High power question regarding Savage 116 .30-06

[Scarecrow]

Jose's inbox cannot accept any more PM's, so I leave this here for others to PM with their thoughts:

I'm shooting 39/40(should have been 40/40, but I "snapped" off a shot when I wobbled in the kneeling position, should've just held the shot and re-acquired the target, lesson learned) with iron sights on an M16A4(standard military marksmanship qualification), and I have my Savage 116 .30-06 with a 3-9x40 scope on it, unsure of the make, I bought the rifle here on the forums a while back. Anyway, my question is: is this a decent rifle to get into high power? I hear a lot of good about the Savage rifles, but it is almost always .308 or .338 Lapua. Is the .30-06 a junk round for high power?

Just want to get a dialogue going with someone who knows, as it looks like it will be some time before I can go to a cmp course. I sent an email off today to my state's marksmanship team to ask how I go about getting in there as well, so I'm trying to work on my skills from two directions, but any additional knowledge I glean cannot possibly hurt.

Pm's welcomed, I want knowledge, not flame wars.

 

[jdesro]

Not exactly sure what kind of High Power competition you are considering, either "F" class or NRA High Power.

If it is "F" class, a Savage 116 would be adequate, but not ideal. The 116 is more of a hunting rifle it seems, and the light weight barrel may not be able to maintain accuracy once it starts to warm up after a few rounds. Sure, it will probably suffice at first, and will hold you over until you can get a rifle more appropriate for "F" class, but I wouldn't expect it to be too competitive.

Savage makes a rifle specific for "F" class, the model 12 F- class, which would certainly be a lot better for your needs if this is the type of competition you are considering:http://savagearms.com/firearms/models/

For NRA High Power, the 116 will not work at all without some serious modification. First of all, NRA High Power is iron sights only - no scopes - so you would have to install some kind of iron sights to the rifle.

Also, there are a couple of rapid fire stages which require a reload, so most High Power bolt guns have stripper clip guides to facilitate reloading.

And again, the light weight barrel issue. The barrel is too light, and will most likely start throwing shots once it starts getting hot.

There are other problems, but those are the major ones that would make the 116 inappropriate for NRA High Power.

Savage makes good rifles - I know of several people that use them in both "F" class and NRA High Power (suitably modified), so it is not the manufacturer that is the issue, it would just be picking the wrong tool for the job.

as to your other question, the .30-06 can be an extremely accurate round, but .308 is just maybe a little better. Less powder to use, and the .308 uses a shorter action, which some believe can make the gun a bit "stiffer" and less likely to flex from shot to shot.

Anyway, hope this helps.

 

[bpm990d]

It sounds like what you have is a hunting rifle. You can shoot in in a F-Class match as it is, but you might want to buy a different rifle or upgrade it. They have a line of "Target Rifles" that would be a good starting place. The F-TR would be good for a lot of the matches here in NE or the Palma model if you wanted to shoot from a sling.

HP is long strings of fire. A hunting rifle in 06 is going to be uncomfortable to shoot. It's made for carrying.

For the most part 06 is not a good cartridge choice when you compare it to what the rules allow you to shoot.

B