High Power Metallic Silhouette

[jbhotrod]

Anyone here shoot NRA High Power Silhouette? If so, was hoping to ask a few questions of yall:

-> What rifle setup are you using(ie: chambering, components: barrel/action/stock/sights-optic/etc)?

-> Consensus/opinion of your current rifle setup & Would/do you want something different?

-> How it performs at various ranges - and the loads used for said performance at various range/distances...?

-> Money no object, whats your your dream rifle(if possible to go in detail on components(barrel/action/optic/etc) then its much appreciated!!!)?

Thanks yall
God Bless

 

[jbmarshtx]

Your asking the right questions on the wrong website. The free worlds silhouette shooters gather here:

www.steelchickens.com

Good luck getting access. Been trying for awhile now with no luck.

I shot the last 1/2 of the season in TX. B-class, beginner but 'won' the b-class in the standard category at the state match. I used my hunting rifle, but changed the scope after 1 match with a 3-12 mil based FFP scope.

6.5 creedmoor, trued remington action, 24" Bartlein 3b fluted barrel, manners eh3 stock, Leupold 6.5-20x40ao, factory 120eld and 140eld match ammo. The gun isn't the limiter. Again it was my hunting rifle with a new scope on it.

It's hard to find the popular 'silhouette' specific stocks anymore is what I have found, but I am waiting on one of those. I have a Leupold 25x with a 'dot' that I bought from the classifieds here that I will probably try for highpower. Those two updates and reloading are the only changes I'm making.

The equipment is pretty 'standard' for most shooters since there are weight limits 10.5 pounds max for standard class and like 9.5 for hunter class. Remington or other custom actions. Carbon stocks. Lighter weight usually Leupold, Weaver, or Sightron scopes.

Added. More popular calibers 6.5x47, 7-08, 260, some 308/6.5creed. Some of the better shooters are using 6mm but supposedly have some trouble knocking down the rams at 500m.

 

[scubohuntr]

Maybe it's just the current situation, but man, what a whiny bunch over there. I went and peeked but found lots of drama and little real info. I haven't shot silhouette in years, but way back when I did, the way to get started would be:

1. Find a Remington 788 in .308 or 7-08.
2. Put a Canjar trigger on it (I realize Canjars are kinda impossible to find anymore, but I think Timney is making a 788 trigger now).
3. Spend three times what you did on the rifle/trigger for a good 10X or 12X scope with extended turrets.
4. Shoot it A LOT.
5. When you shoot out the original barrel, put a Lilja or Krieger in 6.5 Creedmoor or .260 Remington on it, and a good silhouette stock.

Yes, you can get a better rifle. If I was building one with no holds barred, I'd first memorize the rules. Like any shooting sport, the rules gradually change so the guys with all the money can keep getting better. Assuming it met the current rules, I'd start with an XP-100 action or even a 40X for a single shot, or a Remington 700-ish repeater, and put a really good barrel and a high-end trigger on it. Likely a fast twist 6.5, chambered in .260 or 6.5 Creedmoor. 6.5-284 burns barrels too fast and really isn't necessary at 500 meters. Work up a good load with 140 to 142 grain bullets. You might lose a few rams with 120 grain bullets, if you're shooting into the wind, but you can certainly use them for chickens, pigs, and even turkeys if you're recoil-shy. The rams weigh about 60 pounds, and at 500 meters you need some authority to dump 'em. I've got a couple of old Leupold M8 12X target scopes that work just fine, but some hard holders use really high magnification scopes. I'm too old and wobbly for that. Get a good composite offhand stock and weight it so the whole rig comes in comfortably under the limit (10 pounds, I believe). Hang on to the 788 to shoot Hunter Class.

Actually, you can shoot just about any hunting rifle if you're okay with not winning. An old Model 70 in .270 with a cheap 3X9 scope? Bring it on. It WILL make you a better offhand shot. I shot a few matches with an M1 (open sights) and had a blast. There is a military autoloaders category now; it didn't exist yet then. I even shot a match once with a .375 H&H (which is illegal under the rules- no belted magnums- so I didn't shoot for record and had to prove it didn't damage targets first). I never won a match, but I learned a lot and it helped my standing score for Service Rifle.

 

[perry42]

I started in silhouette in 1987 with a Rem 700 in 30.06 using 165gr Nosler bullets. Went to Ridgeway,PA that year to the Nationals and had a great time. Met Margrite-Everhart Hazy who was a champion in the sport. She used a Rem chambered in 308. Shortly after the prefered calibers tended towards 7mm and 6.5mm for less recoil and greater accuracy. I acquired two Anschutz rifles and competed in smallbore silhouette for many years along with IHMSA & NRA handgun sillhouette. Silhouette is quite addictive, competitive, and just plain fun. Go out shoot and enjoy the competition.

perry42

 

[jbhotrod]

Its something that really interests me. Seeing someone with so much offhand skill always intrigued the heck out of me. So yall think Id be good to go all the way to rams with a 24-26" 6.5x47 or Creed?

 

[jrod1101]

Its something that really interests me. Seeing someone with so much offhand skill always intrigued the heck out of me. So yall think Id be good to go all the way to rams with a 24-26" 6.5x47 or Creed?

My setup is Remington 700, McMillan Stock, 23" barrel in 6.5x47L. I use Varget with 120 grain SMK for Chickens, Pigs and Turkeys and Varget with 142 grain SMK for Rams. You can ring the rams with a low belly shot but for the most part they will fall over. The 150 SMK might be a better bullet but I will use what I have 1st and then look into it. Bottom rifle in the pic is my high power and top is my small bore. I can only shoot in Standard Class, my high power is at 10 lbs., 2 oz. under max. weight. Most people build a hunter rifle so they can shoot both classes. Be sure to look up each class on the NRA website as there are many restrictions on weight, stock and I believe length of barrel might be limited to 30" but you wouldn't make weight with that size barrel.

Here is the a link to the PDF.http://rulebooks.nra.org/documents/pdf/compete/RuleBooks/Sil-r/sil-r-book.pdf

 

[Leade]

I began shooting that game in 1982. Today I use a Stolle Kodiak action without the magazine cut out. A 26" 3 groove Pac Nor Palma taper and a 7-08 .310 neck chamber 8 twist. But I used a heavy barreled 700 Rem in 7-08 for years. 168 MK Sierras all the way. A 40 round match consists of 10 targets at each range ) 200, 300. 385, and 500 meters shot standing. No sling, hooked butt plate or artificial support. The standard rifle can weigh no more than 10lbs 2 oz with scope, any safe trigger. Hunting rifle class is limited to 9 lbs and a 2lb trigger. any non magnum caliber 6mm or larger. Currently the 6.5s are popular (e.g 260 Rem, 6.5 Creedmore 6.5 XC etc) 7 BRs have lost a little popularity One can use any scope or sight they can handle, You are given 2 minutes and 30 seconds preceded by a 15 second ready period to load and mount for each bank of 5 targets. Only targets knocked down count, one shot per, engaged left to right. Stocks are limited in width (21/4") and depth from bore centerline (21/4") and rollover and toe. Generally most hunting configured stocks work. I use a Kelbly trigger or a Jewel and I used a Kenyon trigger in the 700s....all set about 6oz. I currently use a Leupold 30x. I use a featherweight Winchester 308 for hunting rifle...yes it has a 2lb trigger. I shot a 700 hunter in 250-3000 for years....only high off center hits took rams with a 120gr pill...the game is great fun and any hunting rifle works. The game will make you a better shot in the field and across the course etc

 

[Boyd L.]

Maybe it's just the current situation, but man, what a whiny bunch over there. I went and peeked but found lots of drama and little real info....

Pretty much sums it up. And they wonder why the sport is losing participants.
To make an attempt to address the OP's question, I am highly un-qualified having never fired a round of high-power, I have rubbed shoulders with some great shooters. If my fading memory is working one former high power national champion told me she used a 260 Bobcat (basically a 6.5-22-250) to win her title.

 

[Leade]

Whining seems to infect every shooter website.

 

[Average joe]

Anyone here shoot NRA High Power Silhouette? If so, was hoping to ask a few questions of yall:

-> What rifle setup are you using(ie: chambering, components: barrel/action/stock/sights-optic/etc)?

-> Consensus/opinion of your current rifle setup & Would/do you want something different?

-> How it performs at various ranges - and the loads used for said performance at various range/distances...?

-> Money no object, whats your your dream rifle(if possible to go in detail on components(barrel/action/optic/etc) then its much appreciated!!!)?

Thanks yall
God Bless

I've been an active silhouette shooter for several years now,,,,,, my current set-up: std rifle= rem700/7-08/24" med Palma taper/ in a h-s precision silhouette stock.
Hunter rifle= stolle atlas/6.5x47/24" #5 contour/ in Pharr stock
Scopes= 25x leupold silhouette scopes, 3/8 or 1/2moa dot reticles.
The leupold scopes are light( make weight), repeatable, and the right magnification. The really good shooters shoot 36x scopes, too difficult for me. I would not recommend below 20x.
Personal opinion, for hunter rifle, the Pharr pattern stock is the ultimate, maybe even for a standard class rifle. The other top off-hand stock in my book is the anschutz-style as pictured by @jrod1101, which would be for std rifle class.
Hunter rifle requires a two pound trigger, so I would recommend a two-stage trigger, where you could put a majority of the weight in the first stage.
You asked about the 6.5x47 being adequate,,,, absolutely. The 6.5 cartridges are the most popular. 123gr bullets
For chic,pig, Turks,,,,,, and 140 class for the Rams. The new 150smk's may prove to be perfect.(just got some to try).

Now, having said all that, you don't have to have a custom rifle. you can take the deer rifle out your closet, and go shoot a match, and have lots of fun. You'll meet some great people, and probably be able to try every rifle on the line.
Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

 

[scubohuntr]

Is 6.5X47 enough for rams? I've never had anything to do with it, but it seems a touch light, unless you can reliably make headshots. It would be great for offhand, with little or no recoil in a 10# rifle, but I hate losing rams. Just curious.

 

[KevinThomas]

Long time silhouette shooter here, both rifle (primarily) and pistol (though not for a while now), and both HP and SB. My Conventional HP set up is an M700, set up with a Leek Contour (reverse taper) K&M cut barrel in 7mm BR, a McMillan Silhouette stock, Jewell trigger and a Leupold 24x. It's been a good combination overall, though a bit light on some rams at certain ranges, which is sort of luck of the draw. As others have mentioned, setting up a SB rifle that's identical is always a bonus, as it allows you to effectively double your training value without feeling any apparent difference in the rifles themselves.

I need to set up a Hunter Rifle in HP, as I've switched over to shooting Hunter is SB. Rem 40X there, with a lightweight sporter style H&S stock, Hart barrel, Jewell trigger and Leupold 24x scope. Good shooting set up, and working on my second Grand Slam in Hunter.

 

[KevinThomas]

Do want to add one other thing here; This is a shooter's game, and I'd have to say a good silhouette shooter will rank solidly in any company. With some games being little more than an equipment race, winning comes down to buying the very best equipment available. When something better comes along, you're now behind the curve. F Class is one of the best examples of this. You will not win an F Class with an out of the box gun and off the shelf ammo simply because you can't compete with a well-built rifle, and finely-tuned ammunition tailored to that gun. That's not the case at all with Silhouette. A really good shooter will win matches with a box-stock M700 and any decent factory ammo. Gun shoots 1.5 MOA? Not ideal for this game, but it's close enough that a hard holding shooter will still shoot solid scores just by virtue of that hold. It's a shooters game, first and foremost. I think that's one of the reasons many of us enjoy it so much, and conversely, the reason that many shooters avoid this game. You'll never be the range hero just by throwing money downrange to compensate for the lack of pure shooting skill.

 

[Boyd L.]

Is 6.5X47 enough for rams? I've never had anything to do with it, but it seems a touch light, unless you can reliably make headshots. It would be great for offhand, with little or no recoil in a 10# rifle, but I hate losing rams. Just curious.

At steelchickens there have been a number of discussions about cartridge/bullet suitability for 500 meter rams.
Read this thread:
http://steelchickens.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6972&p=57085&hilit=ramentum#p57085


If you want more search for posts by a gentlemen who called himself DanDeMan. I believe his name was Dan Theodore. He conducted several interesting tests regarding minimum recoil versus ram effectiveness.

 

[rodsnguns]

Do want to add one other thing here; This is a shooter's game, and I'd have to say a good silhouette shooter will rank solidly in any company. With some games being little more than an equipment race, winning comes down to buying the very best equipment available. When something better comes along, you're now behind the curve. F Class is one of the best examples of this. You will not win an F Class with an out of the box gun and off the shelf ammo simply because you can't compete with a well-built rifle, and finely-tuned ammunition tailored to that gun. That's not the case at all with Silhouette. A really good shooter will win matches with a box-stock M700 and any decent factory ammo. Gun shoots 1.5 MOA? Not ideal for this game, but it's close enough that a hard holding shooter will still shoot solid scores just by virtue of that hold. It's a shooters game, first and foremost. I think that's one of the reasons many of us enjoy it so much, and conversely, the reason that many shooters avoid this game. You'll never be the range hero just by throwing money downrange to compensate for the lack of pure shooting skill.

Everyehing is coming down to who can spend the most bucks, shooting, fishing, drag racing, hell even bowling. But I finally got to shoot a lever action rifle match last fall, open sights only, max range 200 yds, with my out-of-box Winch 94......what a blast! Stock rifle performed well, I could have finished higher but was too fired up just shooting my first matched I botched a few things.....going back for more. And gonna borrow a buddy's 308 rifle, work up some good loads and try high power. Go shoot one first to get a better idea of what you want/need, no big expectations, or pressure on yourself.

 

[drover]

If you have never been to a match then attend one before spending money, that will give you an opportunity to see what folks are using.

It does not have to be an equipment race since it is more of shooters game rather than the equipment, a Rem 700 in 6.5 Creed, 260 Rem, 7.08, or 308 can take you to the winners stand, Top it off with a Leupold 6.5-20 and a solid set of mounts. A Hunter class rifle can be used in Hunter class and Standard class so you only need to spend the money on one rifle/scope combo. I switched to shooting a Hunter class rifle as my only rifle years ago and my scores immediately increased in both classes because I was familiar with the feel of the same trigger, load etc instead of going from a 2# trigger to a 8 oz trigger, the rifle felt the same and the load and recoil felt the same.

I competed for over 30 years and started with a 308, then a 7/08, then a 243, then the 260 came out and I tried it but in comparing my scores over the years I always shot my best scores with the 243. Yes, I did lose the occassional ram but I made up the difference in my shorter range animals, also by using the lower recoiling 243 I was able to concentrate more on my hold and less on the recol from shooting the heavier calibers. I did win a few State and National championships over the years using the 243, David Tubb also used the 243 when he was actively competing, I believe he still holds the Hunter class record that was set with it. I haven't checked lately but when I had to stop competing a few years ago, due to an injury, I still held a couple of long run records set using the 243. Some folks still poo-poo the 243 but it got the job done for me. Its biggest advantage is the minimum recoil so that the shooter does not get worn down as the day goes on. But if you are shooting a range with hard set rams (muddy feet, etc) or soft set rails it will make you question your choice of calibers.

Advice - get yourself a Rem 700, put a Leupold 6.5-20 in one of the mentioned calibers, either replace or adust the trigger to a consistent 2#, shoot that combo until you use up the barrel. By the time you use up the barrel you will have a good idea of what does and doesn't work for you. There is no point in spending a ton of money on fancier or "better" equipment because silhouette is a shooters game and until you get the basics of a good hold, good follow-through, and some match experience you will not be able to utilize the "better" equipment.

drover

p.s. - if you shoot a 700 the wooden ADL/BDL stocks with the monte carlo comb will give you better head/cheek support than a Classic style straight butt style stock.

 

[NateHaler]

Do you realize you're replying to a thread that is more than 3 years old, until you revived it?

But here's to Dan Theodore. RIP.

 

[Will Henry]

Sometimes resurrection can be a good thing. Today, three years later, steel chickens is still hard to access and people still have the same questions.
I belong to Canada's most active silhouette club. Pre-covid, our bigger shoots would draw close to a hundred shooters for smallbore and 60 or so for high power. We hope to get back up to speed this year.
For high power, some are shooting 6 BR's or Dashers. They will lose some rams but figure the reduced shooter fatigue allows them to do enough better on the chickens, pigs, and turkeys to make up for it. These are top shooters. I can't afford to lose any targets so I have not gone the 6BR route. There have been a few times I have watched someone hit ten straight rams then lose one when they try for a long run. Also watched one guy hit 10 and knock 8 over. This would just be too much of a bummer for me!
I shoot a 6.5 Creedmoor which I built on a model 70 short action. I use a KT 15 Weaver scope. The rifle has a glass stock from Steve Wooster and weighs in at 8 lb 13 oz. It shoots around 1/2 moa. I use 100 grain Lapua bullets for CPT and 139's for rams. The 100's are strted out at about 2800 while the 140's are doing 2550. I have never lost a hit ram.
A second rife is a pre-war Model 70 in 308; Sako barrel. T-10 Weaver. I use 155's at 2300 fps for CPT and at 2800 for rams. It is in a homemade walnut stock and weighs in a 8-12.
I have tried a 20x scope and like it except the smaller field of view has allowed me to crossfire so I have stayed with lower powered scopes to counteract my stupidity!
Rifle #2 gets put into a prone stock and has a heavier barrel screw on to shoot in TR-O matches (optical sights, prone with sling). Shooting offhand has made me a better prone shooter as well.
If one is building a rifle for H-P silhouette, I would suggest a 40X clone in one of the small 6.5's (6.5x47, 6.5 CM, or 260). A two stage trigger from Bix&Andy would also be nice but not a must-have. Wooster's stocks fit well and afe a great off-hand stock. To me, the perfect scope is a fixed 16 with a 1 minute dot but this is almost impossible to find so some sort of 6 to 20 variable is what most will wind up with. WH

 

[mousegunner]

I started with small bore shilouette and wanted to get into HP but the local club had two factions fighting each other and the club split into two clubs. The split played havoc with the club finances and one kept raising prices and the other actually did better or at least that's what I heard. The internal politics and infighting turned me off. I had a 40X .308 that I would have used but never happened. Shooting offhand in windy conditions can really humble a shooter.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I started with small bore shilouette and wanted to get into HP but the local club had two factions fighting each other and the club split into two clubs. The split played havoc with the club finances and one kept raising prices and the other actually did better or at least that's what I heard. The internal politics and infighting turned me off. I had a 40X .308 that I would have used but never happened. Shooting offhand in windy conditions can really humble a shooter.

Every silhouette shooting spot is like that. So bad that its hard to even find a match because of the guys not even wanting new shooters around spoiling their fun