Zak Smith

I agree. I am sure that part of the reason for the "308"-size cartridges is that our most popular commercial rifles are either "short action" (308) or "long action" (length of 300WM), instead of the "x55mm" or "x57mm" cartridges. I know there are some "sniper" matches over in Finland-- A friend of mine went over to shoot it this year. best Zak

I think weight, having a shorter action, distance of bolt movement, and ability to use higher-capacity magazines (AI 338 and TRG-42 mags are 5 rounds-- AICS, AI-AW and TRG-22 mags are both 10, I think.)

I am pretty sure it won't work, but I haven't tried it.

Hi, For long-range matches, we seem to have two types: 1. The conventional or traditional styles, which include NRA High-Power, Palma, F-Class, and 1000-yard Bench Rest. These have set courses of fire, and proscribed distances, and include no movement. Time constraints are minimal. Set distances are from 100 yards to 1000 yards. 2. The "practical" or "field-style" matches, which have no set course of fire and take advantage of terrain features. These matches typically involve movement through the field and have target placement dictated by terrain features-- the match director can set up almost whatever he wants provided it's safe, to give the competitors a good challenge. At matches that my group runs, we typically have 75% of shots from 300 to 700 yards, many from challenging or poor shoot positions (off slope, cannot see from prone position, etc). Then we might have a few very small or otherwise difficult targets under 300 yards, and some targets set out to the maximum distance we can achieve in the location. It's common to have targets at 1000 yards, or out to 1200 yards. If people shooting their law-enforcement or military "issue" .308WIN rifles will be shooting, we try to stay limited to about 1100 yards so they have a chance of hitting those targets. At the match we're running next June, we will have a target at 1350 yards. But really, there is no set maximum distance, and I've heard of matches that start at 1000 yards and end past a mile (1760 yards)-- but I think these are more "lay and shoot" instead of "shoot and move"-type matches. Most of the target systems we use are simply armor steel (3/8" thick usually) hanging from an "A-Frame" stand. Size ranges from 4"x4" up to 14x18" or a full USPSA/IPSC silhouette. These are easy to spot hits on because they visually move and the impact is audible even 1000+ yards away, provided the caliber is sufficient to deliver momentum on the target. We have tried some of the reactive US military target systems (plastic silhouettes that sense impact and activate), however, we have judged these to be not reliable enough to be fair to match competitors. On calibers-- many matches do not allow 338 Lapua because they think it will damage their targets systems. In most cases this is a false fear, but we're stuck with it, I think more people here don't use the 6.5x55 because it doesn't fit properly in a short action, but there's no question it's a good LR cartridge when loaded right. best regards Zak

Hi, In my corner of the "practical" long-range shooting group, in the last 5 years, we have seen a movement away from both some of the medium-sized magnums like 7mm Remington Magnum and 300 Winchester Magnum and the common .308/7.62x51 towards cartridges like the .260 Remington, 6.5x47 Lapua, 6.5 Creedmoor shot from magazine-fed short-action rifles. The most common rifle over here is some sort of custom-modified Remington 700, usually in a McMillan or AICS stock; however, the SAKO TRG and AI rifles are slowly becoming more popular. (My long-range rifles are all AI's with S&B scopes right now.) Although sound suppressors (silencers) are heavily regulated in the USA, more and more shooters are paying the tax and submitting the paperwork in order to obtain them. The tax is $200, and most of the high-end rifle suppressors cost $800-1200. I've been shooting suppressed almost exclusively for two years (with the exception of 50BMG and 338-- sometimes). 338 Lapua Magnum is somewhat popular (I shoot it), however, a number of people have lately been building up rifles in .338 Remington Ultra Mag as a less expensive alternative. The ballistics are very close. Here is a photo of a 338RUM rifle I am currently testing: ............... Larger version of above photo. We have quite a good selection of "practical" matches, from IPSC, to 3-Gun / Multi-Gun, and practical long-range type matches. Here are a few photos from past matches: ............... Larger version of above photo. ............... Larger version of above photo. ............... Larger version of above photo. Anyway, those are just some notes. I'm interested in hearing some of your experiences with rifles and LR shooting. best regards Zak

Hi, I apologize for not speaking Norwegian. The Kammeret.no member who goes by "sirKandal" on AR15.com said you guys wouldn't mind if I posted here. I've found that whenever long-range shooters get together, they always have a lot to talk about, and I'm interested to discuss it with you. best regards Zak