I feel that you are being a little unfair to suggest a 26" Heavy Barrelled .308 Remi can only cut it to 600 yds - I know many who swear their .223 easily do 600yds.
I personally had some success with a borrowed TRG 22 (26") at the Police Games (Bisley) last year coming first. Although I accept you could have a Custom Rifle for the current cost of a TRG.
I would suggest when starting out, to spend more on a Optic than the rifle and to carry the optics over when you know you can out shoot your rifle.
I also wonder if the altitude the shooter is going to be regularly shooting at be a factor? Bisley is roughly 200 Ft above see level but I understand some of the US shooters shoot at 3-4000 Ft which as I understand it would give the .308 more legs at distance.
Phinpad,
I've probably not expressed myself clearly enough - I'm not saying you can't use a 24-26" barrelled rifle in long-range F, but reckon 26" is the absolute minimum that makes sense for 900 and 1,000yd. Sure, you'll reach the target OK, but the problem is keeping every bullet supersonic and avoiding the inexplicable fliers you get when some bullets are subsonic or destabilised at just above the speed of sound.
There is another factor too - how much you can load the .308W up in some factory actions. My FN was a wonderfully accurate rifle, but only up to certain MVs which were well below what I wanted and needed - for instance just over 2,600 fps with 175 Sierrras. I could get another 150 fps out of these bullets, but 0.3-0.5" groups became 1-1.5". According to Sierra Infinity, there'd be no problem with 2,625 fps MV at the other end with just over 1,200 fps remaining velocity, but it didn't seem to work out that way in practice, especially at Blair Athol. Now, using Bryan Litz's G7 data based on his long-range bullet tests, his ballistics program knocks 100 + fps off the 1,000yd figure, and although still supersonic, you don't need much of a headwind or similar to lose another 50-70 fps and you're in trouble.
The other thing too that no ballistics program can cope with is transonic zone turbulence that starts around 1.3 mach and which can slow / affect the bullet more than the program predicts based on the BC.
One thing I learned in 2008 is that velocity is king in F/TR at these ranges. It's little consolation to match or even beat the eventual class winner in an 800yd stage but then run 15 or 20 points behind at 1,000. This year I'm kicking 155 Scenars out at 3,075 fps and the difference is staggering! The other ballistics factor is, as always, wind deflection. Using Litz's data and program again, my 2009 load moves 21" less at 1,000yd in the classic 10 mph wind at 3 o'clock. Now I know that 10 mph winds don't usually suddenly appear and disappear, but let's say gusts have half that effect ie 1-MOA, and one half-reads the change, so you're a half-MOA adrift - that's an extra point gone over the faster load!
That's why I'd recommend the Savage F/TR rifle to anyone looking to get into the discipline. They're very accurate indeed - subject to the usual caveats about mass produced rifles and the way the tolerances fall - they have a good stiff single-shot action with a small diameter firing pin so take heavy loads, and combine that with the 30" barrel and you'll easily get accuracy + 3,000 fps with a 155. With a 1-10" twist, you can experiment with 210gn VLDs too if that appeals.
Incidentally, your mention of .223 Rem. I've long reckoned that there's a great deal to be said for 223 at 600 with optimised 80gn loads, and looking at Jerry Tierney's work with the cartridge in a Palma rifle with 80s at 3,100 fps, but more importantly the 90gn Berger VLD at over 2,800 fps at Sacramento earlier this year, it starts to be very competitive with 308 at 1,000. I'm so convinced that I'm having a .223 Savage action rifle built. Whether I'll get it for next April is a moot point as nobody can get any barrels out of the USA because of State Department export licensing delays, and Bartlein has a very full order book on top too. If it doesn't work out in national league matches, I'm sure it'll make an excellent tool for club matches up to 800yd, with a quarter of the 308's recoil and a fair saving on ammo component costs.
Regards,
Laurie
