F T/R Competition Shot my second F T/R shoot yesterday.

[john3200]

I'm shooting a box stock Remington 700P in 308. Vortex PST 6-24x50. Handloads of FGMM brass, 44gr Varget, Nosler Custom Competition 175gr BTHP. CCI BL-2 primers.

Like I said, this was my second F-Class shoot ever. It was a mid range 600 yard match. I shot a 574 18X which I'm happy with for now. It's given me a lot of confidence in my equipment. I feel that if I do my part 10 rings should be the norm. I need to learn how to do my part more consistently.

I'm a deer hunter so I've been shooting and reloading for that for quite a while but I wanted to become a better rifle shot so I invested in the Remington to take things to the next level. I'm not planning on really getting into long range rifle competion, I just thought doing a little would be a good way to judge how I'm doing and to be around people I could learn from.

To be honest, I'm not sure how good my score was in the big picture.

I had a great time.

 

[BC 6.8]

Nice job on your second match. The one thing I try to do is always shoot a better score than I did the last time out. This is not alway possible due to wind conditions. The other thing it try to do is eliminate the lowest point shot. So if I shot an 8 at the last match, then I try to shoot no worse than 9s for the next match.

The true comparison is how other shooters did on the same day. I started shooting the same time as a good friend of mine, so I always compared my scores to his. We started with a similar skill level even though he was shooting a bolt gun and I had an AR. My point is find a shooter at the matches you think has a similar skill level and equipment and compare the scores.

 

[todd]

I had a great time.

Ultimately, that's the only thing that matters. Your only true competition is within.

 

[XTR]

I had a great time.

THIS^^^

If your score begins to get in the way of a good time you need to re-think what you are doing.

 

[SWRichmond]

If your score begins to get in the way of a good time you need to re-think what you are doing.

+1.

I'm a bit dense, so it has taken me years to learn what others have learned in a season. But my objective is steady improvement, and learning to shoot well in adverse conditions (wind, mirage, heat, cold, rain, etc). Those things can mess with your head, but as long as you remember you are there to have fun (if that's why you're there) then it's all good.

I remember a few years back, having just gotten back into rifle, sending my wife a text from Butner which read "It's beautiful here" and she texted me back "I don't know who you are but give the phone back to my husband". I have been spending more time outside now....

Edit: Being men, and being competitive, and since shooting is a martial art, we want to know we are "good shots". So there have been a few posts here recently basically asking "am I a good shot?" And the answer to that is, IMO, to a large extent it's all relative. If you can reliably put a round in a 6" circle from 600 yards, then yes IMO you're a good shot. Can you do it in variable and switchy wind, with the sun in the wrong place, with the target obscured by heavy mirage, with sweat running down into your eyes and the rifle slipping in your sweaty hands? These are the things you learn from competing over several years' time. Can you do it with a .308, or do you need to use a high-BC 6.5 wonder gun? Can you do it from a Harris bipod and using your hand for rear support, or do you need to use a Sinclair FTR bipod sliding on a piece of carpet and an 8 pound bunny eared rear bag? These are additional questions. Each of us will choose our own answers to them. The F Class matches offer us the opportunity to find out, and they are a fantastic learning tool. Shoot shoot shoot.