Damsel needs advice-what rifle is suitable for long distance competitive shooting?

[Tori.F]

Here is where Van Meter posts the match bulletins. Great(only?) 600 yard range in Iowa with electronic targets.

ACCURATE AND RELIABLE RIFLE

Service Rifle CMP and NRA High Power Competitions at The Des Moines Rifle and Revolver Club

accurateandreliablerifle.com

Great!! Thank you! I'm going to go for sure.

 

[Tori.F]

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!

Thank you! Lots of great folks on here and great advice given. I appreciate the insight and I am taking your advice, along with all the other's.

 

[Tori.F]

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.

Thank you. I have a friend you shot in the F class, who also taught me how to shoot. You are right, I will find some matches, go watch and ask some questions. I have shot an Ar-15 that they use at the prison I work at. I have gotten a ton of great advice here from folks, and I appreciate your insight as well.

 

[darkangel_r2]

Which one would you do if you were just starting out in F-TR? Probably factory I presume?

There is a pretty big gap between handloads and factory for both of these calibers, and unless the gun is heavy, 308 might have intolerable recoil since a lot of them don't allow brakes.

If you can handload you should. If you haven't started doing that yet, don't start before you get a good amount of trigger time first.

If you intend to buy factory for F-TR go 223. Get high quality 223 ammo, get a quality aftermarket barrel, and get it threaded for the largest diameter barrel tuner you can find that doesn't pass the muzzle (try not to remove too much material around the crown). The ats tuner comes to mind. That makes a big difference for factory ammo.

PRS might be another competition series you should consider. I don't think factory ammo is as big a hindrance there. Same advice there though get a good barrel and thread it big. More caliber choice here too as most calibers are allowed and you can use a brake/ tuner combo. A savage percision, ruger rpr, any chassis gun from a major manufacturer, or really any quality gun you can easily fit an aics magwell to with an aftermarket barrel with a tuner brake combo and a vortex viper pst g2, mid range athlon, arken, ect scope can punch high above their price tag in prs even with factory ammo.

 

[Tori.F]

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.

Thank you. Good insight. I have gotten some really great advice on here from some great folks. I live in Anamosa, Iowa right now, I have gotten some feedback of where to go watch.

 

[Tori.F]

There is a pretty big gap between handloads and factory for both of these calibers, and unless the gun is heavy, 308 might have intolerable recoil since a lot of them don't allow brakes.

If you can handload you should. If you haven't started doing that yet, don't start before you get a good amount of trigger time first.

If you intend to buy factory for F-TR go 223. Get high quality 223 ammo, get a quality aftermarket barrel, and get it threaded for the largest diameter barrel tuner you can find that doesn't pass the muzzle (try not to remove too much material around the crown). The ats tuner comes to mind. That makes a big difference for factory ammo.

PRS might be another competition series you should consider. I don't think factory ammo is as big a hindrance there. Same advice there though get a good barrel and thread it big. More caliber choice here too as most calibers are allowed and you can use a brake/ tuner combo.

Gotcha. I am going to message you a little later for some more questions. Thank you.

 

[Tori.F]

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.

Thank you sir. Yes, lots of great advice. I appreciate it and I will.

 

[Tori.F]

@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.

Ironically, I have heard this as well. I will definitely be reaching out to both of those ladies to gain their insight, and hopefully learn a thing or two, they sound like great mentors. I hope to shoot against you some day as well, and yes, the less you know is better.

Thank you for reaching out and offering insight, I appreciate it.

 

[Tori.F]

Thanks Dean! There are a number of great posts here and I agree that you should check out some different matches to get an idea of what you would like to do. Shooting is not a cheap sport if done right so getting a feel for what you might enjoy doing can save you a lot of time and money spent on the wrong equipment.

I am available to help guide you in any way I can and I am sure there are few other women here that would also make themselves available to help.

Great, because you just signed up to answer a lot of my questions lol.

More seriously, I appreciate the advice and support. After this weekend, I will reach out to you with some questions and hopefully you can provide some answers.

Thank you!

 

[mr45man]

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.

Yes, what Bob said.
Go to a couple of matches.

 

[Tori.F]

To repeat because it makes sense, check NSSF and NRA and others for matches within a reasonable driving distance to you in Iowa. Join any Facebook groups associated with shooting in your part of the country. Attend multiple matches, ask to handle and even shoot a variety of rifles. Make a special effort for Appleseed matches and other particularly friendly to newcomer groups. It doesn't make much sense to tool up for a thousand yard bench rest match and then be forced to drive to Pennsylvania to shoot a match. Over the course or high power is often a good introduction because there can be a choice of matches and introductory equipment is affordable. The various books from Precision Shooting can be useful but not out of print and so pricey. Interlibrary loan is a good idea.

Hey, thank you for the insight. I have gotten some great advice here, hopefully it helps other folks as well. I am part of the NRA, I will check of NSSF as well. I have written down a lot of the knowledge folks shared, and I now have a good sense of plan and direction thanks to you all.

 

[Tori.F]

Yes, what Bob said.
Go to a couple of matches.

You can't hurt my enthusiasm; I work as a healthcare provider in a prison full of inmates. And giving me the solid truth advice wise, is what people need to know what to expect. Although, the less you know is always better lol.

Thank you for your advice. My husband owns a couple rifles, he has no desire to shoot competitively. I have shot the AR long distance; however, you are right, I need to go watch some matches and learn a thing or two. A friend of mine who shot in F class taught me how to shoot well, he just doesn't shoot much anymore. From all the great advice I have been given, I have a clearer sense of direction and put a plan into place. Thank you much for your knowledge and I will let you know what I think after seeing a match first hand!

 

[dellet]

I can't offer any technical advice that other more qualified people have already covered.

What I can offer, is encouragement to keep doing what you are already doing. Learning like a girl. Find the mentor/teacher that understands that great quality.

Most guys would already own probably the wrong rifle for what they want to do, along with all the clothes, gear, weather monitors and of course mastered the "tactical nod" needed to try and hide the fact they don't know what they are doing.

Gals seem to ask questions long before they find the wrong answer and have to correct what "they already know". That generally flattens the learning curve for women and saves them a ton of money and aggravation..

Probably some of the best husband brownie points I have earned over the years, have been if my wife wants to try something I am doing, I get her her own gear as much as possible. The "here use this until you decide you if you like it" is almost a sure way to spoil the fun. If it doesn't fit, it's not fun, More so in something like shooting where it will effect the score.

Good luck and enjoy the time spent. There are a lot of guys, and I am probably be one, that wish they could shoot like a girl.

 

[Tori.F]

I can't offer any technical advice that other more qualified people have already covered.

What I can offer, is encouragement to keep doing what you are already doing. Learning like a girl. Find the mentor/teacher that understands that great quality.

Most guys would already own probably the wrong rifle for what they want to do, along with all the clothes, gear, weather monitors and of course mastered the "tactical nod" needed to try and hide the fact they don't know what they are doing.

Gals seem to ask questions long before they find the wrong answer and have to correct what "they already know". That generally flattens the learning curve for women and saves them a ton of money and aggravation..

Probably some of the best husband brownie points I have earned over the years, have been if my wife wants to try something I am doing, I get her her own gear as much as possible. The "here use this until you decide you if you like it" is almost a sure way to spoil the fun. If it doesn't fit, it's not fun, More so in something like shooting where it will effect the score.

Good luck and enjoy the time spent. There are a lot of guys, and I am probably be one, that wish they could shoot like a girl.

What a great post! I love the honesty, I feel you are correct; however, guys are simpler, us girls need to know ALL of the details so we get it right, you know how emotional and distraught we can get lol.

I have gotten some great feedback; I have a clearer sense of direction now. The encouragement is one thing people need more of, it's what keep us all doing great.

 

[CNC-Dude]

That is awesome!! Do you guys live near Anamosa, Iowa lol? I feel she could teach me something. What was her first rifle and did she ever shoot in F-TR? Thank you, you sure got a fun wife to share a fun hobby with you!

No, we live in N.Georgia. Thanks for the comments. I bought her a Ruger American in .243 and she shot it out to 800 yards with good accuracy with my reloads to make sure she really liked it and enjoyed it. I had a RPR myself in 6.5 Creedmoor also and after about a year I asked her if she wanted to shoot it, and she did and liked the light recoil and shot all in the X ring at 1000 first time. So she wanted one then...LOL

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Save your factory brass, you're going to need it! Good luck with your new found hobby.

 

[DGP4]

Thank you! My friend Cole who shot in F class taught me how to shoot, I am sure if I asked him, he would teach me how to be best at shooting competitively, but he doesn't shoot much anymore.
Where do I list my area so I can find help? I am in Anamosa, Iowa.
And thank you for your response.

torif, you may want to start by looking at this thread and possibly the folks that responded on it can be of help.

IOWA RIFLE RANGES YET ANYONE???

I moved down to Iowa a couple months ago. The countryside here in middle Iowa seems to naturally lend itself to long range shooting with the wide open and gently rolling field spaces and the periodic hillsides that would work as natural berms. I am already missing the 600 yard range near...

forum.accurateshooter.com

 

[Tori.F]

torif, you may want to start by looking at this thread and possibly the folks that responded on it can be of help.

IOWA RIFLE RANGES YET ANYONE???

I moved down to Iowa a couple months ago. The countryside here in middle Iowa seems to naturally lend itself to long range shooting with the wide open and gently rolling field spaces and the periodic hillsides that would work as natural berms. I am already missing the 600 yard range near...

forum.accurateshooter.com

This is great, I just read all of them. I appreciate you taking the time to send me this!

 

[Archer79]

Every year the original 1000yd benchrest club in pa has a shooters school that touches on reloading bench/gun set up...it has some classroom time but most of your time is spent shooting with your instructor it's a bit far for you but I've never heard a bad review of it and it would be very informative for a new shooter....with some of the best shooters in the game of long-range benchrest as instructors

 

[bobinpa]

Where do I list my area so I can find help? I am in Anamosa, Iowa.

Go to the top right corner of the page and click on your name. Then go to account details. Scroll down to location. Whatever you put in there shows up under your login name on the screen. Account details is also where you can add a signature or avatar etc...