Chopper wrote:...WHAT CALIBRE WOULD YOU PICK ? ?????
Chop,
That's one of the best things about F-Open - choosing your calibre. You do the research, ask questions, see what the top shooters are using etc., and make a choice. I can only give a personal opinion, based on my own experience and research. There will be many others!
If I had 2 rifles, one would be a 6BR and the other a 7mm (perhaps a WSM or a 280AI). The 6BR is probably the most accurate and easy to load chambering suitable for F-Open. Its main handicap is at the longs when conditions are difficult. Of all the setups I have shot against, the 284 Win using heavy high BC projectiles shows the most promise at the longs. I like the idea of a larger case than the 284Win not necessarily for more velocity, but lower pressures and better brass life.
I see two groups of cartridges as suitable for the one gun shooter. Either the faster 6mm chamberings such as 6x47Lapua or 243AI, or the larger 6.5mm chamberings such as 6.5x284 or 6.5x55AI. The 6mms will have less recoil, and have a slight accuracy advantage. The 6.5s will have marginally better performance at the longs. There are lower budget alternatives in 6mm (e.g. Dasher and BRX) and in 6.5 (e.g. 260 Rem, 6.5HI) which are also good all-rounders. But their lower velocities will give slightly higher wind-drift.
Some might say who cares if cartridge X has 2% more wind-drift than cartridge Y. Well, I'd ask them to think about when they're marking, how many shots they get which are just touching the L or R side of a score ring. They are the ones where cartridge X would drop a point nearly every time.
Alan