tips for selecting a caliber

mustang979

mustang979

Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So I am looking at getting back into the sport after not firing a rifle in 10+ years (far, far too long). The step to selecting a rifle is to first determine the caliber you need. Rather then spewing my history and wants and expecting someone to tell me what caliber I should be using, is there a "guide" or typical rules of thumb you'd recommend or maybe you follow when determining what caliber you are going to go with for target shooting?
 
Are you going to be shooting at Figure targets? Are you going to be shooting at teeny-weeny V-Bulls at 300-600m? 800-900m?

First figure out what you want to shoot, Sniper/Tactical, F-Class, Gophers in a field, etc... then a recommendation can be made.

Here are a few:

Sniper/Tactical - usually .308 but other calibers are allowed I believe (See my note below)
300-600m F-Class Open - 6BR (Most accurate and easy to load for cartridge for the short/medium range) this is my personal recommendation. This cartridge can easily be shot out to 900m but tends to get pushed around by the wind beyond the 600m point.
800-900m F-Class Open - I would suggest a fast 6.5 or a 7mm Caliber
300-900m F/TR - Single Shot .308/.223
300-900m TR - Single Shot .308/.223

F-Class is shot from the prone (laying down) position with the rifle either on a rest or a bipod and a rear bag usually made of Leather or Cordura.

F-Open is any rifle up to 338 shot without a muzzle brake with the rifle weighing up to 22lbs with attached bipod.

F/TR is .308/.223 shot in the same fashion as F-Open but with the caliber restriction. Weight restriction of 18.8lbs with attached bipod applies.

F-Class rules can be viewed at http://www.icfra.co.uk/page4.htm
F-Class Info http://www.fclass.ca/www/fclass.ca/page2.html

TR (Target Rifle) is .223/.308 shot from the prone position off the elbows with a jacket. sling and iron peep sights.

Sniper/Tactical are shot on Figure targets and also employ steel plates (I do not shoot Tac so someo9n else may be able to interject more info)
 
Give us some direction on what you want to use this rifle for, distances you want to shoot, accuracy expectations, budget, etc.

Today, target shooting is shooting off a bench or not. Depending on where you live, there might be some bench rest matches and that has one field of what works.

Then there are LR shooting which encompasses F class, Palma, tactical shooting, varminting, and hunting. Very different stuff.

Personally, for punching paper, I love the 223 as a great all around fun cartridge that is both ecnomical to shoot and decent LR ballistics.

http://www.mysticprecision.com/htm/rifle.php

Some info on the projects that I have done.

6mmBR.com is another woderful website with a huge range of info on rifles, cartridges and their application. You may also find the 6BR to your liking.

Let us know...

Jerry
 
Not to hi-jack the thread, but I'm also interested in getting into this kind of shooting and I'm curious, when you say single shot, does that mean the rifle must be single shot only, or that you must load the rounds one at a time, regardless of the capacity of your rifle?

Thanks
 
So many question,s and I have so little information to give back :(


I'm looking to shoot prone. Ideally in the 300-600 yard distances (based on what I am seeing posted that would make it F-class I assume?). I'd love to shoot farther, but I am not sure how long it might take to hone my skills to be able to shoot that far both consistently and accurately.

I don't believe I'd shoot sniper/tactical, most likely punching holes in paper targets at that distance. And as for cost, I can't afford as much as I want. Probably in the 900-1000$ range for the bare rifle
 
Pick up either a tikka varmint or savage heavy barrel. .223 will do the job and is cheaper. .308 will do it. Higher cost but is effected by the wind less, also has more recoil. Get the best scope you can afford. Makes life much easier at 300 yards and up. There are a crapload of other calibers but these are the basic 2 that are good to start with.
 
F class is shot by single loading the rifle. No mag is required or allowed. You DO NOT need a solid bottom action. I use a mag fed action with a Hi Score BR follower glued into the bottom.

The rig is very competitive even if the driver is not :)

F class is so much fun and the most likely sport to be found for LR comp these days. Quite a few ranges now offer it at distances from 300m to 900yds. You just have to check around to see what is available in each province. Check out the LR comp forum here and you will see events listed and contact people to help you out.

F class is also the least expensive type of competitive shooting. Many clubs are making the effort to put in a factory class so more shooters can come play without spending huge bucks.

You want to contact Obtunded and ask about what the rules and goals are. He has really done a great job of moving this class along in western events.

For the distances you want to shoot, the 223 in a 9, 8 or 7 twist will be a wonderful starting place AND there are classes already set up. Helps to keep the equipment race to a min.

A Savage HB in 223 would be my recommendation for a starter rig. The 12BVSS is likely the ideal rig and was around $750 (not sure what they are going for these days). You can put on a workable scope for around $400 to 600. Base and rings for another $150.

It will be very hard to hit sub $1000 on the line but you can get there without too much expenditure. You will also need to budget for a bipod but a Harris with pod lock works just fine.

Bed the action properly and work up some loads using 75 or 80gr Amax or bergers and you have a competitive rig in F T/R or factory. If you can find a 7 twist Savage, you can load up the 90gr Bergers and have very good LR ballistics.

Ballistically, the 90gr Berger VLD may make the 223 BETTER then the 308 at all distances out to 1200yds. This development is happening very rapidly as newer powders are released for this case.

There is lots of info on this board and many of the best competitors in this sport post here often.

You will get your questions answered but the most important thing....

COME OUT AND PLAY

Jerry

PS not responsible for the silly little grin you will have on your face after shooting a match.
 
On your budget, (Which I'm assuming includes your optics) find a 223 and have fun. If you get to the point where your shooting involves some sort of club level competition, you can see for yourself what people are using and having success with. Jump in and learn what it is that you want. The internet can be a good and a very bad place to get your information with too much BS about brands and models. They all shoot the same.

Remember that reloading is an very important component of precision shooting, and if you don't reload, a 223 or 308 likely has the best availability of factory match ammo.

Just be aware that your budget will yield few choices in terms of firearms that are designed for true target shooting. Do not get fooled into thinking spending more money on a factory gun gives more accuracy - absolutely not true at all.

I'd suggest a 223 that feels comfortable and I'd suggest Remington, Savage or Tikka. These manufacturers produce rifles of good quality, good accuracy for their purpose and all have some degree of upgradability if you decide to customize and make them a true precision rifle.
 
hmm, well, it is lots to think about. I'll be honest, the man in me says I don't want a .223. I'd prefer more "bang" then "pop" when I shoot (was one of the things I hated when I used to fire the c7 and c9. I know that it is wrong to bring my ego into the mix however so I am trying desperately to keep it in check.

In terms of the cost to shoot, is there a big difference in cost for factory rounds in 223 VS 308? They are fairly common rounds so from what I've seen, and the costs appear to be similar.
 
To reload it is only about 20-30 cents more expensive per round. To buy factory it is about 10-20 dollars more for 20 rounds.
 
cripes, clearly I've been looking at the wrong info. I thought they were both in the 20$ range for 20 rounds (not factory match premium loads). :eek:
 
Get a .223. Factory ammo and components are both much cheaper than .308, or anything else.
 
I bought a couple boxes of 223 fusion ammo last week as I didnt have time to play with a new load. Cost me $27.00 for a box of 20. Last time I checked the gold medal match I used to buy for my 308 was $42.00 a box. You can still get UMC ammo cheaper but it is still about 20 bucks for 223 and 27 for 308 I think. It is really worth reloading now. I can load up accurate ammo for about 1/4 of the cost as factory stuff. With the amount of shooting I do I cant afford to buy the quality factory match ammo. I wish I could as I would rather buy it. It is good to know how to reload but some days I wish I could just go buy 15000 rounds of 223 and 308 match.
 
mustang979 said:
hmm, well, it is lots to think about. I'll be honest, the man in me says I don't want a .223. I'd prefer more "bang" then "pop" when I shoot (was one of the things I hated when I used to fire the c7 and c9. I know that it is wrong to bring my ego into the mix however so I am trying desperately to keep it in check.

In terms of the cost to shoot, is there a big difference in cost for factory rounds in 223 VS 308? They are fairly common rounds so from what I've seen, and the costs appear to be similar.
Click to expand...

I usually shoot a .308 target rifle, iron sights off my elbows with a jacket and sling. I have had my ass handed to me by guys shooting a .223 at 1000 yards.

If your are going to shoot long range, handloads are the only way to go.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom