Dave Rabin
New member
Part of the appeal of F-Class
is that you can start out by shooting what you probably already have.
You can shoot F-Class with any cartridge that's .35 caliber or below, provided you're shooting a bullet that can reliably hit the target at whatever distance you're shooting at. I'm glossing over the rules about F-Open and F-TR rifles, maximum weights, etc., but you can read all about it starting at page 67 of the rule book: http://rulebooks.nra.org/documents/pdf/compete/RuleBooks/HPR/2018-hpr-book.pdf.
For example: if someone has a .223 with a barrel twist that stabilizes bullets in, say, the 69-80 gr. range, a Harris bipod, a sandbag or even a beanbag to stabilize the rear (or they can just use their hand if they want), and a riflescope or spotting scope that can resolve a 1.5-inch diameter spotting disc at 600 yards, then they can shoot F-Class. A mat or thick blanket is good, too, so you're more comfortable in position. You don't need to spend $5000+ on a custom gun, scope, fancy front rest, etc. And if that hypothetical shooter enjoys it and wants to do better, he or she can rebarrel that .223 with a custom barrel. At 600 yards, a 24X scope and a rifle that shoots in the .3s will be competitive.
In other words, F-Class has a low barrier to entry.
Yes, shooting F-Class is easier than shooting with sling and jacket, but that doesn't mean it's easy to win. A benchrest rifle is the epitome of something that's easy to shoot, but it's still hard to win a benchrest match. And while attaining a good F-Class position is easier than attaining a good sling position (not to mention being easier on the body), shooting a good score in F-Class still requires a good position, trigger control, wind reading, and shot strategy.
After spending some Georgia summers shooting with sling and jacket on an uncovered firing line, I made F-Class my summer highpower sport and enjoy it immensely.
is that you can start out by shooting what you probably already have.
You can shoot F-Class with any cartridge that's .35 caliber or below, provided you're shooting a bullet that can reliably hit the target at whatever distance you're shooting at. I'm glossing over the rules about F-Open and F-TR rifles, maximum weights, etc., but you can read all about it starting at page 67 of the rule book: http://rulebooks.nra.org/documents/pdf/compete/RuleBooks/HPR/2018-hpr-book.pdf.
For example: if someone has a .223 with a barrel twist that stabilizes bullets in, say, the 69-80 gr. range, a Harris bipod, a sandbag or even a beanbag to stabilize the rear (or they can just use their hand if they want), and a riflescope or spotting scope that can resolve a 1.5-inch diameter spotting disc at 600 yards, then they can shoot F-Class. A mat or thick blanket is good, too, so you're more comfortable in position. You don't need to spend $5000+ on a custom gun, scope, fancy front rest, etc. And if that hypothetical shooter enjoys it and wants to do better, he or she can rebarrel that .223 with a custom barrel. At 600 yards, a 24X scope and a rifle that shoots in the .3s will be competitive.
In other words, F-Class has a low barrier to entry.
Yes, shooting F-Class is easier than shooting with sling and jacket, but that doesn't mean it's easy to win. A benchrest rifle is the epitome of something that's easy to shoot, but it's still hard to win a benchrest match. And while attaining a good F-Class position is easier than attaining a good sling position (not to mention being easier on the body), shooting a good score in F-Class still requires a good position, trigger control, wind reading, and shot strategy.
After spending some Georgia summers shooting with sling and jacket on an uncovered firing line, I made F-Class my summer highpower sport and enjoy it immensely.