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I’m trying to decide what to get on my FAC when I apply.
My home range has an indoor 25m range and an outdoor 100m range.
So far the only thing I’m 99.9% sure I’m going to get is a Vector 22lr, which I already have a Sig Bravo4 for.
Aside from that, I’m perplexed by the baffling bonanza of firearms available.
I’m contemplating a 22 bolt action, for cheap indoor precision practice.
However, for outdoor I’m not sure.
Is there any centre fire rifle calibre / set up that doesn’t require the time spent waiting for the barrel to cool - or should I just accept that all barrels take time to cool?
It’s because it takes me an hour each way to get to the range and to only get 20 rounds down range in a session drives me nuts.
For the main rifle, budget is max 2K, including optic.
I don’t want to be spending a fortune on ammo, so that’s a consideration too.
I know that more information would be helpful, but I’m not sure what would be useful to know.
TIA

For indoor use, any .22 lr will do the job.

For bolt action, CZ452/455/'s are readily available 2nd hand.
A .22 semi-auto should be in everybodies cabinet. The obvious choice would be a used Ruger 10/22, unless you're a fan of "black rifles" that look like military issue stuff but use .22lr.

You can pick up a CZ and a Ruger for less than £500.

You could use either of those rifles at 100 yards, too, but speak to fellow club members and see what they are using. You should be able to get as much info as needed if the members are worth their salt.

Agreed, a CZ452 or 455 would work, they are both incredibly accurate and not outrageously expensive second hand. Equally a Ruger 10/22 works and if you can find one, the Marlin 7000-T (Target)

A .308 Win with a heavy barrel is a good starting place. The .308 Remington 700 Police and a reasonable 'scope as a package can be had for under GBP2,000 and will probably out shoot you for a while :)

Depending how much you want to spend in total, any or all of the following:

• .22LR self loading i.e. Ruger 10/22 (for me this was the first firearm I purchased) or similar;
  .22LR bolt action i.e. Ruger American, CZ 455 (or similar);
  .38SP/.357 underlever i.e. Marlin (for me this was the second firearm I purchased) or similar;
  .223 Rem (Remington 700 or similar);
  .308 Win (or if you intend to home load 6.5Creedmoor), which will probably depend if you wish to enter certain calibre specific competitions.

Good luck and enjoy whatever you decide to buy and shoot.

Sonofsammo wrote: Is there any centre fire rifle calibre / set up that doesn’t require the time spent waiting for the barrel to cool - or should I just accept that all barrels take time to cool?

Has someone mentioned this to you at the range? Is it a range noise thing for the neighbours so you are restricted to slow fire or a fussy rifle owner who's letting you borrow their rifle and doesn't want it hot?
Barrels do heat up and there are those that don't like to let their rifle get warm. Thin hunting rifle barrels can get a bit too hot to handle and owners think this might be detrimental to the life of the barrel but some studies suggest a warm barrel wears less than a cold one as the metal is more pliable (or something like that).

If you come and shoot some of the practical or CSR matches you'll get some practices where you have to shoot 10 rounds in less than a minute, sometimes in under 40 seconds.
Then if you try the Urban Match you'll get through 40 rounds in less than 10 or 15 minutes. Some of the GR events have very high round counts in a very short time limit.

At the sort of practices that you'll likely get to shoot there'll be no chance the barrel will melt and there'll be little chance of damage to the rifle if it gets hot, I have had them too hot to touch especially on sunny days where they don't get the chance to cool off between practices. I have seen Enfields literally weep oil they have got so hot shooting the historic matches.

The big question is, what is your range signed off for? It will be signed off for up to a certain calibre. If the range restrictions allow, then I would agree with Ovenpaa on a .308 Win (or 7.62 NATO, basically the same thing). Ammo choices are good as you can get it cheap enough to not be restricted on how much you shoot, but there is also very good quality match grade ammo available for when you want to spend a bit more.
On barrel heat, I have never been concerned with my 7.62 TR rifle. Other than the first couple of shots on a cold barrel being a bit off. Once warm it shoots consistently and when I am done shooting, it is hot but not hot enough to not handle. 15 minutes in the open air while chatting to others on the range its cool enough to put away and drive home.

Pippin89 wrote:The big question is, what is your range signed off for?

This doesn't matter to some degree if the club is NRA Affiliated. All you need to show is access to ranges suitable for your use of the firearm/calibre/cartridge choice and being a member of an NRA Affiliated Club will allow you access to Bisley or other clubs and ranges such as Diggle for their open shoots etc.

Pippin89 wrote:The big question is, what is your range signed off for? It will be signed off for up to a certain calibre.

Ranges are usually signed of for a maximum muzzle energy and velocity and bullet diameter.

Ranges signed of for "calibres" is a meaningless confusion as witnessed by the mayhem caused by the NSRA's pistol calibre "limit".

dromia wrote:

Pippin89 wrote:The big question is, what is your range signed off for? It will be signed off for up to a certain calibre.

Ranges are usually signed of for a maximum muzzle energy and velocity and bullet diameter.

Ranges signed of for "calibres" is a meaningless confusion as witnessed by the mayhem caused by the NSRA's pistol calibre "limit".

I did use the words "up-to" but yes could have been clearer I guess!

So hypothetically a range is "signed of for up to 30-06 calibre" what would that mean?