Well now that the F-Class mid range shoots are done for the year I just now decided to create a post describing the events and how much fun it is to participate. Shoots take place four times per year on the first Sunday of May, June, August and September. While this is a true competition all participants couldn’t be more helpful and friendly. It’s a very relaxed event. Due to range distance limitations at Spokane Rifle Club we shoot only from 600 and 300 yards. F-Class matches elsewhere go out to 1000 yards. Personally 600 yards taxes my abilities enough so for me I like the 600 yard limitation. Quite frankly this makes participating easier and puts less restrictions on your equipment which allows us to possibly compete with a rifle already on hand. A match consists of 88 rounds, two stages of 20 scoring shots with two non-scoring sighter shots from 600 and the same from 300.
Match day starts with registration at 7:30, shooters meeting at 8:00 and shots down range by 8:30. The match generally ends around 2:30 or so. Cost is only $20.00 and you should be a member of the NRA as your score is sent to them as they will classify you. Shooters are divided into two squads with one squad at the firing line and the other in the pit pulling and scoring targets. I like this as you are doing something all day, no sitting around waiting to shoot. We start at the 600 yard line where the shooters fire their first stage of 22 shots and then take a 10 minute break. Shooters then fire their second stage of 22 shots and after that switch to pit duties. The folks who started in the pits then fire their two 600 yard stages. Then we repeat this process from the 300 yard line. As you can see, you are constantly engaged in one activity or another so no sitting around waiting.
I shoot a Savage .223 bolt rifle with a 26” heavy barrel. My rifle was made in the mid 90’s and was Savage’s first venture into the competition rifle market. My scope is a Vortex 6-24x50mm with target turrets mounted on a 20 moa rail. I traded on SGT for the rifle and bought my scope used also on SGT. I started with a Vortex 4-16 target scope buy my old eyes wanted more magnification. You younger guys should do fine with a 16x. I use a Harris 6-9” swivel notch leg bi-pod and a rear bag. We shoot from prone so some type of shooting mat is needed. So as you can see I don’t have a great deal of money invested in equipment. I reload my ammo using match components but with only four 88 round matches and a few practice sessions per year your ammo costs are not terribly high. However, you could travel all over the northwest and shoot every weekend should you want.
The target sizes are basically moa targets with the 600 yard target having a 6” bullseye and the 300 a 3” bull. Both targets have an X ring one half the bull size and X’s are used in the case of a tie breaker. We score shots out to the 5 ring but it’s rare to make a hit in the 5 or 6 ring. (Of course I can do that
) When in the pits you pull the target down after each hit and mark the bullet hole with a marker and note the point value with another marker. The shooter can see both the impact and the point score. This allows the shooter to make scope adjustments. I generally will adjust the scope for elevation changes but use Kentucky Windage for windage changes as windage varies with the wind and can change from shot to shot. The range provides several wind flags the shooter can use for windage data. Here are some pictures.
This is the 600 yard target with the 6” bullseye and 3” X ring. My stubby hand is for reference.
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This is the 300 yard target with the 3” bullseye and 1.5” X ring.
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Target in the raised position waiting for a shot.
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The pit during a break.
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The firing line. Note the rifle in the foreground, we share the line with Black Powder Cartridge Shooters who shoot their open sighted 45+ cal rifles the same distance as us F Class shooters. While their target are bigger than ours, it’s so impressive that they shoot these rifles at these distances. When a shot is fired by one of them usually a cloud of smoke wafts down the line.
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Firing line from the opposite end.
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Firing line at 600 yards. The targets are those small white squared in the distance at the tree line to the left of the clubhouse.
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Firing line at 300 yards.
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