Should a newbie start out in FO???

[dee cee]

Guys and Girls,

Having a custom rifle for F-Class Open made up, a 6x47 Lapua, but I am wondering if it is a smart move starting in FO as opposed to FS. I have not shot in long range comps before, only shot with the army reserve for a couple of years and some hunts with the fella's. (Never really good at either)

The reason I chose that calibre and therefore FO is I like the ballistics of the round, the lesser recoil and just generally having something different.

I guess I wonder though, should I really jump straight into target/comp shooting in FO which appears to be quite competitive or am I better served learning the ropes with a FS rifle (308 of course) until I find my feet????

I know I won't be competitive in either for some time until I sort it all out. I don't plan on being a world beater so I don't care if I get flogged for a while. Just don't quite know if I should shy away from FO. Surely I still learn the same things that you learn in FS in FO. I'm still shooting right??

All opinions welcomed,
Thanks in advance,

dee cee

[Cameron Mc]

Jump into F Open. Harder targets means you will try harder.

My wife started shooting about 2 years ago in F Open and now regularly beats the (experienced) boys!!!

She won the fisrt day Agg at the Nationals last year over 4 ranges with her 6br. Went on to win her first Prize Shoot later in the year.

Give it a go. Ask plenty of questions and have fun.

Cameron

[ned kelly]

G'Day Dee Cee,
yeah straight into FO. Especially as you have the rifle etc. That way you start from scratch and the principles are the same as FS. I feel the FO target is better suited to scope use but that is just my opinion.

But with your 6x47 lapua, you will soon be shooting 10's at LR and then you'll be hooked on FO real good.............

Anyway the only person you have to better is yourself. Let's face it we all compete against ourselves to shoot a better score than last time or at least say it was a competitive field but I shot to the best of my ability and be proud of your days efforts. If you win or place that's a bonus, it's really just about having a go.

Just jump right in, the water's great!

Cheerio Ned

[Peter Hulett]

Just start where you are most comfortable. I am a TR shooter but in our club we have doubled our membership in the last twelve months and a lot of the newbees are FS shooters under 21 years old. I would love to have an FO shooter in the club who could show our new shooters what the extreme accuracy sport is all about.

Needless to say we do encourage them to strive for the best accuracy that is possible but the results they achieve in F-standard are not up to the challenge of F-Open.
Cheers

Peter Hulett

[Ken L]

Pro's and Cons of FS and FO

Ammo FS is cheaper to produce handloads than FO.

Rifles FS barrels have a longer accurate life than some FO barrels

Rifles FS stocks can be lower cost using second hand TR stocks but in top line guns the costs are much the same.

Sights You find similar scopes on both FS and FO

Trigger weight FS 1Kg -- FO any safe trigger.

Rests Both have the same costs

Targets FS have 100% larger top scoring rings than FO. But FO have a higher visibility and are more consistant in ring size increments between ranges.

Level of wind reading skills required. FS demands a higher level of wind reading skills than FO when the FO projectiles have a higher BC and therefore less wind drift for any given wind speed. And can have higher muzzle velocity. For example 308w MV 2950 BC .434 V 6mm rem MV 3200 BC .52 Generaly FO bullets are more forgiving of miss-judgments.

Grading FS has A & B grades FO has no grading system as most FO shooters soon shoot them selves into the higher scoring range anyway.

[dee cee]

Thanks to all for the great advice. I guess for now I am quite prepared to take the plunge into FO. As suggested there are a number of +'s and -'s to each, but at the end of the day, I'm still participating and learning irrespective.....

Thanks again, hope to see you all out there some time

dee cee

[AlanF]

Welcome to F-Open dee cee. Once you start seeing that spotter in the 10 ring, you'll be hooked!

Alan

[RDavies]

Yes, FO. We need more FO shooters in the Sydney area. Try to get up to some of the ranges north of Sydney when you can.
BTW, If I decide to change calibers, I will be going to 6x47. It is becoming popular now and there are a few shooters north of Sydney who use it and might be able to help you with info if you need it.

[Steve T]

G'Day dee cee

I am a little late in adding to your replies but here is my effort.

Go for FO with your 6x47L and enjoy it.

I have just reached the point you are at now, after 9 years of shooting in FB 308 and then moving to FS 308 and when the 308 barrel shot crooked after 5500 rounds it has been replaced with a 6x47L barrel.

The whole process of shooting in a new barrel, developing loads with minimum aid of reloading manuals, meeting new friends to swap experiences and results, and producing positive early results on the range has rejuvenated my aging shooting experience.

Happiness is a warm 6x47L.
Enjoy

Steve