Struggling to Achieve a Zero at 100 yards.

[sont5413]

Have you determined it's not you? I think it is. Not because I am mean but because I went through the same exact thing with my first rifle, a 30/06. Shoot big guns well now, but it has been a process.

And if you find the 3-9 SWFA for sale pick me up one too.

Can't rule out that possibility. I do not like shooting this gun. If I could, I would just iterate different people shooting it to see how it performs amongs different shooters.

 

[Tbone58]

Have heard this about the trigger.



Have tried corelokt's (150 and 180GR) and hornady eld-x's.

I'm not sure that buying more ammo at this point will do much for me at this point. Going to take it to a gunsmith to see if there's anything glaringly mechanically wrong with rifle.


I'm at the range every week. I'm reading ryan cleckner and jeff coopers book. Listening to a ton of podcasts to get this thing dialed. It's become an obsession. Not totally sure it's me at this point. I've got the gun on bags at 100 with VERY little reticle movement before the shot breaks, ostensibly. Just a had a shooter at my range shoot a terrible group with it with the ELD-X's. Just tried a different scope on it. Shot > 3MOA. Time to get it looked at to check that box. I've run out of variables I can check the box on.

Have you tried cleaning it? Some guns don’t like to be dirty. I had a gun that hated the eld-x I would get 1.5” groups at 100 yards switched to accubonds sub 1”. Also the heavy trigger will make your groups widen out. I found that with my gun also. The eld-x is a long bullet with a lot of copper and it will leave a lot behind. The core loc is very dirty also. Make sure and use a cleaner that does copper and gun powder fouling. I had that problem before and same for a buddy. Cleaned it and then shot good again.

 

[rayporter]

for it to be him on a bench with sand bags something has to be unbelievably wrong. if i take an accurate rifle and cheek it or push with my hand on the butt or push down on the stock i cannot make an accurate rifle be off more than an inch, and i can demonstrate this with any one.

do you know any benchrest shooters at a range? one of them might have a scope checker that would verify scope trouble in about 2 shots. i know the dallas area has several.

i could check the scope for you in about a half hour but i am a long way off and shipping would be a problem.
if you wish to know for sure, send me a pm.

 

[Lawnboi]

I’d be approaching that time I’d send the gun along if I were you. Taking it to a gunsmith might just cost you money, and get you no answers. Factory gun roulette, I think you lost.
Like I said, if you like the rifle, and it has sentimental value, you can use the action, and build a nice gun on it.

Cheaper yet would be a new barrel

Even cheaper than that would be to go buy a tikka in a caliber you like to shoot.

 

[HighUintas]

Check your bolt lug contact. Put sharpie marker on the back of the bolt lugs (where they contact the receiver when closing the bolt) then put the bolt back in and cycle it ten times. Remove the bolt and see how even the contact is on each side. It should be mostly even. I don't know if it can make a gun go from 1" to 3" groups, but I know it can make a difference.

 

[rayporter]

you are fast approaching decision time if you expect to use that rifle this year.

even if you take it to a smith you dont know how long it will be for him to look at it or even fix it.
if you cant find some one with a scope checker or a very accurate rifle you need to buy a new scope to check things and then where will you stand?

Lawnboi has a point to ponder.

 

[Fatcamp]

Can't rule out that possibility. I do not like shooting this gun. If I could, I would just iterate different people shooting it to see how it performs amongs different shooters.

Sell it. Regardless of what others say if you are flinching and jerking the trigger you could easily be making a 2 moa rifle 5 moa.

Life is too short to suffer inaccurate hard recoiling rifles.

 

[rayporter]

sell it and put the money you are going to pay the smith with that and buy a new rifle.

if your 243 is a remington you can take the trigger out of it and use it to see if you have trigger trouble.

 

[Sportsman]

When I bought a Ruger Precision Rifle I learned the difference a trigger makes. Some will complain about the Ruger trigger but it was so much better than any hunting rifle I had ever shot. It's one of the top items on my list now when I look at a rifle.

I recently bought a T/C Compass 300 Win Mag and upgraded the springs with the MCarbo kit before I ever fired a live round. Huge difference. Shoots 1" groups at 100 with the same defamed Remington Core Lokts in this thread. Using a front rest and rear bag.

 

[Rick Hallenbeck]

Pretty much what has been said.. If you lock it up pretty good with bags and it still that far off something is amiss..

 

[sont5413]

BLUF: Sold this gun, and bought a new one that shoots great!

All, just wanted to share a bit of good news with you!

Based on feedback I was receiving, I sold the .30-06, and purchased a Tikka T3X Lite SS in 6.5 CM.

Today I took the rifle out to zero it and shot 3, 5-shot groups using 140 GR Hornady Black, off of bags at 100 yards.

First Group: maybe 1 mm under 2 MOA, if not right at 2

View attachment 211251

Second Group: ~1.25 MOA



Third and final group of the day: 0.75 MOA



Want to thank everyone for weighing-in, and especially those that recommended selling the rifle as I think it was a great decision. So far, it seems as if this Tikka is super accurate, at least by my standards.

Willis

 

[slvrslngr]

Good to hear you're off and running. Shooting like that will put meat on the table all day long, now go forth and fill your freezer!

 

[sont5413]

Good to hear you're off and running. Shooting like that will put meat on the table all day long, now go forth and fill your freezer!

Yessir! But to be fair this was off bags on a bench! I’m digging that “100-yard rifle test” as a good shooting drill for hunting applications.

 

[slvrslngr]

Yessir! But to be fair this was off bags on a bench! I’m digging that “100-yard rifle test” as a good shooting drill for hunting applications.

Gotta start somewhere and at least you know the bullets are going where they're supposed to.

 

[gelton]

BLUF: Sold this gun, and bought a new one that shoots great!

All, just wanted to share a bit of good news with you!

Based on feedback I was receiving, I sold the .30-06, and purchased a Tikka T3X Lite SS in 6.5 CM.

Today I took the rifle out to zero it and shot 3, 5-shot groups using 140 GR Hornady Black, off of bags at 100 yards.

First Group: maybe 1 mm under 2 MOA, if not right at 2

View attachment 211251

Second Group: ~1.25 MOA

View attachment 211252

Third and final group of the day: 0.75 MOA

View attachment 211254

Want to thank everyone for weighing-in, and especially those that recommended selling the rifle as I think it was a great decision. So far, it seems as if this Tikka is super accurate, at least by my standards.

Willis

Are you using the same scope or a new one?

 

[sont5413]

Gotta start somewhere and at least you know the bullets are going where they're supposed to.

A weight lifted off my shoulders, for sure!

 

[sont5413]

Are you using the same scope or a new one?

Same scope. I have yet to do a tracking test. I will do it tomorrow or next week. Interested to see how it performs.

 

[tdhanses]

Try Hornady match 147 eldm’s, they have been crazy accurate for my 6.5.

 

[gelton]

Same scope. I have yet to do a tracking test. I will do it tomorrow or next week. Interested to see how it performs.

wow that is nuts, definitely a bad gun then, never seen that before.

 

[Sled]

My Tikka 6.5cm shoots the eagle eye Berger hunter classic 135gr and the barnes lrx 127 to the same poi out to 500, which is a nice bonus to be able to use both ammo offerings without changing zero. Both hold about 3/4 moa and are very different projectiles with different purposes.

Good luck and glad you ditched the Remington headache.