Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

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Wiseman7187
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Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

#1 Postby Wiseman7187 » Thu May 21, 2020 12:04 am

Hi all, I'm looking for advice for a new shooter/shooters. Me and 2 mates started shooting awhile ago in f class/f standard, we have been talking about the future and what we will buy for ourselves when we can,
Both my friends are looking at 6.5mm creedmoor which puts us in f open class.
but a lot of what I have read and have watched about this 6.5mm vs .308 says best to start with .308 to get used to recoil and cause they are cheaper and a more well known caliber.
Just wondering anyone's thoughts or advice on this I'm leaving towards .308 atm but any advice from more educated shooters would be great.

Thank you
Daniel w

Gyro
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Re: Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

#2 Postby Gyro » Thu May 21, 2020 6:16 am

The creedmore does go very well, hence it's popularity. So does the 308, but u will likely get 'easier' accuracy with the CM because it recoils less. You don't have to "get used to recoil" and use a heavier recoiling gun to do that. I don't have a CM, but for a beginning shooter I would suggest one over a 308 just because it will be easier to shoot and therefore more fun.

What all this actually means is that a heavier recoiling rifle will expose - a lot more - any weaknesses in your shooting technique and also just as importantly, any weaknesses in your 'platform'. To discuss the platform is another large topic.

With the 6.5mm options there are many good bullet choices. Same with the 30 cal range BUT you need to go to a much heavier bullet to get to the equivalent ballistic coefficient ( BC ) that the lighter 6.5 projectiles have. All this really matters from a precision/accuracy perspective and is in the same way the reason why the newer high BC 7mm bullets have steered most target shooters away from the old traditional 30 cal base. If there was no weight limit on the gun then lots more shooters would pick the 30 cal option because a heavier gun/platform copes a lot better with the increased "gun upset" of the bigger bullets. Just some fundamentals re what happens when ya pull the trigger !

There are lots of other cartridge choices to consider too depending on your specific needs.

DannyS
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Re: Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

#3 Postby DannyS » Thu May 21, 2020 8:03 am

It’s probably more of a question as to which class you want to shoot in. F standard or F Open. F Standard is graded ie A and B grade, therefore new shooters can start in B grade and work their way up to A grade. F Open is ungraded, so you get to play with the big guys straight away.

Cheers
Danny
You might as well be yourself, everyone else is already taken.

John T
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Re: Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

#4 Postby John T » Thu May 21, 2020 10:22 am

Hello Wiseman.

You say that you have shot F Standard. Cartridges are restricted to the 308 WIN and the Rem 223. Which have you been shooting?

Next up is FTR which is restricted to 308 WIN, but with the choice of any 30 cal bullet and a long throat to accommodate.

Top is F Open. First warning is that F Open is very expensive. Don't ask me how much, I've never been game enough to keep a tally. But my guess would be not less than $7,000.00 to set up with a competitive rig and accessories. No serious Open shooter would consider the 6.5 Creedmoor. The cartridge of choice is the 7 Rem SAUM.

If you have some, but limited funds and want something more demanding than F Standard, take a look at FTR.

Regards,
John T.

Mozzie
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F open

#5 Postby Mozzie » Thu May 21, 2020 2:07 pm

John T
Thats a big bold statement.
"No serious Open shooter would consider the 6.5 Creedmoor. The cartridge of choice is the 7 rem SAUM"
I won't jump on my high horse, but will climb out of my pram and say you have just offended every f open shooter who is not shooting a 7 mm rem SAUM
Mozzie
My truck doesn’t run on love, it runs on diesel.
However, I love my rifle and it runs on lead. #-o

Spud308
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Re: Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

#6 Postby Spud308 » Thu May 21, 2020 3:05 pm

For the record FTR is .308 or .223 and not just restricted to 308 WIN!

DannyS
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Re: Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

#7 Postby DannyS » Thu May 21, 2020 3:32 pm

FTR more demanding than F Standard ????
Last edited by DannyS on Thu May 21, 2020 7:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You might as well be yourself, everyone else is already taken.

williada
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Re: Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

#8 Postby williada » Thu May 21, 2020 4:07 pm

Wiseman7187, the Creedmore is a very good cartridge. My eldest son uses a Hunter Class with a 22 inch barrel and smashes it. He only dropped 1 point at 1000 yards the last time he shot it and off a bipod in a teams match. Has a lot to do with tune, technique and learning to read wind. In the Moe club a few guys are using the heavy barrel in Creedmore with outstanding results, like 10 x's at 600 yards in FO and give me a run for my money with the SAUM. I have to rely on rat cunning and old age to beat them over longer distances. Their gear is so good due to low recoil, and most of our shooting is not conducted over 1000 yards. I have just opted to try one myself. Under a good coach who can read wind in team shooting, their scores are seldom bettered by other teams.

macguru
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Re: Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

#9 Postby macguru » Thu May 21, 2020 5:51 pm

Ah, the creedmore 6.5 is very popular in PRS, its accurate, less recoil and there are some very nice tacticool rifles off the shelf, eg the lithgow. BUT, its probably not the ideal f open rifle and you cannot shoot standard with it. The 7mm saum and 6mm dasher/br/lapua seem to get the most attention in f open. Having said that, I would like to see someone do well in f open with a creedmore..... it could happen.
id quod est

Weairy
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Re: Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

#10 Postby Weairy » Thu May 21, 2020 6:35 pm

I started with a 6BR which was excellent in terms of having zero recoil, being easy as pie to tune and having a 308 bolt face (broad range of actions to use). But this does throw you into F-Open. Fine on a good day at the shorter ranges, iffy on the windy days and competing against the cannon calibers. But an absolutely wicked starter caliber.

An F-STD 308 with a weighty set up (pushing close to the 8.5kg mark), on a rest with the right bag and a stock to suit, near on eliminates the recoil issues (they just sit there). 308 gear is cheap, readily available and everyone would have something to help you out.

Depends how many dollars you want to throw at it and how competitive you want to be.
Josh Weaire
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John T
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Re: Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

#11 Postby John T » Thu May 21, 2020 7:00 pm

MOZZIE. I don't care. FTR and Open are about shooting at 800, 900 and 1000 yards. No 6.5 bullet can compete with the 7 bullets you can shoot with the 284 WIN and the 7 RSAUM. If 1000 is not your go, pick whatever you like. If you want to prove the 6.5 Creedmoor, come to Coona in October.

SPUD. Quite correct, but no one shoots the 223 at 8,9 and 1000 in FTR.

DANNY S. Yes, if you are an achiever.

WILLIADA. 1000 is what it's all about. If you are happy to shoot the shorts, pick whatever you like.

MACGURU. You said it.

Regards,
John T.

Seddo
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Re: Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

#12 Postby Seddo » Thu May 21, 2020 7:19 pm

For a new shooter i would say something you can get decent factory ammo for in case they dont load yet. 308, 6.5cm, 6cm all have good factory ammo.

If they load already then there are more options.
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Seddo

Moe City Rifle Club

Mozzie
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Re: Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

#13 Postby Mozzie » Thu May 21, 2020 8:33 pm

John T
Sorry, but as a relatively new shooter of only a couple of years, there is so many posts and people taking about why the sport is not attracting new members specifically the younger or next generation to carry on with the sport. So when a potentially new shooter asks about f class and are looking at 6.5 Creedmoor also wanting thoughts and advice, it's not helpful posting things like "no serious open shooter would consider a 6.5 Creedmoor." Then go on and post "you don't care" ( in the context of who you offend)
Have a look at yourself in the mirror.
My truck doesn’t run on love, it runs on diesel.
However, I love my rifle and it runs on lead. #-o

John T
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Re: Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

#14 Postby John T » Thu May 21, 2020 9:12 pm

Hello Daniel.

Amongst all the argy bargy which you will find is a typical distraction, we would like to hear from you.

Regards,
John T.

Brad
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Re: Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

#15 Postby Brad » Fri May 22, 2020 12:26 am

John T wrote:Hello Wiseman.

Top is F Open. First warning is that F Open is very expensive. Don't ask me how much, I've never been game enough to keep a tally. But my guess would be not less than $7,000.00 to set up with a competitive rig and accessories. No serious Open shooter would consider the 6.5 Creedmoor. The cartridge of choice is the 7 Rem SAUM.

Regards,
John T.


Not so sure about that - don't be so quick to discount the 6.5s. A 6.5x47 is a performer at long range! That said I have a 284 and love it.

PS he didn't mention range - just before the lockdown I saw a perfect score shot with a 6.5cm - sure it wasn't 1000 but it was perfect!


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