.308 Build?

[TrxR]

I am debating on building a .223 or .308 for F/TR and was wondering your suggestions on bullet weight as well as barrel twist and length. I will be shooting out to 1000/yds

Also my local club that I shoot rimfire benchrest also shoots 100/200 yd centerfire bench once a month. Would this be the least bit accurate for this as well. This is just for fun and trigger time.

Thanks

 

[FroggyOne2]

If this project is for "fun and trigger time", then may I suggest the .223, less expensive on the pocket purse!

 

[TrxR]

The F/TR will be more competitive

the bench will be more for fun.

Thanks

 

[MNFinn]

I'd go with a .308...because that's what I shoot. a .223 will do fine for out to 600yd F-T/R, but I'd think for long range, the .308 is the way to go.

 

[XTR]

If you want to compete in F-TR at 1000 yards get a 308, if you are shooting 600 or less and/or you'll do a lot of shooting that's not competitive, get a .223. The 223 gives up little at all to a 308 at 600 yards, has way less recoil and costs about half as much to shoot (or less) .

 

[ShootDots]

Hey TRXR, If you plan on shooting out to 1000 yards, there is really only one way to go in F T/R... Go with a 1 in 13 twist in a 30" barrel... You will be better off shooting the Berger 155 Hybrid or the 155.5 "FullBore"... You can drive them at or very near 3000f.p.s. They have EXTREMELY high B.C.'s for their weight. Varget, RL-15 or VV-N540 will get you there. Remember this, your "vertical" needs to be as small as possible out there and your speed needs to be as fast as possible to cut down on the bullet's "time-of-flight".. There are ONLY 2 areas that lessen both wind and trajectory>>>it is SPEED and B.C. >>> they are integral one with the other. I have witnessed MANY F-T/R shooters that use 175 and 185 gr. bullets>>>some of them shoot VERY well out to 1000 yards. However, having said that, I have seen BETTER shooting by the guys using the 155.5's at 3000... F-T/R, in my humble opinion, is a VERY tough discipline because of the choice of calibers needed to compete with. Add 1000 yards to the equation and slip a .223 in the mix, and it becomes as difficult as any shooting sport can get! Then it becomes imperative to get as many cards stacked in your favor as you can possibly afford to get.

 

[eric32]

I am not a expert my any means, but if you cant drive the 155 to 3k FPS you can try the 208amax at around 2500-2600 it will kick the winds butt at 1k.

 

[NateG]

Hey TRXR, If you plan on shooting out to 1000 yards, there is really only one way to go in F T/R... Go with a 1 in 13 twist in a 30" barrel... You will be better off shooting the Berger 155 Hybrid or the 155.5 "FullBore"

Starting with 155s (like the 155.5 Fullbore) is good advice... you'll be at a little disadvantage in the wind over the 185+ bullets, but the 155 out of a .308 is a very well-solved problem. It'll be easy to get it working. Also, it'll drift a bit more, and that'll make learning to read the wind easier. (bullet drifts more, so wind shows up on your target more. Quicker to get to "oh, so that condition is worth that!" point)

However, I very much disagree with the suggestion of a 1:13" barrel, especially for F/TR. (For Palma... I merely disagree) The newer 155-class bullets are more comfortable in a 1:12" twist than a 1-13. And, a faster twist gives you options for heavier bullets if you want--and the faster twists still work great with the 155s. I'm running 155s out of a 1:11, and I know of shooters who shoot 155s in 1:10" twists with no ill effects.

 

[jr600yd]

+1 for Nate. I shoot a 30" krieger 1/12 and found it shoots everything! for the 600yd matches I shoot 190 SMK's at 2700 fps. They are less sensitive to the wind than 155's even at 3000 fps. For 1K matches I switch to 185 Berger's at 2800 fps. Besides with a 1/13 you won't get the "Heavies" to shoot well, not enough twist to stabilize them. In my barrel a 200gr bullet is about as heavy as I can go before things get a little squirrely. My next barrel us gunna be a 1/10

 

[XTR]

Guys, the 155s are so two yrs ago, that and I've never been able to get them to shoot, I tried. (I know I may be in the minority)

Telling a new shooter to go out and drive 155s at 3000FPS+ is like giving an 18yo a pint of Jack and the keys to the Mustang. It has a really good chance of ending badly. Darrell will tell you that people have blown up rifles trying to get to the MVs he was shooting with 155s.

A 1:12 or a 1:11 will shoot up to the 185 Berget Juggs, which is what I'm shooting in my 1:10. The Aussies and the others who were shooting 155s all left Raton this yr saying no way they are going to come back next yr for the Worlds with 155s. The only time the 155s have any advantage is when you're shooting in dead calm conditions, then you are looking at pure accuracy and X count and the folks that can get them dialed seem to be able to keep them closer to the middle than the heavier bullets. That said I scored for a shooting buddy when he shot a 150-11X with 185 from 900.

 

[Jim G]

Plus 1 on the 185gr Berger's.

 

[XTR]

Plus 1 on the 185gr Berger's.

For a new shooter I suggest the Hornady 178 HPBT. It shoots almost the same as Berger 185, you can load them the same (at least in my rifle, same Varget load and .015 off of the lands) and they cost 20¢ less per shot. Until you are shooting Expert there is no reason to drop the extra $$ on the Bergers, they are only going to get you a point here and there, if you're dropping 13 to 20 on wind calls they aren't going to help.

 

[Cody Richardson]

I agree with XTR, nothing wrong with the 178 or my choice is the Nosler Custom Competition. I've shot the 155, 175 and the 190. Dirt cheap and shoot just as good for me.

I do however have love those 185 juggernauts... Just not the price

 

[broncman]

XTR, what is your load of Varget? Been trying to get these to work and no luck for me. Tried 43.5 to 44.5 in .2 increments.

168 and 175 SMK are both .5 moa out to 300 . Not had a chance to shoot any further.

 

[TrxR]

What would you guys think of a Stevens or Savage action setup for single shot with a rifel basix trigger. A True flite 1 in 10 twist at 30" in a heavy palma? A Choate, Mcmillan or H&S stock depending on my budget. I know there a better actions but this will be my first time getting into this type of shooting.

Thanks

 

[XTR]

You should find a node in the 43.8 to 44.4 range, maybe a little higher if you can seat really long. Shooting 44.2 0.10 off the lands I've printed 200 yard groups that have sub .2 vertical and .25 horizontal with the 178s. I'll post something up when I get to loading them. I spent this evening running all my brass through my new bench source annealer. I added the annealer and a Sartorius to my reloading system, I'm chasing those last 3 points that aren't me. That pushed them out at mid to high 2700s from my 30" kreiger.

I just got my barrel rechambered so I can seat longer, last yr I was working off of a reamer that wouldn't let me seat longer than 2.85 OAL. I should be closer to 3.0 with the new reamer. I'm going to do a workup with 178s and 185s. I shoot 178s in club matches and practice. Unless you are making wind calls at Camp Perry or Raton you cant call the difference in the two and when you shoot a few thousand rounds a yr it adds up.

I had a 44.4 load that I worked up in the cold that was hammering the brass in the summer. Primers getting questionable after 2 loadings, but it was pushing the 185 at 2800 in the heat. I can't live with that pressure, but it did shoot well (other than the 2 times it blew primers and shot low 8/9s)

 

[eric32]

What would you guys think of a Stevens or Savage action setup for single shot with a rifel basix trigger. A True flite 1 in 10 twist at 30" in a heavy palma? A Choate, Mcmillan or H&S stock depending on my budget. I know there a better actions but this will be my first time getting into this type of shooting.

Thanks

i shoot a "cleaned up" stevens 200 and a rifle basix trigger and its awesome, i would buy the barrel last so that why you get the biggest barrel you can without going over the 18lbs limit. but check out "the list" on
benchrest.com/shooterscorner and check for some deals.

 

[6BRinNZ]

What would you guys think of a Stevens or Savage action setup for single shot with a rifel basix trigger. A True flite 1 in 10 twist at 30" in a heavy palma? A Choate, Mcmillan or H&S stock depending on my budget. I know there a better actions but this will be my first time getting into this type of shooting.

Thanks

I'm looking to build an FTR rifle on a Macmillan A5.

I don't know anything about the Stevens actions but there are plenty of guys using savages. I use TrueFlite barrels exclusively and won two F-open regionals using them this year. When you get into this game you find that there is always a better piece of gear to chase after or try out...but you don't have to...the real game is learning the wind.

When I select gear or loads I look for what is reliable, will work out of the box and is easy to keep in tune.

Good luck it is a lot of fun.

 

[XTR]

This has been my F-TR rig for the last two seasons. I'm switching to a PR&T stock this yr, if I ever get my barrel to finish the build that is 15 mo in at this point

 

[6BRinNZ]

XTR - Nice rifle...is that an A5 stock? What does she weight now? Why Change the stock?