Newbe to F-Class and need input

[1946paulb]

As a long time pistol shooter I am truly entering an arena that is 950 yards outside my comfort zone.

Sorry for the long post but I would truly appreciate input from those who have been doing this for a while.

I will most likely fire Mid-Range (300, 500 and 600 yard) competitions routinely but would like to be able to fire a few Long-Range (1,000 yard) matches should the opportunity present itself.

Rifle: Savage Model 12 F Class chambered in 6.5 x 284 NORMA, 1-8 twist 30” barrel.
(Anniversary gift from the Wife)

Scope: Nightforce Benchrest NF - 12-42x56 - .125 MOA Clicks - NP-2DD Reticle – Part # C107
(Shot 1,000 yard as a guest with a friend’s rifle using this scope and did well with this reticle)

Mount: Nightforce Base - Sav SA New Style - 1 pc. - 20 MOA (6-48 screws) - Part # A168
(Nightforce tech rep thought I could take the 6.5-284 out to 1,000 yards with this mount)

Rings: Nightforce Ring Set - 1.125 inches - High - 30mm - Ultralite, 4 screw - Part # A107
(Nightforce tech rep thought I would need the higher rings with the heavier barrel)
(My intent is to have stockdoc install an adjustable cheek-piece for the extended height)

At this point I am not entertaining varying loads for specific distances but rather establishing a load adequate for the longest distance of 1,000 yards and shooting that load across the course.

Components/Load; (on-hand)
Case: Lapua 6.5 – 284
Bullet: Sierra 142 gr. MK
Primer: Federal 210M
Powder: Hodgdon H4831sc 51.0 gr.

Case Preparation Steps contemplated; (in order)

Run all new Lapua brass through Expander Die.

Case Length gauge and trim to shortest length all new Lapua brass.

Trim cases with my Gracey Cartridge Case Trimmer using the Giraud or B Jones Single Blade Carbide Cutter.

Turn necks to 0.001” less diameter of Bullet (0.264”) plus 2X’s thinnest wall measurement.
Is it necessary or recommended to ream the neck interior on new brass prior to measuring wall thickness?

Deburr Flash Hole using 6.5mm Pilot and Sinclair Flash Hole Reamer.
(This would be done in lieu of just deburring the inside of the flash hole)

Uniform Primer Pockets.
Is it recommended to use the “Sinclair PPC/BR Uniformer” tool on new Lapua brass?

Send three prepared cases to Wilson for custom Neck Size Die with custom Bushing.

Finally, can I expect reasonable accuracy of my reloads utilizing my Redding T-7 Reloading Press or would I benefit by using the single stage Wilson or Sinclair Arbor Press setup?

Thanks,

 

[Erik Cortina]

Forget neck sizing, get a F/L neck bushing die and adjust it properly.
The T-7 will work ok. You can seat bullet with an arbor press, but you will need your T-7 to F/L size your brass.

I could not understand how much you were planning to turn necks, but for a factory chamber I would not bother.

The limiting factor right now would be the barrel. Hopefully you got a good one in which case your components should work well. Don't waste too much time trying to get the factory barrel to shoot, if it does not show promise after 200 rounds or so, get an aftermarket barrel and save yourself a lot of frustration.

Rifle:
Keep the factory trigger and set it to lowest safe setting and learn to shoot it. Don't try to get a super light trigger pull because you will be sorry. If you ever feel the need to blueprint action, you will be better off saving for a custom action and sell your rifle to fund new build.

Have fun and keep them centered.

 

[Laurie]

The limiting factor right now would be the barrel. Hopefully you got a good one in which case your components should work well. Don't waste too much time trying to get the factory barrel to shoot, if it does not show promise after 200 rounds or so, get an aftermarket barrel and save yourself a lot of frustration. [Erik Cortina]

I'd support all Erik's points and add that the most important thing for you at this stage is to get the rifle and ammo working reasonably well at around the right ballistics and get out and shoot. Learning to shoot consistently prone off the rest and bags and start the process of being able to spot and calibrate wind changes will do far more for you than reducing 100 yard test groups from half inch to third inch. Regular handloading sessions before matches will see you learn things the hard and best way too in producing F-Class match quality ammo as most everybody finds he's got something or other 'wrong' on occasions due to some silly oversight or other.

The factory barrel is the key thing though in how well the Savage does for you and Erik's advice is spot on. I had one such rifle (still have the action in fact) and it struggled to group below 0.75-MOA, was 150 fps down on the same loads in other people's Savage F-Class 6.5-284s with the same components too. Having seen many of these rifles here in the UK (and they've recently started being imported again in numbers after a long drought), it seems the majority shoot at the very least adequately, a substantial minority are brilliant - far better than a rough factory barrel should ever be. Another, maybe smaller minority are, like mine, 'dogs' and simply won't shoot well no matter what the owner does or tries. There are plenty of tried & tested 6.5-284 recipes around, in the cartridge's section in this website to name one of the best sources, so if a couple of them don't show promise, take Erik's advice and rebarrel.