Thread: F Class Finally

Greetings All,
Finally got to my first F Class shoot after some delays. Hooked. For reasons previously mentioned shot from a bench using a bipod and bag with my T3 Lite .223. It was what I had ready. The rifle was zeroed for 200 metres and the dial up for 300 yards from my chart was close to spot on. For the record I participate rather than compete but this will still be a satisfying pastime for me regardless of results. Next shoot for me will be at 600 yards and my son has lent me a rifle with more legs. Quite looking forward to it.
Regards Grandpamac.

Awesome - it is very enjoyable and you can think about it two ways - improve your scores with the gear you have for your own satisfaction . . . .or join the gear race and see if you can beat other shooters. Either is fine but it pays to think about it. I've had a he'll of a lot of fun and shot possibles out to 600 yards with a rebarreled Omark 223 and Lithgow LA 102 308 = my goal achieved.

Wow. Well done @grandpamac. One of our sons regularly shoots his Howa heavy barrelled 1:8 twist out to 500 using Belmont 77 gr. I have the same rig but should perhaps use my Tikka Forest T3X 6.5x55. With handloads and off the bench I’ve managed cloverleaf results at 300yds. Sadly, I can no longer shoot prone after a lower back ‘weld’. The nearby Te Puke Club isn’t too far away, so I’d better investigate it as a challenge for ‘23.

Yep. You'd better

Trigger time with like minded people is always good value, regardless of what rifle or calibre you use. I enjoy shooting with others for the extra eyes, the added knowledge , and the tips and advice you get. Thats what make us better shooters, and it a lot of cases better hunters, because we recognise our limits and take the ethical shots. Which in my case usually results in free range quality meat on the table.

@Ingrid 51 we even let people use those horrible old x55's

Originally Posted by johnd

@Ingrid 51 we even let people use those horrible old x55's

Be very careful mate! VERY careful!!

Greetings all,
Thanks for all your responses. At some stage I will need a dedicated rifle rather than just using what is available. Whether this is something that is already here repurposed or something new I don't know yet but I am reasonably certain it is likely to be a .308, another all time favourite of mine. Coming up 74 this year I should probably not waste too much time. The last time I shot on a range at 300 yards was well over 30 years ago and I still have the Omark I used. The 14 inch twist could be a problem though. Looking forward to it all.
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings all,
Thanks for all your responses. At some stage I will need a dedicated rifle rather than just using what is available. Whether this is something that is already here repurposed or something new I don't know yet but I am reasonably certain it is likely to be a .308, another all time favourite of mine. Coming up 74 this year I should probably not waste too much time. The last time I shot on a range at 300 yards was well over 30 years ago and I still have the Omark I used. The 14 inch twist could be a problem though. Looking forward to it all.
Regards Grandpamac.

Although not quite as old, nor experienced as you @grandpamac, I still manage to make my presence felt at our club shoots whilst using one of my 6.5x55’s. Whether it be the 1900 Oberndorf, 1916 M96, the 1941 Husky M38, the M93 with Soderin aperture sights or the scoped Tikka, the home loaded cartridges with Lapua brass and pills/ ADI 2209 combination just seems to work. I’ve shot other cals over time, but the old Swede stuff keeps producing very good results. I’ll stay with it.

FTR Classic medium and long range shooting is interesting. A maximum score is 61 10X which means at 600 yards all 10 counting shots have landed inside the 1/2 moa (3"diameter) ring. A score of 60 likely indicates a 1moa group. The rifle and ammo may be perfect but the difference between a 50 score (10 shots inside the 5 ring) and a 55+ score comes down to handling and wind interpretation; the human factors, especially wind. Regardless of others scores you are ultimately competing against youself for consistency and improvement. Seeing fellow shooters trying just as you do, brings the enjoyment to the sport especially for us older shooters with diminishing reflexes, flexibility and vision. Going all out to win is of lesser importance but we older ones still have our moments

I think you mean 60.10 is the max possible score Woody

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings All,
Finally got to my first F Class shoot after some delays. Hooked. For reasons previously mentioned shot from a bench using a bipod and bag with my T3 Lite .223. It was what I had ready. The rifle was zeroed for 200 metres and the dial up for 300 yards from my chart was close to spot on. For the record I participate rather than compete but this will still be a satisfying pastime for me regardless of results. Next shoot for me will be at 600 yards and my son has lent me a rifle with more legs. Quite looking forward to it.
Regards Grandpamac.

800 yards will be the limit for .223 on electronic targets as you drop to subsonic after that, and the target wont detect the shot.

We actually saw that issue in action the previous week. A guy was shooting some piss-weak .308 ammo at 1000yds and nothing registered.

Originally Posted by Percy Jones

800 yards will be the limit for .223 on electronic targets as you drop to subsonic after that, and the target wont detect the shot.

Thanks @Percy Jones,
I was aware of that and only used the .223 as that was what was ready at the time. Chatting with a full bore shooter, years ago, who was having problems with his accuracy going to pot between 900 and 1,000 yards we decided that his projectiles were going subsonic. An increase in powder charge fixed the problem. He had started using a .303 and surplus military ammo. After the change to the 7.62 most shooters loaded their own and it took a while for the skills we see today to develop. It was years before things like chronographs and load development appeared.
Regards Grandpamac.

The Nosler Custom competition should work in the 1-14 Omark if you can find them, they had been fairly well priced buying through the NRANZ but like all things the new shipment will cost more once they arrive.
I’m a full bore shooter and the nosler is my go to if 1000yds isn’t being shot we’re I’ll then switch to Berger 155.5