F T/R Competition Mini F-Class tips?

[Gone_Shootin]

Hi all,

I'm a new member here, but have looked in on threads over the years. And now that I'm getting ready for my first match, I figured this would be a good place to ask for tips.

This particular "Mini F-Class" match is for .223 & .308 only, so I'll be using one of my Remington SPS Varmints in .308. This one is sitting in an HS Precision stock that came off of a Sendero, & has a Leupold FXIII 6X42 in Leupold rings. Yeah, I know, not the best scope & rings for the job, but it's what I have for now. Oh yeah & its sitting on a Harris bipod.

Pic:

I'm working on some handloads using 155gr & 168gr Amax bullets, Winchester cases, & Federal 210 primers. I'm experimenting with Varget, H4895, & RL15, and already have some 155 Amax rounds loaded up with H380 that do quite well. I wanted to grab some SMKs & 210M primers today, but couldn't find any.

The match will be shot at 100 & 200 yards. Is there anything I need to know/keep in mind when getting ready for the match or while I'm shooting? I do know about breath control, trying to shoot between heartbeats, trigger control, ect.

Thanks.

 

[gstaylorg]

Re: Mini F-Class tips?

That rig should work just fine. I'd personally like a little more than 6X mag, but it's what you have, and it can definitely do the job. At 100 and 200 yd, more will depend on you as the driver and wind will be less of an issue than at longer distances. Also, at those short distances, it will probably be a bughole shootout to decide the winner, so the better you have your rifle dialed in, the better off you'll be. By that I mean that you don't want to give up any unnecessary points on your first few shots for score, so get everything dialed in as close as possible before the match.

My only other suggestion would be to try a few dot drills if you have the time before the match; it should be particularly helpful for that type of match (link below). I would use both 0.5 MOA dots at 100 yd, and 1.0 MOA dots at 200 yd as a training exercise for that match.

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=973070&page=1

Somewhere, I have the pdf files for the dot drill targets with 0.5 and 1.0 MOA dots (red dots) as shown in the following link. If you want them, PM me and I'll send them to you and you can print them out.

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthre...806#Post2300806

Finally, don't forget to have some fun while you're there. Matches can be a great place to get feedback, tips, and learn from those with more experience. I've met a lot of great people at matches and most are more than willing to share tips and help others get started.

Good luck with the competition and let us know how it goes!

 

[GUNZ n AMMO]

Re: Mini F-Class tips?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Gone_Shootin</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hi all,

I'm a new member here, but have looked in on threads over the years. And now that I'm getting ready for my first match, I figured this would be a good place to ask for tips.

This particular "Mini F-Class" match is for .223 & .308 only, so I'll be using one of my Remington SPS Varmints in .308. This one is sitting in an HS Precision stock that came off of a Sendero, & has a Leupold FXIII 6X42 in Leupold rings. Yeah, I know, not the best scope & rings for the job, but it's what I have for now. Oh yeah & its sitting on a Harris bipod.

Pic:

I'm working on some handloads using 155gr & 168gr Amax bullets, Winchester cases, & Federal 210 primers. I'm experimenting with Varget, H4895, & RL15, and already have some 155 Amax rounds loaded up with H380 that do quite well. I wanted to grab some SMKs & 210M primers today, but couldn't find any.

The match will be shot at 100 & 200 yards. Is there anything I need to know/keep in mind when getting ready for the match or while I'm shooting? I do know about breath control, trying to shoot between heartbeats, trigger control, ect.

Thanks.

</div></div>

Since this is your first match, my advice to you... "HAVE FUN". And while you're there, ask the veterans how they came about, their reloads, shooting tips and where they get their supplies etc. You'll be surprised the amount of knowledge you'll get by just asking around, watching, learning...

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Mini F-Class tips?

I'll second what's posted above. Just remember, these will be busy folks, so time your intrusions diplomatically, and let someone else try out for 'the worst pest in the locale' award.

When you go to your first match, your emphasis might benefit from keeping your goals simple. Essentially, it's not about how you score, but about how well you adjust to an effective routine, so subsequent matches can be approached with more attention to the actual score. In fact, it's not even essential that you actually compete; you may gain more from simply 'auditing' the match.

IMHO, for 100 and 200yd, a 308 is a lot of gun. It tends to be more expensive to shoot and the job can gotten be done with a lot less rifle and cartridge.

Obviously, for now, you go with what you've got; but if and as your interest gets refined, be on the lookout for something chambered in a smaller, more efficient cartridge like a .222 Rem or a .223 Rem. A Rem 700 Varmint somethingorother chambered in one of those calibers should be fine.

Pay attention to hardware details like good bedding, good optics mounts, and do some load development with accurate bullets. Higher BC's are not needed at these distances for the above .22's; the 52gr SMK is a very good choice. Heavier bullets may drift less, but the emphasis on drift should be based more on skills, and less on hardware. For the .308, the 155's are plenty of bullet.

I've been shooting FV200 with those .22 calibers, and this year I'm upgrading my chambering to a .30BR.

You can make employ your 6X more effectively by making certain the parallax is adjusted right before you shoot, and by using what I call the 'tangent crosshair' method.

Instead of aiming with the crosshairs intersection imposed into the center of the bull; lay the horizontal and vertical crosshair up against the edges of the bull. It will appear as the bull being nestled into the corner of the intersection, with the intersection falling outside the bull.

Now adjust the scope so the bullets are walked into the center of the bull when this edge/edge crosshair alignment is in effect. This method establisshes an offset point of impact. While unorthodox, this relationship can be held to a much finer resolution than when the crosshair intersection is allowed to 'swim' inside the 10-ring. This will work with any chambering, but it works easier with less riproarin' chamberings.

Forget about 'between the heartbeats'; it ain't happenin'. Concentrate on NPA, the above sight alignment, proper breathing, and trigger <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">s<span style="color: #3366FF">queeze</span></span></span>. If you can actually get that much resolved, you'll be competitive.

Greg

 

[DropZone]

Re: Mini F-Class tips?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Greg Langelius *</div><div class="ubbcode-body">.....and by using what I call the 'tangent crosshair' method.

Instead of aiming with the crosshairs intersection imposed into the center of the bull; lay the horizontal and vertical crosshair up against the edges of the bull. It will appear as the bull being nestled into the corner of the intersection, with the intersection falling outside the bull.

Now adjust the scope so the bullets are walked into the center of the bull when this edge/edge crosshair alignment is in effect. This method establisshes an offset point of impact. While unorthodox, this relationship can be held to a much finer resolution than when the crosshair intersection is allowed to 'swim' inside the 10-ring. This will work with any chambering, but it works easier with less riproarin' chamberings.

Greg </div></div>

Greg,

I've always enjoyed reading your posts. This one stuck me as really cool as the above is something I've done for years when shooting groups on paper at 100 and 200 yards. Works fabulously and good on ya for bringing it up! Never knew it had a "name" but that one works for me!

Regards,
Joe C

 

[Gone_Shootin]

Re: Mini F-Class tips?

Thanks for the tips so far, guys. I'll keep them all in mind.

And using .223/5.56 had crossed my mind, but the only rifles I have in that are a couple ARs with chrome lined barrels. Later on I do want to build an AR for matches like this, though.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Mini F-Class tips?

I'm in the process of acquiring a Stag Super Varminter Model 6. 24" 1:8" Stainless heavy barrel in a flattop config with a basic A2 Butt stock. Shopping around, can often be had for under $1K,

Should have it soon, will report when I've given it a shakedown I suspect it'll probably shoot as well as many build guns, and do it fairly economically. That's my plan, anayway.

I often refer to parallax. It's something that plagues a lot of shooters, especially if their Cheekweld is not very consistent.

I recently dreamed up an idea about masking the eyepiece so only the very center of the eyepiece lens is actually visible. It would seem to logically force the cheekweld to be consistent, possibly making parallax errors much smaller.

Anyway, this is (for me at least) an unproven theory, which I will be trying out this Spring, once the shooting weather becomes more agreeable once again.

Greg

 

[kimberseries1]

Re: Mini F-Class tips?

TAG

 

[Gone_Shootin]

Re: Mini F-Class tips?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Greg Langelius *</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm in the process of acquiring a Stag Super Varminter Model 6. 24" 1:8" Stainless heavy barrel in a flattop config with a basic A2 Butt stock. Shopping around, can often be had for under $1K,

Should have it soon, will report when I've given it a shakedown I suspect it'll probably shoot as well as many build guns, and do it fairly economically. That's my plan, anayway.

I often refer to parallax. It's something that plagues a lot of shooters, especially if their Cheekweld is not very consistent.

I recently dreamed up an idea about masking the eyepiece so only the very center of the eyepiece lens is actually visible. It would seem to logically force the cheekweld to be consistent, possibly making parrallax errors much smaller.

Anyway, this is (for me at least) an unproven their, which I will be trying out this Spring, once the shooting weather becomes more agreeable once again.

Greg </div></div>

Cool. Post a link when you do your write-up. I've heard that Stag has really upped their game, so I'm curious.

And that's an interesting idea about the paralax. I suppose it would function similarly to those round thingies with the hole in the middle that some guys wear on their shooting glasses. What they're called escapes me at the moment. Lol

 

[DCR]

Re: Mini F-Class tips?

Diopters? Usually force the shooter's eye to focus at the front sight. At least that's what I remember. Can't find my Tubb's book. grr

 

[Gone_Shootin]

Re: Mini F-Class tips?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DCR</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Diopters? Usually force the shooter's eye to focus at the front sight. At least that's what I remember. Can't find my Tubb's book. grr </div></div>

Yeah, that's what I was trying to think of.

 

[Xcount]

Re: Mini F-Class tips?

A thingy with a hole in the middle is called a Aperture, which is used increase your depth of field, making it easier for some people to focus on the front sight but can decrease the light level. The biggest gain is having an adjustable aperture to make any necessary adjustments as conditions or vision change.
A diopter is a lens and it can + or - which will help change the focal length of your eye when its relaxed. A + correction is usually used to make it easier to focus on closer objects, like a front sight especially.

it's best to have both a adjustable aperture and adjustable diopters if you have vision problems and are trying to use iron sights for precision sighting.

the young guys laugh about this stuff but time catches up with everyone. I bought some of these things long before I needed them but I knew I was in the game for a long time and would need them eventually. Now I do.....

 

[Gone_Shootin]

Re: Mini F-Class tips?

Well, I ended up not going to those matches because some old friends invited me to play in their band and one of the practices is on the same day the matches were on. But oh well. I'll remember what I learned in those thread and use it in the future. Thanks again, I appreciate all the replies.