will they ever let over 8 mm

[runstewart]

hi will the shooting ranges ever let 8mm and over shoot as you let 8mm and under so why is 1 mm so bad. I no it kicks a bit more but maybe some people would like to give the big gun a run.

[DannyS]

Most ranges are only approved to a maximum of 8mm, I can't see that changing in a hurry.

[Lynn Otto]

It's not the ranges that dictate this, it is the firearms range licencing people and I believe the limitation has something to do with our safety template. I understand that some ranges have applied for the ability to have larger calibres, such as Lower Light in SA, but I don't know where they are up to with it.

[johnk]

As I understand it, the restriction relates to the concept of a limited danger area range, essentially a military term. Such ranges operate under the premise that firearms will always point to the target when loaded (hence the SSR requirement), so the only escape of projectiles beyond the stop butt will be a ricochet - and the angle of eacape & maximum travel of those has been calculated in a defensible manner. Experience/experimentation by the authority/designers has placed calibre & in the instance of British ranges, qualified maximum power limitations on usage.

The easy alternative is a range from which a projectile cannot escape when fired in any direction (a full 360 degrees from the expected direction of shooting) & elevation, which, for most of us cannot be achieved anywhere within cooee of inhabited areas.

[Seddo]

Its mainly due to the ignorance of the law makers, every shooter knows the calibre has nothing to do with distance.

In NSW, a range with a 8mm limit is only subject to that limit when the porjectile is going past 1700-1800fps. A friend in sydney got this in writing from the firearms department so he cna shoot his 510 Whisper. When you think about it is makes ence.

I am going to send the same question into our LRD because i want to use my 338 Benchrest on the range.

[Norm]

Although I would also like to shoot calibres over 8mm at times I don't think it would be a practical alternative to existing calibres for F-Open.

My .284win with 175gn Sierra's, drifts a bit less than 7 MOA in a 10mph cross wind. To beat this performance in an over 8mm calibre with existing bullets, you would have to shoot a .338 win mag loaded with 300gn Berger Hybrids. Even then it would only hold into the wind a bit better than 1/2 MOA. So not much to be gained.
A .338 win mag could be fired ok without a brake in a heavey rifle but if you wanted the wind bucking performance of a faster .338 or bigger, then you would require a muzzle brake and that opens up a whole new set of issues.

Better to look to ranges that permit such calibres in the first place. Then sort out the competition details if you have enough interested shooters.

[AlanF]

Well said Norm. There is even some doubt about 30 cal having any advantage over 7mm. I looked at the 30 cal 230 Berger Hybrid, and to get the same wind deflection as the 7mm 180 Hybrid, recoil will be about 30% greater (calculation is based on the 7mm @ 2820fps and 30 cal @ 2600fps). I could handle a bit more recoil than my 7mm, but probably wouldn't like 50% more, and that is about what you'd need to get a decent advantage from the 30 cal. Upsizing from 30 cal to 338 would presumably bring a further dramatic rise in recoil.

Alan