“The blue plastic barrels that we have to shoot through are the idea of the local police — to ensure that we keep our rifles pointing at the targets!” — David Sharp
Here’s a great story from the other side of the pond — the United Kingdom. Shooting a .308 Win factory Savage rifle, a novice benchrest shooter set two new 1000-Yard UK Factory Sporter Class records with a group barely over three inches plus a 6.756″ four-group Aggregate. The Savage had been upgraded with an inexpensive aftermarket stock and Timney trigger, but was otherwise “as manufactured” — with factory barrel.
At Ingleston, competitors shoot for group size only — so there are no scoring-rings on the targets.
On October 14, 2018 David Sharp had a memorable performance at the Ingleston Range in Scotland. David Agg’d 6.756 inches for all four 5-shot groups, a new UK 1000-Yard record for the Factory Sporter Class. His smallest group measured 3.090 inches, which is also a new UK Factory Sporter record. Great Shooting David — congrats!
Sharp Sets Two New UK Factory Sporter Class 1000-Yard Records
Report by Vince Bottomley
In the UK, long-range benchrest is far more popular than short-range. The UKBRA (United Kingdom Benchrest Association) holds shoots at three venues: Diggle (100, 600 & 1000 yards), Bisley (100 yards only) and Ingleston in Dumfries, Scotland (1000 yards).
The Scottish venue is the UK’s latest 1000-yard facility. It was established just three years ago yet it is already holding well-attended monthly shoots. It is operated by the Galloway Small Arms Club and, as you may imagine, it is situated in the beautiful wild Scottish countryside.
The UKBRA operates under IBS/NBRSA rules for the Light and Heavy Gun Classes but, many of the Scottish members are also deer stalkers and came to the benches with their hunting rifles, so we also run a Factory Sporter Class. Factory Sporter rifles must be the original manufacturer’s barreled-action but a more benchrest-compatible stock may be used or ‘bag-rider’ attachments may be fitted to the butt and fore-end. The barreled-action must however be totally as it left the factory — no re-chambering or throating, though the crown may be re-cut. To discourage potentially dangerous trigger modifications, an after-market trigger may be fitted.
The Factory Sporter Class is very popular and Savage rifles, chambered for the 6mmBR, 6.5-284, and .308 Win are the favored factory-classers. These have produced some remarkable performances over the years, often out-performing custom rifles!
David Sharp is a True Sharp-Shooter
David Sharp is a relatively new benchrest shooter, though he has decades of firearms experience. David started his shooting days wild-fowling and rough shooting with a shotgun over 50 years ago. After retiring, he moved to Dumfriesshire and began shooting again — clay pigeon, wildfowling on the Solway, driven pheasant and deer stalking. As a stalker, David keeps his eye in by shooting targets on a local range using his .308 Mannlicher.
Eventually, the pains of old age began taking their toll and stomping up hills was becoming more difficult. Fortunately, David heard about the Ingleston 1000-yard range and joined the Galloway Small Arms Club in 2016. As a complete novice to benchrest shooting, David relied on the guidance and advice from his fellow Club members and eventually purchased a Savage Model 12 F-TR rifle in .308 Winchester to compete in the Factory Class.
Here’s the view looking downrange. What a beautiful place to shoot…
.308 Win Factory Savage with Choate Stock and Vortex Scope
David’s rifle has some upgrades, as permitted for Factory Sporter Class. The Savage trigger was replaced with a Timney. The Savage F-TR stock was replaced with a Choate Varmint stock fitted with a Sinclair front bag-rider. The Choate’s butt was home-modified to better ride the Edgewood bag. The rifle is fitted with a Vortex Golden Eagle 15-60 scope mounted on a 20 MOA Ken Farrell rail via Vortex rings. Dave shoots off a SEB Mini front rest. As the Mini is lighter to lug around than the SEB NEO (and less expensive), the Mini is becoming popular with UK shooters.
David reports: “My rounds are nothing special — I’m using Sierra 2155 155 grain bullets over Vihtavuori N140 powder and CCI 200 primers. I use Lapua brass (large primer) full-length sized in a Redding S bushing die to give 0.002″ neck-tension.”
Although the Ingleston Range is a beautiful place to shoot, as you can imagine conditions can vary dramatically and it is not known for mild days! However, at 9:00 am on the day of David’s record shoot, it was clear and quite still with the flags barely lifting. The temperature was already 15 deg C (59 deg F). What more could any benchrest shooter ask for?
In the photo of David above, you can just see the four 1000-yard targets in the extreme top right of the picture — up near the tree-line. Note, at Ingleston, competitors shoot for group size only. Hence there are no scoring-rings on the target. However, Vince Bottomley says score shooting may begin at some UK ranges: “This year we have purchased a set of electronic targets. The IBS target face can be inputted so we will now start to shoot for score as scores are registered instantly. Previously, it just took too long to score the targets as well as measure the groups.”
Own a Ruger Precision Rifle (RPR)? Looking for the single best hardware upgrade that will improve inherent accuracy and shot-to-shot consistency? Here’s your answer. Krieger Barrels is now producing Pre-Fit barrels for the RPR in two popular chamberings: 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Winchester. These “Drop-In Ready” barrels come finish-chambered and threaded to fit the Ruger action. The Ruger barrel attachment system allows correct headspace with a pre-chambered barrel. Krieger explains: “Thanks to Ruger’s proprietary barrel nut design, a competent gunsmith will be able to swap out your barrel using an AR15 barrel wrench and proper headspace gauges.”
Kreiger’s 6.5 Creedmoor RPR barrel is an 1:8″-twist with 26″ finished length, 0.750″ at muzzle. The .308 Win RPR barrel is a 1:10″-twist with 24″ finished length, also 0.750″ at muzzle. Both these Krieger RPR Pre-Fits feature muzzles with factory-spec thread so you can re-install the factory muzzle brake.
We were pleased to see our friend John Whidden featured in the October 2017 issue of Shooting Sports USA. John captured the 2017 NRA Long Range Championship this summer, his second LR title in a row, and fifth overall. This year was a bit different, as the competition was held in Indiana at Camp Atterbury. All John’s previous Long Range HP titles were earned at Camp Perry.
Whidden’s Perfect Palma Match
Whidden secured the 2017 LR Title by shooting “clean” (not dropping a point) in the tough Palma competition. In the NRA Palma match, rifles must be .223 Rem or .308 Winchester, with metallic sights (no scopes). The match is conducted at three yardages, 15 shots at each distance of 800/900/1000 yards, with unlimited sighters at 800 and two sighters at 900 and 1000.
SSUSA’s Editor John Parker writes: “On another note, this month’s cover feature highlights the very first NRA High Power Rifle Championships conducted at the match’s new home—Indiana’s Camp Atterbury. Located about 50 miles south of Indianapolis, this active Indiana National Guard base boasts over 60 ranges, making it the ideal new venue to continue the legacy of NRA High Power. Hundreds of competitors made the trek to continue the historic tradition of rifle competition at the National Matches.”
Another friend, Anette Wachter, is featured in this issue as well. That’s the 30CalGal herself in the upper right after winning the Andrus Trophy Match.
Sling Rifle Evolved: The Ultra-Accurate Hybrid Palma Rifle
Since John captured his fifth Long Range crown with a superb performance in the Palma match, we thought we’d give readers a look at John’s very special Palma rifle. This unique .308 Win prone rifle features a Barnard “P” action in a converted aluminum Anschutz “Precise” smallbore (rimfire) stock. The combo of Barnard action and Anschutz ergonomics is hard to beat, says John, who told us: “this is easily the best Palma rifle I’ve ever had.” John told us this gun handles like no other: “After recoil, with this Anschutz stock, the sights fall right back on target — better than any other prone rifle I’ve shot”.
As a bonus, the Barnard “drop-in” required no modification of the Anschutz Precise stock. This means John can actually swap in his rimfire barreled action and shoot smallbore with the same stock.
Whidden Palma Rifle
Action: Barnard “P” (three lugs, 60° bolt lift)
Barrel: Bartlein 32″, Light Palma contour, cryo-treated by 300 Below.
Stock: Anschutz Precise aluminum smallbore stock, set up for centerfire barreled action.
Trigger: Barnard Two-Stage adjustable
Whidden’s Wonder-Gun: German Stock, New Zealand Action, American Barrel
John built this Palma rifle in early 2016. With it, John won back-to-back long-range Championships in 2016 (Camp Perry) and 2017 (Camp Atterbury). The major components are: Barnard ‘P’ action, Anschutz Precise smallbore stock, and Bartlein barrel. The caliber is .308 Win, as dictated by the Palma rules. Palma matches are fired from 800, 900, and 1000 yards utilizing iron sights only. No optical sights are allowed.
Here’s something you don’t see every day — the inside of loaded cartridges, sliced halfway through. This lets you see how bullet core, jacket, cartridge case, powder, and primer all fit together. Give credit to the folks at FOG Ammunition for creating this interesting series of cut-through ammo images. We show four cartridges here: the .308 Winchester, 9mm Luger, 300 BLK, and .50 BMG. You’ll find two more (the .223 Remington and .45 ACP) at www.FogAmmo.com.
This .308 Winchester model took on a different approach by only cutting the brass case and displaying the full bullet, primer and powder load. A spec amount of powder was used to create the model powder form. An estimated 10% volume was added during the forming process, along with an undetermined amount of air pockets.
This bisection is a 9mm Jacketed Hollow Point round with flake powder held together with super glue. After this self-defense round was cut by a trained professional the round was polished by hand. This might look like stick powder, but those are in fact flakes stacked up in cross-section. Designed in 1901 by Georg Luger, this popular cartridge is used by civilians, military, and law enforcement.
For this model of the .300 AAC Blackout (aka 300 BLK), a Dremel tool was used to create a pie cut within the bullet and brass case. A measured amount of power, roughly 65% of spec charge, was placed inside the case with super glue. This cartridge was originally optimized for subsonic use with a suppressor, so the amount of powder used is small relative to the nominal case capacity. That leaves more room for the relatively large .30-caliber bullet.
Last but definitely not least is the .50 Caliber BMG round (aka .50 Browning Machine Gun). Famed for its wartime use in the M2 Machine gun, the .50 BMG round is also used in civilian Long Range competitions. A typical .50 BMG cartridge holds over 225 grains of powder. That’s almost ten times the amount in a 5.56×45 NATO Round!
The folks at Sierra Bullets asked a few staff bulletsmiths a classic question about guns: “If you could own only one firearm which one would you choose?” There were many interesting answers including a “cheater” response — the drilling — which is really two guns in one. The most-often mentioned chambering was the venerable .30-06. Respondents cited its versatility, hunting prowess, and ready availability of ammo. The popular .308 Winchester, as expected, got mentions as did its cousins the .243 Win and 7mm-08. There were quite a few votes for classic lever guns, as well as 12-gauge shotguns. Two bulletsmiths cited the .22 LR, and we can certainly see the logic in that answer. The little rimfire cartridge is versatile, quiet, and inexpensive.
We ask our readers the same question — if you could only have one long gun, what type of firearm would it be? List the gun type and chambering in the comments section.
If You Could Have Just One Long-Gun — ANSWERS:
Media Relations Manager Carroll Pilant answered: “I would NEVER own only one gun. If I HAD to pick one, it would be a drilling in 12 gauge over .30-06.”
Ballistic Technician Rich Machholz answered: “The early tang safety Ruger M77s pretty much have all you could want in a bolt gun, but I do like the Winchester lever guns and the combination guns, particularly the drillings. Since I have the first two, I’m going for a Doug Turnbull 1886 or a side by side 20 gauge over .223 drilling.”
Ballistic Technician Philip Mahin answered: “More than likely it would have to be a bolt action .30-06. The reliability is legendary on a wide range of game animals and factory ammunition has still been available at my local stores even in these tough times.”
Ballistic Technician Duane Siercks answered: “If I had to boil it all down to one gun, it would probably be a .30-06. I have a Remington 700C (custom shop gun) that has worked very well for anything and everything I have ever wanted to do with it.”
Ballistic Technician Paul Box answered: “A .22 Rimfire.”
Chief Ballistician Tommy Todd answered: “Remington 700 in .308 Winchester.”
VP – Sales & Marketing Matt Reams answered: “A light weight Kimber in 25-06.”
Production Toolsetter Brad Vansell answered: “Savage weather warrior 7mm-08 is my rifle of choice.”
Production Toolsetter Dan Mahnken answered: “The .308 Winchester rifle — [based on the] wide range of bullets made and the wide range of things that one can hunt with it.”
Process Engineer David Palm answered: “Savage action 243 Winchester.”
Ballistic Technician Gary Prisendorf answered: “Probably a .22 LR. It may not be the best choice, but you could use it for about anything if you really had to.”
Production Manager Chris Hatfield answered: “Beretta A300 Outlander 12 gauge.”
With barrels, one wonders “Can a little more length provide a meaningful velocity gain?” To answer that question, Rifleshooter.com performed an interesting test, cutting a .308 Win barrel from 28″ all the way down to 16.5″. The cuts were made in one-inch intervals with a rotary saw. At each cut length, velocity was measured with a Magnetospeed chronograph. To make the test even more interesting, four different types of .308 Win factory ammunition were chronographed at each barrel length.
Test Barrel Lost 22.7 FPS Per Inch (.308 Win Chambering)
How much velocity do you think was lost, on average, for each 1″ reduction in barrel length? The answer may surprise you. With a barrel reduction from 28″ to 16.5″, the average speed loss of the four types of .308 ammo was 261 fps total. That works out to an average loss of 22.7 fps per inch. This chart shows velocity changes for all four ammo varieties:
Summary of Findings: The average velocity loss per inch, for all four ammo types combined, was 22.7 FPS. By ammo type, the average loss per inch was: 24.6 (Win 147 FMJ), 22.8 (IMI 150 FMJ), 20.9 (Fed GMM 168gr), and 22.5 (Win 180PP).
Interestingly, these numbers jive pretty well with estimates found in reloading manuals. The testers observed: “The Berger Reloading manual says for the 308 Winchester, ‘muzzle velocity will increase (or decrease) by approximately 20 fps per inch from a standard 24″ barrel’.”
How the Test Was Done
The testers described their procedure as follows: “Ballistic data was gathered using a Magnetospeed barrel mounted ballistic chronograph. At each barrel length, the rifle was fired from a front rest with rear bags, with five rounds of each type of ammunition. Average velocity and standard deviation were logged for each round. Since we would be gathering data on 52 different barrel length and ammunition combinations and would not be crowning the barrel after each cut, we decided to eliminate gathering data on group sizes. Once data was gathered for each cartridge at a given barrel length, the rifle was cleared and the bolt was removed. The barrel was cut off using a cold saw. The test protocol was repeated for the next length. Temperature was 47° F.”
CLICK HERE to Read the Rifleshooter.com Test. This includes detailed charts with inch-by-inch velocity numbers, multiple line charts, and complete data sets for each type of ammo. Rifleshooter.com also offers ballistics graphs showing trajectories with different barrel lengths. All in all, this was a very thorough test by the folks at RifleShooter.com.
Much Different Results with 6mmBR and a Longer Barrel
The results from Rifleshooter.com’s .308 barrel cut-down test are quite different than the results we recorded some years ago with a barrel chambered for the 6mmBR cartridge. When we cut our 6mmBR barrel down from 33″ to 28″, we only lost about 8 FPS per inch. Obviously this is a different cartridge type, but also our 6mmBR barrel end length was 5″ longer than Rifleshooter.com’s .308 Win start length. Velocity loss can be more extreme with shorter barrel lengths (and bigger cartridges). Powder burn rates can also make a difference.
Our friend Vince Bottomley in the UK has written an excellent article for Target Shooter Magazine. Vince offers “solid-gold” advice for new F-TR and F-Open shooters. Vince reviews the cartridge options, and offers suggestions for a shooter’s first (and hopefully affordable) F-Class rifle. Vince also reviews various bipod choices for F-TR and discusses optics options (from $300 to $3000).
First revealed at SHOT Show 2014, the Steyr SSG Carbon is finally making its way to America. It took Steyr 16 months to fill a large quantity of LEO orders, but now the innovative Steyr SSG Carbon should be available throughout the USA for $3695.00 MSRP. That sounds pretty expensive, but this is a very sophisticated rifle.
Here’s a very cool video — worth watching full-screen in HD.
The SSG Carbon is based on Steyr’s SBS action (with a +20 MOA rail on top). This gun features the same crisp, adjustable single-stage trigger used in the vaunted SSG 08. The rifle has a hammer-forged, four-groove 1:10″-twist barrel (20″ or 22.4″) chambered for the .308 Winchester. The SSG Carbon rifle offers excellent ergos, with adjustable cheek piece, adjustable butt plate, and an integrated adjustable rear mono-pod. But the real selling point for this rifle is the stock — a carbon stock built like a Formula 1 car chassis.
Chipped Carbon Stock Construction
Unlike conventional carbon-fiber stocks made from woven carbon fabric, the SSG Carbon’s stock is made using the same “chipped-carbon” Sheet Molding Compound (SMC) construction used to create load-bearing structures in Formula 1 racecars and high-performance aircraft. The SSG Carbon’s chipped-carbon flakes combine thermally with the binding agent to form the SMC for a distinctive appearance to the stock. The carbon chips interlock with each other to create a “tension net” that is superior to steel, at a fraction of the weight of steel or even aluminum. Steyr claims that the SMC stock material absorbs recoil better than wood, metal, fiberglass or other synthetics.
Steyr SSG Carbon Features
Caliber: .308 Winchester
Magazine type/capacity: Polymer double-stack detachable box/10 rounds
Finish: Mannox
Safety: 3+1 Position Safety
Trigger type: Single-stage, 3 lb. 8 oz. pull-weight
Stock material/type: SMC carbon fiber
Length of pull: 14.25 inches minimum (adjustable with 0.33″ inserts)
Comb adjustments: 0.5 inches longitudinal; 0.133 inch lateral (rotationally adjustable)
Drop at heel: +1.07 to -3.8 inches vertical adjustment
Pistol grip: Polymer with interchangeable rubber inserts
ABM Ammo, a division of Berger Bullets, has introduced new, high performance .308 Winchester factory ammunition, loaded with the high-BC, 185gr Berger Juggernauts. The long-loaded “Match Ready” version of this ammo is designed for Palma (Full-bore) and F-TR shooters. A “Mission Ready” version, loaded shorter to mag length, is designed for tactical and military applications. These two new offerings should “raise the bar” for long-range performance with factory .308 Win ammo.
Offering a high Ballistic Coefficient (0.560 G1, 0.283 G7), the 185-grain .308-caliber Juggernaut bullet is designed to remain stable even in the transonic zone. This way it offers good performance at extended distances, contributing to higher hit percentages at longer ranges.
Over the past few years, interest in F-Class competition has grown dramatically. At the 2013 SHOT Show we had a chance to talk about F-TR competition with U.S. National F-TR Team members Mike Miller and Stan Pate, two of America’s top F-TR shooters. We are reprising this interview for readers who may have missed it the first time around. If you shoot F-TR (even if you’re a High Master), we think you’ll learn a few things from this interview.
In this interview, Mike and Stan agreed to share their vast store of knowledge about long-range shooting. In a wide-ranging dialog, we discussed many topics of interest to F-Class shooters: position set-up, bipod shooting techniques (and hardware), gun-handling, and bullet selection. In addition, Mike and Stan offer some great advice on wind reading and precision reloading. These general tips will benefit all competitors, no matter what their discipline.
If you shoot F-TR or you are considering getting involved in this fast-growing shooting sport, definitely watch this 14-minute video interview from start to finish. Mike and Stan are true F-TR gurus whose knowledge of the F-TR game has been gleaned from years of top-level competition. If you shoot a .308 from a bipod, we guarantee you can learn much from Mike and Stan. If you follow their advice, we bet you’ll see your scores improve in future matches.
Watch Video for Tips from U.S. National F-TR Team Members Mike Miller and Stan Pate
Over the past few years, interest in F-Class competition has grown dramatically. At the 2013 SHOT Show we had a chance to talk about F-TR competition with U.S. National F-TR Team members Mike Miller and Stan Pate, two of America’s top F-TR shooters. We are reprising this interview for readers who may have missed it the first time around. If you shoot F-TR (even if you’re a High Master), we think you’ll learn a few things from this interview.
