F-class novice

[mysticplayer]

stewie333, since I am in Canada, maybe I can shed some light.

F,M) is still in its infancy out west. I can assume that you are in Ont where they have put on F,M) matches. DCRA has all the rules.

Since you are working with a factory rifle, they don't separate cals or cartridges. Essentially, the class becomes F,O) using factory rifles. With many ranges only going to 600yds, you can get away with a 223/308 type rig,still not ideal). However, if shooting at say Connaught where you will be shooting out to 900yds, other choices are way better.

I am very partial to Savage as they have been superbly accurate for the costs involved. I have a friend that owns two heavy barrels - 243 and 308. Both shoot 1/2 MOA or better at short range. We plink out to 1000m on MOA or smaller rocks and he has no problem hitting them, as long as he gets the wind right.

Personally, for recoil, cost and ballistics, I can't see a better choice then the 243/260/7-08 group. In a Savage, the only choice right now is 243 in a HB. With 87gr Vmax or 90ish Lapuas, my buds rifle sings out to 1000yds without any problem at all.

Ballistics are head and shoulders over the 223/308. Barrel life isn't a huge concern for me as shooting a greatly inferior ballistic cartridge with long barrel life just means I will be losing for a very long time.

I have not recommended the 7RM/300WM because of recoil and excessive barrel heat.

If Savage brings out some factory F class rigs in 6.5-284/308, that may just be the ideal rig. In fact, these should be ruled OUT OF a factory class since these rifles are factory tweaked. However, if they are allowed, go with the 6.5-284 30", 6ozs triggered rifle then you can compete in F,M) and F,O) as desired.

They are also planning a fast twist 223 and 22/250. If you don't like the 243 idea, how about a 22/250 spitting out 80gr Amax's at 3300fps?

You might want to visit www.canadiangunnutz.com as this is the biggest shooting board in Canada.

See you there...

Jerry

 

[52449]

I was in the same boat last year but I think my boat was smaller. I had no idea what I was doing. I purchased a Savage 12 BVSS-S before they were all gone and fattened it up with some lead under the receiver, in the butt and in the forend. Got the whole thing up to about 16.5 lbs. I loaded up some Varget and 175 smk's and went to my first match. It was a palma match with 15 rounds from 8, 9, and 1K. I think it worked very well even with me running the thing. Scores where 147-6X, 143-3X, and 137-3X. I cannot fault the rifle at all. I think with some load development it could shoot really well. I can not tell you what it groups like at 100 yards. I have no idea. I sighted it in just before the match on the 600 yard line. By the way, I'm in North Dakota and shoot F-TR.
P.S. I had to come back and let you know the match was shot with old targets!

 

[Obtunded]

Hi.

I would really like to try F-Class,m) this summer but I am at a loss as to which rifle/caliber combination to go with. .223 or .243 seem like good starting points as they have low recoil allowing for more shooting time. But, the factory barrel twist rates really limit the size of bullet that can be used. This is a big problem if I want to reach out to 900m. I need a "out of the box" combo that will do the job. I don't expect to win, I would like to hit the target though. I'm in Canada so the equipment selection is much more limited than what is available to U.S. shooters. I do load for my Swede 6.5X55 but it has been modified too much for this class.

Thanks, and Merry Christmas

Stewie

Stewie,

Mysticplayer is a shooting god up here in Canada and he really knows his stuff,See his article in guns of the week on 6mmbr).

Being a fellow Canadian, I can shed a small amount of light on F class for you. There is an "open" F class and a "Farky Class", the latter being rifles of 223 or 308, and weighing under 17 pounds. The open class is any non-magnum calibre, and is sort of a "belly bench rest" with rifles up to 22 lbs. It is very popular in BC. Where are you?

Your quest for a recommendation must be qualified by what you want to spend, because for the price of a top to medium end factory gun,ie: Tikka tactical, heavy barrelled Remingtons etc,) you could have a tack driver built for you. I guess I have looked back myself and asked why I spent thousands on facory guns that just couldn't keep pace with the purpose built custom guns.

I recently converted a Remington XR100 from a factory 22-250 into a 6BR with a 30" Gaillard barrel, Jewell BR trigger, action, blueprinting, glass bedding and the whole thing was just over 2 grand including the new rifle. It is as accurate as any of my ground-up custom builds. The bill for some of these factory jobs gets pretty close to that. We have some exceptional barrel makers and gunsmiths in Canada.

FYI, 6.5 X 55 is a very capable calibre and I know many shooters using is in competition, one of whom does very well out to 1000 yards with it.

Ian

 

[stewie333]

I'm near Ottawa only about 30 Min's from Connaught. I have a .22-250 VLS already that would probably make a decent platform for F-class. The barrel is in good shape still, so I am loathe to pull it off yet. Unfortunately it is a standard 1:14 twist so the heaviest I could go would be 55grn maybe 60grn if I pushed it. It is pretty accurate. I can cover 4 out of 5 shots with a quarter using cheap Win white box 42grn JHP. I just bought some 52grn SMK's to see what I can wring out of it. Not really the ideal caliber for F-class though.

 

[mysticplayer]

stewie, you will be very dissapointed with these bullets. They will not do well much past 600yds. At Connaught, you need to shoot out 900yds in some very twitchy winds.

You will not have a chance with these bullets no matter how fast you push them.

Sell that rifle or rebarrel to something more suitable to that distance.

Jerry

 

[Spydr]

For all us Canadians. Is 6.5-284 considered a magnum? Let me know cause I am building one and it would be a piss off if I couldnt compete with it.

 

[stewie333]

Taking the good advice on the forum, I have ended up with a Savage chambered in .308. Not the ideal long range caliber, but it seems like a good place to start with lots of data available.

The input has been appreciated.

Cheers

Stewie

 

[usngunner]

Taking the good advice on the forum, I have ended up with a Savage chambered in .308. Not the ideal long range caliber, but it seems like a good place to start with lots of data available.

The input has been appreciated.

Cheers

Stewie

I guess that depends on your idea of "ideal".

If barrel life and economy are factors, meaning you shoot more, I'd say it's right up there.

Ballistically, granted it's not as easy as some of the hot rods, but it will definitely help your shooting and wind reading skills.

Besides, the first time you smoke a 6.5x284 with it, you will definitely have a well earned smile on your face.

 

[243Mendoza]

For all us Canadians. Is 6.5-284 considered a magnum? Let me know cause I am building one and it would be a piss off if I couldnt compete with it.

You can use the 6.5-284 as an F-Class rifle.