Which caliber to ahoot for new shooter

[Barry Davies]

True that rifles all cost about the same, but then --
Big variations in cost in what you put on top and underneath. -- for example a $1200 Leupold or a $4000 something else.
a $200 bipod or a $2000 plus rest ?
Don't see the level playing field there.
FTR is about as level as it gets.

[Trevor Rhodes]

Barry, a omark, sightron scope and a Davies bipod rest and your cooking with gas. Probaly under $2300

[GSells]

My 2 cents worth ! I started in f standard and it is by far the best place to learn to wind read and shoot ! B grade is extremely competitive and just to be at the top of b grade you would be one of the best in Australia! No easy feat ! You can also be competitive on a budget and do more shooting with just one barrel . And unlike me and others in open , changing cals and barrels on the same platform to sqeeze the one or two possible points just to be at the pointy end and maybe never win !! Open is very tough with the some of the best in the world that are in attendance!

[John T]

Hello Wiseman.

Seems to me that your "gut" is saying PRS, so go there. F Class does not grab you, yet.

As so many have said, and what you already know, talk to those who are good at PRS.

Hope you make mostly right choices, just make sure they are yours.

Most of all, enjoy yourself. If you're happy, you get lucky.

Regards,
John T.

[Wiseman7187]

I took a look at the Lithgow 102 and 105. Don't mind them actually.
But was wondering if the 102 would be a better choice and then I could research custom stocks/chassis etc and upgrade around the action and barrel?
Of would that be just a bit stupid?

Has anyone used any Lithgow guns and had any good or bad experiences with them?

I know someone recommended them earlier in this thread but I apologize I can't remember who it was.

[Gyro]

The problem wiseman is that if your F Class rifle is just a little bit wrong then you're nowhere. It is so easy to start ticking up 5's and before you know it you're well off the pace. And being in that place is a LOT less enjoyable too.

[Wiseman7187]

So maybe just a stock rifle no over the top mods?
Just stock rifle, decent scope (already brought a strike eagle 5-25), bipod or bench and rear bag and start shooting and learning.
Honestly even if I had a rifle that shot off I'd still be very excited to just be shooting my own rifle. And working out the bugs I'm keen to use that as a learning experience.

[Gyro]

If money was no problem then u could take good advice and get the right gear for whatever discipline you wanted to shoot. For PRS ( which I don't know about ) u need setup " X ". For F Open u need setup " Y ". For FTR, setup ...

Do u want to do prone shooting only ?

NO RIFLE WILL COVER ALL THE BASES. The yanks call it " mission specific ", which is so true.

The Hybrid choice will be a compromise. There's a problem right there !

But ya don't have to have the perfect rifle to start with as there's so many things to learn. Narrow it down to what you want to do and achieve.

[Wiseman7187]

I believe prone shooting will be all I'll do till probily next year or after learning the/My rifle starting to learn so d calling and those sort of things aswell as maybe reloading(next year maybe).
Idont think I'd be able to get to prs at this stage. With distance being a problem. But I'd still like a rifle I can use when I do start prs if only to start then buy a only prs rifle when time and money allowed.

I don't think I'll become the best in Australia or anything but I want to get better at long range in all aspects of the sport.

[Gyro]

I believe prone shooting will be all I'll do till probily next year or after learning the/My rifle starting to learn so d calling and those sort of things aswell as maybe reloading(next year maybe).
Idont think I'd be able to get to prs at this stage. With distance being a problem. But I'd still like a rifle I can use when I do start prs if only to start then buy a only prs rifle when time and money allowed.

I don't think I'll become the best in Australia or anything but I want to get better at long range in all aspects of the sport.

Nice. I’ll just give u some fundamentals that are not complicated.

Starting with the rifles trigger hand grip shape : for prone shooting the grip needs to be a steep slope, even vertical. Why ? Because this puts your trigger hand in a nice comfortable position. If the grip size is right for your hand size your trigger finger will naturally sit nicely on the trigger. If the grip shape is not right your trigger finger will be stretched out to get to the trigger. Not good, because in that reaching out to make contact with the trigger, your hand will load the grip. As soon as that happens then variables occur in terms of how much your hand has loaded the grip. Between shots your hand will load the grip by varying amounts and that WILL effect the group size. Hence having the rifle fit u - and not the other way round – is so important to consistent accuracy. What the top guys sometimes do is modify the trigger shoe so it gets positioned in exactly the right place. Some custom triggers have the ability to slide the trigger shoe forwards or backwards as well as twist it left or right. Yes it is that important !

Same principle with playing with the LOP ( length of pull ) fit to get the rifle working properly for you. Too long and you will be reaching your neck forward to get to that comfortable place you’re after.

Trigger release weight : too heavy and once again you will introduce very similar problems to having an incorrect trigger hand grip fit. Too light is all wrong too for many situations. And potentially dangerous. With a benchrest or F Open gun that’s set up in bags a really light trigger is fine.

What it boils down to is there are a number of rifles you can start with that will be capable of very good accuracy and just the way you drive the rifle is VERY important. Sure you may need a fat barrel for long strings, but that’s another story. And reading the wind adds another whole dimension and that’s when a good solid rifle that fits u well is so important.

And practice. The top guys don’t just grab the gun out of the cupboard the night before a shoot. They practice a LOT. Even lots of dry firing practice on the floor at home, just to get absolutely comfortable with all the stuff that matters. It’s fun. It helps if you’re OCD too.

[Wiseman7187]

May be no comparison lol but when I used to do competition ten pin bowling repetition and walking swinging the are releasing the ball exactly the same way every time was a bit thing so I understand being ocd about what you do and being the same every time,
Same for shooting I need to do d what works and feels right and practice enough to be able to do that every time I shoot and ever shot, or as close as I can.
I'm trying to find somewhere I can practice on a friend's property with permission for when range isn't open. I'd like to practice as much as possible.
Or as much as my money for ammo allows lol.

I definitely won't be buying a rifle till I have held it multiple times to make sure it feels right too.
And I already have a good understandi nbg on how to set up my scope to suite me with my eye.
A problem I have had with club rifle needing to move my head back and forth to fine the right spot.
And LOP I'd like an adjustable butt stock to set this.
I work in a factory so it I find a good length I can machine allow or plastic to suit my length if I need to lose weight or needed length not allowed on the adjustable butt stock I get with rifle.

I also planning on bipod with sled feet and rear bag not bench rest