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May 20th, 2012
7mm has become the caliber to beat in F-Class open division. The dominant performances of UK shooters with 7mm cartridges at the 2009 F-Class World Championship, following the South African team’s success with 7mms at the previous Worlds, has shown the strength of 7mm chamberings for long-range competition. After losing to the Team Britain, the U.S. F-Open Team decided to switch to a 7mm for the next World Championship. While most of Britain’s top F-Class shooters were using WSM-based 7mm cartridges, you don’t need a short magnum to enjoy the wind-bucking abilities of a 7mm.
 With a standard .284 Winchester, or better yet, a .284 Improved, you can drive the high-BC Berger 180gr bullets to competitive velocities. A .284 Improved will shoot well inside a 6.5-284, and you’ll probably get 40-60% longer barrel life (at least 2000 rounds vs. as little as 1200).
The straight .284 Win is a good cartridge, but in most barrels, it can’t push the 180s at 2900-2950 fps velocity levels*. A lot of barrels will top out at about 2850. That’s where the .284 Shehane comes into play. The .284 Shehane is a slightly modified wildcat that retains the same 35° shoulder as the parent case. However, by blowing the sidewalls out 0.010″, the .284 Shehane picks up about 3.3 grains of extra case capacity. That enhancement makes a BIG difference. The extra boiler room is enough to drive the 180s at 2900-2950 fps with H4831sc. With N560 or Reloder 17 you can go even faster.
Scotland’s Grant Taylor used the .284 Shehane to finish 3rd overall in the 2009 individual F-Class World Championships at Bisley, England. Grant reports: “I have a .284 Shehane and it’s very accurate with superb vertical spreads at 1000 yards. I have to thank Jim Hardy for putting me onto the caliber, it has awesome accuracy. I’m getting 2930-2950 fps with spreads in the 3-5 fps range. I use Hodgdon H4831sc powder, CCI BR2 primers, and pointed 180gr Bergers.”
Forum member Jim Hardy has shot the .284 with great success. He tells us: “In my humble opinion, the .284 Shehane is the best balanced long range round there is — bar none. I (perhaps_ have shot more of this chambering than anyone else, and it has proven better than I ever expected. Here is why:
You have to shoot a 30 Cal magnum with a 240gr bullet to equal the performance of most 7mm chamberings with the 180 Berger VLD. With the .284 Shehane, you have a .308 bolt face, medium action, and Lapua brass. You use less powder than the 7 mags, and have great accuracy and ballistics even while fire-forming. The .284 Shehane shoots inside the 6.5 AND the straight 284, the 300 WSM, and the 300 Win Mag with less recoil. The .284 Shehane offers twice the competitive barrel life of the 6.5-284, an easy 2950 fps with H4831 SC, [and it] can run 3000+ with N560 and Reloder 17, which is right there with the 7mm WSM. What is not to love about the 284 Shehane? It is a no-brainer for long range — F-Class or Prone or 1000-yard Benchrest.”
*Some exceptional barrels chambered in straight .284 Win can reach 2900 fps with the 180s. Ryan Pierce, who recently set a 450-24X Pending F-Open record, has a 32″ Brux barrel that is delivering 2900 fps with the straight .284. However, Ryan acknowledges that his velocities are not typical: “A lot of .284 Win barrels top out at around 2850 fps with the 180s.”
May 9th, 2012
Forum member Ryan Pierce set a pending new F-Class Open National Long-Range record this past Sunday at a Long Range Regional Palma Match in Lodi, Wisconsin. Ryan shot a “clean” 450 with 24 Xs in a 800/900/1000 match at Winnequah Gun Club. Once certified, Ryan’s 450-24X score tops the 449-33X record set by Robert Bock in 2008. To make the story even better, Ryan smithed the gun himself, doing his own metal and stock work! Ryan’s record-setting rig is a .284 Win with BAT action, Brux barrel, and Precision Rifle & Tool (PR&T) stock. Ryan shot Berger 180gr Hybrids pushed by H4831SC and CCI BR2s. Interestingly, Ryan set the record with a ‘dirty barrel’. By the time he finished the 1000-yard stage on Sunday, he had put over 150 rounds through his barrel since its last cleaning. Ryan wasn’t just being lazy — he had noted that the vertical tightened up the more rounds he shot.
Ryan Reveals How Record Was Set
Ryan tells us: “I had actually debated using my 6BR last weekend but didn’t and used up my last box of 180 Hybrids. They are seated .025″ off the lands with 56.0 grains of Hodgdon H4831SC and a BR2 primer. This load is running 2900 fps. I had 1 1/2 min of wind on and was favoring another half minute. I had excellent pit service, 6 seconds, by Jeff Dick. I knew he was fast so I figured ‘let’s rock and roll’. I was done in 3 to 3.5 minutes. I was pretty stoked. Halfway through the relay I started shaking pretty bad. After my last shot came up a 10 I was all smiles and couldnt believe I’d shot the 450.”
Above is Ryan with his rifle and 1000-yard target. He had two (2) sighters in the 9-ring, but the rest were 10s and Xs. Jim tells us: “As the string went on Ryan started flirting with the bottom of the 10 ring. Those pasters were removed to validate that they were indeed solid 10s.” Jim adds: “I witnessed Ryan’s 900- and 1000-yard strings and had the pleasure of signing the score card on the 1000-yard string, it was amazing to watch and see Ryan so excited about accomplishing this.”
Ryan Pierce SPEAKS OUT
CLICK “PLAY” to hear Ryan TALK about setting Nat’l Record with .284 Win at Lodi. |
[haiku url=”http://accurateshooter.net/Video/pierceaudio215.mp3″ title=”Ryan Pierce Talk About F-Class Record”] |
Above you can see Ryan’s 800- and 900-yard strings on the same target. Jim See reports that: “Due to the rain delay, and some relay jockeying, Ryan ended up being the last shooter at 800 and the first shooter at 900, all on a clean target. So when [Ryan] hit the pits he took the picture, not knowing what was in his near future.” NOTE: The 800-yard stage allowed unlimited sighters, so there are a few shots out of 10 Ring. At the 900- and 1000-yard distances, two sighters were allowed at each yardage.
We congratulate Ryan for his great shooting. This was a tough record to beat. Forum member Nodak7mm says: “This was great shooting by an awesome up-and-coming shooter in the F-Class arena. Ryan is definitely a force to be reckoned with….”. Click the link below to hear Ryan talk about setting the record, and some surprising changes he made the day of the match.
Ryan Pierce .284 Win F-Open Rig Specifications
Ryan provided this info on his record-setting rifle: “The gun has a BAT ‘M’ action (Jewell trigger), Brux 32″ 1:9″ twist barrel, and a Ray Bowman (PR&T) F-Open ‘low boy’ stock with adjustable cheekpiece and adjustable buttplate. The scope is a Nightforce NXS 12-42x56mm. The barrel has 1300 rounds through it. All the metal and stock work was done by me.” Ryan’s record-setting load consisted of Berger 180gr Hybrids pushed by H4831SC and CCI BR2s at 2900 fps. This was a straight .284 Winchester.
March 31st, 2012
After a series of try-outs, 28 shooters have been selected to the U.S. F-Class Open Development Team. From this select group of 28 shooters, F-Open Team USA squads will be filled for future international team matches. After further try-outs, the top 18 (16 + 2 alternates) will be selected for the final F-Open team that represents the United States in the next World F-Class Championship in 2013.
The idea behind the Development Team is that having a larger group of qualified individuals to draw from makes it easier to field a strong team at any given time. Not everyone can travel at the same time — particularly to international matches. From the 28 current Development Team members, a final 18-shooter team will be chosen prior to the 2013 World Championships at Raton, New Mexico.
| The U.S. F-Open Development Team — Officers, Coaches, Shooters |
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Captain: Shiraz Balolia
Vice Captain: Bryan Otey
Head Coach: Bob Mead
Coaches: Emil Praslick, Rick Hunt, Trudie Fay |
Shooters
(sorted by first name)
Bob Bock (Senior)
Charles Ballard
Charles Clark
Danny Biggs
David Gosnell
David Mann
Dean Morris
Doc Bock
Don Nagel
Emil Kovan
Erik Cortina
Herb Edwards
Jim Fowler |
Jim Murphy
John Brewer
John Dunbar
John Gaines
John Myers
Ken Dickerman
Kenny Adams
Larry Bartholome
Larry Taite
Mark Walker
Rick Jensen
Ron Herms
Ryan Pierce
Tony Robertson
Walter Lange |
The Try-Out Process for the F-Class Open Development Team
The U.S. F-Class Open Rifle Team held nine try-outs throughout the country in six different cities over the course of the last two years. These shooters had to prove themselves multiple times shooting at 1000 yards. The shooters were tested on their ability to shoot under a coach and hold vertical. Each and every shooter had to meet minimum standards. The process was very transparent with all shooters being able to view other shooters’ scores and targets.
February 14th, 2012
Report by German Salazar
The 2012 Berger Bullets Southwest Long Range Nationals fired last week at Phoenix’s Ben Avery Shooting Facility left competitors from all over the US and Canada smiling and ready to return for next year’s event. With over 200 competitors from 40 states and several Canadian provinces, this was truly a national level event and the scores reflected that intensity. However, it wasn’t just about the shooting; as at any large rifle match, renewing old friendships, seeing friends from the AccurateShooter Forum and enjoying time and a few meals with them are just as important.
Complete Individual and Team Match Results will be linked here as soon as available.
F-Open Individual Grand Aggregate (RTF) | Palma Team Results (interim) (PDF)
The week began on Tuesday with a wind reading clinic by Mid Tompkins who knows more about how air moves across a rifle range than just about anyone. Next in line was Wednesday’s 600-yard match, a nice warm-up for the long-range shooting to come. Thursday we got down to business with a Palma team match. The sling winners were the US National Team composed of Trudie Fay, Bryan Litz, Justin Skaret and Peter Church. In F-Open, the winning team was Team Norma/Berger composed of Larry Bartholome, John Brewer, Danny Biggs, and Jim Murphy. The winning F-TR team was the Arizona State Rifle & Pistol Assn. squad, with Warren Dean, John Chilton, Steve Lockwood and German Salazar.
Individual shooting resumed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well as one more team match at 1000 yards. Conditions throughout the week were picture perfect as cool mornings gave way to afternoons in the mid 70’s. One of the Canadian shooters mentioned that it was 35 below at home on Saturday while we were in shirt sleeves! The wind was challenging without ever being as vicious as it can be on certain days in Phoenix. More than one Eastern shooter was heard to comment that they had never seen wind as switchy as this. Overall, it tested one’s ability without reaching a level of frustration — just perfect. Trudie Fay was the overall winner in the sling category, Jim Murphy in F-Open and James Croft in F-TR, but many other shooters won cash and bullets from our generous sponsor Berger Bullets as well as many door prizes at the barbeque from Nightforce, Krieger, Leupold, Sierra and many others.
Put this match on your list for next year, it’s well worth the effort. We have 100 firing points (check out the photo below) and we’re ready to put them all to use!
All-Star Instructors Lead Clinic
 A training clinic was held on Feb. 7th (Day 1), with a true all-star cadre of instructors. The clinic started with Nancy Tompkins instructing sling shooters on proper position/shooting style, while Darrell Buell and Larry Bartholome did the same for F-TR and F-Open shooters. Mid Tompkins then conducted a lengthy wind clinic which featured a series of drills at 1000 yards to observe specific wind trends. Many shooters commented on the benefits of the exercise as well as the opportunity to get some ‘trigger time’ before the main event. Finally, Bryan Litz (photo right) gave a class on long-range ballistics.
January 30th, 2012
Our sharp-eyed researcher EdLongrange spied something very interesting in the 2012 HS Precision Catalog. Among HS Precision’s complete rifle offerings are two competition rifles — an F-Class gun, and (believe it or not) a short-range Benchrest rig chambered in either 6 PPC or 22 PPC. It’s been a long time since a major gun builder came up with a turn-key rifle for the short-range (100/200) benchrest discipline. The HS Precision BCR™ Rifle complies with all NBRSA short-range rules and is even set up with a tight-neck 6 PPC or 22 PPC chamber. The BCR Rifle features a single-shot action, competition trigger and an aluminum trigger guard. And get this — with each BCR Rifle, HS Precision supplies a 5-shot test target measuring .250″ or less. For guys who don’t compete, but would like to use this rifle for varminting, other short-action calibers are available with a ½”, 3-shot 100-yard accuracy guarantee.
Will we see this BCR 6 PPC rifle on the firing line at registered benchrest matches? Probably not, as the $3375.00 price is comparable to what you’d spend for a full custom gun. On the other hand, we’re pleased that HS Precision is building something for the accuracy market. If the gun is a commercial success, perhaps other large gun-makers will follow suit.
New HS Precision F-Class Rifle
In addition to the surprising “point-blank” BCR rig, HS Precision is introducing a new F-Class competition gun, the FCR™, designed to compete straight out of the box. The rifle is available in short or long actions, and in chamberings such as 6.5×284. With multiple barrel lengths, stocks, and accessories available, this rifle “can be made as individual as its user” according to HS Precision. We don’t have a price on the HS Precision FCR, but it looks like a well-thought-out F-Open rig. The listed barrel length is 26″, but we imagine many F-Classers will prefer a longer tube. Hopefully HS Precision will offer a .284 Win or 7mm WSM version with a 28-30″ barrel. For more information, visit HSPrecision.com, or call (605) 341-3006. HS Precision is based in Rapid City, South Dakota.
CLICK HERE to Download 2012 HS Precision Catalog (PDF File).
October 7th, 2011
In addition to the individual matches at the 2011 F-Class Nationals in Lodi, Wisconsin, there was a fiercely-fought team competition. Normally the team with the best combined (Aggregate) results of 600-yard and 1000-yard stages wins the Team Championship. However, this year, the 1000-yard team segment got called off due to a bad rain-storm that blew in about half way through the stage. So, as a result, the teams that won the 600-yard trophy also won the Aggregate trophy. Team Sinclair won F-TR class, while Team Long Shots won F-Open. CLICK HERE for all Team Results.
In F-TR Class, there were ten (10) teams competing. Team Sinclair finished first, scoring 771-22X. The USA Development Team (766-18X) finished second, edging third place BNX Team (766-16X) on X-count. Here’s a glamour shot of the Sinclair Team, complete with their trick Sinclair wide-base bipods.
This marks an impressive string of victories for Team Sinclair. Here’s an interesting factoid about the Team Sinclair shooters. One or more members of the current Sinclair squad have been on the winning F-TR team at every U.S. F-Class National Championships since they were first held in 2004, except for 2010 when Sinclair did not field a team. Brad Sauve has been on the winning F-TR team every year except 2010: Great Lakes Express (2004, 2005 winning team); Team Green (2006 winner); Team Sinclair (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 winner). Ray Gross and Paul Phillips were also on most of those winning squads. Team Sinclair set the F-Class Team National Records at both 600 and 1000 yards.
In F-Open Class, the winning team was a new group appropriately called the ”Long Shots”, scoring 790-36X. Jeff Cochran of Team Sierra Spindle Shooters tells us: “The Long Shots did a great job under adverse conditions and pressure from all the major, more experienced teams.” Michelle Gallagher coached the Long Shots squad to victory. Finishing second in F-Open, with a 788-32X score, was Team Grizzly, coached by Emil Praslick. In third, tallying 786-41X, was the NAS Team (Bob Mead, coach). Thirteen (13) F-Open Teams competed this year at the Nationals in Lodi.
More 2011 F-Class Championships Photos in Forum
Forum member Denys Beauchemin (aka “Bayou Shooter”) has posted more than a dozen photos from the recent Championships in our AccurateShooter Forum. To view the pictures, go to This Forum Thread, starting with the third page of the thread. CLICK HERE for PHOTOS.
June 27th, 2011
The Creedmoor Cup F-Class events in Ireland have come to a close. The Irish hosts ran a great match and the American shooters proved their prowess — winning both team and individual titles. Here’s how the events were scheduled so you can keep things in order: after several practice days, the two-day NRA-Ireland F-Class Individual Championships was held Wednesday and Thursday last week. Then, on Friday, competitors divided into F-Open and F-T/R squads to shoot the USA vs. Europe matches. On Saturday and Sunday, the main event, the two-day Creedmoor Cup Match was held. All of these matches were conducted on the brand new 1200-yard range in Tullamore. The Irish are to be commended for constructing such a great range in a relatively short time.
American Shooters Dominate Team and Individual Events
We don’t have all the scores yet, but we do have key results. We’re proud to announce that the USA won the main Creedmoor Cup event! Prior to that, on Friday, the Yanks prevailed in the Europe vs. USA Challenge match (sort of like the Ryder Cup). Forum Member Erik Cortina reports: “I’m not 100% on the numbers but I know we beat them by about 110 points shooting in the rain! We have a very strong team and excellent wind coaches!”
In the individual competitions held during the week, American shooters also topped the podium. In F-T/R individual competition, Darrell Buell won the championship with a solid performance. Larry Bartholome shot superbly in windy conditions to win the F-Open match. (Larry was using a Precision Rifle & Tool Low Boy stock, Nightforce scope and a SEB Neo Rest.) Larry’s compatriots also shot well — there were nine Americans among the top 11 F-Open shooters. That is definitely a dominant performance by our talented F-Open squad.
Here are some reports from Ireland that came in from Forum members Erik Cortina and TonyR over the last few days:
Sunday, 6/26: “The second day of the Creedmoor Match was completed today and the USA has won the Gold Medal. I haven’t seen the score but I’m sure it will show up at some point. Shooting conditions were again tough with high speed fishtail tail winds that switched rapidly but our wind coaches, Bob Mead, Nancy Tompkins, Michelle Gallagher, Dale Carpenter, Jim Murphy, and Ricky Hunt were up to the challenge. The Irish Team were great hosts and we all had a wonderful time. They put together a new range with this event in mind in just a few months and it is something to be proud of.” — TonyR
Saturday, 6/25: “Shot the first day of the Creedmoor Cup today. Winds were tough! We had a fishtailing wind from 5-7 o’clock and we were being pushed into the 3 ring with ease, the F-T/R guys were going into the 1’s! We didn’t have a good day, we dropped 434 out of 4,000, but they had a worst day than we did, they dropped 648 points! So to say winds were tough is an understatement! We are having tons of fun regardless.” — Erik
Friday, 6/24: “We just finished shooting the Europe vs. USA Challenge. I’m not 100% on the numbers but I know we beat them by about 110 points shooting in the rain! We have a very strong team and excellent wind coaches!” — Erik
Thursday, 6/23: “Larry shot great today [to win the F-Open Championship]! In F-Open, there were 9 of us in the top 11. This is an awesome range! We have been shooting in 25 +- winds for two days and it’s fun when you can stay ahead of the wind, but if you get behind it, it’s not fun at all…” — Erik
Want to see more photos from Ireland, and read more reports from the competitors? You’ll find more info about the Creedmoor events, match results, plus linked photo galleries on the USA
F-T/R Team’s new Facebook Page. Log on to: http://www.facebook.com/us.rifle.team.
January 8th, 2011
 Report by Dave Conrath
In the last week of December, 2010, two pending FTR records were set at the annual Snowbird X-Miss Match hosted by Florida’s Port Malabar Rifle and Pistol Club. Competitors traveled from as far North as Michigan (through heavy snow). At the match, conditions varied over the four days of shooting from 25-mph winds, to below freezing temperatures and frost, to burning swamplands including falling ash. In a superb performance given the conditions, Kent Reeve was Palma rifle and overall winner with 1799-99X (dropping only one point over the 3-day event). Keith Perry was overall iron sight winner with 1781-107X.
 New NRA 600-Yard Service Record Set by SSG Emil Kovan
SSG Emil Kovan (USAMU) and SFC James Gaston (BNX Rifle Team) took turns setting and resetting the NRA 600-yard individual NRA Service record. SFC Gaston shot a 198-11X, only to be bettered by SSG Kovan with a 200-11X.
Kovan uses a GA Precision-built, Surgeon-actioned, .308 Win rifle. It has a 26″, 11-twist barrel for tactical competitions, plus a 29″, 10-twist twist tube for F-T/R, both chambered in .308 Win. The 26″ BBL is chambered for 175-190 grain bullets, while the 29″ is throated for 210-grainers. Kovan shots moly-coated Berger 210gr VLDs in the longer barrel. He reveled that he loads “bullets long so they get soft seated .010″ when [closing] the bolt”.
In F-TR class, SSG Kovan won for the second year with a 1772-75X, Nik Taylor took second overall with 1769-69X, SFC Gaston took third place 1739-75X. In an extremely tight race in F-Open Class Michael Dana was first with 1765-36X, Mark Finizio took second with 1764-68X, Tom Goodman finished third with 1763-62X.
BNX Rifle Team Sets Pending F-TR Team Record
During the team matches on the final day, the BNX rifle team from Coastal Carolina Rifle Club at Camp Lejeune shot a new, pending F-TR 4-Man Team National record with a 794-37X. Shown below are BNX Team members (left to right), SFC James Gaston (200-9X), Tony Robertson (199-11X), Dave Conrath (197-7X), Tom Goodman (Asst. Coach/Scorer), Nik Taylor (198-10X) — Team Captain and Wind Coach.
November 2nd, 2010
Brenda Hill of Bakersfield, California won the F-Class Regionals (Open Class) held in Coalinga, CA over the past weekend. In the course of winning the Regionals, Brenda set a new, pending, F-Class, Open Division, Womens’ score record at 1,000 yards. Brenda set the pending Women’s 1K Record with a score of 200-9X, breaking her own 199-9X NRA Record set on 10/25/2008.
Brenda was shooting a 6mm BRX built by Leroy Johnson of Johnson’s Precision Gunsmithing. Leroy has built many very accurate rifles for California shooters, and he is very knowledgeable about the 6BRX cartridge. Brenda certainly proved this little cartridge can be competitive at 1000 yards.
September 27th, 2010
 We’ve confirmed that Danny Biggs, the Spirit of America’s F-Open Class Winner, shot the match using a bipod, rather than a pedestal rest. This is pretty remarkable because top F-Open competitors have traditionally preferred the stability and quick adjustability you get with a deluxe pedestal rest such as a Farley, John Loh (J.J. Industries), or SEB. Of course, Danny had a trick up his sleeve — his prototype Sinclair International bipod features a quick-adjusting elevation control. No, you can’t buy a bipod like Danny’s — at least not yet. Sinclair Int’l hopes to offer production versions before the end of 2010.
Sinclair staffer Pete Petros competed at the 2010 SOA Match, and recounted his experiences in Sinclair’s Reloading Press. Concerning Biggs’ bipod, Petros wrote:
An interesting fact about Biggs’ win is that he was shooting off of the Sinclair F-Class Bipod which is generally used in F-TR competition. In F-Class open most competitors shoot off of a bench-type rest modified to shoot off of the ground in the prone position. The bipod Biggs [used] is a new-model Sinclair Elevation-Adjustable version of the newer Sinclair F-Class Bipod. Danny has been testing this product for us during the past year and obviously is having great results. We should have these bipods ready for production in a few months. Keep posted to our website for announcements. But trust me, I think Danny would shoot well balancing his gun on a rock –- he’s that good!
 While most F-Open shooters used a front pedestal rest, either a joystick design or a center column pedestal with remote-adjustable windage top, Danny used a wide-base bipod, as he had done at past Nationals in the F-TR class. But Danny’s bipod was very special. It is a prototype, modified Sinclair design with height adjustment via a central, vertical-axis knob.
As you can see from the pictures below, the left and right bipod legs are attached to a T-shaped silver (aluminum) bracket. This bracket moves up and down as the silver knob is turned clockwise or counter-clockwise. As the knob turns, its threads pull the T-shaped bracket up and down relative to a center block of aluminum bolted to the bipod’s attachment to the rifle’s forearm accessory rail. With this system, Danny can easily reach forward and make precise adjustments in elevation. Note that the Sinclair bipod’s secure rail attachment is retained and Danny can still adjust rifle cant (tilt), using the rear push-button handle. This rear handle functions like a Pod-lock allowing the rifle to be tilted a few degrees to one side or the other to compensate for side-sloping terrain.
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