What's the "Best" factory rifle for 1000yds.?

[Jay]

I would like to start shooting in the "F" class with a factory rifle. What brand and Cal. would be the best? I'm thinking of 308 or 6mm ppc. You have to shoot prone and multiple shots.

 

[Savage99]

For over the counter you might look at what Savage has. For myself I want fancy stuff. So far I don't have a rifle for F class. You might buy a match rifle suitable for Palma etc and try it in F class.

Our club has a long range team. They travel all over including Canada. One of the members builds target rifles. He is shooting the 300 WSM and his buddy is using the 6.5 X 284 at 1000 yds. The 6.5 shooter says that the recoil of the magnum gets to him. I just mention these two cartridges. When I see these guys next they will have something different.

I read the PPC is difficult to live with. Most suggest the 6mm Br for a similar cartridge.

http://www.6mmbr.com/index.html

 

[BigBlue]

I thinking 7mm or 30 caliber, jsut to have a better choice of bullets, and to have a large enough bullet to handle a breeze. There are several heavy barreled rifles on the market, Rem. and Savage come to mind. A great long range rifle/cartridge combo might be the Lazzeroni .308 Warbird!
Don

 

[Asa Yam]

I would like to start shooting in the "F" class with a factory rifle. What brand and Cal. would be the best? I'm thinking of 308 or 6mm ppc. You have to shoot prone and multiple shots.

Jay,
A .308 is a good starter rifle, though you have to be careful with the ammo - loads using 168 grain projectiles don't have enough steam to reach 1000 yards, and remain stable in flight. The danger is that there are people in the target pits, and an unstable bullet is a safety problem for them.

If you're shooting factory ammo, the only other real choice is a .300 Winchester Magnum - match loads are available for this caliber. Down sides to this or any other magnum caliber are recoil (makes it tough to shoot lots of rounds), and short accuracy life of the barrel (less than 1500 rounds).
If you reload, you choices are much wider. Good bullets are available in 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm, and .30 caliber. Speeds of 3000 FPS or more are not necessary - the faster you push the bullet, the faster the barrel wears out.

Most of the factory varmint or long range rifles make good entry level rifles for F-Class. At the beginning, it's the shooter that makes the biggest difference in total accuracy, and not the rifle or ammo.

I see from your post that you're in Southern Oregon. Medford has a range where long range matches are held. Jim Rice who runs the matches there, he would be a good person to contact to discuss matches. Another suggestion would be to go to a match as an observer. Ask the shooters there what worked for them, and why. You may even get to test fore a few rounds. Only after seeing a match should you try to actually buy equipment - you go through fewer headaches this way.

For more information on long range target shooting, I suggest visiting the board at www.long-range.com. Registration is required to view or post, but it is free.

Hope this helps.

 

[Asa Yam]

Per NRA rules, the following limitations apply to F-Class rifles:

• Foreend no wider than 3";
• Total weight not to exceed 18 lbs without bipod, or 22 lbs with bipod;
• NO MUZZLE BRAKES. You are 7 feet from your neighbor, and the brakes are noisy. They also kick up dirt and debris, which can injure your neighbor.

A typical match can require 50-100 rounds per day. Some events can last two or more days. Because of this, and due to the restrictions listed above (i.e., rifle weight and no brakes), case capacities are usually 300 Magnum or less, and usually 30-06 capacity or less. "Flatness" of trajectory is not an issue here - targets are at known distances. What matters most is accuracy, with wind drift in a slightly distant second place.

 

[jbdre]

I've been shooting with a group of guys where there are numerous Remington Senderos in a variety of calibers and all of them seem to shoot very well. I would give the Sendero a close look if I were you.

 

[Jay]

Thank's for the ideas. I do reload. The 308 is in the top running in my mind. And as soon as they have some matches down here I will get some more ideas as to what people are really shooting. Thanks.

 

[skb2706]

Either a .300 Win Mag or .300 Ultramag in a Sendero would be tough to beat "out of the box" 1000yd. rifle.

 

[jbdre]

My understanding is that Remington has discontinued the Sendero so you had better hurry if interested.

 

[skb2706]

jb - must be true.........they not longer show it on their website. I own one and they are perfect for sitting and waiting out a good long shot. But they are not very portable......mine full up weighs 12.5#.

 

[jbdre]

skb2706 I think the Sendero is just about perfect for some situations but like you note it is a handfull to carry all day. I would have thought they were good sellers for Remington judgeing by the number I see in my part of the country. I don't know any one who doesn't like the way they shoot. Mine is in 7mm Ultra which is certainly not a big seller but a catridge I have grown to like and one that has proven to be a real killer for me. If I didn't already have one I would be shopping while there are still good ones out there.

 

[skb2706]

Yep mine is a .300 win mag I got when the insurance company gave me full replacement value on my guns I lost in a home burglary. It replaced a Model 700 LSS gray laminated in .300 WM....beautiful gun and much easier to carry.

 

[330Dakota]

If you reload and want a factory rifle for 1000 yard shooting you need a Tikka T3 Varmint in 6.5x55, very smooth, acurate rifles, and mild recoil for the 75 plus rounds a day at a match. The 6.5 has some of the best(BC) bullets for shooting long range(139 grain Lapua Scenar). The swede has plenty of velocity to shoot 1000+ yards, and easy on barrels as well.

 

[7mmfan]

My 7mm Remington magnum Sendero holds an inch at 300 yards from the bench and 3 inches at 500 yards prone from bipods. An Ultra would be perfect.

Brad

 

[HuntElk4Fun]

7mm Ultra Mag if you can handle the punch over 50-100 shots.

 

[HunterJim]

Take a look at the Remingotn M40X rifles for a factory target rig. I have shot two of them in matches, and they will out shoot any M700.

I used to compete at 1,000 yards with a Winchester M70 target model in .30-.338. It weighed about 12 pounds, so recoil was not too bad. A day full of that is tiring though.

jim

 

[Anonymous]

My 7mm Remington magnum Sendero holds an inch at 300 yards from the bench and 3 inches at 500 yards prone from bipods.

That works so well for me, thanks.