ned Ludd]

Ned, I'm not sure a lot of these pricey gizzmos make better ammunition, but they generally mean you can load good ammunition quicker.

With all the time their owners save, they now have more hours to work longer hours to pay for them.

My response was merely a hefty bolus of sarcasm regarding the relative merit of always having to buy/own the newest and most expensive reloading toys. Some such toys may be of great benefit, others less so. The key here is that we can pretty much make the sport as expensive as we like, but it doesn't always have to be that way. For example, I use the Lee yellow plastic scoops to weigh powder to +/- half a kernel (or less). It may well take me a lot longer than someone using the Double Diamond Platinum-Adamantium Alloy X-47,000 Powder Tickler, but the ammo loaded using the Tickler won't be any better than mine loaded with the $11.95 yellow plastic scoops, if as good. Then again, I'm really not in a hurry when I load ammo. I consider each loaded round a work of art.