Not exactly sure why anyone would want to knowingly start off shooting with an easily fixable deficit, but I guess different strokes for different folks. Mind you, I am not talking about replacing an off the shelf $1,500 rifle with a $3,000 custom build, or replacing a $750 scope with a $2,000 scope, but I am talking about replacing a bullet that cost pennies with a better bullet that also costs pennies.
F-T/R is obviously far from being the gear/equipment race that F-Open is, however the shooters on the winners platform are not accomplishing their winning results by starting off with less than optimal gear/equipment. 155s have won a match, however the heavies above 180 are on the winners platform much more frequently.
In F-T/R, there is no question that shooting skill wins matches, however if you take 2 shooters with an equal skill set, the one with the better gear/equipment is obviously going to have the better chance of winning.
As someone who teaches and coaches new long range shooters, I am the first one to say that winning matches is not everything. Reality is, our local matches frequently have shooters from the various US / National Teams, so best of luck coming home with a win unless you can beat shooters who win and compete at an National or International level.
My advice, if you are new to long range competitive shooting:
- When the match is over, ask yourself what you learned? If the answer is nothing, then no matter what your score, you lost. If you learn anything new at a match, you won regardless of your score.
- Compete against yourself, because it is the only true way to evaluate your performance. If your scores continue to improve, you are winning. If your scores don't improve, then ask for some outside help to get you headed in the right direction.
- You have to be a true critic of your skill set, don't let the focus shift from your skills to a gear/equipment race. If you shoot long enough and well enough, you can reach a point where your gear is the limiting factor, however most people want to quickly focus on gear when they should be focused on skill.
- Based on what your budget will allow, start with the best possible gear/equipment that you can afford. Avoid the rush to run out and purchase things, if you do so without proper research and evaluation, you will find yourself quickly disappointed and having to replace it.
Back to the OP and original issues:
- It appears that your bank account is determining your gear at this point, which is reality for most shooters. As such, where can you make a change, that will cost you the least and produce the best results? Answer - your ammo.
- BC is the key when it comes to bullets for long range target shooting. A 168 SMK is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to BC, and there are many other bullet options in the 175-185 range that will have a much higher BC. Reality in terms of G7 BCs:
168 Sierra MK = .218
175 Sierra MK = .243
178 Horn HPBT = .257
185 Berg HYB = .291
At closer ranges the BC differences will be less evident, but at the longer ranges, you will quickly appreciate the difference between a BC in the low .200s versus the high .200s.
- You can shoot your 168s, but you will have spent all of that time and effort trying to do your best with that bullet, to only have to start that process all over again when the 168s are gone and you move onto another bullet.
If the 168s are all that you can put together at this point, then by all means go out and shoot them. However, IMHO you have other options that you can look at which will ultimately pay off much better in the long run. Welcome and best of luck either way.
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