Competing with a 6.5 Creedmoor PRS rig in F-Class open, 600-1000 yards, two day international match.
It takes a bit of gear to get set up in F-open; rests, bags, optics, accurate reloading system, components, etc, and the cost adds up quickly. So can you start with your PRS rifle in a factory chassis? You bet, and you can kick ass out to 1000, no problem.
Here's what worked for me, on my second F-Class match.
Ammo:
I used the Berger 144 LRHT, 4350, CCI BR SRP, @2780fps.
Reloading:
-1F & 2F brass Cleaned with 2X 1hr in steel pins with dawn & lemishine.
-Sinclair primer pocket uniformer. VLD interior neck chamfer only.
-Lube was hand rubbed 25:1 99% isopropyl and "One" brand pure lanolin brew.
-Dies were cleaned every 50 rounds, with a fat swap dipped in isopropyl. "Once per tray, every step of the way".
-Bump shoulder to free bolt drop, neck bushing to .2620 inside diameter, expanded to to .2630 inside diameter. Whidden dies, Sinclair expander die.
-Necks were cleaned religiously with a 9mm nylon bore brush in a drill. 4 swipes at full rpm.
-Charges dropped with an Autotrickler, and yes, I dropped single small grains to get within .01 grain. It matters.
-I used a single sacrificial bullet with jewelers rouge compound to blend the Whidden seater tip to the bullet profile. Bullet in a drill, took 10 minutes.
-Seating 20 thou off lands. 15 thou had pressure, 24 thou had group dispersion. ****Your settings will vary.
-Bullets were handled with lube wet fingers prior to seating, to ease seating effort. This works, and resulted in ES's 2-3 fps lower than dry necks and bullets. This did not effect average speeds.
-All rounds wiped with microfiber cloths damp with diluted isopropyl prior to final measuring and boxing. This matters.
Full load development was almost 200 rounds of testing. 20 shots averaged 2870, and I adjusted the load for each brass type to get stable velocity between brass types.
Peterson SRP brass: ES 6, SD 3.4
Lapua LRP brass: ES 7, SD 2.6
Federal LRP brass: ES 6, SD 4.4
FAQ:
-New, fresh primers made a HUGE difference; SRP's had better overall consistency, seating depth variations cause ES Variations.
-Same batch powder is critical; I used 8LB jugs, any leftovers get blended for use in PRS practice rounds.
-Case lube left uncleaned caused some flyers as per my records.
Barrel:
JC Custom Barrels 25.5" 4R Saami chamber 1:8 MTU. He's up in Canada, and has made a dozen amazing barrels for me. 1400 fired rounds on it at time of match.
FAQ:
-Cleaned every 200 rounds to bare.
-Velocity plotted for cold bores after 50 fouling shots. Cold bore is +100FPS. Max velocity at 10 rounds from fouled cold. Stable velocity at 80 rounds fouled.
-Accuracy spreads at 240-280 rounds, from 1/8 moa to 1/2 moa, so I clean at 200 to give me a predictable 160-ish round window, enough for a 2-3 day competition.
-Carbon on the barrel interface with the shoulder seemed to be the biggest cause of velocity swings and pressure signs, barrel not so much.
Action: Impact 737
TriggerTech Diamond set to 8oz
Chassis: MDT ACC Premier & Elite(AWESOME DUAL PURPOSE CHASSIS)
- I built a few fore ends and extended bag riders for this, because, well, I'm handy like that. And they look cool as SH*T. I make them for a few guys now, and they are amazing.
-I use a 308 plastic Pmag with the feed lips sanded off for a perfect single feed adaptor. Feed plate is glued, internals removed. AMAZING.
-Having the ability to put your rifle on a tripod between rounds, for cleaning, fiddling or just to get it off the wet dirt is a good thing. Arca rail for the win!!
Optic: Delta Stryker 5-50.(My Vortex worked just as well, and 25X at 1000 on a hot windy day is actually easier in FFP for super accurate wind calls).
-25X Max at 1000 during mirage, 40 most of the time, as that's where the SFP reticle is calibrated.
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****Scope leveling is SUPER important, take the time to align your elevation with a laser or plumb line at 100, then align your scope level to this. It's critical.
-Rings are not critical. I'm using a Spuhr 36mm from my ZCO 5-27 with a plastic shim to 34mm.
Weight: 10 Kilos, 22lbs with the MDT 2.5LB internal weight. This is legal for competition.
Front rest: I picked up a used SEB Mini off the classifieds, and its perfect. Take the time to set it, level it, and align it with the target. I modified the front with some leftover bits, but its legal. The rifle slides on two small bags, made from climbing webbing stuffed with 1 tablespoon of sand.
Rear Bag: Protektor. Entry level bag, get the Deluxe off amazon with the 3M/nylon ears. Ideally you want a Dima RS or Edgewood, but these will suffice.
Ballistics:
-I have a 100 yard, 1/4 moa zero. It's more like a 1/10 MOA 3-shot zero, but let's be honest, 3 shots don't mean crap. 20 shots is representative of a match, so if it holds, 1/4 over 20, I'm good with it.
-MV average 20 shots for a reliable velocity average. G7 BC from Kestrel bullet menu. I split the 1000 yard hold between my Strelok and Kestrel solutions.
-1st Sighter shot with elevation hold only, dead center on target.
-2nd Sighter shot with a corrected elevation, and windage call split between actual deviation, and Kestrel wind call.
Results:
In this weekends international match, I took two 2nds and a 3rd place, plus a great score in the team challenge(49.4V). Best score was 49.7V at 900(5,V,V,V,V,V,4,V,5,V), beating most of the field including the incredible Canadian national team member who won the whole aggregate, and almost every other match.
Full transparency, my worst score was a dismal 36.0 at 1000, where I faced my first swirling 20+ MPH switch wind. It was madness, it played with my head, and I totally shit the bed. No excuses, I plain sucked, and every 3 ring volley was a slap in the face. No rifle would have saved me, and this is where the match experience and the wind reading skills of the top level shooters really showed. It was truly humbling; my confidence from the 49.7 an hour previously was thrashed, and I promised myself to never fail so epically again. Ever.
Tips:
-You have five minutes to stage. Don't waste it figuring out your setup. Be ready, get on the berm, and lock it down.
-Hydrate, eat healthy, arrive rested.
-If you bring your girlfriend, bring extra food, drinks, a wifi hotspot and a comfy chair, or she'll eat all your snacks, whine all day, and puppy dog you around the range out of boredom. Ask me how I know.....
Next steps:
1. I'm going to shoot a national level match with this setup, to learn and struggle a bit, but more importantly to gain knowledge from the other shooters.
2. I'll spend a ton of time and rounds shooting this barrel/caliber out, in wind and weather, so I'm actually growing my ability, instead of wasting the effort in building a purpose built F-Class rig.
3. If I finish top five in at least 3 match aggregates, it will be an indication that my abilities warrant a new build, and I'll start from scratch, with the full intention of earning a national team jersey and a spot at the worlds in 2026.
YES, you can take a PRS rig, your Savage 10 PRC, your Howa or whatever, refine your load, lock down your fundamentals, and shoot a proper FTR or F-open match, no problem. Go shoot at your local F-Class club with what you've got, have fun, and worry about building that 7PRC or .284 next year.
