New Sporter/Hunter Class...is your club promoting it?

[Mick_762]

.... snip...
some turn up with tactard rifles with muzzle brakes and get upset when they have to take them off.[range standing orders doesnt permit them]

Apart from the TacTard reference showing your bias - a simple amendment to RSO's (The committee can do this) will have those shooters on the mound - with their muzzle break.

[Jarrod Robertson]

weve seen dozens of young guys and some older,turn up with hunting rifles,keen to shoot,joined the club and find out the 300+ theyve been shooting roos at is more like 80 to 100.
others come and go because wifey demands they be at home.
some turn up with tactard rifles with muzzle brakes and get upset when they have to take them off.[range standing orders doesnt permit them]
i see alot of these guys around town on weekends, in utes covered in mud and bolt on gear.look around town see what the under 40s are doing,its not spending time at the range.
look around and see what age group is into what and you will understand what im saying.

You might find it's attitudes like this that keep the under 40's away.

[lonerider43]

weve seen dozens of young guys and some older,turn up with hunting rifles,keen to shoot,joined the club and find out the 300+ theyve been shooting roos at is more like 80 to 100.
others come and go because wifey demands they be at home.
some turn up with tactard rifles with muzzle brakes and get upset when they have to take them off.[range standing orders doesnt permit them]
i see alot of these guys around town on weekends, in utes covered in mud and bolt on gear.look around town see what the under 40s are doing,its not spending time at the range.
look around and see what age group is into what and you will understand what im saying.

You might find it's attitudes like this that keep the under 40's away.

rubbish,we/i welcome all shooters with any rifle.
young blokes from local shooting families just arent interested in this sport.as ive said

[Weairy]

Hi all,

Have been following this class with some interest. I think it's a good concept that might take a little refining, but overall, a good idea.

I have been speaking with my local gun shop about doing a package deal for anyone looking at having a crack at this class. Something that's useable both in the field and on the range.

He has done me up a package deal for:
Howa 1500 Varmint .308
20 or 26" Barrel
Hawke Vantage SF Scope 6-24x44 with rail, Leupold Rings
Would normally set you back around $1700. He will do us a deal at $1395 for this setup.
Throw on a $100 bipod and you're in the running with a pretty handy factory rifle. Considering even an average F-Class Omark with a half reasonable scope will set you back $2500.

Food for thought, something that might appeal to some.

[FFordham]

The 308 varmint Howa package is not a rifle you would be carrying in the field...well not for long anyway - the 26" barrel version would not be suitable as a stalking rifle. The only reason you would want a 26" barrel would be for a long distance hunting rifle in which case you would get a long distance calibre NOTa 308win. You would not want a varmint contour, a sporter profile is all that is needed for that one shot opportunity at distance (the deer is not going to wait for a 10 round string of fire). The 20" 308 win barrel would reduce velocity by about 200 ft/sec from the 26", at least it will teach you to read the wind better by handy capping yourself at the longer ranges past 600 yards.

The only person who wins here is the gun salesman he got a juicy sale, and sporter/hunter class newbie got a rifle not very practical for real hunting and marginal for precision shooting. A Control round feed action would be a lot more suitable for hunting anyway. The route some take is to take a hunting rifle and customise it to get better accuracy for the fclass competion. As a newbie I started on this path until I listened to the advice of more experienced shooters and didn't go down the route of trying to have 1 gun that is mediocre at everything. Fclass is an arms race, it takes deep pockets to outlay the cash to buy a precision platform and practice regularly to hone your skills.

The non custom off the shelf 3kg sporting rifle is what you are proposing. Would they let me come and shoot at their fancy targets with a 1967 vintage BRNO ZKK601 308win fitted with a 1-4 optic? How about a K31 Swiss fitted with target sights ? I admit the K31 is Not a hunting rifle but what the heck, I just want to have a plink and not waste thousands in this Sporter/Hunter class. IF they say yes give me a call and I will turn up to have some fun.

[AlanF]

The 308 varmint Howa package is not a rifle you would be carrying in the field...well not for long anyway - the 26" barrel version would not be suitable as a stalking rifle. The only reason you would want a 26" barrel would be for a long distance hunting rifle in which case you would get a long distance calibre NOTa 308win. You would not want a varmint contour, a sporter profile is all that is needed for that one shot opportunity at distance (the deer is not going to wait for a 10 round string of fire). The 20" 308 win barrel would reduce velocity by about 200 ft/sec from the 26", at least it will teach you to read the wind better by handy capping yourself at the longer ranges past 600 yards.

The only person who wins here is the gun salesman he got a juicy sale, and sporter/hunter class newbie got a rifle not very practical for real hunting and marginal for precision shooting. A Control round feed action would be a lot more suitable for hunting anyway. The route some take is to take a hunting rifle and customise it to get better accuracy for the fclass competion. As a newbie I started on this path until I listened to the advice of more experienced shooters and didn't go down the route of trying to have 1 gun that is mediocre at everything. Fclass is an arms race, it takes deep pockets to outlay the cash to buy a precision platform and practice regularly to hone your skills.

The non custom off the shelf 3kg sporting rifle is what you are proposing. Would they let me come and shoot at their fancy targets with a 1967 vintage BRNO ZKK601 308win fitted with a 1-4 optic? How about a K31 Swiss fitted with target sights ? I admit the K31 is Not a hunting rifle but what the heck, I just want to have a plink and not waste thousands in this Sporter/Hunter class. IF they say yes give me a call and I will turn up to have some fun.

The HS discipline should not be seen as something which requires the perfect hunting or varminting or tactical rifle, or for practice for those sports. If you have a rifle that's eligible, bring it along. If you don't have a suitable rifle, and don't want to spend big in F-Class, this "medium weight" 308 initiative from Craig Weaire will be an attractive option to get into long range target shooting.

[robbo1990]

The 308 varmint Howa package is not a rifle you would be carrying in the field...well not for long anyway - the 26" barrel version would not be suitable as a stalking rifle. The only reason you would want a 26" barrel would be for a long distance hunting rifle in which case you would get a long distance calibre NOTa 308win. You would not want a varmint contour, a sporter profile is all that is needed for that one shot opportunity at distance (the deer is not going to wait for a 10 round string of fire). The 20" 308 win barrel would reduce velocity by about 200 ft/sec from the 26", at least it will teach you to read the wind better by handy capping yourself at the longer ranges past 600 yards.

The only person who wins here is the gun salesman he got a juicy sale, and sporter/hunter class newbie got a rifle not very practical for real hunting and marginal for precision shooting. A Control round feed action would be a lot more suitable for hunting anyway. The route some take is to take a hunting rifle and customise it to get better accuracy for the fclass competion. As a newbie I started on this path until I listened to the advice of more experienced shooters and didn't go down the route of trying to have 1 gun that is mediocre at everything. Fclass is an arms race, it takes deep pockets to outlay the cash to buy a precision platform and practice regularly to hone your skills.

The non custom off the shelf 3kg sporting rifle is what you are proposing. Would they let me come and shoot at their fancy targets with a 1967 vintage BRNO ZKK601 308win fitted with a 1-4 optic? How about a K31 Swiss fitted with target sights ? I admit the K31 is Not a hunting rifle but what the heck, I just want to have a plink and not waste thousands in this Sporter/Hunter class. IF they say yes give me a call and I will turn up to have some fun.

The HS discipline should not be seen as something which requires the perfect hunting or varminting or tactical rifle, or for practice for those sports. If you have a rifle that's eligible, bring it along. If you don't have a suitable rifle, and don't want to spend big in F-Class, this "medium weight" 308 initiative from Craig Weaire will be an attractive option to get into long range target shooting.

Pretty much what i did. I was a TR shooter who didnt have the time to put into honing skills in TR as we all know it takes alot of time for any class but especially TR. I wanted to move to F class but couldnt afford as i have a young family but want to keep shooting. I can see Hunters going somewhere as most clubs here WA now have the class in their prize meets and its being considered for our queens. So i sold my target rifle and bought a howa 1500 chambered in 6.5 creedmoor in a krg bravo stock wit h 26inch varmint barrel. It is suited for long range shooting and can also be used for other disciplines etc. Yes its on the boundaries of the classes rules but alot of off shelf rifles are like this these days and this class will bring great oppurtunities for those who cant afford for a F class rig. Unfortunatley the F class community has also brought a slight bad vibe to new comers. I have mates who refuse to shoot at our ranges cause they see F class shooters as snobby un friendly bunch to new shooters who are stuck in their ways. Alot of the comments in here seem to be prooving it. The sport will die if young people dont join we need to be welcoming and this class will do just that.

[Weairy]

The 308 varmint Howa package is not a rifle you would be carrying in the field...well not for long anyway - the 26" barrel version would not be suitable as a stalking rifle. The only reason you would want a 26" barrel would be for a long distance hunting rifle in which case you would get a long distance calibre NOTa 308win. You would not want a varmint contour, a sporter profile is all that is needed for that one shot opportunity at distance (the deer is not going to wait for a 10 round string of fire). The 20" 308 win barrel would reduce velocity by about 200 ft/sec from the 26", at least it will teach you to read the wind better by handy capping yourself at the longer ranges past 600 yards.

The only person who wins here is the gun salesman he got a juicy sale, and sporter/hunter class newbie got a rifle not very practical for real hunting and marginal for precision shooting. A Control round feed action would be a lot more suitable for hunting anyway. The route some take is to take a hunting rifle and customise it to get better accuracy for the fclass competion. As a newbie I started on this path until I listened to the advice of more experienced shooters and didn't go down the route of trying to have 1 gun that is mediocre at everything. Fclass is an arms race, it takes deep pockets to outlay the cash to buy a precision platform and practice regularly to hone your skills.

The non custom off the shelf 3kg sporting rifle is what you are proposing. Would they let me come and shoot at their fancy targets with a 1967 vintage BRNO ZKK601 308win fitted with a 1-4 optic? How about a K31 Swiss fitted with target sights ? I admit the K31 is Not a hunting rifle but what the heck, I just want to have a plink and not waste thousands in this Sporter/Hunter class. IF they say yes give me a call and I will turn up to have some fun.

If the 26” barrel isn’t practical for stalking, I’m sure nowadays, like most rifles, a different barrel could be swapped in. A second barrel is still cheaper than a second rifle. Screw a 30-06 barrel on and go chase some deer if that’s your game.

This rifle wasn’t proposed as an F Standard competition rifle. It was put together for Sporting/Hunter in something that doesn’t have to be a dedicated range rifle and doesn’t have to break the bank and can actually hold its own with decent accuracy out to 1000yd. Hence why a “non custom off the shelf 3kg sporting rifle” is what was proposed. That’s one of the points of this class; so you’re not a new shooter trying to compete with a Harris bipod and a hunting rifle against someone a bit like myself, with a Barnard/March/SEB combo, and you don’t have to spend big to compete.

If not this, then propose me a combo that is more suitable for a decent dollar.

[Weairy]

this "medium weight" 308 initiative from Craig Weaire will be an attractive option to get into long range target shooting.

Gotta clarify this one; Josh Weaire, not Craig. This one always gets mixed up

[robbo1990]

Thought I'd touch base on this topic. My club perth Fremantle along with other have been promoting sporters hunters with great success to the point even some F class shooters have come across for a change. My club currently has 5 full time hunters shooters including one that has left F class for a change. We have had plenty of visitors trying out with a few returning and wishing to join. I think its great for our sport and so far is doing well. I believe we will also be having sporters/Hunters in our queens.

[cheech]

Thought I'd touch base on this topic. My club perth Fremantle along with other have been promoting sporters hunters with great success to the point even some F class shooters have come across for a change. My club currently has 5 full time hunters shooters including one that has left F class for a change. We have had plenty of visitors trying out with a few returning and wishing to join. I think its great for our sport and so far is doing well. I believe we will also be having sporters/Hunters in our queens.

Yes we are going well with it also , have gained 4 new members last month but not ready to compete yet and possibly more to follow , once we got the word out and using electronics the young ones came in , all our new members are under 30, got to be good .

We ran our OPM with hunter class , but only 1 entry from an Open shooter did very well

I think it is the way to get bums on mounds

[Vicko]

Just a couple of suggestions from a potential competitor.

Be aware that your comments are being read by potential competitors and club members. References to young folks only being interesting in drugs, and shitcanning their choices of firearms and or lifestyle choices isn't a good look. It's judgemental and unwelcoming.

If clubs genuinely want to increase numbers in this class can I suggest that you need to add some more targets at closer ranges to better accommodate those rifles. My local club range doesn't even have a 200m target which I find bizarre. This is the distance many hunters sight in their rifles... For clubs that do have a 200, adding in a 250, 350 and 450m targets could make it a lot more attractive for hunters to come along and improve their skills and this category could focus on 200-500m shooting. Otherwise they're going to look at something like PRS style shooting instead where 'tacticool' firearms are welcomed.

[scott/r]

Just a couple of suggestions from a potential competitor.

Be aware that your comments are being read by potential competitors and club members. References to young folks only being interesting in drugs, and shitcanning their choices of firearms and or lifestyle choices isn't a good look. It's judgemental and unwelcoming.

If clubs genuinely want to increase numbers in this class can I suggest that you need to add some more targets at closer ranges to better accommodate those rifles. My local club range doesn't even have a 200m target which I find bizarre. This is the distance many hunters sight in their rifles... For clubs that do have a 200, adding in a 250, 350 and 450m targets could make it a lot more attractive for hunters to come along and improve their skills and this category could focus on 200-500m shooting. Otherwise they're going to look at something like PRS style shooting instead where 'tacticool' firearms are welcomed.

The only problem with adding extra targets as you've suggested is that 99% of fullbore ranges don't shoot from one firing point. The targets are stationary and we move back to accommodate the distance that we shoot. So there's no way that we could shoot multiple distances at one time like prs shooters do. And most ranges only have approvals for 100 yrd/m distances between firing points unfortunately.
To be honest with you, with comments that you may see as shit canning you're style of firearms goes, most of the guys here would only see them as lacking the ability to hold the consistent accuracy that is needed to be competitive, hence the reason why the sporter class scoring system is the same as us t/r shooters.

[macguru]

We are shooting s/h class, std and open, alongside the other disciplines at hornsby range. I think its a great way to increase our membership base and let people try shooting, and let experienced target shooters try something new. I am trying it as a way of saving my f open rifles from wearing out before post covid competitions restart.

my rig is:
savage short action 308 with 26" factory varmint barrel (fortunately one of their better ones)
grs beserk stock
harris bipod
10 shot aftermarket magazine (but i'm not using it in s/h)

This rig can shoot "possibles" ie 50/50 etc if i dont jiggle around too much I think by lowering the bar from fstd/open it lets people feel included even if they have not yet bought their barnard custom rig. One thing to watch is that people do not turn up at 7-800m with an untested rifle that could cause damage to expensive electronic targets. start them at 300 !

[Vicko]

The only problem with adding extra targets as you've suggested is that 99% of fullbore ranges don't shoot from one firing point. The targets are stationary and we move back to accommodate the distance that we shoot. So there's no way that we could shoot multiple distances at one time like prs shooters do. And most ranges only have approvals for 100 yrd/m distances between firing points unfortunately.

I didn't say to shoot multiple distances at once
Maybe look to alter the approvals?

To be honest with you, with comments that you may see as shit canning you're style of firearms goes, most of the guys here would only see them as lacking the ability to hold the consistent accuracy that is needed to be competitive, hence the reason why the sporter class scoring system is the same as us t/r shooters.

So.. if most of the guys here just think it's a waste of time because apparently hunters have shit firearms, then just forget about it. No skin off my nose.

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you guys are serious about doing something about dropping member numbers via this class (which is what it was introduced for as I understand it) then you will either need to change some things (including some fairly ordinary attitudes towards younger shooters) and make it more viable - or not. I don't have any 'tacticool' firearms by the way... Put yourself in the shoes of a hunter and potential competitor. I can spend a little more on my next hunting outfit and make sure its something that will allow me to compete - at least out to say.. 5 or 600m. And in doing so - improve my skills and see if I want to focus solely on f class competing. But its hard for me to justify a standalone $5k rifle right now for something that I'm not sure if I'm going to commit to yet.

There's a reason that PRS is growing at such a rapid rate. It allows hunters and shooters to practice and refine their skills using in more usable firing positions, at more practical distances. And without the condescension... The more recent comments on this thread has only tipped me further towards setting myself up for PRS, which wasn't my original plan.