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Newtosavage
WKR
Okay, as promised...
Now that I have my Howa Alpine thrown together, I needed to do a range test vs. my stainless Tikka with a couple different Barnes bullets, just to see what they liked best.
Rifle 1 is my stainless Tikka T3 in 7mm-08, with factory rings and a 10 oz. Weaver K6 scope. Total weight - 6 lbs. 14 oz.
Rifle 2 is my Howa Alpine with Talley rings and an 11 oz. Leupold 3-9x40 Am. Marksman scope. Total weight - 6 lbs. 11 oz.
Loads are 120 and 140-grain Barnes TTSX over 42 and 41 grains of IMR 8208 XBR, respectively.
MV's are:
3000 for the 120 and 2900 for the 140 out of the Tikka's 22.4" medium contour barrel
2900 for the 120 and 2840 for the 140 out of the Howa's 20" lightweight contour barrel.
A couple notes:
1) Clearly I am not an expert shot with either of these rifles. In fact, I was downright disappointed in my shooting this evening and I expect a little better of myself.
2) the Tikka is at a distinct advantage with the longer and heavier contour barrel. So I was expecting better groups from it despite the fixed 6x scope (which I have never seen as a disadvantage due to it's sharpness and brightness).
3) The felt recoil was less with the Howa and Bansner stock. What they say about that stock is true. It definitely delivers less felt recoil than the plastic Tikka stock. But it also has a better recoil pad, so that could be part of it.
4) Although they are both light rifles, the Howa is definitely easier to carry and more maneuverable. The short action combined with a barrel that's 2 1/2" shorter makes it feel completely different than the Tikka, and if I'm heading into brush or close quarters or an enclosed blind, I'm absolutely grabbing the Howa.
5) Clearly, neither rifle liked the 120's all that much. They have shot well from the Howa (today was the worst group I've shot with them so far) but I think I'll be sticking with the 140's from these rifles in the future.
I want to run this test again after I have time to do some load development for the Howa. I have a feeling I can get it under an inch with both the 120's and 140's with a little work.
At the end of the day, I'm not really surprised at the results. I expected the 120's to shoot better from both rifles, but the 140's were just about what I expected based on my experience with each of these guns. I am not sure I will ever get the Howa to shoot as well as the Tikka, but they are very different rifles and I plan to use them for different situations.
Now that I have my Howa Alpine thrown together, I needed to do a range test vs. my stainless Tikka with a couple different Barnes bullets, just to see what they liked best.
Rifle 1 is my stainless Tikka T3 in 7mm-08, with factory rings and a 10 oz. Weaver K6 scope. Total weight - 6 lbs. 14 oz.
Rifle 2 is my Howa Alpine with Talley rings and an 11 oz. Leupold 3-9x40 Am. Marksman scope. Total weight - 6 lbs. 11 oz.
Loads are 120 and 140-grain Barnes TTSX over 42 and 41 grains of IMR 8208 XBR, respectively.
MV's are:
3000 for the 120 and 2900 for the 140 out of the Tikka's 22.4" medium contour barrel
2900 for the 120 and 2840 for the 140 out of the Howa's 20" lightweight contour barrel.
A couple notes:
1) Clearly I am not an expert shot with either of these rifles. In fact, I was downright disappointed in my shooting this evening and I expect a little better of myself.
2) the Tikka is at a distinct advantage with the longer and heavier contour barrel. So I was expecting better groups from it despite the fixed 6x scope (which I have never seen as a disadvantage due to it's sharpness and brightness).
3) The felt recoil was less with the Howa and Bansner stock. What they say about that stock is true. It definitely delivers less felt recoil than the plastic Tikka stock. But it also has a better recoil pad, so that could be part of it.
4) Although they are both light rifles, the Howa is definitely easier to carry and more maneuverable. The short action combined with a barrel that's 2 1/2" shorter makes it feel completely different than the Tikka, and if I'm heading into brush or close quarters or an enclosed blind, I'm absolutely grabbing the Howa.
5) Clearly, neither rifle liked the 120's all that much. They have shot well from the Howa (today was the worst group I've shot with them so far) but I think I'll be sticking with the 140's from these rifles in the future.
I want to run this test again after I have time to do some load development for the Howa. I have a feeling I can get it under an inch with both the 120's and 140's with a little work.
At the end of the day, I'm not really surprised at the results. I expected the 120's to shoot better from both rifles, but the 140's were just about what I expected based on my experience with each of these guns. I am not sure I will ever get the Howa to shoot as well as the Tikka, but they are very different rifles and I plan to use them for different situations.
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