Rifle Suggestion for Beginner to Groundhog Matches

[ccool109]

Hello all. I've been shooting and reloading for ~10 years or so, mostly geared towards hunting, but would like to get more involved in target shooting now that I'm out of college. I've gone to a few groundhog matches in the south-central Pennsylvania area (St. Thomas and Shippensburg) and really enjoyed them. Right now though I only have a Remington 700 22-250 with a factory sporter weight barrel. I clearly have a lot to learn about benchrest style / precision shooting but I'm not convinced my current rifle is capable of shooting that well for these types of matches (especially with me being the one behind it). Seeing how expensive all of the equipment is, and being on a recent college grad budget, I'm trying to decide what route to go for getting a new rifle specifically for target shooting. I'm thinking of getting a used varmint/target style Savage or Remington. Maybe something like a 12 BVSS or 700 VLS. My thought is that one of these should be a more accurate rifle and will still keep me in the factory class at the local shoots. This way I won't be competing against shooters who have many years of experience and thousands of dollars in their rifle and equipment, which will hopefully level the playing field, at least from an equipment standpoint. On the other hand though, it looks like there are deals to be had on used custom rifles. This would obviously put me into the light custom class though where there would be a lot more competition. I'm certainly not getting into this because I want to or have to win, but I think it would be a little discouraging to not even be competitive.

So, long story short, I'd like to hear some opinions on what you would suggest to someone interested in getting into shooting groundhog matches and benchrest shooting at the local level and on a budget. Should I stick to factory class or just jump right into the light custom class? (On a side note, I'm also very interested in trying f-class if I can find someplace close by.)

Thanks!

 

[sawcarver]

Savage model 12FV that cabelas sells is a great value. They have Varmint barrels and chambered in 223, 204, 22-250, 308 and 6.5 creedmoor. The stocks arent the best but they can be bedded and used if you have to for factory class.

Not sure how far you are shooting in the groundhog matches but a 223 can be awesome if its not too far. But if you want to dabble in F-class then the 308 or 6.5 would be capable of getting out to 1k to try it out and see if you want a full blown F-class rifle. You can always rebarrel it to something else too once you decide what direction you want to go.

 

[dgeesaman]

Hello all. I've been shooting and reloading for ~10 years ...
So, long story short, I'd like to hear some opinions on what you would suggest to someone interested in getting into shooting groundhog matches and benchrest shooting at the local level and on a budget. Should I stick to factory class or just jump right into the light custom class? (On a side note, I'm also very interested in trying f-class if I can find someplace close by.)

I’m pondering all of the same questions, as I’m at the same point wrt competition interests and location.

New Holland has F Class shoots fwiw. I’m going to try a PRS beginner match there next month.

Since all of these matches follow different rules, it seems reasonable to wonder if a beginner benchrest rifle could work well for F Class, benchrest, and groundhog shoots. It won’t be optimal for any of them but hopefully close enough to learn on. I can’t suggest these specs but someone else probably can.

To be clear, getting to the next level equipment wise is not cheap. Bullets and barrels will dominate the long term costs. F class and groundhog shoots require different skills but the competitive monetary investment is similar. At some point you may find yourself buying a rifle well suited to the rules of one discipline and class. F class is long range shooting so it places different demands on the hand loading and load development.

As soon as I get past this PRS match I will be signing up for groundhog shoots at St Thomas and Ship. I hope to see you there.

 

[drover]

Before you purchase a rifle for shooting groundhog matches it would be a good idea to get specifics on exactly what is allowed as a "factory class rifle", then purchase a rifle that falls within the upper limit of those specs.

For instance one of the matches I used to compete in the only modification allowed was a trigger adjustment and glass-bedding. At our local matches "factory class" has evolved (or devolved) to the point where most of the rifles are practically bench rest rifles.

Just a caution so you don't spend money on a rifle that is not up to the task or fails to meet their definition of "factory class rifle".

Good luck and enjoy the journey.

drover

 

[std7mag]

I'm using my wife's Savage 110 FP in 223 Rem. Forerunner of the 12 FV.
These are fairly easy for load development.
These also do good in 100-200 yard UBR.
Think small!!

I'm still learning the precission game.

The best advice i'm able to manage is get good glass!
On a heavy mirage day it's really hard to see 223 bullet holes at 300 yards, much less 400 yards.

 

[dantiff2]

I know a fella who got out of the groundhog match game a few years ago and is looking to sell his Savage 12 target action in 6br with everything! Brass, bullets dies scope and all sorts of stuff. He shot at st.thomas a few years back and the setup was great. The gun has a low round count and shoots better than him, he would tell you. I can put you in touch if you'd like?

Dan

 

[JohnHenry]

ccool, Look for a quality used rifle. Good places to start are this site and benchrest.com. Also Bob White at Shooters Corner usually has a good selection of quality used rifles. Bob White's reputation is that of an honest shooter and smith.
https://theshooterscorner.com/
As an experienced shooter cautioned me years ago, "be careful as very few sell their main battle wagon". Try to pay a price that will allow you to still feel good about your purchase if a new barrel becomes needed in the not too distant future. Barrels are a consumable. Welcome to the forum.

 

[dantiff2]

I don't want to change the topic of your discussion but make sure you also visit Mifflin County Sportsmans and the Mayberry fish and game for their matches. All of these are well run matches and offer great challenges of their own! The more you attend the better you will become. Pay attention to the older shooters and the ones who are on top of the game. They got there for a reason ; )

 

[dgeesaman]

ccool, Look for a quality used rifle. Good places to start are this site and benchrest.com. Also Bob White at Shooters Corner usually has a good selection of quality used rifles. Bob White's reputation is that of an honest shooter and smith.
https://theshooterscorner.com/
As an experienced shooter cautioned me years ago, "be careful as very few sell their main battle wagon". Try to pay a price that will allow you to still feel good about your purchase if a new barrel becomes needed in the not too distant future. Barrels are a consumable. Welcome to the forum.

So how does one buy a competition rifle if you haven’t chosen a particular competition and/or class?

I guess what I’d like to know: is there a set of specs that makes multiple types of benchrest competition possible? (Not optimal, but something more accurate than a factory gun)

 

[rjtfroggy]

Here is some advice from experience.
I started with a Savage that was very accurate in factory class ( not really a recognized class) and then decided to improve what I had, timed and trued, new trigger, different barrel, then a custom stock, no longer factory.
I spent more on this than I would have if I had bought a used custom. Then I did another using a target action. All told I probably have close to $7k tied up in two Savages that will compete ( with someone else shooting them) BUT they are still Savage's and not customs.
Save some money and time and get yourself a already built custom gun usually at a discounted price and ready to go.

Remember once you change something be it a trigger, barrel or stock it is no longer a Factory gun unless you use factory parts.
Good luck in your quest.

 

[ebb]

The move to a heavy barreled factory rifle is just another factory barrel that may or may not shoot. It is a sideways move at best. Have a match barrel installed on your current gun and a trigger when you have funds. Trying to make a factory barrel shoot is many times just frustrating and some times impossible.

 

[ccool109]

Thanks for all of the replies! I definitely have a lot to consider but this is all good food for thought.

dantiff2 - I'm possibly even more undecided now than I was when I originally posted this lol, but, I would be interested in learning more about the Savage 12 target action 6br and would certainly appreciate it if you could pass along the details. Also, do you have any more information on Mayberry? I can't seem to find much online but they're fairly close by so I'm interested in learning more.

Does anyone know if The Shooters Corner's website is updated often? It looks like he has a lot of good deals on used equipment and I would be interested in picking up some more reloading equipment for sure. I'm guessing the best thing to do is just give him a call or send an email?

RKS - Yep, that was me! If I go the factory class route, the Savage 12 LRP is going to be high on my list. Guess I need to decide whether or not I want to go custom.

I'm open to any more suggestions, ideas, comments, etc. so keep them coming! Also, I appreciate the tips on places to look for used equipment and the suggestions for other ranges in the area to look at!

 

[KY_Windage]

I'd keep it simple and get a R700 VLS, in .308, unless you got lucky and found one in 7mm-08. The latter were made only for a couple of years in the '90's and are hard to find. Will leave you some money for a scope.

I have, with good load development, been able to get mine to usually shoot .5 moa. Here is the last 5-shot group shot with my 7-08 at 100 yds:

 

[maddysdad]

find a gunsmith that shoots at the range you want to shoot at.talk to the shooters there and see what they think and use.thiss should save you money that would be spent in something that will not work

 

[Kracken McGraw]

2020 thread, that I just read all of.