F-class National Championship

[Guy Miner]

For anyone curious - seems it was one heck of a match:

http://www.bergerbullets.com/2015-f-cla ... dium=email

My buddy and neighbor was there again this year. I'll have to find out how he and his team fared.

Regards, Guy

 

[DrMike]

I received this report early this morning before I left home. That would be a great competition, for sure.

 

[257 Ackley]

2016 (and 17') will be held at Lodi, Wisconsin. This is about a 4 hour drive for me and my first chance to shoot against the "big names" in the sport. The NRA required whatever range hosted the event to have it for two years and have mid-range and LR matches run consecutively. It means I have to spend close to a week and a half in cheese-head country, but there will be a lot of guys from Minnesota there to help ease the pain :wink: .

The sport is growing at an unbelievable level compared to other high power disciplines, and talk has started about splitting up FTR from F-open. I will be running our state mid-range championship in Minnesota for 2016. We will have around 75 participants coming from 5 states if 2015 is an indicator.

Just to give you an idea of how competitive it is getting on a state level; the f-open winner dropped 1 point over the match (3X20 shots) and had an X-count of 52. Second place dropped 1 point and had an X-count of 51. Third dropped 2 points and had an X-count of 49. The guy who placed second shot the 2015 nationals at Ben Avery and was in the top 10.

The X-ring on an F-class target is .5 MOA (sling shooters target is MOA). That means you have to put 20 rounds into a circle 6" in diameter (10 ring at 600 yards) to clean the target in 20 minutes. The guys who win not only have great equipment, but they read the wind/mirage better than most of us. Anyone that wants to test there loading skills should give it a try. I know mine had to go way up before I could compete.

Time to get off the keyboard...there is a new 6.5X47 waiting for load testing. :grin:

 

[Desert Fox]

I will give it some serious thought next year. Just acquired this rig for it.

 

[DrMike]

Looks to be a Skookum rifle, Rommel. Yeah, that'll 'bout do.

 

[JD338]

Beautiful rifle. What is she chambered in? What scope are you running?

JD338

 

[Desert Fox]

It comes with 2 barrel. A Kreiger 6 grove 8 twist chambered for the Dasher and a Bartlein 5R in 6 BR. I'm planning on getting a Nightforce Competition for it.

Rifle spec:

Action: Stiller P1000 RBLPRE
Stock: Macmillan MBR
Trigger: 2 ounce Timney
Brake: Harrel Radial Brake

 

[Guy Miner]

Very cool. That ought to shoot extremely well.

 

[257 Ackley]

Looks good DF! You will need to get rid of that muzzle brake before you get to the line... :mrgreen:

How long is the barrel on the dasher? Have you had it out for a test drive yet? What are you planning on using for a front rest (Farley, SEB, etc...)?

Looks like you have a few matches coming up that are fairly close to home: https://www.smgunclub.org/schedule/event-calendar/ I have wanted to shoot a match there after talking to a couple guys that shoot there regularly and the memories of shooting on that range quite a few years ago when I was a bit younger :shock:

Let me know if you are planning on shooting nationals at Lodi in 2017. It was fun shooting on the E-targets and a really challenging range to try and figure out the wind. Most of the top shooters were dragging out their big "7's" to shoot at 600 yards with the way the wind was blowing. I didn't load enough 6.5X47 rounds to use it the whole week at 600, and the little 105 hybrids in my 6BR were taken for some pretty crazy "rides". I'm getting a .284 built right now for the LR distances. Should have a few pics in about a month if there aren't delays in the build.

 

[Desert Fox]

I'll check on the Santa Margarita Gun Club schedule. It's still quite drive for me I need practice though. I haven't shoot in years.
Just bought the rifle. I haven't even got it yet. It's being shipped as we speak. I'll see how it shoots. As far as front rest, I have to do my research. SEB is great but pricey and so is Farley. I have to wait and see where I'm at before I throw some serious dollar on it.

 

[257 Ackley]

As far as front rest, I have to do my research. SEB is great but pricey and so is Farley. I have to wait and see where I'm at before I throw some serious dollar on it.

This is a piece of equipment that should be a buy once/cry once over almost everything we "need" to be competitive. I have seen too many guys that buy inferior rests, end up replacing them after the first year. I just sold my Farley to a new this year shooter, who tried to get by on a Caldwell quality rest. I let him shoot off the rest a couple times and saw scores go from mid 180's to mid 190's each time he shot with it. SEB has a new "mini" rest that is entry level, but there have been good reports on how a rifle tracks using it. http://sebrests.com/product

I prefer the SEB neo to the Farley with the heavier recoiling rifles due to less torquing with the double post construction of the rest. Most other top shooters seem to think the same. Get on the list to get one (usually about 3-6 months wait), and if you don't want it when it comes in, Ernie will just call the next guy on the list.

 

[Desert Fox]

This guy won an IBS National using his Midway rest? I'm not sure yet if I will use a pedestal rest or a bipod. I guess I have to go to couple of this comp and see where I'm at and then invest on proper equipment.

http://www.accurateshooter.com/guns-of-week/gunweek063/

Word from Jeff Cochran 2005 F-Class National Champion.

Front Rests
I proved in 2005 that a Remington-actioned rifle on a $40 Midway rest can win. Don’t confuse the ‘cool’ factor with necessity. A rest is nothing more than a stable platform on which to set the rifle’s fore-end. I’m a bag squeezer, so for me a windage top is useless. Feet such as those sold by Sinclair should be considered a necessity, however, due to the variations in shooting surfaces at different venues. One thing that will become popular are lighter-weight rests with removable legs for easier transport. I’ve seen a couple of nice designs. And yes, that homely blue Midway rest is what I have always used, including at the Nationals. The oversize foot-pads were made for me by my team-mate Mike Williamson. They do help.

 

[257 Ackley]

DF - They were still shooting a 1 moa target at that time. It has been .5 moa targets for about 10 years now. You will especially notice it if your vertical is not at it's best. Not saying you need a SEB to start with, but you will more than likely be disappointed with a rest like the article is talking about. You can shoot a bi-pod, but you will be in the "open" category with the calibers you have. Not very good odds of beating shooters using SEB/Farley type of rests if they can read wind at all. The FTR guys that I see doing well are still paying 350 - 500 for the bi-pods they use.

Bag squeezing is still used by some of the FTR guys, but most of them have gone to rear bag setups that allow the rifle to track in the ears of their rear bags. They are adjusting their front rests for shot placement. After a shot is fired, you want to be able to push the rifle back to the front rest stop, and see the dot/crosshairs pointed at the same spot on the target that you just fired at. It is getting as "bad" as the bench rest guys for equipment. :roll:

I would highly recommend going to a match and observe what is being used by seasoned shooters and talk to them about why. You may be able to have someone let you get behind their setup to see how it works.

 

[Desert Fox]

I do need to go to some of this comp.and see how they do it. I've never been to one so I don't know what to expect. Thanks for the info Joel.

When is the National in Coalinga. If you go let me know. I don't mind going just to watch.

 

[257 Ackley]

DF -
I looked at their website and only found 2016 dates. Any of the matches that are 3 X 600, palma, high power and state/regional matches will have some F-class shooters. I wouldn't look at the OTC matches because of the course of fire. They will more than likely never have a national match there because of the number of firing points they have (25). That isn't enough to handle a national match unless they go to electronic targets like Lodi, Wisconsin did (they have 32 firing points). That doesn't mean there aren't great shooters for the matches at Coalinga, with some fierce competition between the top shooters.

If you want to see what a national match looks like, take a weekend with your wife and visit the Ben Avery range in February for the Berger SW National matches: http://www.bergerbullets.com/swn/info/
I was late in getting my application in, and am on the waiting list to get in. You will see competitors from every corner of the planet there. I was squadded with a guy from Brazil and a guy from Ireland for the first day matches when I shot at Lodi this year.

The great thing about NRA registered and approved matches is that once you have had 120 shots for record (at approved/registered matches), the NRA will give you a classification card based off those scores. After that, you will shoot against those in the same classification as you, rather than master/high master classifications. Unclassified shooters are lumped in with master classified shooters until they get a classification. That doesn't mean you can't win the match, but does give you a chance to win classification awards if you are still figuring out what the top shooters have spent years learning (part of the reason most of the top shooters in F-class are old farts that came over from sling shooting) :mrgreen:.

Good luck and Happy New Year

 

[Guy Miner]

Ya... I quickly started winning the "master" class matches... With High Master scores and was equally quickly bumped up to "High Master" and never won another match!

:mrgreen:

That was conventional prone, not F-Class. Sling, not a rest. Bigger targets too!

Guy

 

[257 Ackley]

Guy -
We shoot with sling shooters at all of the LR matches and some of the MR matches that are small (less than 20 in each discipline). I admire their ability to get "slung up" more than most F-class guys, because I know how much I hated getting twisted into a pretzel when I was in the Corps. :twisted: Anyone that can shoot open sights and hit an X ring on an MOA target at 600/1000 yards has my respect. A friend that shoots sling used to give me grief about how easy it to shoot off a rest until he tried it at a match this year...he has a better appreciation for a .5 MOA target now :lol:. It has turned into belly benchrest as far as equipment and the level of consistency needed in your loads. As you know, it is all about score in our game, but you still have to hold a 3" group at 600 yards for an X.

Attached is a screen shot of the e-target from day one match at 300 yards (1.5" X-ring):
I was second in that match because of the Creedmore rule. We both shot the same score, but he shot an X on his 20th shot and I shot a 10.
Kind of interesting seeing the results of the LR open matches this year, with a guy classified as "expert" winning. Two guys I shoot with that are both HM's for mid and long range had a really tough time with the wind calls, but this guy from Brazil figured it out.

 

[257 Ackley]

A really nice feature of the e-target from Silver Mountain is that it registers the velocity of the bullet at the target. The 6BR AI of mine had a range of velocities from 2417 - 2438 at 300 yards. These leave my barrel using a LabRadar chronograph at an average of 2930 fps, with an ES of 7 for 5 shots. Shows how much the wind (and slight differences in neck tension) can change down range results from shot to shot.

I hold off the X-ring from shot to shot once I go for record, depending on my wind calls and where the spotter comes up on my previous shot. The interesting take-away for me about the velocities the target registered was that two of the slowest bullets were high in the X-ring. I was holding at 5 O-clock in the bottom of the X-ring for most of this match.