Tikka 6cm vs factory 243

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Thank you all for the feedback. Since I RELOAD it seems just sticking with the 243 is the way to go. i havent seen anything indicating that the extra effort/cost is worth it on the 6cm

You could collect up a couple 20" take off 243 barrels and send them and a rifle all out to be punched into 243ai with the same reamer/headspace... not saying you should, just saying that is something a feller who likes to tinker and let the idea creep in his head COULD be inclined to do.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I was saying you may have misinterpreted the person.

The comment you responded to the person said they got loaded ammo to shoot to obtain brass and break in the barrel and they are enjoying the practice with it. They literally said their group size (ie its sighted in) and they were enjoying practicing with it.

You honed in on the "break in" comment in the second half of your reply and I was implying that phrase may have been semantics since you were talking about break in procedures where as someone saying break in may not have meant some formal procedure. Some reloaders prefer to get ~100rd on their barrel AND have the brass once fired in their chamber before they start the load dev on it because those two things can reduce (not eliminate) how much the velocity for a give powder charge evolves from when it was first developed. They are merely focusing more on the sight in and practice part of the shooting initially and postponing dialing in a load, not some shoot/clean/shoot routine.

Maybe the poster did do a shoot/clean/shoot routine, dunno. But it doesn't negate that some prefer to postpone load dev till Xrds and some prefer once fired in their chamber brass.

I get that. I just get curious when considering limited barrel life and planning to shoot 100/1500 rounds before “really getting to shoot the rifle.” That’s all.

And in the context of this thread, I was considering how long it will take to shoot out the factory barrel before rebarreling to a new cartridge. At 1500-3000 rounds/barrel, that’s not something relevant to me until two to three years from now. By that time, Tikka might actually have a 6mm CM chambering available.

 

[Marbles]

Thank you all for the feedback. Since I RELOAD it seems just sticking with the 243 is the way to go. i havent seen anything indicating that the extra effort/cost is worth it on the 6cm

Good choice. I'm a fan of my 243 Tikka, enough that when the barrel is shot out I may stick with 243 and pass on switching to a 6 creed.

 

[ztc92]

How far are you shooting when you hunt with that rifle? Are you a competitive shooter?

I’m curious because - apart from following Douglas’s specific barrel break in instructions for a brand new barrel, which were minimal and mostly just required cleaning at stated intervals between shots I would take anyway - I have never bothered to break in a barrel. The whole idea just seems strange to me. The barrel geometry will change slightly over time until it gets too poor to shoot well. Along that path, it may get slightly better. But for a hunting rifle, I am personally not in any hurry to get into some perceived sweet spot.

Semantics may be in play here. There is the Shoot/Clean/Shoot traditional break in. And there is shooting 100rds or so before starting load development for reloading to let the barrel settle in (break in) and speed up first before honing in on a powder charge.

I agree with others this may be best for a different thread if we dive into this.

That said, @pods8 (Rugged Stitching) is spot on. I may have used the wrong phrase to say “I want to get 100 rounds in the barrel (and gain brass to load) before I start reloading the 95 TMK in this rifle”.

No other “break in” process beyond that. Rifle will only be cleaned if it stops shooting or fails to function properly.

 

[NSI]

I agree with others this may be best for a different thread if we dive into this.

That said, @pods8 (Rugged Stitching) is spot on. I may have used the wrong phrase to say “I want to get 100 rounds in the barrel (and gain brass to load) before I start reloading the 95 TMK in this rifle”.

No other “break in” process beyond that. Rifle will only be cleaned if it stops shooting or fails to function properly.

This.

My first 100 rounds out of any barrel (including my customers') are practice. Hasty zero, 100yd groups, positional, hunter drills, whatever. Usually with cheap ammo.

Large group zeroing w/ real ammo, data collection, and long range proof start after that. Building out DOPE for a rifle that's in all likelihood a few boxes away from being 100fps faster is just a waste of time.

-J

 

[ztc92]

This.

My first 100 rounds out of any barrel (including my customers') are practice. Hasty zero, 100yd groups, positional, hunter drills, whatever. Usually with cheap ammo.

Large group zeroing w/ real ammo, data collection, and long range proof start after that. Building out DOPE for a rifle that's in all likelihood a few boxes away from being 100fps faster is just a waste of time.

-J

Yep, I learned this lesson with my 6.5 creedmore a few years ago. I made up reloads after just trying a single box of 140 ELDM to see how it handled/shot. The reloads shot great but after about 100 more rounds my zero and my dope were off enough that I had to re-zero. Going forward I plan to always get around 100 rounds on the barrel before shooting any reloads or doing any load development.

 

[NWBLKTAIL]

Good choice. I'm a fan of my 243 Tikka, enough that when the barrel is shot out I may stick with 243 and pass on switching to a 6 creed.

This is where I’ve landed, except mine is a M70 with an 8tw. Once shot out I’ll order a blank and spin another fresh 243 barrel on.

 

[Reddish]

I sold my brother my Tikka .243 thinking the 6CM would be out by now…at least they have the 20” threaded .243’s out. I’ll likely go that route soon.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

What do you think the accuracy difference would be between a factory 243 1/8 Tikka with a good handloads compared to an aftermarket barrel shooting good handloads?

Factory 8 twist Tikka and Sako barrels in .243 are incredibly consistent and accurate.

If you think you’re going to gain accuracy by going aftermarket you’re probably going to be disappointed.

 

[BLJ]

Factory 8 twist Tikka and Sako barrels in .243 are incredibly consistent and accurate.

If you think you’re going to gain accuracy by going aftermarket you’re probably going to be disappointed.

Looks like we agree.