I was talking to some of the guys that are part of the Ontario Rifle Association for long range shooting, anyways the F-Class and Commonwealth Target Rifle competitions and I have always been interested in them

So Anyone do them and have any hints or pointers to someone new to the target rifle shooting scene ??

Dimitri

Yes, Shop around for a good Rifle smith and go from there.

I'm not up on current regs in the northland but if you want to save some $$ you could take on a project like I am invloved in at this point.

I have taken a Savage 10-FP LE-1 and I am turning it into an F-Class Rifle.

So far I have changed out the trigger with a Competiton Trigger from Sharp Shooters Supply.
Installed a 29" .308 1:13 twist Kreiger barrel re-cut to a .800 muzzle diameter and cut / threaded for the Savage. Along with this a SSS Recoil lug.
For a stock I got a SSS SVT OTM (out of mold) that requires finishing and beding.
The bi-pod will probably be from Sinclair International, their Competition BiPod.
Ken Farrell base +20MOA and Farrell rings will hold a Leupold LRT 8.5 X 25 50MM with a 30MM tube.

I have stocked up with 400 Lapua cases and will be using 168gr HPBTs or the 175gr HPBTs and probably Varget for the powder with CCI BR primers. Testing will tell which bullet I will use. I may even go down to the 155gr Palma bullet depending on long range results.

By doing all of this myself I am going to save big $$ and feel that I will have a very competitive setup for much less than most others.

Here are a few links to the items I am using and also some F-Class links both DCRA and US, enjoy.


Parts

www.savageshooters.net...tocks.html

www.savageshooters.net...ggers.html

www.savageshooters.net...ories.html

www.savageshooters.net...ounts.html

www.sinclairintl.com/c...type=store



F-Class Links

www.dcra.ca/PotentialE...FClass.pdf

www.2005worldmasters.c...enDocument

www.usfclass.com/

Thanks for the infromation Flint!

I like your set up

Do you think a 20MOA scope base is needed at 1000 yards or no ??

What do you think of the 30-06 as a round to hit out that far ??

I'm thinking of looking around myself for a used Remington M700 to base my rifle on. I figure if I could get it cheaper used since I plan on replacing the barrel and stock there is no point buying a new rifle

As for regulations there arnt any "real" regulations up here for bolt action rifles, only semi's are restricted to 5 rounds and 18.5 inch barrels. And all F-Class rules are the same as in the US

Dimitri

If you have the money go with the Remington and have someone do the work for you, With the Savage You can do the work and save @$75.00 per hour US.

IMO You NEED a 20MOA Base, this will not only give you more elevation but will keep the scope more optically centered due to the ranges shot in F-Class. The .308 will use most if not all the available elevation on almost all brands of scopes without the 20MOA base. In addition when you have all of your elevation turned into your scope many times you will also be limiting your windage as the adjustment area decreases due to the limited space in the scope tube.

I prefer a short action, the 06 will do the job just as well but also the 308 is in fact a bit more inherently accurate as has been stated and proven many times in the past.

IMO - with your education and training I think that you have the ability and would enjoy building you own set-up and using a Savage you can do all your own work. Plus, the $$ saved will help in getting all your reloading supplies and practice ammo. You Need a Lot of AMMO for this game!!

Flint,

Getting a Savage would be nice but they dont seem to come up for sale used around here that offen Remingtons are floating around though

As for getting a new Savage, well up here they cost almost the same as a Remington (about 30$ different for comparable a model). In the US there is a bigger price gap though.

I dont know much about benchrest barrels but Lilja seems like a good company and they dont cost that much for a match grade barrel (only $259) For a number 7 contour At the receiver 1.250" Infront of the chamber 1.000" At the end of the barrel .825" Its a 5 pound stainless steel barrel But ....

Quote::

Our standard length barrels are furnished 28" long, 27" of which is useable barrel. They require installation by a gunsmith. This installation work would include threading, chambering, cutting to the desired finish length and crowning and any outside finish work such as blueing, teflon coating, bead blasting, etc. We do not do any gunsmithing work or barrel installations on customer receivers.

Other then getting the barrel installed by my gunsmith all the rest of the work I think I can do it myself so it shouldnt be too bad gunsmithing costs what do you think ??

I think I'm going to be able to get the donor rifle soon myself. My project is probrobly going to go slowly till December though since all my money is going to books and the like for college right now. After at about December when I'm done buying college books and I have alittle more money to play around with my project should work out well.

Dimitri

No problem, get what you are happy with. I only suggest a Savage due to the ease provided in the DIY that they offer. This facet keeps the total price down (even if purchased new) of the finished product when compaired with that of another brand and then the need for outside services. Another option is to get a new Stevens package. Here in the states they go for @ $359. The Stevens is actually teh older pre Accu Trigger Savage.

Don't get me wrong, the Remington 700 is probably the best mass produced action in the world. On top of that it is the base for most custom rifles built and also the base for most target rifles. If I had the extra $$ to build a full custom I also would use a 700 action. I just will not buy a complete Remington 700 ever again, I have had 3 in the past 20 years that have completly missed the mark, they would shoot patterns IMO and not groups, the best I ever got out of any of the 3 was 1.5" at 100 yards. I will not keep a bolt action firearm that shoots any more than 1". This is my personal benchmark.

Best wishes in your project, with your willingness to ask questions I believe that the final product will be outstanding and provide many years of enjoyment for you. Shoot straight, shoot smart and above all shoot SAFE!!

Midway & Brownells both sell 700 actions and barrels that are threaded and short chambered as well as contoured, this will take some of the head ache out of building a rifle, Not the $$ however as the rifle actions WILL need trueing and bushing, bolt lapping BLA BLA BLA BLA..............
another words lots of $$$$.
Greg Tannel is about the best Riflesmith in the buisness IMO. Put Gre-tan rifles in your search engine and he should pop up.

Flint,

What type of optics do you suggest to be able to see out to 1,000 yards ??

About shooting safe I'm with you 110%, this means I wont even touch one of thouse benchrest triggers as well because of lack of safeties and there really light trigger pulls.

Crackshot,

I realize they need truing, bolt lapping etc. I belive its all put into the "Blueprinting" name for gunsmithing services. I'm gonna put this rifle together slowly upgrading parts of it. Might take me a year or 2 but it doesnt matter I want to get into long range shooting for fun not purly competitive. I'm not competitive at all about anything for that matter

A M700 Action is 400$ alone, Brownells "dropped" them, while Midway wont ship ANYTHING AT ALL to Canada (I've checked before).

Dimitri

Sorry bout that, I'm sure there is a used Remington some where up there.

They are around I've seen them

So Crackshot what do you recommend when looking for a good gunsmith ??

Dimitri

As far as optics for 1000yd. IMO, your best bet will be a 30MM Tube and a High Quality Variable that will get to at least 20X. For me 25X is about my limit as mirage gets real bad usually above 16X. With the size of the target used at this sport you really dont have much of a problem seeing it. I like a 1/8 MOA Dot for target work, some use a Mil Dot scope and I have also on occations but for pure target work I love a 1/8 MOA dot and fine cross hairs, no plex. Many times you will also need a sunshade and also a barrel mirage guard to keep the heat waves from the barrel from disturbing your sight picture. I can honestly say most shooting has been at 18X as I have been very fortunate in that I have got to shoot early in the morning when the heat is down.

Thanks for the tip Flint!

Dimitri

Flint and Dimitri,

I was nosing around the net looking for Service rifle matches near my home and found this tidbit on the cihprs.org website

It speaks specifically to long range (1000 yd) matches at thier range and the 168 grain .308 bullet. It is from their Long Range Shooting page. Sounds like the 175's are the correct bullet for that range.

General Comments to New Shooters

If you are new to Long Range shooting, please heed the following. The vast majority of “factory” ammunition is not capable of maintaining velocity out to 1000 yd. Also, many bullets are not suited for long range shooting. I have seen many new shooters bring .308 Winchesters, factory varmint rifles, AR-15s, and scopes with insufficient elevation to Range 10 and expect to hit paper without testing their ammunition on a chronograph and ballistics table. There is nothing more disappointing than making the trip to Grayling and have your ammunition fail to make the distance by going subsonic along the way. Two recommendations are to stay away from 168 gr. .30 caliber bullets and leave your AR-15 at home. The 168 gr. bullets are not suited for 1000 yd. shooting in your .308 Winchester (try the 175’s instead) and the AR-15 requires too much effort for a new shooter to have a successful first time out. Do your homework ahead of time and come prepared with reliable ammunition and equipment.

(From the MRPA Long Range prgram. Our Thanks to the MRPA for permission to post.

Thanks for the tip!

I'm cosidering going with the 30-06 because you can push it faster then the 308 with 175gr bullets without going over max. What do you think ??

Dimitri