TargetTalk

Hello all,
I have been doing some research in 300m rifle competition, and I have been having all sorts of trouble trying to find out where people (in the US) are getting their rifles. I shoot an Anschutz 2013 in a precise stock currently, so I was hoping to find a rifle with similar adjustments. Does anyone know where I should look?

I would begin by looking online @ Gunbroker.

You can also try Neal Stepp at International Shooter's Service.

The prices for a US competitor are not for the timid.

You could also just use your existing Precise stock: John Whidden, owner of Whidden Gunworks, shot Barnard mounted in a Precise stock this year when he won the NRA Long Range Championships. TheDrifter here on TargetTalk also has a "BAT-schutz" in 6mmBR: a BAT 3L (or maybe 3LL?) mounted in a square Precise.

As long as you don't mind switching actions when you need to, that would get into the 300m game for not *too* much money. Certainly less than a new Bleiker or Grunig.

Almost as importantly is where do you shoot it? Are there any matches in America?

gwsb wrote:Almost as importantly is where do you shoot it? Are there any matches in America?

NRA Mid-Range matches (or long range, depending on your chosen caliber/desire of wind challenge), are certainly open to you, too. Just gotta take the butt hook off before you lie down to those!

mtncwru wrote:

gwsb wrote:Almost as importantly is where do you shoot it? Are there any matches in America?

NRA Mid-Range matches (or long range, depending on your chosen caliber/desire of wind challenge), are certainly open to you, too. Just gotta take the butt hook off before you lie down to those!

If you are referencing the NRA match rifle discipline the 300 m free rifle is substantially different, starting with the fact that it is completely single shot.

gwsb wrote:

mtncwru wrote:

gwsb wrote:Almost as importantly is where do you shoot it? Are there any matches in America?

NRA Mid-Range matches (or long range, depending on your chosen caliber/desire of wind challenge), are certainly open to you, too. Just gotta take the butt hook off before you lie down to those!

If you are referencing the NRA match rifle discipline the 300 m free rifle is substantially different, starting with the fact that it is completely single shot.

Depends on the course of fire. For Cross The Course, yes, you would need something with a magazine. But for MR Prone they seem to work just fine...
http://www.afimsc.af.mil/News/Article-D ... on-target/

Interesting . Thanks

Maybe 3 decades ago I would have been able to shoot it.

Minneapolis Rifle Club holds 300M matches several times per year,

Sitzland Rifle Club, in New Freedom, Pa., and Fairfax Rod & Gun Club, in Manassas, Va. also hold 300M matches 2x per year.

I just looked at the prices for 300m rifles and almost had a heart attack; almost $10k for some of them! Wow! Makes my Pardini seem cheap.

I think you can get a very good USA made rifle for use in 300 meter position shooting and other prone shooting for considerably less than the cost of the Europeon rifles. Longrifles in South Dakota makes custom rifles as shown in the link to their international rifles. I don't know what the cost of a rifle made by Longrifles would be, but I would guess you could have one made at less cost than the Europeon rifles, and I bet it would shoot just as good.


https://www.longriflesinc.com/pages/cus ... onal-palma

Another possibility for a 300 meter rifle is a Tube Gun. Stocks are sold by Gary Eliseo, Competition Machine, Inc. You can get a very competitive tube gun with a Bartlein, Kreiger, or other premium barrel, a custom made trigger, Pierce Engineering action, chambered in 6 BR, or whatever caliber you want for about $3000, mabe somewhat less. Sights, sling, etc. would be additional cost.

If you scroll down to the 2nd shooter with the green rifle in the link below you will see a shooter using a tube stock rifle.

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/201 ... t-benning/

WRL wrote:I think you can get a very good USA made rifle for use in 300 meter position shooting and other prone shooting for considerably less than the cost of the Europeon rifles. Longrifles in South Dakota makes custom rifles as shown in the link to their international rifles. I don't know what the cost of a rifle made by Longrifles would be, but I would guess you could have one made at less cost than the Europeon rifles, and I bet it would shoot just as good.


https://www.longriflesinc.com/pages/cus ... onal-palma

Another possibility for a 300 meter rifle is a Tube Gun. Stocks are sold by Gary Eliseo, Competition Machine, Inc. You can get a very competitive tube gun with a Bartlein, Kreiger, or other premium barrel, a custom made trigger, Pierce Engineering action, chambered in 6 BR, or whatever caliber you want for about $3000, mabe somewhat less. Sights, sling, etc. would be additional cost.

If you scroll down to the 2nd shooter with the green rifle in the link below you will see a shooter using a tube stock rifle.

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/201 ... t-benning/

I'm currently experimenting with a Tikka T3 Sporter; getting them consistently accurate, while meeting the weight requirements has been the challenge. They are offered in several calibers, with .308 being my current choice.

Thanks for all the great information everyone! I am looking into whidden's.

mtncwru wrote:

gwsb wrote:Almost as importantly is where do you shoot it? Are there any matches in America?

NRA Mid-Range matches (or long range, depending on your chosen caliber/desire of wind challenge), are certainly open to you, too. Just gotta take the butt hook off before you lie down to those!

You can leave the butt-hook on for NRA Mid-Range and Long-Range matches. You'll get some looks and even a person or two to challenge you, since most last looked at a rule book in 1983, but the rules now specifically allow them for Any Rifle matches (which most Mid/Long matches are). At Camp Perry in 2015 I was rudely challenged by a bystander of note whom I shall not name and the referees challenged my girlfriends. There were three of them discussing the legality of the hook for way too many minutes despite the rule saying "3.2 Any Rifle—A rifle with no restrictions on sights or accessories including Schuetzen type butt-plates and palm rests except that it must be safe to competitors and range personnel." She was also challenged at a local match after kicking some butt but the match director quickly pointed out to the competitor (the challenger was polite about it) that she was legal and he dropped it. There have been other cases where we have been informally questioned by other competitors as well.

Justin Tracy

Justin Credible wrote:You can leave the butt-hook on for NRA Mid-Range and Long-Range matches. You'll get some looks and even a person or two to challenge you, since most last looked at a rule book in 1983, but the rules now specifically allow them for Any Rifle matches (which most Mid/Long matches are). At Camp Perry in 2015 I was rudely challenged by a bystander of note whom I shall not name and the referees challenged my girlfriends. There were three of them discussing the legality of the hook for way too many minutes despite the rule saying "3.2 Any Rifle—A rifle with no restrictions on sights or accessories including Schuetzen type butt-plates and palm rests except that it must be safe to competitors and range personnel." She was also challenged at a local match after kicking some butt but the match director quickly pointed out to the competitor (the challenger was polite about it) that she was legal and he dropped it. There have been other cases where we have been informally questioned by other competitors as well.

Justin Tracy

Interesting. Down here we don't usually have an "Any" class, but instead they lump Palma and Match in together (at least on iron sight days), ignore the magazine requirements for Match Rifle (since it's all slow fire), and then enforce Rule 3.15:
"The butt or buttplate may not have a hook or stud engaging in a hole or receptacle in the shoulder of the shooting coat or shirt, or have a knob or prong extending rearward more than 1/2 inch from the heel or toe of the butt."

Good to know for future matches; thanks!

mtncwru wrote:

Justin Credible wrote:You can leave the butt-hook on for NRA Mid-Range and Long-Range matches. You'll get some looks and even a person or two to challenge you, since most last looked at a rule book in 1983, but the rules now specifically allow them for Any Rifle matches (which most Mid/Long matches are). At Camp Perry in 2015 I was rudely challenged by a bystander of note whom I shall not name and the referees challenged my girlfriends. There were three of them discussing the legality of the hook for way too many minutes despite the rule saying "3.2 Any Rifle—A rifle with no restrictions on sights or accessories including Schuetzen type butt-plates and palm rests except that it must be safe to competitors and range personnel." She was also challenged at a local match after kicking some butt but the match director quickly pointed out to the competitor (the challenger was polite about it) that she was legal and he dropped it. There have been other cases where we have been informally questioned by other competitors as well.

Justin Tracy

Interesting. Down here we don't usually have an "Any" class, but instead they lump Palma and Match in together (at least on iron sight days), ignore the magazine requirements for Match Rifle (since it's all slow fire), and then enforce Rule 3.15:
"The butt or buttplate may not have a hook or stud engaging in a hole or receptacle in the shoulder of the shooting coat or shirt, or have a knob or prong extending rearward more than 1/2 inch from the heel or toe of the butt."

Good to know for future matches; thanks!

I've heard of places running matches just for Match and Service Rifle as well, so if you have a dedicated prone gun that's a single shot you are out of luck. I never understood that. It seems to me that some match directors do not know/understand the different rifle types and inadvertently leave some guns out (e.g. thinking that Match, Palma, and Service covers it all), an honest mistake, and I think there are some that do it to protect the local "hard holders" from getting beat by an outsider, which is less than honorable. Fortunately for me, all of the local matches I've shot have been any/any in the program. But, like you said, you can always take the hook off if you need to! Shoot well.

Justin

Likely have a tough time shooting the rapid stages with a single shot prone gun...

left360 wrote:Likely have a tough time shooting the rapid stages with a single shot prone gun...

For mid-range prone and long-range there is no rapid fire stage. Though I've thrown rounds down range with my smallbore prone gun almost as fast when my condition is there! I've never seen an XTC match that uses the Any rifle category, but I think they should. Of course I'd like to just see more 300 meter instead of XTC, so I may be a bit biased there.

Justin Tracy

I built mine with a Stiller (single shot) action and bedded it into an Anschutz 1913 stock. Its a 6BRX........we shoot 300 m here in Phoenix once in a while and it is a great 1000 yard gun.

300 meter rifle is kind of passe' these days. It hasn't been a Olympic sport for decades. NRA mid-range, and long range may be a substitute, but the rules changes this year allowing optics on all but Palma rifles. Also anything goes for the caliber as well. If you are oriented to prone, your best bet would be to look at fullbore (US and International), and Palma matches. They will be .308 or .223. You can custom build a competitive gun in the $3K to $5K range. Neither of these disciplines allow optics, at this time. They are iron sights only.