I have been shooting F-Open since 2011. I have shot at Bayou Rifle Club in Houston and now in Arizona. I have shot at several clubs almost extending from one end of this country to the other. I have shot A LOT of cartridges during that time, under just about every weather condition and at most distances. After awhile you begin to learn a few things, even with my limited ability to grasp "things". A few of the "things" I have learned are the subject of this thread. There are so many cartridges that are fully capable of winning at almost any range that the choices can become overwhelming. Looking back over the years and trying many cartridges as well as watching others win and set records gives you a perspective of how to narrow the selection down to a manageable level. Here are my thoughts.
For 300 yard competition: In my opinion, this is one of the most difficult of distances to win at and tying or setting a national record is going to be extremely difficult. It is NOT hard to score well, however, it is very difficult to WIN! Unless you have very adverse conditions, dropping even a point can move you to 2nd place or even further down the list. Many of the shooters say they do not like to shoot 300 yards because it is TOO close or too easy! Hogwash! My bet is that the reason they don't like to shoot a 300 yard competition is that they do not have a rifle capable of extreme accuracy OR they, themselves, are not capable of shooting a 600 with a minimum of 45+ "Xs"! If I were to shoot at 300 yards, I would get a SUPER accurate cartridge that burns as little of powder as possible. This will keep barrels heating up to a minimum and aide in a high "X" count. The cartridges I would be looking at are, in descending order: 1.) 6mm Dasher; 2.) 6mm BRX or 3.) a 6mmBR, shooting 105-108gr bullets. To my way of thinking, winning is one thing>>>but at 300, beating that 31X count should be the goal! If there are better cartridges than these three, I don't know of them. I know there are many variations of them that would work just as well, but let's keep this thing easy in order to MINIMIZE the plethora of cartridges.
For 500 / 600 yard competition: This is one of the most enjoyable distances to shoot F-Open at. It is "easy" yet can be very difficult indeed! Scores can be high, however, if the wind is giving you even a modicum of consternation, scores can become difficult. Since you can never tell how the wind is going to act on any given competitive day, a cartridge capable of "holding it's own" in a contrary wind, becomes the thing to have. Seven (7) MMs and the BIG 30s rule the roost here. Certainly under relatively "calm" conditions, the 6s and 6.5s can be difficult to beat. However, my bet is that over the course of a year, at a dozen or so matches, the 7s and 30s will eventually win out over time! The 7s and BIG 30s can be VERY, VERY accurate and will buck the wind better than any 6s or 6.5s. So here is my choice for 500 / 600 yard Open: 284 Shehane, 7 SAUM, shooting a 180 or a .300WSM shooting a 200 gr bullet.
For 1000 yard competition: This is difficult for anyone, for me it is VERY difficult. I have a "problem" consistently getting good scores and winning. I get my "bone" from time to time, however, it is not as often as I would like! For this level of competition, in MY opinion, either a .300WSM or a 7 SAUM or 7 SAUM Imp. are THEE tickets to being successful at 1000 yards, at least on a reasonably successful basis. The SAUMs should be shooting either the 195s or the 184s. The .300WSM should be shooting the 215s or the 230s, IF you can manage them. They are very accurate, kick no more than a Shehane (at least I don't notice much difference) and can push the bullets a bit faster. Reading and BEATING the wind is hard at 1000, these cartridges give you the best hope to do that.
These cartridges are certainly not the "be all / end all" for either mid-range or long-range F-Open. These will just narrow the "field" to a manageable level with cartridges that WILL work and WILL work VERY, VERY well! This could help when agonizing over "which cartridge" should I get.
For 300 yard competition: In my opinion, this is one of the most difficult of distances to win at and tying or setting a national record is going to be extremely difficult. It is NOT hard to score well, however, it is very difficult to WIN! Unless you have very adverse conditions, dropping even a point can move you to 2nd place or even further down the list. Many of the shooters say they do not like to shoot 300 yards because it is TOO close or too easy! Hogwash! My bet is that the reason they don't like to shoot a 300 yard competition is that they do not have a rifle capable of extreme accuracy OR they, themselves, are not capable of shooting a 600 with a minimum of 45+ "Xs"! If I were to shoot at 300 yards, I would get a SUPER accurate cartridge that burns as little of powder as possible. This will keep barrels heating up to a minimum and aide in a high "X" count. The cartridges I would be looking at are, in descending order: 1.) 6mm Dasher; 2.) 6mm BRX or 3.) a 6mmBR, shooting 105-108gr bullets. To my way of thinking, winning is one thing>>>but at 300, beating that 31X count should be the goal! If there are better cartridges than these three, I don't know of them. I know there are many variations of them that would work just as well, but let's keep this thing easy in order to MINIMIZE the plethora of cartridges.
For 500 / 600 yard competition: This is one of the most enjoyable distances to shoot F-Open at. It is "easy" yet can be very difficult indeed! Scores can be high, however, if the wind is giving you even a modicum of consternation, scores can become difficult. Since you can never tell how the wind is going to act on any given competitive day, a cartridge capable of "holding it's own" in a contrary wind, becomes the thing to have. Seven (7) MMs and the BIG 30s rule the roost here. Certainly under relatively "calm" conditions, the 6s and 6.5s can be difficult to beat. However, my bet is that over the course of a year, at a dozen or so matches, the 7s and 30s will eventually win out over time! The 7s and BIG 30s can be VERY, VERY accurate and will buck the wind better than any 6s or 6.5s. So here is my choice for 500 / 600 yard Open: 284 Shehane, 7 SAUM, shooting a 180 or a .300WSM shooting a 200 gr bullet.
For 1000 yard competition: This is difficult for anyone, for me it is VERY difficult. I have a "problem" consistently getting good scores and winning. I get my "bone" from time to time, however, it is not as often as I would like! For this level of competition, in MY opinion, either a .300WSM or a 7 SAUM or 7 SAUM Imp. are THEE tickets to being successful at 1000 yards, at least on a reasonably successful basis. The SAUMs should be shooting either the 195s or the 184s. The .300WSM should be shooting the 215s or the 230s, IF you can manage them. They are very accurate, kick no more than a Shehane (at least I don't notice much difference) and can push the bullets a bit faster. Reading and BEATING the wind is hard at 1000, these cartridges give you the best hope to do that.
These cartridges are certainly not the "be all / end all" for either mid-range or long-range F-Open. These will just narrow the "field" to a manageable level with cartridges that WILL work and WILL work VERY, VERY well! This could help when agonizing over "which cartridge" should I get.
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Let's get ready to rumble!
