Hello all. I am considering shooting a few (or as many as I can make) midrange prone matches at my local gun club this year. I have a couple of questions and would appreciate some advice from those of you who shoot or have shot in such things.
My club hosts two midrange prone matches: (i) a 3x600 each month, and (ii) a 300, 500, 600 every three months. I am interested in shooting either or both of those matches as often as I can make them. My immediate questions mostly concern which category/class I should shoot in and some gear-related stuff that depends on the answer to the "which category" question.
The rifle I plan to use for this (mis)adventure is a Bergara B14 HMR chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor topped with a Vortex Viper PST Gen II 5-25x50. I have a Magpul bipod, a Caldwell "Rock" shooting rest, and a modest selection of basic rear bag options. I'm not looking to jump in the deep end (yet) and buy a new custom rifle and a bunch of highly specialized gear. I understand I may need to buy some additional gear, and maybe I'll get bitten by the bug in the future and buy more/better gear, but that's not my project this year. For now, I just want to learn about the competition, go shoot, and get better.
The first decision appears to be between entering the "Match Rifle" or "F Class" categories. I don't have a shooting coat or any high-tech sling, and frankly expect I would do terribly at 500 or 600 yards if shooting prone unsupported. So, I'm leaning toward F class so I can use a bipod or rest. But within F Class, since I'm shooting a 6.5 Creedmoor, I understand I would need to shoot "F Open" rather than "F T/R," and I understand a lot of specialized equipment gets used in F Open.
With that long introduction, my first question is would you recommend I shoot "Match Rifle" or "F Class" with the gear that I have? I'm leaning toward F Class simply because I think I would do better/enjoy it more. I guess my question distilled is can I still have a decent time shooting F-Open with the gear that I have, or am I going to be miserable? I understand I'm likely to get smoked in either category, but am I wasting my time by not having all of the right gear?
If I decide to shoot Match Rifle, what else do I need? Are a coat, sling, and glove necessary? Where is the best place to find those things used or relatively inexpensively?
If I decide to shoot F Open, what else do I need? I know everyone being competitive will have a high-tech, purpose-built front rest, but I can't (or won't) afford something like that this year. Will my Caldwell Rock and pretty ordinary rear bag work, or is there a modest bipod or front rest upgrade you'd recommend?
Thank you for your input and assistance!
My club hosts two midrange prone matches: (i) a 3x600 each month, and (ii) a 300, 500, 600 every three months. I am interested in shooting either or both of those matches as often as I can make them. My immediate questions mostly concern which category/class I should shoot in and some gear-related stuff that depends on the answer to the "which category" question.
The rifle I plan to use for this (mis)adventure is a Bergara B14 HMR chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor topped with a Vortex Viper PST Gen II 5-25x50. I have a Magpul bipod, a Caldwell "Rock" shooting rest, and a modest selection of basic rear bag options. I'm not looking to jump in the deep end (yet) and buy a new custom rifle and a bunch of highly specialized gear. I understand I may need to buy some additional gear, and maybe I'll get bitten by the bug in the future and buy more/better gear, but that's not my project this year. For now, I just want to learn about the competition, go shoot, and get better.
The first decision appears to be between entering the "Match Rifle" or "F Class" categories. I don't have a shooting coat or any high-tech sling, and frankly expect I would do terribly at 500 or 600 yards if shooting prone unsupported. So, I'm leaning toward F class so I can use a bipod or rest. But within F Class, since I'm shooting a 6.5 Creedmoor, I understand I would need to shoot "F Open" rather than "F T/R," and I understand a lot of specialized equipment gets used in F Open.
With that long introduction, my first question is would you recommend I shoot "Match Rifle" or "F Class" with the gear that I have? I'm leaning toward F Class simply because I think I would do better/enjoy it more. I guess my question distilled is can I still have a decent time shooting F-Open with the gear that I have, or am I going to be miserable? I understand I'm likely to get smoked in either category, but am I wasting my time by not having all of the right gear?
If I decide to shoot Match Rifle, what else do I need? Are a coat, sling, and glove necessary? Where is the best place to find those things used or relatively inexpensively?
If I decide to shoot F Open, what else do I need? I know everyone being competitive will have a high-tech, purpose-built front rest, but I can't (or won't) afford something like that this year. Will my Caldwell Rock and pretty ordinary rear bag work, or is there a modest bipod or front rest upgrade you'd recommend?
Thank you for your input and assistance!