The hardest part about hitting a coke can at 500m is the walk. Like once you get there, you just swing the gun like a golf club and smack it… But the walk there and back is the hardest part 
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6.5cm
Defiance deviant action
Jewel trigger
Kreiger barrel
Jae chassis
Kahles 6-24i
308
Savage model 12
Rifle basix trigger
Lilja 5r barrel
Mcmillan A5
Leupold mk4 8.5-25
300wsm
Browning X bolt
Timney trigger
Mcmillan A3-5 stock
Leupold mk5 5-25 tremor 3
300nm.
Surgeon XL action
Krieger barrel
Trigger tech trigger
Accuracy International AX chassis
Leupold mk5 7-35 tmr
Distance typically shot at 600m- 1300m on the main range we have. We shoot 1.6- 2km 2 or 3 times a year on another property with better elevation.
We have played around with a 375 cheytac but good rid of that. Learn more from the smaller cals and is why we built two 300nm.
I have a range of Tactical tapestry but a sturdy sand sock will get you started for a rear bag.
My chrony is a magneto speed. Mate uses a lab radar both are extremely precise at measuring muzzle velocity. Did have an old school shooting chrony but unreliable and a pain to set up.
I typically use either a atlas or Harris bipod. Even just got a utg over bore for the Norma, my first Chinese bipod. Doesn’t really matter what brand it is as long at it is sturdy and doesn’t break.
A ballistic calculator is a good place to start, if you don’t want to burn out a barrel and heaps of ammo walking your shots out. Strelok works and is quite easy to use. If your spending more time in the transonic and subsonic ranges then Applied Ballistics with a custom drag model is worth the money. I was using my phone but switched to a garmin foretrex as i don’t like having my surveillance device on me all the time.
Ballistic calculators are very dependant on good data though. Spend the time on getting the input values correct.
A good spotting device is another must have. You can’t correct what you don’t see. This could be a nice pair of binos or spotting scope. Could even be one of those target camera setups. If your spending a day spotting the clearer the glass does make it more comfortable. I use a pair of swaro el range 10x42 binos and my mate uses his mk4 spotter.
Range finders i feel are optional if you are setting up targets as you can use gps. If you are shooting unknown distance then they are critical. My mate had a sig range finder but had to send it back as the aim point didn’t align with the laser. They sent another one that worked but he sold it and got a leica. I use my binos.
Ultimately with the tools currently available the only real challenge is reading the wind. Having a kestrel gets you half way there but only gives you a place to start. Spend time shooting in different conditions and learn your rounds and how they are influenced by them. This is the best way to get wind correct.
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Awesome response and great photography. Is that in the mallee region?. Im looking to start off with something small like a 223. My range is 500m and i could possibly put it out to 800m. I currently have only hunting rifles and love my tikka223. My 270wsm kicks the shit out of me and will probably sell as i had a shoulder replacement a few years ago that its aggravating
Yeah, WA Wheatbelt region.
I am both disgusted and immensely impressed by this flex of firearm porn.
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The savage 12 VLP 308 (3rd from top) got me started in long range. I remember hitting plough discs at 500m and loving it. It grew from there.
Defiance & Surgeon… nice! 
Good bi-pod & a spotting scope along with a quality rear rest.
Intangible must haves:
- ability to read wind
- ability to assess technique
- establish natural point of aim that allows for good recoil recovery
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I shot Fullbore competition pre 2000, until we lost our range on 2002. I shot my way into A grade with a $300 Omark 308, from 300 to 1000yds. For those who dont know fullbore, its a rifle with a vernier scale peep sight that has a range known scale for easy range adjustment, and is shot off the elbows, no rest. Anyway i will get to the point…Dont look past an Omark 44, they are a great Australian made rifle that was military tested for a sniper rifle. The only reason it was not adopted was because it was single shot. I upset a few guys shooting mine, when they had spent $4-5000 on Barnards, RPA, Sakos etc…I converted one to 223 and sold it, to a guy, he rang me 12 month’s later thanking me for the most accurate rifle he had ever owned! His mates were also shitty, they dropped $4k and couldnt beat the Omark! Just food for thought mate, you could put a decent Omark together for $2000 if you do your homework.
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“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
Going with what research i have done so far im thinking id like to go with a 223 with 28"barrel with 1.7 or 1.8 twist.
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Thats what the 223 Omark was, 1/8 T 28 inch. Seen them shoot MOA at 900 yards no problems. A friend of mine loves them, its all he talks about! Theres 223 and theres 223…
Ill definitely look into these as i love the challenge of a budget. I guess one would say good bang for your buck.
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Omarks are great! Total Solutions Engineering sell a 1/8 223 conversion kit for $895 i think. TSE are the old MAB barrel company that made gold nedal winning barrels. They are Button rifled quality, not forged rubbish, you would buy in a Howa or the like. Get a 308 Omark for 300, and the 223 kit, and you have a rifle that will outshoot, and outlast many off the shelf 223s
Make sure if you get an omark, you get one with the bigger bolt head retaining pin.
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Its pretty rare to find one that hasnt got the big pin now, but good point.
We still see them through the shop every now and then so fresh in my mind.
This makes me want to check mine…
What size should it be?
Anyone got pic &/or specs?
Haven’t got precise info but the smaller diameter of the pin is around 0.2 something inches on the upgraded compared to 0.1 something inches on the old ones. That’s Brocks job to check, i just drink the beers.
There is a good side by side pic here.
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There is a third pin.
The very first Omarks ( cannot remember how many ) had a pin that had no protrusion ( smaller diameter ) at all. These were the ones that caused the problem.
If the pin broke, and they did regularly,( mostly brought about by dry firing,) when the bolt was removed the piece of the pin located in the hole in the bolt tube fell out leaving nothing to secure the bolt head to the bolt tube. Result of this was that when the bolt was turned down during loading the bolt head did not turn so the bolt was not locked in. Result --disaster.
Even the larger pin that is now fitted does sometimes break, but now the part of the pin with the smaller diameter is located and therefore still turns the bolt head when loading.
The design may have been a convenient way of adjusting headspace ( by changing the bolt head ) but was definitely not a safe way of doing it.
This is copied from the Fclass forum thread shared above. Is this legit?