Guy Miner
Master Loader
- Apr 6, 2006
- 17,503
- 4,720
Possibly the most shooter-friendly way to get into some form of rifle competition. All it takes is an accurate rifle, a good scope, a bipod or rest and some good ammo - loaded w/Nosler Competition Bullets of course! :grin:
Many ranges that host NRA highpower & prone matches are now seeing a growing number of F-class shooters. F-class is a relatively new phenomena in shooting, growing mostly in the last 5 years as an alternative to traditional prone competition. I'm seeing a whole lot of guys who wouldn't have taken up competition shooting, getting involved in F-class because they can compete with their favorite varmint rifle, or long range/precision deer rifle.
Matches vary from 100 - 1000 yards. Here in Washington state, most of the prone matches seem to be 300, 500 or 600 yards. The .308 Win is very competitive, as is the .243 Winchester, the little .223 can do well too, but requires a fast twist barrel to shoot heavy bullets and play with the big boys at 600 yards or beyond. Here's a few shots taken at the North Central Washington Gun Club, during 600 yard matches:
A .243 I believe. This guy changes guns pretty fast. I'm probably behind!
One very, very accurate .308 Winchester on a Rem 700 action.
A deer-slaying 6.5-06!
A varmint-blasting 6mmBR on a Savage action.
If you've ever thought about shooting matches, but didn't want to invest thousands in specialized NRA highpower gear that is pretty much useless for anything else, consider giving F-class a try. Lots of fun, and you can do it with your favorite varmint/deer rifle & not much else!
Regards, Guy
Many ranges that host NRA highpower & prone matches are now seeing a growing number of F-class shooters. F-class is a relatively new phenomena in shooting, growing mostly in the last 5 years as an alternative to traditional prone competition. I'm seeing a whole lot of guys who wouldn't have taken up competition shooting, getting involved in F-class because they can compete with their favorite varmint rifle, or long range/precision deer rifle.
Matches vary from 100 - 1000 yards. Here in Washington state, most of the prone matches seem to be 300, 500 or 600 yards. The .308 Win is very competitive, as is the .243 Winchester, the little .223 can do well too, but requires a fast twist barrel to shoot heavy bullets and play with the big boys at 600 yards or beyond. Here's a few shots taken at the North Central Washington Gun Club, during 600 yard matches:
A .243 I believe. This guy changes guns pretty fast. I'm probably behind!
One very, very accurate .308 Winchester on a Rem 700 action.
A deer-slaying 6.5-06!
A varmint-blasting 6mmBR on a Savage action.
If you've ever thought about shooting matches, but didn't want to invest thousands in specialized NRA highpower gear that is pretty much useless for anything else, consider giving F-class a try. Lots of fun, and you can do it with your favorite varmint/deer rifle & not much else!
Regards, Guy