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There are a surprising number of shooters that don’t know this simple tip that can help your shooting in low-light conditions.

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Why I appreciate the Savage AccuTrigger, and the importance of following through on your shots.

In this video, I demonstrate how to bore-sight a Savage Model 220 Slug Gun without having to fire a bunch of shots.

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For more videos, check out our website at KeithWarren.net. You can also find us on Facebook and YouTube.

A lot of people say they have trouble getting on a target quickly.  Here’s how I practice and improve that skill.

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For more videos, check out our website at KeithWarren.net. You can also find us on Facebook and YouTube.

Webisode 2.0 from Caleb A. Ward on Vimeo.

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Webisode 1.0 from Caleb A. Ward on Vimeo.

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Stay tuned for more updates

What you need to get started in F-T/R competition, an overview

 My first response when asked this question is generally “just get out there and compete!”  Don’t wait until you have the “perfect” setup and then go shoot.  You need some basics in order to learn from your experience, but far more important is learning position and wind reading.  This can be practiced, but is best instilled under the “pressure” of a competitive match.  Your equipment needs will also vary, depending on whether you will be shooting short-mid range (300-600 yards), or long-range (800-1200 yards).  Before you start building (or buying) anything, take a look at the NRA Highpower and Fullbore rules for F-T/R Class and tailor your gear to the rules, vs. having to modify things afterwards.  

The Rifle

In F-T/R class shooting, an accurate rifle is very important (naturally), but it is only part of the equation.  Especially for short range competition, any competent rifle that is capable of shooting a 1/3 to 1/2 minute of angle groups (1 MOA = very close to 1” at 100 yards, 2” at 200 yards, and so forth).  I have seen everything from stubby 20” sniper rifles to $6000 custom rigs on the line and do well.  Obviously, my tool of choice is either the Savage Palma, or F-T/R rifles.  Most (accurate) rifles out there will do fine out to 600 yards.  This is because at any reasonable muzzle velocity, the bullet will still be quite stable when it hits the target.  As the range increases to 1000 yards and beyond, keeping the bullet stable (and generally supersonic) is harder to do, and you tend to see most stock rifles fading from the scene.  At 1000 yards and beyond, the line is mostly populated with extreme custom rifles … and Savages.  The actions tend to be single shot (stiffer receiver) with 30” barrels.  Most top competitors run the same “big” systems at both short and long range.  It’s simpler to load for one rifle.

The Ammunition

While all top competitors are running hand-loaded rounds, if you only shoot out to 600 yards, I have seen people shoot factory loads with some success.  It is true, that at shorter ranges, the inherent velocity fluctuations found in factory ammo are much reduced.  It is also true that the little 3” “X” ring found on the 600 yard target is mighty small!  If you must shoot factory ammo, make sure it is built around a good, reputable case that you will be able to subsequently reload when you get set up for it.  For this reason, I’d recommend Black Hills, or HSM .308 ammo, or loaded Lapua rounds if you can find them.  The Winchester and Lapua cases that these manufacturers use are a perfect starting point for some outstanding hand loads.  For anything past 800 yards, I’d STRONGLY advise against factory ammo of any sort.  Factory ammo tends to be loaded “light” and even the best does not have the velocity to be particularly successful at extreme ranges on the size targets we compete on.  The slower factory loads (and bullet weights) will not even be above the speed of sound (or stabilized at all) at 1000 yards.  Speaking of bullet weights, at 600 yards and in, almost any weight bullet will do, from 155gr. All the way up to 210gr.  Very popular are Berger 155.5’s, Sierra’s NEW 155, 168, etc.  When you push the range out to 1000, the choices narrow.  The 168 grain’s at reasonable velocities tend not to perform well, leaving 155’s, 175’s, 185’s, and a few 210’s.  

The Optics

Generally, picking the best optics you can afford is the best advice here.  My optics (Nightforce 12-42×56 NXS) cost about twice what the rifle does.  They may be spendy, but you will only buy them once.  Chasing down phantom accuracy problems is extremely frustrating, cutting out any chance that your optics are betraying you is priceless.  Naturally there are other choices out there, but generally, if in doubt, bump up the optical quality.

Bipods

There are many choices for bipods.  On the light, “tactical” style bipod side, there are Harris, GG&G, and others.  Having used a few, I really like the GG&G.  It is an ultralight (11 oz.) military style bipod, and very strong.  On the “landing-gear” style bipod side there are a number of choices.  Best known is the Sinclair pod.  Even the new “light” Sinclair pod is a heavy beast (2.4 lbs.), there is a Canadian “Remple” bipod that is over 4 lbs. but includes an elevation adjusting wheel on it.  Combining the adjustability and lightweight aspects is a new CenterShot bipod, that has all the adjustability of the Remple, and due to carbon fiber construction, very light weight (~20 oz.).  The options are many, the important thing is to get out there and practice as you’d compete with your bipod of choice.  Too many people’s “practice” consists of bench shooting their test loads.  Technique is tremendously important when using a bipod.  I personally try not to “load” the bipod at all.  Leaning into (or away from) the bipod as you are shooting prone is known as “load”.  To make keeping the bipod unloaded easier for me, I actually sit the bipod on a thin Teflon cutting mat (intended for kitchen use).  With this, if I lean into the bipod at all, it will slide away from me.  It takes very little time before your muscles are “trained” not to load the bipod, making for MUCH more consistent shooting.  This typically shows itself on the target as very tight vertical groups.  “Unloaded” is not the only way to go of course, one of my Team guys takes exactly the opposite approach, he loads the bipod to the max.  To assist this, he will practically dig in the bipod to the shooting mound, allowing him to really lean hard into it.  This is hard on bipods of course, and he says that he can go through several Harris bipods a year!

Rear Bags

As with bipods, there are many choices here.  The choices range the gamut from light “tactical” bean bags, to large Edgewood “bunny-ear” bags filled with heavy sand.  I personally don’t think the tactical bags provide enough support, and I weary of carrying an enormously heavy bunny-ear bag around.  My solution is probably one of the more crude setups found on the line.  Simply a pair of old canvas range bags (old lead shot bags, full of river sand).  As with bipods, practice with your chosen setup is key.

Shooting Mat

As many F-T/R shooters have crossed over from other types of Highpower shooting, the most common type of mat you’ll see on the firing line is the ubiquitous Highpower mat with the rubber elbow grip surface at one end.  This will work just fine; the main purpose of the mat is to keep the shooter from absorbing vast quantities of mud from the firing point.  I find that the rubber surface is a hindrance to the free adjustment of the rear bags, so I flip mine around so the rubber is at my feet.  Don’t get yourself convinced that you must have one of these mats though.  The entire US Team shot the World Championships with crudely sliced 1/8” rubber sheeting that was provided to us by some of our Scottish friends after we got to England.  This worked just fine, and saved us a ton of room and weight for the airlines.  Other mats I have seen are canvas or cordura sheets that fold into nice compact bundles.  Stay away from anything with excess padding.  Floating on a giant cushion will wreak havoc on your stability.    

Review: Savage Edge in .223 Remington: Best for the Dollar Ever?

The tested rifle is a brand new offering from Savage Arms, designed to bring industry-leading affordability in a bolt action center fire rifle to the consumer, both designed and manufactured in the United States. Not just a variant of the famous Savage Model 10 / 110 action, this is a new action and stock rather than a redux. What is remarkable, if not stunning in 2010, is that the new Savage Edge has a MSRP of $329, with a street price of $290 or so. This is the type of blisteringly low price that would have most folks looking for “the made in Pakistan roll-stamp,” not something made in the United States from American workers with American steel. Yet, that is exactly where this rifle is made, with a barrel array made with the same machines and craftsmen as Savage’s World Championship rifles.

The test rifle is in .223 Remington, though the Edge is offered in a wide variety of centerfire chamberings including 22-250, .243 Winchester, 7mm-08, .308, 25-06, .270, and .30-06. All of them weigh about six and on half pounds, all of them have 22 inch barrels, and all of them have 4-shot detachable box magazines. None come with iron sights, all are for scope use with package models including a scope also offered. All of the Edge models are about 43-7/8 inches overall length. (continue reading at randywakeman.com)

About a year or so ago, the S.O.R.T team and S.O.R.T riflemen met for our monthly rifle qualification at the Erie County Swat range in Alden, N.Y.  . During our lunch break, one of the guys asked me if I would spot for him while he zeroed in his new M-4 at 100 yards, I got down behind one of the Savage rifles and called his shots, as I was laying there, i noticed this fly that kept landing on his target, I called to the shooter to hold up, I told him that a fly kept landing on his target and I was going to take him out, i threw in a round, closed the bolt, took aim and sent the 168 match bullet down range. Scott asked me, “so did you hit him?”  I said I got him, he laughed and thought “yeah,  right.”  We then walked down range and inspected the target. Well you know the rest, I hit the fly.

An Introduction to F-Class long-range shooting

If you’ve been following Savage Arms at all for the last few years, you have heard a lot of talk about “F-Class” competition, and how Team Savage has won a bunch of competitions with the same Savage rifles that can be bought from your local gun store. While much has been made about the “hardware” we have won, not much explanation has been given regarding the sport itself. The guys at Savage asked me to write a bit about F-Class competition and how you too can get started.

Believe it or not, with a little preparation, it is possible for almost anyone to hit a target at 1,000 yards or more. That is the opportunity that F-Class provides, to test your skills at greater and greater distances and see what you are capable of. Competitions happen at short-mid range (300-600 yards) and long-range (800-1200 yards).

A direct offshoot of Palma style shooting, F-Class was introduced in Canada in the mid 1990s.  Proposed by aging Palma shooter George Farquharson, F-Class was intended as a way to extend the competitive shooting careers of Palma shooters whose eyes and/or elbows were not as young as they once were.  The changes to Palma (or TR Class as it’s known internationally) were simple; one could strap a scope and a bipod to their Palma rifle, and continue to shoot alongside in the regular matches.  This idea was quite popular, and after a very few years, gathered a large international following, but not quite as George had envisioned.  Instead of retiring Palma shooters, newcomers were drawn to the sport as never before.  On the surface, it seemed “easier”, merely shoot a scoped rifle off a bipod or other rest.  For several years, the fledgling F-Class shooters continued to shoot on the old “outsized” Palma target, and scores skyrocketed due to the more stable position afforded by the accessories.  To make things more challenging (and to break up the perfect scores being shot on a regular basis), a new F-Class target was introduced in 2005.  The new target was half the size of the old one, with a 5” “X” ring on the 1000 yard target instead of the older 10” one.  It was at this point that F-Class settled down and got serious as a sport.  Since 2005 the number of F-Class shooters has increased almost exponentially.

F-Open Class

In the early days of F-Class, there were few restrictions on the rifles and rests.  Not surprisingly, many gravitated to what is now known as F-Open (or “unlimited”) class.  With a caliber limit of .35, an extremely generous weight limit, and the ability to fire the rifles off adjustable bench-rests (still in the prone position), F-Open class was a sure way to maximize ones score.  With participation still in it’s infancy, few people were showing up with their .308’s to shoot against the 6.5-284’s and 6mmBR’s knowing that they would be lumped in with the unlimited class scores for awards and prizes.  Especially after the smaller target was introduced, the arms race was on!  Experimentation and development have always been hallmarks of F-Class.  With some of the emphasis off of the shooters firing position, the spotlight was on the equipment, specifically the rifle.  Early on, stocks that imitated benchrest stocks became popular for their bag riding abilities.  Many different calibers (and wildcats of calibers) were experimented with.  Predictably, the calibers with the best “wind-cutting” ability seemed to be the worst for longevity.  A very popular chambering, the 6.5-284 gave phenomenal ballistics coefficients (a measure of how much wind and gravity will affect a bullet in flight).  Sadly, when pressed to the limits needed for top level performance, barrel life was a distressingly low 900-1000 rounds.  The 6.5-284 is only now beginning to be eclipsed by newer and more streamlined chamberings such as some different flavors of 7mm Magnums.  Unfortunately, the lifetime of a 7mm Mag. barrel is even worse than a 6.5-284, closer to 800 rounds.  This sort of arms race adds up to more money required to compete in the sport.  By necessity, another route opened up.  That route was F-T/R.

One of the Team Savage F-T/R rifles. Allowing bipods and scopes has made F-Class and F-T/R attractive alternatives to traditional Palma shooting.

F-T/R class was pioneered by people looking to escape the arms race that F-Open class was turning into.  This was accomplished by “returning to their roots”, specifically returning to the .308 caliber used by the Palma shooters.

By returning the emphasis of the competition back to the shooter, F-T/R was immediately a hit.  The skill of the reloader, the ability of the trigger puller, and being able to read the wind were returned to the fore.  This is no denigration of the F-Open shooters, the emphasis of that competition is merely slightly different.  With the official approval of a .308 class (F-T/R shooters would no longer be competing head-to-head with F-Open shooters for the same prizes), attendance surged.  Surprisingly, the people flocking to F-T/R were not necessarily the expected “retired” Palma shooters.  Interest in F-T/R was much more broadly based; people from law enforcement, ex-military, precision hunters/varmint hunters, and more liked what they saw, generally, a level playing field.  With F-T/R shooters competing on the same size target as the F-Open shooters, the status quo was not going to remain long.  The days of a shooter showing up with a 22” barreled sniper rifle and factory ammunition are long gone.  As people’s equipment has evolved (longer barrels, bigger scopes, and single-shot receivers), the scores for the F-T/R shooters have steadily risen.  This is not to say that the shooter is taken out of the equation, every Nationals, gifted shooters show up with older style gear and do extremely well (this year would be no exception).  Add to this barrel life of 4000 rounds (and up), F-T/R will continue to grow (and possibly overtake the F-Open participation within 3-5 years).

The Future of F-Class

At the most recent F-Class World Championships in England, 2009, it was agreed by ICFRA (currently the international governing body for F-Class) that F-T/R would run full sized Teams at future World Championships.  This means that instead of the 12 man (and woman) Team that the US fielded for England, the 2013 US F-T/R Team will be around 22 people.  This has really energized F-T/R people that have been shooting local and regional matches for years to get interested in qualifying for the National Team.  I have had at least 50 phone calls since the middle of January, from people wondering how they can qualify.  Stay tuned to this website, and others (www.usftrclass.com), for further info on US F-T/R Team qualifications.

Now that you know a little about the game we play, make sure you check back next week to read about the basic equipment needed to get started. Obviously, I will talk about F-T/R, because that is what I, and the rest of Team Savage, shoot.