Student F class rifle

[moe africa]

Hi all
I'm looking to get into F class and looking at a rifle to get since I'm in vet school a custom rifles are out of my budget so I'm considering a Howa 1500 to start with and then upgrade the barrel later on ( long process here in South Africa)
The varmint barrels that the Howas come in are 300 wm and prc and then 6.5 prc all come in 26 "
The 308 does come in 26" varmint
Thanks

 

[swd]

Savage F class in 6BR would be a great start if it’s available there. Otherwise the heaviest barrel rifle you can find in 6.5 Creedmore or 6.5 PRC.

 

[Ringostar]

Are you wanting FTR or open class? You will also have to include the cost of a good front rest, if going open. If going FTR, I would look for a good used bipod instead of starting with a Harris type folding. As swd mentioned, look into the Savage line. They offer factory rifles for FTR and open class. With strong wind conditions that you will have, I would probably consider the 6.5x284. Then it would be easy to switch to 284 later. Get a 284 bushing die to start with, then a bushing for the 6.5. Later on, just change the bushing out for 7mm.

 

[moe africa]

Are you wanting FTR or open class? You will also have to include the cost of a good front rest, if going open. If going FTR, I would look for a good used bipod instead of starting with a Harris type folding. As swd mentioned, look into the Savage line. They offer factory rifles for FTR and open class. With strong wind conditions that you will have, I would probably consider the 6.5x284. Then it would be easy to switch to 284 later. Get a 284 bushing die to start with, then a bushing for the 6.5. Later on, just change the bushing out for 7mm.

I've never seen an FTR or open model this side although the savages are pretty expensive here , the most popular rifles here are the howas , remingtons, tikkas and the other European hunting rifles
I've heard of sabatti that makes a .284 shehane but they are really rare

 

[davidjoe]

Like a first car, the rifle or two you get while on a student budget will be the ones your mind goes to for decades to come. Centerfire wise, I bought a BDL 700 30-06 new, and that box of Norma 180’s lasted a very long time.

Shooting matches as a student would have been tough and plus the idea of intentional wear on a perfectly good gun, that was expensive in the first place, was illogical. This mysteriously becomes a very sound pursuit, with maturity.

If you can pull f-Class matches off, I’d get a used dedicated single shot target rifle, since Savages are expensive there. Savage target rifles were my first in this game. Used target rifles are often a great deal. I’d take a well used 40-X .308 for the price of just a new custom action, as a student.

The Howa is more of a generalist than an Fclass gun, but if you were set on it, because of its modest weight, I’d definitely avoid big magnums. They won’t be fun to shoot nor pay off in performance, shot from a light gun, and their components will be much more expensive, when you reload.

 

[Ringostar]

David brought up some things here. Looking for a good used rifle is always an option. He also mentioned reloading. This is very important! Are you set up for reloading accurate rounds? If not, then having to buy quality ammo might restrict you to 308 or 223. So then you’re better off looking for an FTR rifle.