Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Competitive Shooting F-TR @ Long Range

Monte, 600 yards being called LR is a joke. I can see why that was changed, especially for F-Class.

I am lucky to live within driving distance (less than 1 hour) from the only available 1000 yard range in southeast Texas. In fact I'm not really aware of any other 1000 yard outside of military bases in the state.

We have lots of people showing up for the monthly LR matches, (1000 yards) coming from all over Texas and Louisiana and Oklahoma also. There is usually 20+ F-class shooters, of which 7+ are F-T/R shooters. We have enough people to even break break the F-T/R into classifications, though we have to combine Expert and SS together. We do not have LR Master F-T/R shooter, but we have several MA/HM LR F-Openers.

The range is always windy, very few trees and only on one side. The flags lie and it's great fun.

We had one F-opener shoot a clean at 1000, some months back. And now our F-openers are all switching to 7MM. I would love to shoot one at 1000 yards with my .308. That would be great.

This past weekend, I shot the 1000 yard match once again (barely made it back in town for the match.) The wind was nasty this time, switching from right to left and front and back. I shot a 188-4 on the first match, collecting a pair of 8s. I was really feeling poorly when I started but got into the game. The rifle was performing well and the ammo was great; the shooter was so-so.

The next match I was on a roll starting with a 10, followed by a 9, X, 9 and then a long string of 10s. My puller was doing a great job and I was banging them in, telling myself over and over again, "do your follow through!" I was nearing the end of the string when I got a 7 at 2 o'clock. It was a heck of a suprise. I had not detected any condition change, so I took the next shot holding at the same spot and got a 9 at 3 o'clock. Next shot, I favored left a tad, and got a 9 at 9 o'clock, then I shot an 8, another 9 and then X, X, 10 to finish. Total was 190-3 and that was with a 7 and an 8. I have no clue where that 7 came from. The 8 and 9s were all wind. Nasty wind, I tell ya.

You should have seen the group in the 10-ring, it was all at 6:30 just an inch below the X-ring, about 7 bullet holes easily covered with a fist.

The last match started with a 10 and then a long string of 9s left and right. Towards the end, I finally got into the 10-ring and even managed one lonely X. Total score 189-1. I won the match, but the wind really beat me up. The F-open scores were down also.

The NRA has acknowledged my scores and I will be receiving my LR F-Class Expert, all shot at 1000 yards exclusively. Right now, I seem to be shooting right in that classification, it's going to be tough to get to Master level. I have only one 20 round match that fits in that classification and it's still a range and club record, 194-5.