[dh1633pm]

Some friends of mine are going to be shooting "F Class" starting in May. I have been asked to join them. I was wondering if anyone has participated in an "F Class" shoot. My only competitive shooting has been Garand Matches the longest being a 200 yard shoot. I have two rifles that could do well in the class but they are both on the naughty list. I have a bull barrel target bolt action but it's in .204 Ruger and the minimum is .223. Would prefer to not purchase a new rifle.

F-Class Long Range Target Shooting, Part I

 

[Indyarms]

I bought one of the Savage F/TR rifles in .308... very accurate, with a trigger that adjusts down to 6 ounces!!! ( yeah.. thats LIGHT!!! LOL! )

But aside from THAT... I have never used it or have shot in anything other than friendly competition...

 

[dh1633pm]

Sweet. The Savage makes a nice adjustable trigger.

I was thinking of borrowing my dad's Savage Varmint in 22-250. I have a CZ-527 Varmint in .204 Ruger, but I think .223 is the minimum. The CZ has a set trigger that is pretty slick.

 

[scottm343]

I have been looking into it for about 6 months. You have 2 classes, F open and F-t/r. Open is cool because you can show up with pretty much anything and shoot for fun, but you will not be competitive. They have $4-6k in their guns and another $1k just in the front rests. F-t/r I think is the way to get started -any bolt action scoped rifle with a bipod and .223 or .308 (only). But still you will be up against full custom rifles with BAT actions, 30-32 inch barrels, and $800 Mcmillan stocks. You could be fairly competitive with Rem 700 Varmint or Tactical rifle with a 26" barrel, plus a Sightron 8-32x ($1k) or Nightforce 12-42x ($2k). My goal to have by the end of this year is a rem #84218 sps varm 308 with a sightron scope. The factory barrel will not win any matches, but it will last 1500-2000 rounds or so while I learn wind doping and competition level reloading.

http://www.usfclass.com/

 

[dh1633pm]

Thanks for the input. The place that has the shoot is at: BURLINGTON FLATS FISH AND GAME CLUB. It a good drive from the house to get there. I am going to talk to a local gun shop where the owner is a member of the club to see what he says. I don't have the cash to drop for something I might not even enjoy long term. But I might be tempted to try it out. Thanks for the input.

 

[Indyarms]

is burlington flats the name of the town the club is located in??? Might be worth checking out!!

Nevermind... a bit south of Utica... got it!!! Thats a ways... but not TOO far for me... LOL!

 

[dh1633pm]

Yes that's the right Burlington Flats. Its a pretty good drive for me as well. I was thinking of getting out of work early next Monday and heading that way with a couple of friends who shoot the Appleseed event there. Sighted in my rifle over the weekend with my new Vortex Viper 6-24 Scope. According to the speed and bullet coefficient of the round I am using sighted in at 100 yards would be 17.5 inches low at 300. Subject of course to wind and elevation. I would consider myself lucky to get all shots on paper with such a small target. There are others who might make one little hole.

 

[dh1633pm]

Sighted in at 200 yards tonight with the Vortex Viper and the LR308. Used LC Brass, Wolf Primer, 168 SMK and 44.2 of AA2520. Shot 1.5 at 200 yards. Enough for a fun F-Class at 300 yards. Still need the trigger done. If the parts come in I will take care of it. Otherwise ready for the new experience.

 

[dh1633pm]

I wasn't able to go last week. Vendor was in from out of town and I had to work late. Trigger parts came in and they were installed. Still a lot of creep, but a lot lighter. Was worried about the hammer spring being too light so I fired off a couple wolf primers in the basement with empty cases. Worked fine. All shiny parts of the trigger were polished with my dremmel and some rouge then greased. Much smoother but still a longer pull then I would like. We are going to try to go this coming Monday.

 

[dh1633pm]

Drove to Burlington Flats Last night. Its out there. Near where they have the Unidilla Motocross Race. I shot the AR10 one shot at a time. I scored a 127. I was shooting a little high and should have dropped the scope down a few more clicks. Was shooting LC Brass, Win Primer, IMR4895 and 168 SMK. Nothing lower than a 7.

 

[twiceaweek]

With all due respect, shooting a 7 at 300 yards would be embarrassing. I hope you didn't shoot too many of them, especially with a scoped rifle.

I shoot iron sights and shooting a 9 is cause for concern. High 190's or cleans are expected.

The come ups from 100 to 300 yards should be about 4 minutes. Throw away that ballistic calculator and determine that for yourself on the range.

Hopefully you will spend lots of time on the range at matches. Look around and copy what the top shooters are doing. Lots to learn....

 

[dh1633pm]

With all due respect, shooting a 7 at 300 yards would be embarrassing. I hope you didn't shoot too many of them, especially with a scoped rifle.

I shoot iron sights and shooting a 9 is cause for concern. High 190's or cleans are expected.

The come ups from 100 to 300 yards should be about 4 minutes. Throw away that ballistic calculator and determine that for yourself on the range.

Hopefully you will spend lots of time on the range at matches. Look around and copy what the top shooters are doing. Lots to learn....

So you just happen to be the best shooter in the whole world. And me, a first time shooter with an honest score who never shot F class before am an f-up because I didn't shoot all 10's. with a stock rifle with a single sand bag as a rest. Hmmm. I bet your children all hate you.

 

[twiceaweek]

So you just happen to be the best shooter in the whole world. And me, a first time shooter with an honest score who never shot F class before am an f-up because I didn't shoot all 10's. with a stock rifle with a single sand bag as a rest. Hmmm. I bet your children all hate you.

I will never forget the first time I shot at the Nationals at Camp Perry. My group in the 300 yard rapids, after lots of coaching from several National Champs, was a group at 7 o'clock in the 7 ring or worse. It was probably a 130 or so.

I was determined that I would shoot up to their standard and I figured out how to do it. Mostly.

I really did not mean to offend.

I am really glad you are willing to spill blood and sweat in the quest.

I hope you continue to compete and learn.

Regards

 

[edward74]

heres a link to a great documentary about F-class shooting and the 2011 Creedmoor F-class shooting competition between Ireland and the USA , a great watch as an introduction to F-class shooting and it also contains some of the finest long range shooting in the world VIDEO SHOP - Lateral Vision Productions Cutting Edge FilmMaking

 

[dh1633pm]

Thanks edward74. I might just order one of those videos. Thanks for sharing.

 

[jor-el]

The "cheaper" option would be rebarreling your .204 Ruger to .223. F/TR is restricted to .223 and .308.

 

[dh1633pm]

It is limited, but the local "F Class" lets the .20 shoot in it. I found a load for my rifle that works with dime accuracy at 100 yards. I am going to shoot it 300 yards this week to see how it does. I also saw from friend from Remington this week and he will look for a 5R milspec for me next time they do an overrun. Should be about 800.