Practice or buy

[Trevor]

Ok here is my dilemma i have started competing in tactical matches (precision matches (up here)) with my current set up 308 armament technologies build Rock barrel, bausch and lomb tac 10x scope and HS stock. The rifle is more then accurate out of 250 i can get 230ish when i do my part. COF
200 yard double tap 8 sec exposure fig 14
300 yard agony snap. 3 sec exposure fig 14
400 movers fig 11. 6 sec exposure
500 sap shooting fig 11. 3 sec exposure
6-7-800 yards 20 shots for both shooters in 25 min

my problem comes as there is only one class open class... run what you brung... because leo/mil have access to any calibre the civilian side has taken advantage and done the same. one the line at any time you can see 6mm crusaders 243, 6.5/47 284, 308, up to 338 lapua. The last match had a top score of 245 out of 250 shooting a 284.
I lose points at 7-800; how do I gain those points back and close the gap on the top competitors.... buying my point by running similar calibers or practice Lots of practice

these are the cartridges i have investigated
6cm Competition match
7 rsaum
300 win mag
i am open to all ideas and calibers

I am having fun but i hate losing.

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: Practice or buy

What glass are other shooters using?

Shit starts getting really small @ 600 yards with a fixed 10.

 

[REL1203]

Re: Practice or buy

You are going to be out gunned (pun intended) by some of those calibers you mentioned if you are shooting 308. That is one reason F-Class i believe has there own group just for 308 shooters. Inherently something like the 6.5x47, or 6mm Crusader, is and will always be more accurate so the choice is really up to you. The best advice is keep working with what you have until you can honestly say its the rifle holding you back, at the point buy what you want. Now if you are just looking for a reason to buy a new gun, this is a great time to do so

Good luck

 

[turbo54]

Re: Practice or buy

You need all three. Optics, cartridge, and practice.

I suggest you keep training hard with what you've got, and keep working at shooting the barrel out of the 308, plus build a new rifle with quality optic.

An excellent marksman can make up for the ballistic shortcomings of a 308, but there is simply no denying the advantages of the ballistically superior cartridges.

 

[Dylan in AZ]

Re: Practice or buy

Spend your money on practice and an upgrade on optics IF you need it. Shoot the barrel out and then re-barrel to a more suitable caliber. Superior marksmanship trumps superior cartridges.

 

[Chiller]

Re: Practice or buy

Size of targets?

 

[Chiller]

Re: Practice or buy

at those ranges would go 6.5 Creed or .260 if you HAVE to have a game gun. Wold give you a nice balance of ballistics and barrel life.

Do you reload?

 

[HOGTOOTH5R]

Re: Practice or buy

Just ReBarrel with a .260 Remington and get you a Bushnell HDMR with the G2 Reticles and you'll be set. Practice makes perfect but having the right equipments to do the job is just as important! Good Luck!

 

[jink122]

Re: Practice or buy

What can you rebarrel the 308 into since its a short action?

 

[Longshot38]

Re: Practice or buy

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jin kim</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What can you rebarrel the 308 into since its a short action? </div></div>

7-08
6.5 Creedmoor
6.5x47
260 Remington
243 Winchester
284 Winchester

Just to name a few. Any short action cartridge with a 308 bolt face with work.

 

[USACS]

Re: Practice or buy

Some of it may be the ammunition you're using. You may want to consider going to a higher BC bullet like a 175gr VLD or 178gr AMAX, or look into a 155gr Palma with a higher MV. You may not be able to match the outright superior ballistics of those target calibers like the 6.5s and such, but you can get the best out of your rifle by using the best options available. If you don't handload, you should. If you do, play around with some alternative options to see if you can squeeze a bit more out of your rifle.
You can certainly rebarrel the rifle, but if you have a lot of ammo or components for .308 and you have a lot of barrel life left, you might as well get as good as you can on your current system.

Also, like what was said above, 10x will work at 600-800yds, but that doesn't make it ideal. If you're shooting long range competition, you may want to look at something higher, like in the 15-25x top magnification range.

 

[Trevor]

Re: Practice or buy

Thanks guys

I do reload and have checked several bullet combinations 155s 175s 185s. The gun is extremely accurate. The scope could be something to consider straight 10x isn't ideal with the small scoring rectangles. (i really like this scope) we will see. practice it is until i get frustrated enough to go with a slipperier caliber

Thanks
Trevor