OzFclass

Can I use a savage .308 palma in f class standard?

Yes mate no issue. So long as you are loading 155gr bullets on the approved list, using approved powder and meet the trigger and weight limits. Even for club shooting I dont think you will have an issue. Most clubs are happy to have shooters on the line.

Cheers mate can you tell me the difference between the palma and the win? Coz I've heard you can't differentiate much in projectile weight.

I think you will find the 308 palma is the model of the rifle, not the caliber. The caliber is going to be 308 win from what I can see.

I have one of these rifles. Yes of course the palma refers to the model and intended use but it has a very nice stock and action. It is chambered differently to the other savage 308 as well. It has the 'palma" chamber and I had to load a slightly shorter COAL than in my present chambering. I also felt i needed to fit a barrel tuner to get it to shoot ok. I have seen a few others around but have not seen any first class results with the original barrel from any of them.

My advice would be to rebarrel if you get one and open up the barrel channel in the stock to suit a heavier barrel profile. I am very happy with the end result, but i think lots of other rifles will shoot the same when rebarrelled by a good smithy.

Thanks guys I've been tossing up between that and the 12 benchrest or f/tr but not knowing which is more accurate out of the box. I'm just starting out and can't really afford to buy a rifle the have it re barreled just yet.

Definitely start with the 12 benchrest, thats what i would do...
at least it has a 12 twist heavy barrel and tracker stock. it may not look as pretty but its a better way to go, provided you are shooting with a pedestal rest.

i forgot to add that as well as the 'palma chamber' the palma has a 1 in 13 twist that does not suit some 155gr projectiles, at least in theory....

If you going for a factory ready rifle for FS competition that will be good to go and let you learn, the Palma, F/TR or BR models will probably all be good. Depends then if you want to shoot FS or F/TR? If FS, I'd get the BR model as it has a suitable stock, if F/TR, grab the F/TR model. Given proper handloads, they should all shoot well.

Cheers guys, I was leaning towards the benchrest at the start anyway but wanted some expert opinions. I'm gonna try and get to the yarloop range next club shoot and get things under way coz as I'm led to believe it takes a lot longer to get guns in wa now from when I got my last one about 10 years ago.

Its not that hard. Its just paperwork mate. Dont worry to much about it. Just make sure you have your property letters or club support letter and the servicability paperwork done and ready to hand to the post office. Then just wait around 3-5 weeks I think and you should have your rifle.

Mick- if you want to ever see some more f class rifles and speak to someone who builds them, take a sunday drive down here to the Busselton club and speak to Brad Day about it. He has a savage or two and might suggest that it will be better at the end of the day to procure a savage target action and get a good quality barrel and stock on it that will perform.

Yeah all sounds very helpful guys and I might try to take spin to busso and talk to a professional. My next question would be optics and I know everyone says you get what you pay for, but how much magnification do I need for successful 1000yard shooting?

Lots of people do it with a T24. The scopes are well priced and track reliably. Sightron SIII in 8-32 with the target dot reticle and 1/8 clicks are good too. You can go all the way up to 50 power in some brands too but in WA especially over the warmer months you will spend more time down around 24 power to try and keep the mirage from blurring you out.

mick6220 wrote:Yeah all sounds very helpful guys and I might try to take spin to busso and talk to a professional. My next question would be optics and I know everyone says you get what you pay for, but how much magnification do I need for successful 1000yard shooting?

Please go to a club and talk to the people there,wait a while and have a good look,don`t rush in,it is not that simple,sometimes you get it right the first time,but not always,as we all have different ideas.
I am too far away from WA to help and even though I shoot a lot of long range,F/class,FTR and match rifle,my opinion is that you can manage with fairly basic equipment,if you have the commitment it is better to invest in a good action and barrel.However you still need to be able to load accurate ammunition and fire good shots.Scopes are what you can afford,fixed 16 t0 24 power or variables possibly up to 30 or a bit more at the top power. I use a Leupold 8.5-25 LRT.
Welcome to F/class.
Mike.

Ok I do know how to shoot I love the long shots this is why I wanna do it. But can someone explain to me about custom stocks. I don't wanna sound like a smart arse at all but isn't it only how it's bedded that will affect accuracy, this is my opinion and I do repeat that I don't want to sound like a smart arse.