So i sure this a been beat to death but thought i would ask a few questions. I already have a few things because i wanted them JAE700 timney trigger and a Razor GEN1, about to order a new barrel look at a bartlein 24" 5R, but would like info on two things. I am looking at shooting 175g SMK or 178g ELD i am looking at a 1:10 twist i seen some 1:9 twist should i even think about the 1:9 and I'm either going to get a surgeon 591R or just have the Remington 700 action trued which and why? Still fairly new to this type of shooting so thanks you for your help.
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PRS Talk Building a rifle for PRS Tac division
- Thread starter Remotejjk
- Start date
I'm no PRS pro but if you want to truly compete in PRS I would get one of the better wind bucking calibers.
If you want to get a 308 Winning-chester aka THE DASHER SMASHER, I would probably go with a 10 twist M24 or Heavy Palma barrel. It seems like most guys find a heavier rifle easier to shoot off of sandbags and barricades, and positional stages where a lighter rifle would be helpful are so few and far between that it doesn't matter. Anything between 22 to 26 inches should be fine. Just realize you are fighting an uphill battle against all the novices that have a higher speed gun; but the benefit is that you can practice more without worrying about barrel life.
The 175 Sierra seems to just shoot very well in everything out there. You could load it backwards and it would still be sub-MOA; it's that stupid. The 178 ELD probably has a wind advantage. I would also consider looking at the Berger 168 Hybrid as well. There's also a rumor that the tac division rules will change this year to allow any bullet weight.
I have a Surgeon 591 and I really like it. I wouldn't feel too bad about using a trued Remington 700 action though. I went with the Surgeon primarily to save time. Now that it is worn in, it is very slick and easy to use under the most adverse conditions. However my friends trued 700 action didn't keep him from beating me in the last match we shot together. I would feel perfectly safe shooting a Remington with a M40A3 style scope mount as long as I wasn't shooting proof loads all the time in my rifle.
The 175 Sierra seems to just shoot very well in everything out there. You could load it backwards and it would still be sub-MOA; it's that stupid. The 178 ELD probably has a wind advantage. I would also consider looking at the Berger 168 Hybrid as well. There's also a rumor that the tac division rules will change this year to allow any bullet weight.
I have a Surgeon 591 and I really like it. I wouldn't feel too bad about using a trued Remington 700 action though. I went with the Surgeon primarily to save time. Now that it is worn in, it is very slick and easy to use under the most adverse conditions. However my friends trued 700 action didn't keep him from beating me in the last match we shot together. I would feel perfectly safe shooting a Remington with a M40A3 style scope mount as long as I wasn't shooting proof loads all the time in my rifle.
Thank you for the detailed reply, I been looking more toward the custom action depending if i can find a used one for a price that doesn't get me killed by the wife(plus take the 700 barreled action and sell it or keep it). It good to know that if i won't be at a disadvantage using a trued 700 action. I will look into the Berger 168 Hybrid today.
+1 on the 175's. They seem to shoot very well in damn near anything.
i would suggest that you give the new hornady 168 eld-m a look. very high BC for the bullet weight. It is very near the bc of the 178 offering. you will get significantly more speed out of the 168.
They are so close in BC that the very slightly higher BC in the 178 doesn't overcome the initial speed advantage of the 168.
Bergers are great bullets, but a bit spendy.
When you are dealing with moderate capacity cartridges, there is a balancing act between velocity and bc, sometimes you gain by going with a lower bullet weight if the BC's are very close, such as the two hornady offerings.
24" is an excellent barrel length for a .308.
i would suggest that you give the new hornady 168 eld-m a look. very high BC for the bullet weight. It is very near the bc of the 178 offering. you will get significantly more speed out of the 168.
They are so close in BC that the very slightly higher BC in the 178 doesn't overcome the initial speed advantage of the 168.
Bergers are great bullets, but a bit spendy.
When you are dealing with moderate capacity cartridges, there is a balancing act between velocity and bc, sometimes you gain by going with a lower bullet weight if the BC's are very close, such as the two hornady offerings.
24" is an excellent barrel length for a .308.
In the Tac division the speed limit is 2750ft/sec. I have found that 175 Berger OTM's and 178 ELD M's can reach that speed easily. I have a 1:12 24" so that is close to the limit on stability according to Berger. I'm not sure You would see any advantage going lighter at that speed. I want to test the 185 juggernauts at 2750 and see what happens. That is if they remove the limitation of 175 or 178 gr. Bullets. I would also like to see the 200.20x fly at 2750. Would need a 1:10 twist for that so I will stick with the 300 wm on that one for now. Tac is the "red headed step child" of the competition world. Very few people can compete against the open guys with those conditions in place. Those that do are really good shooters and they do exist. It has been a pleasure to shoot with them and learn what they can do with a lowly .308.
My humble opinion for your consideration.
My humble opinion for your consideration.
I didn't think the Tac Division shot against the open guys, now I know that they shoot the same course of fire at matches but they aren't competing against them. THey have their own points race and standings on the website. Honestly I wouldn't be too concerned with beating anyone but yourself. Go have fun in any of the divisions. You'll likely be shooting against "Pro's" and sponsored guys no matter which direction you go but there are still plenty of regular guys out there slinging lead with the best of them. With the Pro/Amatuer rankings already in place it will soon be a more divided field I think. At least then you'll only need to beat the good amateurs.
In the Tac Division the speed is 2,800 and their is a built weight as well.
2.2.1.1
NATO/.223 Remington has a bullet weight cap of 77 grains and muzzle velocity cannot exceed 3,000 fps.
2.2.1.2
7.62 NATO/.308 Winchester has a bullet weight cap of 178 grains and muzzle velocity cannot exceed 2,800 fps.
see the below link for the rules
All the best
Trevor
I'm looking at playing the PRS game next yr and since I have a metric arse load of equipment and experience with the 308 in F-TR I thought maybe I'd give tactical a try. It doesn't look like there is much participation in Tac though.
I think that needs a slight revision to make the Palma 155 gr bullets viable. It really should be 165 gr and below, 3000 fps max, 166 gr and above, 2800 fps max
