Help needed choosing F-Class rifle.

[andy_the_marksman]

I need help choosing a decent F-Class rifle.

After 3 years in the Royal Marines i am on my way to becoming a sniper. I got myself a license, got myself a remington 700 .308 win and have been doing well at the range aswell as hunting.

Now i am interested in getting a new gun for bench rest so i dont have to change my perfected tactical rifle.

I am interested in the remington 700 .308 P so i could have a pair of remingtons as i am very familiar with this rifle.

But im new to F-Class so i dont realy know what to look for in a good bench rifle.

So, any suggestions and tips would be very much appreciated

 

[teele1]

http://www.long-range.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10247&st=15

"Well, I guess the Savage Palma is serious enough,bone stock) to take 3rd place in the F-Class Nationals,F-T/R class)..."

above borrowed from long-range.com

Savage would be my choice again over Remington.

Shoot Strait teele1

 

[effendude]

Andy,
Are you looking for F/TR or Open class? I own Savage F class rifles in 6mmBR and 6.5x284. I don't own the F/TR in .308 because I own several .308s already, but I wouldn't hesitate buying one. When the Savage Palma rifle comes out, I'll get one for sure. The Savages are great guns for the money, excellent triggers, etc. I can't build a rifle for what the Savages cost. I would heartily recommend the Savage as a great off the shelf rifle, and the money you save can be spent on optics and practice. Remingtons are good also, but by the time you refine them, you might have spent more than you wish for a fun gun. Good Luck,
Scott

 

[memilanuk]

Andy,

There are some very good shooters from the UK, Ireland, and Scotland that have shot F-Class over here as well, and should be gearing up for the 2009 FCWC @ Bisley. I don't know what you have available for shooting forums that are more 'local' but you might try getting ahold of those gents - I'm sure they'll be happy to help you get started down the slippery slope...

Monte

 

[Forum Boss]

For F-Open, I'd consider a Barnard in a Mastin or Precision Tools F-Class stock with a 30" Krieger, Bartlein, Broughton or other premium barrel.

For Caliber, 6.5x47,with 130s), 6.5x55 or 6.5-284,with 142s), or .284 win,with 180 VLDs). I don't think you need to go to a 7mm WSM to hit the sweet spot with the 180s, and general consensus is that barrel life is VERY short with the 7 WSMs.

J. Hardy is having great success with a .284 Win improved--same neck length, but the case walls blown out a bit. He's getting 2950 fps with a 180 and H4831sc, and 3100 with RL17.

Here's the precision tools stock:

http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek088.html

Charles Ballard just used this gun to win the US F-Class open nationals.

 

[andy_the_marksman]

Thanks alot.

Yeh im at Bisley about once or twice a month so i will keep a look out for any decent F-Class shooters that wouldnt mind giving me some of their time.

One thing i have noticed however is that all the F-Class guns shown cant be used for anything but F_class shooting.

Becuase its a long way before i get experienced within F_class shooting i would need a gun that is a good alrounder, So if i did want to join a hunting trip i could easily make some quick adjustments and im off ) thats why i thought a remington 700 P would be a good investment rather than buying a rifle for hunting and a rifle for target shooting.

The savage does seem a good deal though and i am looking into it now.

Any recomendations on what calibre to go for, i always thought .308's were the best round becuase of the variety of handloads that can be made but also becuase of the quality at which they are made - giving a better barrel life.

http://www.freewebs.com/precisionrifle/gallery.htm

Check out the attachment, thats the setup i am looking for

yes/no!?

lol

thanks

 

[8mmMauser]

Hi Andy from another UK shooter . 6.5x55 cases and bullets are very common over here and the ballistics are phenomenal. It also has less recoil than .308 - more a long shove than a hard jab. Also, it'll take anything on 4 legs in the UK with room to spare.

On the other hand, if you're being taught ballistics in the military, you may be better sticking with it. .308 does give amazing barrel life compared to alot of current 'favourite' BR rounds, as does the 6.5x55. 6.5x47 Lapua is another good choice but compared to .308 and the 6.5x55, finding loading dies and cases etc is still a real challenge in the UK. Have fun choosing!

Personally, I have a Tikka T3 Varmint stainless in 6.5x55,~£750ish new now) and beat all my mates at Bisley with it at 900 and 1,000 yards. If you want a 'factory' rifle that really shoots, T3s are hard to beat . Oh, and I'm waiting on a Robertson Composites 'Tactical' stock for it as well - should be here any day now, I didn't need that £601 anyhow .

 

[andy_the_marksman]

cheers mate.

yeh ile think ile stick with a .308 for now and maybe get a slighlty more rare calibre when i am fully rendered into the sport XD.

at the moment i just want a rifle that can serve me from hunting game to shooting in f-class comps.

yeh i have seen and heard ery good reviews everywhere aboit the t3's so ile probably get one in .223 or .243 soon.