Good beginner stock for F-Class open

[Wikrisra]

Hi all, new member here, first post.

I am having a local gunsmith switch my M700 .30-06 to 260 Rem. I intend to shoot F open mid range starting this spring with the new season. I am working with the smith on chambering and contouring and so on but I’m still up in the air about the stock. I’m new with this and obviously don’t need top end equipment. I’m looking at the McMillan F-class stocks. The prices seem reasonable. However I’m not really settled on raised cheek piece or not. Now that I’m moving down to 260 Remington free recoil may be the correct choice. I tried the .30-06 in a weighed down Boyd’s sporter stock this summer (10 pound total gun weight). Match went ok but as you can emagine free recoil really wasn’t an option. All that said I’m not really a fan of free recoil anyway due to the style conflict with sport shooting which I still do. Hunting that is.

Sorry I know this sounds like a blundering question but what recommendations does anyone have for cheek weld or not for a new shooter on F open mid range, and entry level stock options?

Thanks everyone

 

[Retired Grunt]

Have you thought about a Chassis?

 

[kzin]

I think in f-class cheek weld is completely optional from none to rock-solid.
Suit yourself.

 

[chromatica]

I am in a similar situation. I built a custom rifle in 260 Remington. I put it in an Oryx chassis and have been using a bipod. I have participated in several mid-range matches. The experienced shooters seem to be using a benchrest-style stock with a custom-machined front rest. I am building a second rifle in 223 and may move my chassis to the new rifle and purchase one of these affordable bench rest stocks. They have a broad flat forend that fits in common 3 inch front sandbags from Protektor or Edgewood:

SATIN Rem 700 SA Revolution 3" Benchrest/F-Class Stock w/Aluminum Bedding Block

Laminated benchrest rifle stock with 3 inch forend and alumium bedding block for f class and benchrest stooting

theurbanriflemanstore.com

 

[lawman29]

Stock: McMillian Kestros/Kestros R. Inlet for your Remington 700 long action, aluminum pillars installed (ask your gunsmith) and adjustable check piece. I'd recommend an adjustable butt, but if not figure out your appropriate lop.
Barrel contour: Straight! 1x8 twist for berger 140
Trigger: Jewel
Cheek weld: Whatever you experiment with, it is important that it is the same for each and every shot.

 

[Sandstorm]

Lawman's..got some good info for ya all.
I run a Kestros...and like it alot.

 

[TylerFromMS]

Love my Kestros. However, before I got it, I had one of the manners t2a stocks and shot off a rest. I got a 4x3” piece of delrin and glued and screwed it onto the forend. It worked really well all last year.

GEHR Acetal Plastic Sheet : TAP Plastics

Looking for a material that strikes the perfect balance between metal and plastic? Click now to learn more about Delrin sheeting and all its advantages today.

www.tapplastics.com

I think I did the 3/8”. You can honestly spend as much or as little as you want to.

 

[Longtrain]

...However I’m not really settled on raised cheek piece or not. Now that I’m moving down to 260 Remington free recoil may be the correct choice...

First, welcome, lots of good info on this site.

We don’t see too many 260’s in F Class, but it certainly will work for F Open, so you’ve brought enough gun for sure. Look around for the highest BC bullets and do some research on loading those lengths as to the amount of throat you may need. Your smith should be able to help you with a reamer choice if you haven’t already researched and settled on a design.

In F Class you can’t shoot free recoil, it isn’t prone bench rest, the rules state that you need to have the stock in the shoulder.

As far as the cheek piece goes, IMO it‘s an absolute necessity, if you’re craning your neck to get a good sight picture, and don’t have a cheek piece to give you a position reference as well as a resting point, you’ll need some Advil after a a few 20 round strings with sighters.

Position repeatability is key to consistent accuracy, your rifle must recoil the same for each shot. In conjunction with your rests, consistency in grip, cheek and shoulder pressure is a must. The amount of each? That’s something you’ll need to experiment with and find your sweet spots.
Good luck, enjoy, it’s a ball.

 

[BradY]

If I live in the USA, theres no way I would be shooting much other than a masterpiece from Cerus stocks. Buy once, cry once. Those stocks are stunning and seem to work quite well. Would also look closer at the 284. While mid range can be ok for the 6.5’s and sometimes the 6mm’s, I would suggest taking a look at what is winning.

 

[Shawnba67]

If your a cheap bugger like me you can doctor up a laminate wood stock to see what you like and dont like before you shell out crazy money. Elisio sells adjustable cheeckpiece hardware inexpensively, McRee sells adjustable butt plates. A piece of 3" Aluminum can make a nice bag rider with little work. The downside is the stock wont be worth anything when your done, but it may well be a wash if you count what you saved by trying stocks and losing $20 on the ones you dont like and sell.
Im sure guys have snickered at my rig, but they dont do it to your face! Most are exstatic to have you there

 

[flintcreek6412]

There is nothing beginner about a McMillan F class stock. It will serve you well. It costs more than your action and possibly barrel depending on what you use for barrel.

Most people I see in f open do use an adjustable cheek of some type. It's a good option to have. You can always opt not to use it or even remove it but it's easier to add now than later.

Just curious, but why the .260? As mentioned above....don't see many in f open. Mostly 7mm and 6mm(especially for midrange).

I have made many mistakes over the years when I started f-class that wasted lots of money. One of which was caliber selection. Another was action choice. I started on a budget but now I have stocks, barrels and actions that just sit and have little value to anyone else.

Some food for thought......if you are building a dedicated f open gun......The long action R700 that is likely a repeater since it was 30-.06 may not be your best choice. Most f open guys run very heavy 30" barrels in straight contours. Not certain a factory repeater action can handle that weight. I've been told it can't but I'm also not a gunsmith. But I'd find out. Otherwise if you do choose to upgrade actions/barrels your expensive McMillan might need serious modifications.

Most f class rifles are single shot actions that are built like tanks to handle the weight of a free floated heavy barrel.

What barrel are you using? If you are willing to put $800+ in a stock but not using a custom cut rifled barrel you might be handicapping yourself right away.

But putting that action in an expensive stock doesn't make sense to me in the long run, especially since it's an f class stock and not a more versatile hunting/tactical/PRS stock. Again just my opinion trying to save you some money in the long run.

If I was starting again I'd go with a Savage F class in 6br or 6.5x284. Solid rifle. Probably cost less than your new stock, barrel and smith work and it comes with an OK trigger. If you find you don't like f class you sell it for not much pain. If you want to upgrade you can put a better barrel on. And then if the full f class bug bites you can still sell it and go full custom.

Good luck whatever course you chose.

 

[Sandstorm]

Its a deep Rabbit hole for sure, with many twists and turn's....but nothing better
as far as im concerned...Enjoy the Competition and Comradrie. .

 

[Badhabit]

I started down the same road as you recently. If you have the time and desire to try something new I would suggest a shaped blank and do the inlet, bedding and finishing yourself. I picked up a blank from a member on this site and doing this right now. It's been very fun project and custom fit to me. I am waiting to post pictures of the build until its finished.

 

[Wikrisra]

Sorry. Been out of town for deer season..,

Thank you to everyone for all the feedback. It’s giving me much to think about.

260 REM Due to the action that I already have (.30-06 that seems to have a lemon barrel). I was thinking .284 but I don’t want to tempt the rigidity of the long action with any more recoil. Not that it’s too much but I do understand the rigidity of a long action on a target gun where it’s not needed. But at the same time, I am reconsidering all of this. I’m going to be into $2000 with a new barrel, stock, quality 20 MOA rail and rings, gunsmithing and I haven’t even looked at an optic yet.

So the savage F-class is looking better

Thanks for the feedback on cheek weld and adjustable comb. I lost track of the idea that F-open is not free re-coil. In speaking to some of the shooters about my challenge with stock torque due to cheek weld one mentioned “why weld at all?” Where another mentioned “the bullet is already gone so it doesn’t matter”. While I know from Experience that the latter comment was pure blunder, the “why weld at all comment” had me right back where I started with struggling with consistency. That struggle I think is consistent with all of us. And just part of the game. So I’m letting that go. I work on it all the time as I’m sure many of us do. As a sidenote on the matter, a fairly sturdy grip is the most consistent for me on both the forehand and pistol grip but obviously puts limitations on minimizing group size. I can get down to about a half MOA with that .30-06 out six with a full grip but that’s gonna probably going to be about it then past 4 or 5 shots is going to open up as that consistency creeps away. That’s where I really started struggling with consistency...the longer strings...as I lightened up, consistency actually became more difficult with the cheek weld torque.

I mentioned above that my 700 barrel might be a lemon. That 700 specifically has been the most difficult gun that I’ve ever had to develop a load for. Possibly due to the long to throat of a factory .30-06. I don’t know. I finally got it down to one MOA and it suddenly jumped clear down to .5 with one specific load. The gun shot and better than I did at the match up until I noticed a persistent drop off in elevation. I chased it for the whole match. A little more experience would’ve had me adding a half MOA following both the first and second string of 20 shots. Possibly more. Instead, I timidly added one or two clicks total across the last 40 shots leaving me at 6 o’clock and below the 10 ring by the end of the match. When I got home and took a look at the bore, it was more deeply fouled than I’ve ever seen in any gun. Maybe this was due to the sporter barrel with 60 rounds at F class tempo. Either way this barrel clearly is not up to the job.

Thanks again for all the input

 

[Fast14riot]

260 will work fine, start with 44gr of H4831 under a 140 and you'll be way ahead. About 0.140"-0.160" free bore will allow you to seat them above the donut.

If your smith is up for it, a cheap option is a 40xbr stock. They are short action only, but with a mill and bedding they can be made to long action easily and the stocks can be had for under $100.

 

[Warren Dean]

McMillan Kestros is a winner. You can't go wrong with McMillan.

 

[Sandstorm]

Kestros is what im using and a Short Action 284 Shehane......works just fine.
You dont need a long Action for this round.

but I do understand the rigidity of a long action on a target gun where it’s not needed.

I dont find myself ejecting any of my 22 unfired rounds....and you can pull
the bolt If need be. Just something to think about.

​

 

[280man]

You can’t go wrong with a McMillan stock. I’ve been shooting them since 2008 and they have served me very well

 

[urbanrifleman]

I have 20 stocks showing up in the next week or so. All kinds of colors. Aluminum bedding block laminated MBR for Remington 700 short action. I also stock the BAT trigger guard and BAT action screws.

I suggest you cannot touch an equal stock for anywhere near the $499 price.

REM 700 SA Revolution 3" Benchrest w/ Aluminum Bedding Block (HIGH GLOSS)

PRE ORDER!! Laminated benchrest rifle stock with 3 inch forend and alumium bedding block for f class and benchrest stooting

theurbanriflemanstore.com