F class caliber combinations
- Thread starter Bodhisafa
- Start date
I have two matching rifles, only shoot .284 and have about 7 working barrels at any time between them. You develop barrels at your club matches, spin off the hammers for big matches and keep shooting the good but not amazing barrels at club matches or develop more new barrels. A lot of guys do this.
I used to have a mid range gun in a 6mm of some kind and then my long range in 284 but that's a lot of work managing two calibers when .284 is just fine for mid and long range. But that's me. Plenty of better and plenty of worse shooters who manage two or three calibers so they can pick one out like a golf club as needed. I just choose to play with only a 7 iron.
I used to have a mid range gun in a 6mm of some kind and then my long range in 284 but that's a lot of work managing two calibers when .284 is just fine for mid and long range. But that's me. Plenty of better and plenty of worse shooters who manage two or three calibers so they can pick one out like a golf club as needed. I just choose to play with only a 7 iron.
Warren Dean
Team Savage F-TR
Why? Just curious...
B Nettesheim
Gold $$ Contributor
I switch my barrels between 284 & 284
Mulligan
Silver $$ Contributor
I have two bolts for my rifle and have used a 6 dasher, 284, and 300wsm to shoot F-Class.
All shoot small, forgive in the wind has a cost and is paid in recoil.
I have won more 600 yard and 1000 yard matches with a dasher. Then again, I have shot a lot more matches with my dasher.
CW
All shoot small, forgive in the wind has a cost and is paid in recoil.
I have won more 600 yard and 1000 yard matches with a dasher. Then again, I have shot a lot more matches with my dasher.
CW
You choice of cartridges should depend on the wind conditions of the range(s) you primarily shoot at. If you are in primarily "windy / switchy" conditions, 7mm thru 30 cals should be ones you look at. If you are in mild to moderate "stable" conditions, a "light" cartridge for mid-range and a "moderate" cartridge for long-range, would be what you need to be looking at...
Example#1: Ben Avery / Bayou Rifles or Long Range Alley in La. These are VERY tough ranges due to their "mostly" difficult atmospheric conditions. In MY (stress that) opinion a .284 (or any variation) thru to .300WSM are top flight for these ranges.. In my "not so humble" opinion, the .300WSM sits AT THE TOP of the food chain for tough ranges / conditions..
Example#2: Golden Triangle Gun Club / Pinola County Gun Club, both in Texas (both 600 yards) could GREATLY be served by a 6mm Dasher. These clubs "generally" are relatively "calm and stable". If you have a club where the 1000 yard range is much like these, a .284, or any variant, will be excellent. However, having said that, a 7mm Sherman Short or a 7 SAUM is a tad better, as they simply produce MORE of what a .284 can.
REMEMBER THIS, a 7mm Sherman, SAUM or a .300WSM will do exceedingly well at 600 yards too! In your "calm / stable" ranges, scores tend to be VERY high, a WIN could come down to 1 point of even "X" count. That is where a 6Dasher could prove very valuable at mid-range in situations like that..
Example#1: Ben Avery / Bayou Rifles or Long Range Alley in La. These are VERY tough ranges due to their "mostly" difficult atmospheric conditions. In MY (stress that) opinion a .284 (or any variation) thru to .300WSM are top flight for these ranges.. In my "not so humble" opinion, the .300WSM sits AT THE TOP of the food chain for tough ranges / conditions..
Example#2: Golden Triangle Gun Club / Pinola County Gun Club, both in Texas (both 600 yards) could GREATLY be served by a 6mm Dasher. These clubs "generally" are relatively "calm and stable". If you have a club where the 1000 yard range is much like these, a .284, or any variant, will be excellent. However, having said that, a 7mm Sherman Short or a 7 SAUM is a tad better, as they simply produce MORE of what a .284 can.
REMEMBER THIS, a 7mm Sherman, SAUM or a .300WSM will do exceedingly well at 600 yards too! In your "calm / stable" ranges, scores tend to be VERY high, a WIN could come down to 1 point of even "X" count. That is where a 6Dasher could prove very valuable at mid-range in situations like that..
Would like to get into F class. I have a barrel ( 6GT) that will headspace unto a Kelblys single shot action ( still trying to decide which of their models torn between their steel golden bear and aluminum variants) and need to formulate the other components. Meaning should I chamber a 284 Winchester to accompany said 6GT or do I need a 7 SAUM or just keep it simple a run one caliber.
I live in Mississippi, weather conditions are what they are.
I am not gunning for any national championships, just trying to pick up a new discipline in our various shooting sports, that I can share with friends and family.
Keith Glasscock
Gold $$ Contributor
Save yourself a headache and do a 284 after you wear out the 6GT. That 6mm will easily make it to 1000 yards, and will be a gift that just keeps giving in terms of learning wind reading and strategy.
Listen to Keith. I wish I would have asked and received this advice years ago.
I run 2 different calibres right now and will expand to 4 by mid year. My fun local club gun will be a switch barrel 6GT which will be replaced with a 300wsm for big matches. My other two rifles consist of a 284 Shehane and a soon to be built 7SAUM wildcat. Why? The 6mm will be sufficient for most times during the year at my local range. My 300wsm cannot be used at all ranges throughout Australia due to energy restriction limits. The 284 will be used at big matches where energy limits are an issue, and the 7SAUM wildcat is in the same boat to be run at the longs with heavier bullets over the 284.
The cost of barrels, brass and projectiles is also a factor and the 6mm is the cheapest to run - I don't see the point in wearing out the primary comp gear on local club shoots. As it is, Berger 7mm and 30cal projectiles are more than $1 each here now.
The cost of barrels, brass and projectiles is also a factor and the 6mm is the cheapest to run - I don't see the point in wearing out the primary comp gear on local club shoots. As it is, Berger 7mm and 30cal projectiles are more than $1 each here now.
Warren Dean
Team Savage F-TR
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What he said.
I’m curious on your impressions over those years about calibers or approaches that didn’t meet expectations.
I have one of those!! 
A Barnard P action with a .284 Shehane currently mounted, with 2 other .284 Shehane barrels ready to go, a 6.5-55 barrel, a 6.5-.284 barrel, a 6mm DASHER barrel, and 2 Win .243 barrels!! Oh, and a straight .284 barrel. Low milage on all barrels except for one Shehane and the .284. Wanna buy the rig?
I use Shehanes (and 7mm short magnums) for regionals and higher...smaller calibers for mid-range and club matches, now and then.
A Barnard P action with a .284 Shehane currently mounted, with 2 other .284 Shehane barrels ready to go, a 6.5-55 barrel, a 6.5-.284 barrel, a 6mm DASHER barrel, and 2 Win .243 barrels!! Oh, and a straight .284 barrel. Low milage on all barrels except for one Shehane and the .284. Wanna buy the rig?I use Shehanes (and 7mm short magnums) for regionals and higher...smaller calibers for mid-range and club matches, now and then.
We don’t often think in these terms anymore, but when I started down the accurate gun path, it really mattered (to me at least) how two or more different options grouped at distance, on a constant hold, where I could not see bullet holes, and was not attempting pull the trigger in the same wind condition, but did attempt to give both guns or loads a similar wind challenge. With enough trials the results become reliable.
I considered the size of the different groups to be something of a litmus test as to the pure efficacy of the options I was considering, BC, bullet consistency, etc., before introducing to that mix, hold offs and waiting.
Looking at actual groups punched in paper this way on windy days, deflection was by far the greatest contributor to a group’s size, no surprises there.
If one starts out picking an option between several that empirically produces a larger relative group, uncorrected, can it always be overcome with superior reads, just because one or two guys usually can? This is where a shooter has to differentiate between the merely plausible and the realistic, on their own shooting regimen and desired outcome. For me, the current answer is no and I see very little downside in a magnum over my trusty .284’s, but potentially with greater wind a healthy upside against the typically-used magnums, let alone .284s, such as Sunday.
I considered the size of the different groups to be something of a litmus test as to the pure efficacy of the options I was considering, BC, bullet consistency, etc., before introducing to that mix, hold offs and waiting.
Looking at actual groups punched in paper this way on windy days, deflection was by far the greatest contributor to a group’s size, no surprises there.
If one starts out picking an option between several that empirically produces a larger relative group, uncorrected, can it always be overcome with superior reads, just because one or two guys usually can? This is where a shooter has to differentiate between the merely plausible and the realistic, on their own shooting regimen and desired outcome. For me, the current answer is no and I see very little downside in a magnum over my trusty .284’s, but potentially with greater wind a healthy upside against the typically-used magnums, let alone .284s, such as Sunday.
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It’s more of a personal thing. I don’t keep good enough records or a very organized person. I feel my best 1000 yd match I ever shot was with 260ai. I could feel the gun was in tune. It was Tenn state match 2 years ago. I held my own with that bunch you shoot with. The gun just shot where I pointed it. I personally feel gun tune, gun handling and wind reading are more important than BC and speed. So I made an effort this year to focus on 284 and the basics. 284 is just the easy button. I am a firm believer in accuracy and consistency trumps all. If you have an accurate magnum you will do well.
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