Basic kit for long range shooting

MarkHFX

MarkHFX

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Halifax, explosion free since 1917
I'm interested in F-class restricted, or F-class factory.
I did shoot pistol and long gun quite a few years ago, and have returned
with my interests being in precision shooting. (Also pistol, but not relevant)

*Rifle and optics are taken care of: 308 + Sightron SIII

What should I look at in the way of gear?

Mat or surface for prone shooting?
Gear hauler/bag?,
Bipod or bag?,
Glasses and or hats/caps?,
Spotting scope...
Anything else you can advise.

As the weather warms up I will get out and talk to other members
and ask some questions, but I'd like to get some of the basics out of the way

Thanks for any help or direction. :)

Mark
 
MarkHFX said:
I'm interested in F-class restricted, or F-class factory.
I did shoot pistol and long gun quite a few years ago, and have returned
with my interests being in precision shooting. (Also pistol, but not relevant)

*Rifle and optics are taken care of: 308 + Sightron SIII

What should I look at in the way of gear?

Mat or surface for prone shooting?
Gear hauler/bag?,
Bipod or bag?,
Glasses and or hats/caps?,
Spotting scope...
Anything else you can advise.

As the weather warms up I will get out and talk to other members
and ask some questions, but I'd like to get some of the basics out of the way

Thanks for any help or direction. :)

Mark
Click to expand...

its mainly your own personal preference really but heres some of my own personal ideas and helpers. id go with bipod and bag lol, i dont like bag though so bipod would be my pref.
make sure you bring a good spotting scope (if your rifle scope cannot see as well). its helpful and takes the strain off your eyes from concentrating all the time looking for holes. if your scope is amazing then no need to worry.

:cool: caps and hats....i dont know about that one. i shoot with nothing on my brain magazine.

a good rifle bag is handy. just load up and grab is just easier than hauling a rifle hard case around IMO.

something id defiantly suggest.....WATER. Hydrate and eat well. energy etc will help to concentrate on your shooting and aim etc. drink loads beforehand, not whilst shooting. your probabaly already dehyrdated before.

for surface shooting i like a mat, but not the inflatable crap, it just shifts when shooting. something with some good padding and enough to not shift your natural point of aim of the rifle. if theres gravel or sand then this is ideal instead of a matt. but making a firm bit of ground first helps.

not tight clothing. try clothes that have a little give. tight non streching clothing is a big no no in my eyes (just my opinion). if your in prone and shooting, i feel that some of my pants and tops dont allow me to naturally aim my rifle without some drawback/pull from clothing etc. so loose comfortable clothing is a big one for ME. i see guys turn up in jeans and leather jackets shooting in the prone and it looks painful :eek:

if your going to do be doing alot of shooting try make sure you are warm if its cold. nothing worse than turning up on the firing point shivering or being cold. it affects your breathing, and aim.

just some small things i find have helped me loads in the past! :) hope this helps. and like i say, this is just my preferences. everyone is different. but ive learned that these things have helped my shooting a lot.

OH AND TIMS! Good coffee is a must haha!

happy shooting man and hope it all goes well.

:ar15:
 
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Matt_dal123 said:
its mainly your own personal preference really but heres some of my own personal ideas and helpers. id go with bipod and bag lol, i dont like bag though so bipod would be my pref.
make sure you bring a good spotting scope (if your rifle scope cannot see as well). its helpful and takes the strain off your eyes from concentrating all the time looking for holes. if your scope is amazing then no need to worry.

:cool: caps and hats....i dont know about that one. i shoot with nothing on my brain magazine.

a good rifle bag is handy. just load up and grab is just easier than hauling a rifle hard case around IMO.

something id defiantly suggest.....WATER. Hydrate and eat well. energy etc will help to concentrate on your shooting and aim etc. drink loads beforehand, not whilst shooting. your probabaly already dehyrdated before.

for surface shooting i like a mat, but not the inflatable crap, it just shifts when shooting. something with some good padding and enough to not shift your natural point of aim of the rifle. if theres gravel or sand then this is ideal instead of a matt. but making a firm bit of ground first helps.

not tight clothing. try clothes that have a little give. tight non streching clothing is a big no no in my eyes (just my opinion). if your in prone and shooting, i feel that some of my pants and tops dont allow me to naturally aim my rifle without some drawback/pull from clothing etc. so loose comfortable clothing is a big one for ME. i see guys turn up in jeans and leather jackets shooting in the prone and it looks painful :eek:

if your going to do be doing alot of shooting try make sure you are warm if its cold. nothing worse than turning up on the firing point shivering or being cold. it affects your breathing, and aim.

just some small things i find have helped me loads in the past! :) hope this helps. and like i say, this is just my preferences. everyone is different. but ive learned that these things have helped my shooting a lot.

OH AND TIMS! Good coffee is a must haha!

happy shooting man and hope it all goes well.

:ar15:
Click to expand...

I find coffee does the opposite for me! I normally drink 2 cups a day but if I drink it on range day morning I cant get myself calmed down as well. Find I always shoot better on decaf or non caffeinated tea. Who knows might all be in my head!:runaway:
 
arcticcathonda said:
I find coffee does the opposite for me! I normally drink 2 cups a day but if I drink it on range day morning I cant get myself calmed down as well. Find I always shoot better on decaf or non caffeinated tea. Who knows might all be in my head!:runaway:
Click to expand...

Hahah! Yeah Tims was just a joke. But I still have one lol! :D
 
Go with what you've got - your favorite ball cap, rifle, poncho and duffel bag/small pack (I've used both). Try and become accustomed to safety glasses and soft ear inserts work better than electronic muffs for sound attenuation.

You've got a great crew out at Bull Meadows - they'll show you some good gear - buy replacements as you find individual gear items starting to hold you back (like the Harris - great bipod, but has limitations on long range competition, where more rigid bipods are becoming standard). A tri-fold mat from Paul at centerthegroup.com is handy as well.

Hope to see you at some range sometime.
 
Plot sheets. These are diagrams of targets with light lines divided into 1 moa grid squares. By carefully plotting your hits you can make accurate sight/scope adjustments.

X2 on a shooting mat from centerthegroup.
A folding lawn chair/camp stool to sit on between relays.
Basic tools, ie Allen wrenched, torx drivers, lens cleaner, maybe a cleaning rod to remove a stuck case, bolt grease.
Rain gear, poncho or ground sheet to cover gear if it rains.
Umbrella, for rain and sun.
Change of clothes in the car if you have a long drive to the range. Nothing worse that a 4 hour drive home with soaked clothes.
Sun screen, hat.
Snacks, plenty to drink, lunch? small cooler.

By the time you gather everything you will/might need at the range, you might want to start thinking "cart" to carry all the crap.
 
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Very good advice above. Welcome to FTR shooting in the Maritimes.

My first piece of advice is to get out as soon as possible and shoot as often as possible. As you shoot, you'll figure out your needs/wants/don't-needs.

Use a bipod for the front of your rifle and a bag for the rear of your rifle (that way you are compliant with FTR). You can use a Harris style bipod (advantages: cheap lightweight and small; disadvantages: needs more setup time for each shot), or one of the super duper F-Class bipods (advantages: less change in aimpoint between shots; disadvantages: bigger, more expensive and except from some of the extra exotic ones, heavier).

A spotting scope is not essential for F-Class, you can make do with only your rifle scope, but a spotting scope can be a useful extra for wind reading (you can focus it on the "near" mirage, which is the more important thing to watch, while your rifle scope is accurately focused on the target, which is "far").

I have a shooting mat but most of the time I'll just lie down in the grass without it.
 
Eye/Ear Protection
Shooting Mat - Or go cheap with a piece of tarp
Front Support Bipod
Rear Bag
ClipBoard with storage compartment, pencils & eraser
Plot Sheets
Lawn Chair
Rain Gear that can be thrown over your clothes
Suggest all clothing be fairly loose fitting and light colored
Something to cover your gear in case it rains
Emergency stash of TP
Multi-Litre water jug
Cart to haul everything from 300M back to 900M
Practice Practice Practice
 
rnbra-shooter said:
Use a bipod for the front of your rifle and a bag for the rear of your rifle (that way you are compliant with FTR).
Click to expand...

I am having trouble finding F-class rules btw. I'll search FTR rules, thank you.




CanuckWR said:
Kestrel weather meter is a must. As is a good ballistics program.
Click to expand...

I have my iPod with iSnipe. I'll probably wait for a weather station until it will my skill level could make use of one. :p
 
MarkHFX said:
I am having trouble finding F-class rules btw. I'll search FTR rules, thank you.
Click to expand...

start at dcra.ca, follow "Shooting->F-Class->F-Class shooting rules", which is a big .pdf file.

The DCRA rulebook is being revised as we speak, but the link on the web site is for the rules we used 2009-2011, when we conducted a trial of ICFRA (international fullbore rules). We decided to modify our Canadian rules to incorporate the ICFRA rules (pretty small changes for the most part), hence the current edit in progress.

That .pdf file is in three sections. See "Section 2 – For F-Class", which are essentially the ICFRA F-Class rules. Read the whole thing but in particular see about page 43 of the .pdf ("F2. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION of RIFLES and AMMUNITION").

The Canadian rules are in "Section 3". Once the rulebook is edited for 2012, Section-1 and Section-2 will disappear, and what is now "Section 3" will be updated to include all the relevant bits of the ICFRA TR ("Section 1") and ICFRA F-Class ("Section 2") rules.


I have my iPod with iSnipe. I'll probably wait for a weather station until it will my skill level could make use of one. :p
Click to expand...

My opinion is that weather measuring gear is interesting, and might be fun to use and it might even help you learn a few things or "calibrate" yourself to the mirage and flags, but it is definitely not a requirement in any sense of the word at all. Wind reading ends up being very much of a S.W.A.G. (scientific wild **** guess) affair anyhow.

My opinion also, is that as your skill level builds, you'll find a weather station etc to be less and less useful (though still fun cool and interesting of course - they really are slick pieces of kit)
 
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