F T/R Competition DTA SRS covert 308 + 7wsm for F Class F/TR.

[Bob Roberts]

Hi all,


I’m new to long range shooting and I’m presently going to a club with a 1000 yard range to learn all about this interesting sport.

I quite like the idea of 7wsm but from my research I’ve discovered that it’s barrel life is not the best.


My plan is to use the 7wsm for 700 - 1000 yards and 308 for less than 600 yards unless it is very windy.

The thought of being able to quickly switch to 7wsm and f class open if the weather is bad makes me smile.


I like the look of the DTA SRS Covert, with its 16in barrel it looks like it could quite fun to use in the practical comps, most of which are 300 yards. Shame about there not being 10 round mags though.

But will I be at much of a disadvantage using this barrel at up to 600 yards F T/R?

For any further I plan on switching to 7wsm. That way I should only use 500 ish rounds of 7wsm a year. Hopefully making the barrel last at least two seasons, maybe even three with any luck.


That’s one of the reasons I like the look of the DTA, I only have to learn to use one trigger and only have to purchase one scope but I can use a cheaper calibre for most of the shorter range comps then switch out to 7wsm when the shorter barrel is a limiting factor.

Do you all think that this set up sounds competitive?

 

[gstaylorg]

Re: DTA SRS covert 308 + 7wsm for F Class F/TR.

I have a Covert with the 16", as well as 18" and 22" barrels, all in .308. I do not use it in F-T/R comps for several reasons. Although I have shot a number of "practice" rounds with the different barrels at 600 yd, even with the 22" pipe you're giving up a lot in terms of MV and wind resistance to longer barreled (28"-32") F-T/R bolt guns. The absolute best practice score I have achieved with my Covert using the 22" barrel was 579/600 (don't remember the X-count off the top of my head). For comparison, shooting mid to upper 580s in practice with my dedicated F-T/R bolt guns is routine.

I also find the short foregrip on the Covert makes it much more challenging to shoot reproducibly as there is a lot more "hop" than with the GA Precision bolt guns that I regularly use in F-T/R comps. The ergonomics of the Covert simply aren't as comfortable for me as my bolt guns in terms of F-Class shooting. The SRS with its longer foregrip might be a whole different story in that regard.

Another issue is single round loading. I have not been able to easily feed single rounds (as required in F-Class) on top of a DTA mag. So you would need to put some kind of insert in the mag well to get reliable single round feeding if you wanted to use one in competition.

Bottom line, the Covert is a very accurate rifle and loads of fun to shoot. But for me, it really isn't the optimal setup for F-Class competition shooting. Could you do it? Of course. Would you be competitive? A lot would depend on how comfortable you are with that rifle setup. I agree with you that the switch-barrel capability might be an advantage in certain situations, but if you weren't comfortable behind the rifle in a competition setting as I'm not, I think you'd probably be giving up more points during the course of a match than you would gain.

My suggestion would be to shoot a few practice rounds with yours and see how you score using it. I use 4 x 18" Shoot-N-C targets stapled to 2'x4'x3/8" plywood sheets (2 targets per sheet). I black out all the yellow lines/numbers with a fat black Sharpie, which makes it much easier to see any holes you put in it, particularly if they're right on a line. The plywood target boards are clamped to two of those green stamped metal garden stakes (the one that look like miniature STOP sign poles) set at 600 yd. The whole setup might run you around $40.00 or so, and can be re-used over and over. I typically get about 3 practice rounds from one target, using the pasters to cover the holes. I have everything ready to go before driving to the range, so all I have to do is pound the stakes in and clamp the target boards to the them. After finishing, I just unclamp the boards and take the whole setup home. At home, I use a compass to mark lines at 3" and 6" for the X-rings and 10-rings, respectively, so I can score the targets (below is an example of 4 x 15-shot targets I shot with two different loads at 600 yd last Saturday). You can easily see the holes at 600 yd with a decent spotting scope while you're shooting if you need to adjust for wind, etc., just like you would in a match. If you were to take your Covert out and try a few practice rounds using this approach (or similar), I think you'd get a very good idea of how you'd do in a match. Only problem with this is that you can't shoot much further than 600 yd and still see the holes. Anyhow, it would probably be enough to determine whether you'd be reasonably competitive with that setup. Best of luck with it!

 

[Bob Roberts]

Re: DTA SRS covert 308 + 7wsm for F Class F/TR.

Hi, thank you for getting back to me with such a detailed reply.

I’m new to this sport so I have been going to my club to watch the comps. I’m going to do this for a season before diving in.

I’ve learnt a lot about the calibres and scopes used but I think I have overlooked the importance of a correctly set up bipod.

( the bipod is much closer to the trigger of the DTA rifle, am I right in thinking that this makes it harder to make fine adjustments to your aim?)

If I buy 30 inch 308 and 7wsm barrels for it, the bipod may act more like a hinge than a support.

Considering that one of the barrel conversions alone costs about the same as a Savage 12 FTR in the UK I think I may have to look at a more practical set up. Or the longer DTA SRS

 

[Bob Roberts]

Re: DTA SRS covert 308 + 7wsm for F Class F/TR.

^^^
In the back ground there is another DTA rifle with a bipod that looks like it is mounted on an extension so it is forward of the handrail.

It looks like a nifty idea