05-07-2020, 12:20 PM
Klem Wrote:65,
I competed in 1000yd F-Class for a decade.
I would go along and have a look and introduce yourself before shelling out a cent. Watch them shoot a match see if they are people you want to get involved with. They should give you a shot of one of their guns unless there is something wrong with them. Check out the level of competition by the kit they have and the way they interact.
F-Class is not something you buy gear for and then decide you don't like it three months later. Not because it is expensive (which it is) but it's too specific to use for much else. If they are competitive then Grendel will not be a calibre they use. It will all be larger 6.5 calibres. Even in a heavier stock with a decent rest and scope your Grendel will only be equal on a windless or low wind day. As soon as that wind picks up you will be on the bottom of the leader board, unless you are a wind whisperer and there are plenty of indicators (flags, spinners, trees, grass) and it is visible - meaning there are no invisible vortices or spoils. The parameters of F-Class are that you handicap yourself by choosing such a slow calibre and nothing else you surround it with: best scope, rest, stock will make up for the way the wind pushes around the bullet on the way to the target.
Like I say, go down and have a look and a chat with these guys. Ask about their gear; it will likely be super heavy barrels, parallel stocks and high magnification scopes. Often the winner is decided before the first round is shot by how much money is spent on gear.
65:
Klem beat me to it. This holds true for any of the shooting sports.
I may add that before delving into these things it pays to understand the categories very well since they put limits on your gear. Then look at the rules because those are what you will live with if you compete.
Look at the scores to get an idea of what is acceptable and understand that most likely you will be towards the bottom for a while before you get savvy to the nuances of the ranges and shooting skills needed to be competitive. If you shoot a bolt action Grendel, I think you will be competing in the open category and that means you will not place well because the cartridges the other competitors in your classification and category are using will probably be more suited to F Class than a Grendel.
I still shoot prone unsupported with iron sights and will say that my side of High Power is pretty much dead. For every one of me there are four F Class guys on the line and if anyone else is shooting unsupported, they probably have optics on the rifle. By far the majority of shooters shooting NRA High Power are F Class. I don't look down on them because F Class is not easy when you have winds and mirage. At least it is not easy to win when you have winds and mirage. And that assumes your rifle, ammo, optic, rests, and skills are good enough to win. It is its own entity with its own nuances and skill set.
One thing I do not advise is going cheap just to test the waters. I advise guys to look closely and decide if that is the sport for them and if so, get very specific and very good gear first and shoot competitively with it until they have hit their limits. By then they will probably know enough about the sport and the skills needed that they will know why they hit a limit and know what they need to buy or do to exceed that limit.
LR55