Centrefire Target Shooting Ireland (Cross post from Shooting)

tikkatock

Hi,

Looking to start centrefire target shooting in Ireland, have done a good amount of shorter range .22 stuff.

So firstly wondering what are the common calibers and competitions in Ireland and where can I do it?

Currently abroad where gun laws are much more lax and more hunting opportunities, and the plan would be to buy here and bring it home in a few months. So before buying want to make sure the calibre/type of rifle can be used in Ireland.

I was thinking something like a Tikka Varmint in 6.5x55 - a common set-up for 300m and less competition?


Thanks.


(Already posted this in shooting but here seems the more appropriate place for it.)

Cass

Two posts of mine from previous threads of a similar topic. Might give you some more information and help narrow your choices.

Cass wrote: »

As always the first rifle that comes to mid for performance, price, ability, caliber, etc is the Savage FTR. There is not another factory rifle that shoots aswell as this rifle straight out of the box. Prices vary from €1,650 - €1,750 depending on dealer.

Then there is the Savage Palma. Also a .308 caliber, but specifically designed to fire 155 - 156 gr rounds. The cheek piece is adjustable, the barrel a palma profile meaning the rifle is lighter than its FTR cousin. The headspace/chambering on this rifle is much tighter than the FTR and you may find she will not take certain types of ammo or will be much stiffer to cycle the bolt.

Both of these rifles are tried, and tested for .308/FTR shooting. With 30" barrel they are more than capable of performing out to 1,000 yards.

Now if you wish to start at 600 and not exceed 800 yards you may find that a 26" barreled rifle will work for you. You may loose a little velocity, and work a little harder to maintain windage, but there is a decent selection of these type of rifles available. Problem is price. The TRG-22 would be one of the best target rifles with a 26" barrel. Prices start at €2,600 for the matt black model, and up to €3,500 for the Green stocked model. They come with a 10 round mag but its pointless as with F-Class competitions you may only load 1 round at a time. Still a fantastic rifle.

After this you are looking at your "cross-over" rifles. Styer, Tikka, Sako, etc all do an excellent 24" - 26" barreled rifle, but they are more hunting styled, and due to a much lighter design even with scope and bipod, you are a good few pounds under weight and will feel the effects of shooting a full match more than with the heavier rifles. Also with a 24" barrel, a most have, you are looking at considerably more adjustment to reach the distances, and increased adjustments for windage leaving you at a distinct disadvantage compared to the proper FR rigs.

Then there is the F-Open side of things. 6.5x284, and 7mm rifles rule the roost in this discipline. Most rifles are custom made or custom altered, however Savage also do a line of F-Open rifles ready buy out of the box. One of the americans at the recent Creedmoor shot with oe such rifle to great success.

Lastly there is always the custom rioute from the start. While i rarely recommend custom rifles for beginners as they may not want to remain in the sport there options available to you for not much more than some factory rifles. For example a Remington, Alpine, etc action with a barrel of your choice. Glass and pillar bedded, and dropped into a stock from one of our home stock makers or anyone abroad could cost between €2,500 - €3,000 depending on componants used. More than say a Savage, but less than TRG, etc. Obviously your budget is the only limitation and if you were so inclined you could spend thousands (ie - €5,000+), but thats really not necessary.

For now though if you are interested i would look at a factory rifle, and start from there. Go out to a few ranges and see what most lads are using. Ask their opinions, the pros, and cons fo the rifles, their set ups, etc. Get a feel of a few rifles. See how they are for fit, hold, position, comfort, etc.

Cass wrote: »

No problem. As well as the MNSCI website check out the NRAI website and the ICFRA webiste.

The NRAI are the Natonal Governing Body for F-Class, TR, Match rifle, Benchrest in Ireland. They work out of the midlands range in Tullamore. Membership of the MNSCI gives you membership of the NRAI.

ICFRA is a confederation of NGBs for fullbore rifle shooting. They set the rules and conditions that all comps. are run by.

A quick rundown of the 2 most popular forms of long range target shooting.

F-Open - This is shooting done with a rifle, scope, front rest and back bag. Typical calibers include, 7mm, 6.5x284, but any caliber is allowed. It would be unusual, but not unheard off to use another caliber simply because these seem to be the tried and tested ones. The rifle cannot exceed 22lbs in weight. This includes rifle, scope, mounts, bolt. The front rest can be of any size and make, but must have a sand bag between the forestock of the rifle and the rest. The back back must also be of "simple" design and have sand between butt stock and rest/bag. Any power scope can be used.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E70KxFsJ08E

FTR - This is shooting also done with a rifle, and scope, but has a bipod instead of a rest and a rear sandbag as with F-Open. The discipline is limited to .223, and .308 caliber rifles ONLY. The distances vary between 600 yards to a max of 1,000 yards. The setup for FTR shooting is usually cheaper than F-Open, but depending on your taste and customising of your rifle can be more expensive. The majority (if not all) of shooters use .308 caliber rifles. The vary from TRGs, Remingtons to the popular Savage. Thereason for them being so popular is they have excellent accuracy, but come in (price wise) cheaper than most/all factory rifles but is able to outshoot them from the off requiring no modifications.

The only limit in either class is the size of your wallet. . For €3,500 you could have a brand new rifle, scope and all gear for FTR. The F-open would be slightly more expensive, but not by enough to put you off and all setups could be got second hand.

The other three disciplines are Benchrest, Target rifle, and Match rifle.

TR shooting is open/aperture sight shooting. Done from 300 yards out to 1,000 it requires a good degree of skill and is a great sport. Your have rifle, sights, sling, jacket. No rests, bags or bipods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6u9_Uy2vjo

Benchrest. This is shooting done with a rifle, scope, front rest and back bag all done in a seated position of a Bench. The rifles have over time become bigger, and more highly tuned than most things you would see on an average range. Have a look at this to see how it goes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I-c-HSHFas

Match Rifle. This shooting done with a .308 caliber rifle at distances of 1,000 / 1,100 / 1,200 yards. In other words where normal F-Class shooting stops. The shooter can use a front rest but no back bag. It is generally shot from the prone position but can also be done "back gunning".

tikkatock

Cass - many thanks. There's great wealth of info there.

Going on what you've outlined buying a 6.5x55 Tikka Varmint would not really be a great idea if the reason reason for buying the rifle for a purely target shooting out set.

If I wanted a "cross over" rifle, (I know this is great at neither hunting nor target and only OK'ish at both), would 6.5x55 be a good choice - as in are there 300m competitions that I could take part in with a Tikka Varmint?


Many thanks.

Cass

tikkatock wrote: »

If I wanted a "cross over" rifle, (I know this is great at neither hunting nor target and only OK'ish at both), would 6.5x55 be a good choice - as in are there 300m competitions that I could take part in with a Tikka Varmint?


Many thanks.

A cross over rifle is usually more designated towards one sport than the other. So while it may be capable of target shooting it could excel at hunting or vice versa.

As for the caliber. The 6.5x55 is my favorite round, and an exceptional round. Out to 600 yards it is flat, fast, and highly accurate. My only complaint would be the ammo chice for it that is currently available in Ireland. The only real "target" round readily available is Lapua 139gr. At €40 or so a box it's not cheap shooting. However if a member of the MNSCI, and you join the F-Class squad reloading is possible (something i did not have when i had my 6.5, and the reason i switched to .308).

There are plans for 300 to 600 yard comps in the future when the 100 - 600 yard range at the MNSCI is refurbished so there would be use for it. Plus if hunting is your bag the 6.5 is terrific for hunting. One of the deepest penetrating rounds, and with a good shot nothing runs.

If you have your heart set on the Tikka then by all means go for it. I would always caution someone thinking of getting into target shooting (especially long range) to consider their future, the costs, the running fees, etc before making the decision. So a cross over gun would be a better option in terms of leaving you in a position to either commit or not to long range shooting without being out of pocket for a full F-Class rig. Anyway you could always rebarrel,and restock the Tikka into a 6.5x284 and go for F-Open if you decided to commit fully to the target shooting.

tikkatock

Thanks again Cass, loads of info there.

I did a bit of reading after seeing your post and it occurred to me that I should get a rifle in 6.5x284 as it's good enough to do for hunting purposes and would save me from changing from 6.5x55 at a later date for target shooting purposes. But having looked up rifles in 6.5x284 it seems that most are custom rifles re-barrelled and there isn't many companies making off the rack rifles in that caliber. Savage being an exception. Also I saw mention online about barrels getting worn out very quickly with the 6.5x284 which seemed really strange. One forum (can't honestly remember where now) mentioned a thousand or so shots before the barrel had to be sent back - is this really an issue that people have to content with or just internet forum chat.


Also about reloading do I have to be member of MNSCI to reload. I would have thought I could do it by myself once I have the license to cover the rifle.

BTW I don't necessarily have heart set on Tikka , it seemed OK for budget and quality, but I'm happy to reconsider all the time.

Cheers.

Cass

tikkatock wrote: »

I did a bit of reading after seeing your post and it occurred to me that I should get a rifle in 6.5x284 as it's good enough to do for hunting purposes and would save me from changing from 6.5x55 at a later date for target shooting purposes. But having looked up rifles in 6.5x284 it seems that most are custom rifles re-barrelled and there isn't many companies making off the rack rifles in that caliber. Savage being an exception.

They would be more common on the firing line of a target range, and most rifles out there are re-barreled. Savage, as you said, are the exception, but even that rifle is aimed toward the F-Open class shooting, and has a 30" barrel, F-lass stock, etc. Meaning it is almost impractical for hunting.

Also I saw mention online about barrels getting worn out very quickly with the 6.5x284 which seemed really strange. One forum (can't honestly remember where now) mentioned a thousand or so shots before the barrel had to be sent back - is this really an issue that people have to content with or just internet forum chat.

It's true i'm afraid. It is the "lesser" when it comes to burning out barrels. Some 7WSM rifles burn out after only 600 rounds. Some 6.5x284 barrels can, and will last up to 1,200 even 1,400 rounds. Then the shooter gets a new barrel. However you are talking about target shooting where the slightest drop in accuracy due to wear in the barrel is not good enough. Using a less hot load, and mixing your shooting between hunting, and target work you could probably push that figure higher than 1,400, but as i do not know anyone using such a caliber for that purpose i will not guess what the total number of rounds fired would be before a re-barrel is needed.

This is not solely an issue for the 6.5x284. All target rifles suffer from it however the varying calibers will have varying time frames. The .308 would normally go for 5,000 + rounds easily. However some lads i know re-barrel after only 2,500 as they feel it is needed. Still 2,500 is twice the life expectancy of 6.5x284. Lastly i know one lad running such a rifle with over 2,000 rounds fired, and he claims (and it seems) there is no loss of accuracy. So it;n not a given, but is something to consider.

Also about reloading do I have to be member of MNSCI to reload. I would have thought I could do it by myself once I have the license to cover the rifle.

You must be a member of not only the MNSCI, but also the F-Class squad. Reloading is still in it's infancy in terms of "public use", and only the reloading scheme in the MNSCI is currently allowed to reload. However it can only be used by those people that need it for F-Class. So being a member of the range is not enough. You must also join (no charge) the F-Class squad.

BTW I don't necessarily have heart set on Tikka , it seemed OK for budget and quality, but I'm happy to reconsider all the time.

Cheers.

The Tika are a great rifle in terms of cost, and performance. Their draw backs for target shooting (stock, and shortened barrel) are an advantage for hunting. So as we said at the start there is no rifle that will truly be great at both. Merely one that is great at one, and adequate at the other.

I would be hesitant to recommend a rifle for both purposes as i simply cannot think of one. I can recommend some rifles that would be aimed more towards one than the other, but could be used for both however they may not suit you, or you could buy something, and find you hate it.

So what i would say it what is your primary function for the rifle. Would you be a hunter and like to try target shooting slowly. Or are you really into target shooting, and wouldn't mind dropping the occasional deer/bit of hunting? This would help narrow your choices somewhat.