5.56 vs .308 for Quantified Performance

[cdholmes]

Looking to sign up for a QP match at Sawmill in October. I’m debating whether to use 5.56 or .308. I’m in the process of putting together a 14.5 or 16 with an LPVO, probably a VUDU 1-10. Or I have a SCAR20S that I’m cutting down to 16”, probably with an ATACR 4-16. What caliber and barrel lengths do most people run?

 

[Jack_L]

The GP division is mostly 5.56 rifles, interspersed with 6 ARC, 6MAX, and shorty .308 and 6.5 Creed. Very low number of anything else, and I'd say 75% 5.56 with everything else combining to make up the remaining 25%.
A 4-16x optic will put you into Practical Precision even with a 16" barrel, and that division is a pretty even distribution of calibers, favoring large frame a little.
Frankly, I feel like Practical is a more "new to the game" friendly division than GP, as you have enough glass to see targets, impacts, and misses. A lot of newer GP 5.56 shooters get frustrated because they can't see where the misses are. If you go .308 you also get a bit of a benefit with the additional energy on target, making spotting for you AND the person on glass easier. If you can manage 308 recoil, of course.

 

[cdholmes]

The GP division is mostly 5.56 rifles, interspersed with 6 ARC, 6MAX, and shorty .308 and 6.5 Creed. Very low number of anything else, and I'd say 75% 5.56 with everything else combining to make up the remaining 25%.
A 4-16x optic will put you into Practical Precision even with a 16" barrel, and that division is a pretty even distribution of calibers, favoring large frame a little.
Frankly, I feel like Practical is a more "new to the game" friendly division than GP, as you have enough glass to see targets, impacts, and misses. A lot of newer GP 5.56 shooters get frustrated because they can't see where the misses are. If you go .308 you also get a bit of a benefit with the additional energy on target, making spotting for you AND the person on glass easier. If you can manage 308 recoil, of course.

Thanks Jack! I’m looking forward to the match!

 

[Burdy]

The GP division is mostly 5.56 rifles, interspersed with 6 ARC, 6MAX, and shorty .308 and 6.5 Creed. Very low number of anything else, and I'd say 75% 5.56 with everything else combining to make up the remaining 25%.
A 4-16x optic will put you into Practical Precision even with a 16" barrel, and that division is a pretty even distribution of calibers, favoring large frame a little.
Frankly, I feel like Practical is a more "new to the game" friendly division than GP, as you have enough glass to see targets, impacts, and misses. A lot of newer GP 5.56 shooters get frustrated because they can't see where the misses are. If you go .308 you also get a bit of a benefit with the additional energy on target, making spotting for you AND the person on glass easier. If you can manage 308 recoil, of course.

I shot GP with a 13.7" 5.56, and for the most part, this was bringing a knife to a gun fight. Inside 600 everything was fine, but pushing beyond that got tough, especially in the more windy conditions. The 6mm guys definitely have an advantage in that class.

I think I am going to shoot a 16" 6.5CM bolt gun this year in practical, rather than doing NRL Hunter again. I get annoyed that I have to pay $100 every single year just for the privilege of paying $275 to shoot their matches. No, its not the same, but it's reps at distance, so I will take it and the put the rest of the money toward ammo all while saving a day of my weekends.