.308 Best Way Forward?

[paxtond]

as soon as Edgar brothers get there mitts on a product its downhill for us.

hodgdon powder is another example, there is nearly none in the country, and also have to love the choice that EB decided not to bring us the 8LB tubs in order to save a little money

[Sim G]

Edgar Ba$ta*ds......

[Maggot]

Personally....FWIW

How well a rifle is shooting is relative to the expectation/ability of the shooter.

I know a chap who shoots F/TR with a remmy. He talks the hind legs off a donkey, knows everything there is to know (and quite a lot you dont need to know) about .308...

I still reckon a novice could kick his ass with something like a Dolphin or a Savage. A well set up, good shooting rifle takes a lot of the doubt out of it.

Actually I gave my Dolphin to my son in law, gave him 10 with a snap cap and he bunged every single round into the V at 300, first attempt with anything larger than a .223. OK, it was a TR target but that still would have been a possible on a F class target...there was very little wind I grant you, but, when they design a rifle that negates the wind then it's time to pack it in.

A few weeks back another clubs members were lauding the group I was witnessing (I was in the butts with them) appear before my eyes.

It was a nasty 2.5" vertical spread (we were at 200). From a Barnard action with a 30" barrel....I was horrified and put em right. Sadly the owner died a few weeks later

I own a Dolphin Modular. Its not prefect, but it's damned near (more down to personal taste and Miks poor attempts at mind reading ), and had I listened I would not have had the mag feed version as I have never used it.

My advice would be to do the following.

1. Decide EXACTLY what you want from it.

Are you going to hanker after F/TR comp shooting, some tactical (?) or just shoot against yourself out to 1000 against TR targets....or not shoot past 600?

Look at what the majority of successful shooters are using in that discipline (its nice to be unique, but not if the thing is crap, obsolete, only repairable by a little man in Zanziba, or likely to blow yer bloody head off).

Warning, do not listen to the advice of anyone that does not ACTUALLY shoot that discipline and shoot it well.

(I recently heard of a lad who was told, by his none F/TR shooting cronies (They dont usually shoot past 50yds) that a short 24" barrel would be better as there would be less friction and the bullet would fly faster...if only he had asked us first )

Where possible try out.

2. Having done the above, then work out what the best piece of glass is going to be to do the job (within your range).

Warning, do not listen to the advice of anyone that does not ACTUALLY shoot that discipline and shoot it well.

Determine what the minimum is you can use to do the job, but buy the best you can afford.

Dont buy anything that you have not personally looked through (for several minutes) in the conditions and at the range you intend shooting in/at.

Optics are subjective. By that I mean that what may be the nirvana to one, could be frosted glass to another (but still be percieved as the dogs by all). Any optic just aids whatever condition your eyes are in, soem suit more than others, since you will spend a lot fo time looking through it, make sure its as good as it can be (chances are it will move on with you to yoru next rifle, good glass tends too).

I dont personally like the SSG much, the mags are horrid, but they shoot ok.

Above all, remember that whatever you buy you are likely to lose something on it if you dont like the thing and want to move on, so take your time, you have to live with the thing.

I would always suggest going for a stock that has as much adjustment as possible, and a rig that is capable of coping with and shrugging off the rain...The Dolphin is well named in this respect.

A nice walnut number looks nice, but will it cope when soaked in water...

Now I aint Donald Trump. We both work, we dont go abroad (hate it and have 3 dogs) we dont smoke and seldom drink, so I can afford, for now, to enjoy some competitive shooting.

I would suggest possibly looking at a small loan.

I was going to save for my Dolphin, but there ar emany small loan companies out there with very good rates.

My wife pointed out that it would take a long time to save up, during which the prices would also go up, so I took a small loan to cover the rifle and sold other bits to cover the scope (Sightron 8-32 LRTD).

This may seem like an extreme lesson in impatience but think about it.

By the time you have bought a couple of dogs, spent the saving on this or that, you may well have been able to afford the more expensive option anyway.

Not everybodies approach I know, but its a thought. Remember its an expensive punt and you have to live with it.

I dont buy this "I dont need a Ferrari, I am not worthy etc" approach. The rifle is a launcher. It does not matter what you do in terms of sights or loading if the thing is a dog, but a good rifle can often be made to sing with a good load and some talent (that's me buggered then).

Currently, if I was in the market for a new GP rifle I would have either one of Daves Ovenpaa's M66 actions or an AI, but that's me

Take care, and whatever you decied, enjoy it, life's too short not to tongueout

[meles meles]

We respectfully suggest that the muzzle is best kept pointing forward...

[kennyc]

Personally....FWIW

How well a rifle is shooting is relative to the expectation/ability of the shooter.

I know a chap who shoots F/TR with a remmy. He talks the hind legs off a donkey, knows everything there is to know (and quite a lot you dont need to know) about .308...

I still reckon a novice could kick his ass with something like a Dolphin or a Savage. A well set up, good shooting rifle takes a lot of the doubt out of it.

Actually I gave my Dolphin to my son in law, gave him 10 with a snap cap and he bunged every single round into the V at 300, first attempt with anything larger than a .223. OK, it was a TR target but that still would have been a possible on a F class target...there was very little wind I grant you, but, when they design a rifle that negates the wind then it's time to pack it in.

A few weeks back another clubs members were lauding the group I was witnessing (I was in the butts with them) appear before my eyes.

It was a nasty 2.5" vertical spread (we were at 200). From a Barnard action with a 30" barrel....I was horrified and put em right. Sadly the owner died a few weeks later

I own a Dolphin Modular. Its not prefect, but it's damned near (more down to personal taste and Miks poor attempts at mind reading ), and had I listened I would not have had the mag feed version as I have never used it.

My advice would be to do the following.

1. Decide EXACTLY what you want from it.

Are you going to hanker after F/TR comp shooting, some tactical (?) or just shoot against yourself out to 1000 against TR targets....or not shoot past 600?

Look at what the majority of successful shooters are using in that discipline (its nice to be unique, but not if the thing is crap, obsolete, only repairable by a little man in Zanziba, or likely to blow yer bloody head off).

Warning, do not listen to the advice of anyone that does not ACTUALLY shoot that discipline and shoot it well.

(I recently heard of a lad who was told, by his none F/TR shooting cronies (They dont usually shoot past 50yds) that a short 24" barrel would be better as there would be less friction and the bullet would fly faster...if only he had asked us first )

Where possible try out.

2. Having done the above, then work out what the best piece of glass is going to be to do the job (within your range).

Warning, do not listen to the advice of anyone that does not ACTUALLY shoot that discipline and shoot it well.

Determine what the minimum is you can use to do the job, but buy the best you can afford.

Dont buy anything that you have not personally looked through (for several minutes) in the conditions and at the range you intend shooting in/at.

Optics are subjective. By that I mean that what may be the nirvana to one, could be frosted glass to another (but still be percieved as the dogs by all). Any optic just aids whatever condition your eyes are in, soem suit more than others, since you will spend a lot fo time looking through it, make sure its as good as it can be (chances are it will move on with you to yoru next rifle, good glass tends too).

I dont personally like the SSG much, the mags are horrid, but they shoot ok.

Above all, remember that whatever you buy you are likely to lose something on it if you dont like the thing and want to move on, so take your time, you have to live with the thing.

I would always suggest going for a stock that has as much adjustment as possible, and a rig that is capable of coping with and shrugging off the rain...The Dolphin is well named in this respect.

A nice walnut number looks nice, but will it cope when soaked in water...

Now I aint Donald Trump. We both work, we dont go abroad (hate it and have 3 dogs) we dont smoke and seldom drink, so I can afford, for now, to enjoy some competitive shooting.

I would suggest possibly looking at a small loan.

I was going to save for my Dolphin, but there ar emany small loan companies out there with very good rates.

My wife pointed out that it would take a long time to save up, during which the prices would also go up, so I took a small loan to cover the rifle and sold other bits to cover the scope (Sightron 8-32 LRTD).

This may seem like an extreme lesson in impatience but think about it.

By the time you have bought a couple of dogs, spent the saving on this or that, you may well have been able to afford the more expensive option anyway.

Not everybodies approach I know, but its a thought. Remember its an expensive punt and you have to live with it.

I dont buy this "I dont need a Ferrari, I am not worthy etc" approach. The rifle is a launcher. It does not matter what you do in terms of sights or loading if the thing is a dog, but a good rifle can often be made to sing with a good load and some talent (that's me buggered then).

Currently, if I was in the market for a new GP rifle I would have either one of Daves Ovenpaa's M66 actions or an AI, but that's me

Take care, and whatever you decied, enjoy it, life's too short not to tongueout

lot of sense talked there, someone must have hacked Chris's account

[Zilberbak]

Crikey Maggot, it would be rude not to say thanks for your essay (and thanks again for those others that have taken time out to reply previously).

I must be honest I have no real aspirations in winning comps, although I would like to participate for the fun of it.

l expect l will end up mostly shooting out 200 to 600 yds most of the time.

l want new rather than used and l have always wanted an AI. With the budget in mind a Remmy/AI gives me most of what l think l want and whilst it may be a relatively expensive mistake it is far from repairable with something better later on if l need to change it out.

This will also leave sufficient funds for a decent scope.

l have my local gun shop getting in a Remmy heavy barrel and AI stock for me to look at.

Thanks again.

[the running man]

I dont care what anyone says,f class is check book shooting,the best shot in the world with a remmy 700 would get beat by my 8 year old and an rpa...

You want a consistently good score,u needs a good gun. Take the chaps from desert tactical? was it? letting folk shoot the mqueens with box standard factory ammo,vertually everyone shooting it smacked em all through the x and the scoring was vertually all the same...

Check book shooting!!!

[dromia]

Crikey Maggot, it would be rude not to say thanks for your essay (and thanks again for those others that have taken time out to reply previously).

I must be honest I have no real aspirations in winning comps, although I would like to participate for the fun of it.

l expect l will end up mostly shooting out 200 to 600 yds most of the time.

l want new rather than used and l have always wanted an AI. With the budget in mind a Remmy/AI gives me most of what l think l want and whilst it may be a relatively expensive mistake it is far from repairable with something better later on if l need to change it out.

This will also leave sufficient funds for a decent scope.

l have my local gun shop getting in a Remmy heavy barrel and AI stock for me to look at.

Thanks again.

Looks like you have set your heart on a Remington 700 in an AI stock, good luck with your purchase and I hope you enjoy the rifle. It will no doubt meet your modest shooting needs as you have articulated here.

[Maggot]

Crikey Maggot, it would be rude not to say thanks for your essay (and thanks again for those others that have taken time out to reply previously).

I must be honest I have no real aspirations in winning comps, although I would like to participate for the fun of it.

l expect l will end up mostly shooting out 200 to 600 yds most of the time.

l want new rather than used and l have always wanted an AI. With the budget in mind a Remmy/AI gives me most of what l think l want and whilst it may be a relatively expensive mistake it is far from repairable with something better later on if l need to change it out.

This will also leave sufficient funds for a decent scope.

l have my local gun shop getting in a Remmy heavy barrel and AI stock for me to look at.

Thanks again.

Looks like you have set your heart on a Remington 700 in an AI stock, good luck with your purchase and I hope you enjoy the rifle. It will no doubt meet your modest shooting needs as you have articulated here.

Ditto, enjoy mate whatever you choose.

[Matt]

Ditto the ditto tongueout

I've been shooting my remy in an AI stock for years (or triggers broom to be more precise) and getting good results out to 600 giving my mate with his full custom gun a good run for his money and beating him when I could be bothered trying

Sounds like you know what you want now so enjoy, add bits to it as you go along and enjoy doing it.

When and if you decide to upgrade for comps etc things change and the cash starts flowing but it doesn't mean you can't do well in the meantime, (once you've sorted the trigger out and made it useable if it hasn't been done already :lol: )