Tikka accurizing for Tikka newbie

[robtattoo]

Accurizing aTikka T3x .30-06: My take. Opened the box. Degreased everything.
Opened mountain tactical rail. Degreased it.
Mounted rail to gun. Mounted scope to gun. Shot 50 rounds without looking at the target. Cleaned & let cool.
Loaded a mag full of 150gn Federal blue box, shot 3 rounds & adjusted zero. Shot 5 more for group. Grinned like a tit at the .75" holes. Went home, loaded a bunch of 165gn Partitions. Shot 5 round 200yd group. Giggled at the 1.5" group. Ignored it for 6 months. Killed cow elk at 230yds.

Like Mr.16 says..... it's really not that hard.

 

[HighUintas]

These are my cherry picked targets. I have some more that I need to photo. And my fliers are just me. I really found I needed to work on my shooting and concentration when shooting. I need too shoot more. I probably will when I can get home for a bit.View attachment 183643View attachment 183644View attachment 183645View attachment 183646

Very nice. I'll have to post some of my targets in the next few days. I plan to start doing the 10 round group thing, so we'll see what those look like.

 

[16Bore]

Once you get rifle zeroed and a “group” subsequent groups are pretty useless. Try about 6 paper plates stapled to grade stakes from 100 yards to your max. Random distances, no “bulls eyes” one shot at each in random order.

That’ll open your eyes.

 

[DJL2]

This is ”cheating” a bit...it’s not a Tikka...it’s an American take on the Sako TRG...it just happens to have a three lug, 60 deg action with a Tikka/TRG floating lug and a CTR/TRG contour barrel. As it’s made by KRG, it rides a W-3 w/ Bravo back end. This rifle is ~12 lbs and it’s a 6.5 CM. A Tikka (or Kimber) that goes 8 lbs all up is a more difficult rifle to shoot well...by a stretch.

This 10-shot group has TWO flyers...and is still just sub-MOA (right around .6 MOA otherwise). The flyers are why I shoot groups like this (though usually five rounds) - I‘ve got a lot of work to do with respect to recoil control and trigger management. To be fair to the rifle, this is Hornady AG 140 OTM - it shoots the ELD-M better, but these cost much less. The dispersion on this group isn’t due to the rifle...it’s on me. Dirty, cold, hot...doesn’t really matter.

The real test is, as stated above, can you make first rounds hits out to whatever distance is meaningful to you inside your intended target? Having an “interesting” rifle is a must, but it’s only a starting point. It is useful for me to have confidence in the rifle - both accuracy and DOPE - so I can concentrate on me.

 

[16Bore]

You gotta claim the humblers in a “group” too.

 

[HighUintas]

You gotta claim the humblers in a “group” too.

I'd been planning for awhile, after getting some consistency at the bench, to take paper plates out on stakes or wire coat hangars while backpacking. Set them up on the way out and shoot on the way back. Now I see the consistency that I was thinking I could get doesn't exist, at least not for a regular rifle like mine with a human involved.

I'm sure it will be incredibly humbling.... Also liberating

 

[BjornF16]

Heading back to range later this am...meanwhile I’ve ordered another Tikka T3X Stainless Lite in .223 Rem for higher volume practice.

 

[Motown]

Heading back to range later this am...meanwhile I’ve ordered another Tikka T3X Stainless Lite in .223 Rem for higher volume practice.

You’ll love it! Did you order one with the 1-8” twist?

 

[16Bore]

I'd been planning for awhile, after getting some consistency at the bench, to take paper plates out on stakes or wire coat hangars while backpacking. Set them up on the way out and shoot on the way back. Now I see the consistency that I was thinking I could get doesn't exist, at least not for a regular rifle like mine with a human involved.

I'm sure it will be incredibly humbling.... Also liberating

It ain’t the rifle boss......

 

[BjornF16]

You’ll love it! Did you order one with the 1-8” twist?

yes...1:8 twist.

I think that is only option for .223 in Lite Stainless

 

[DJL2]

I'd been planning for awhile, after getting some consistency at the bench, to take paper plates out on stakes or wire coat hangars while backpacking. Set them up on the way out and shoot on the way back. Now I see the consistency that I was thinking I could get doesn't exist, at least not for a regular rifle like mine with a human involved.

I'm sure it will be incredibly humbling.... Also liberating

There are different kinds of consistency. A rifle with a lightweight barrel might not shoot strings very well, but it might be perfectly capable of stacking cold bore shots. That might be just to ticket for a rifle you pack/carry.

Rifles with significant recoil might be mechanically consistent, but demand the shooter be on point aligning the rifle, their body and managing recoil. A rifle that falls into both groups is gonna be tough to brag on from the bench.

Tikka barrels and actions have a reputation for outstanding consistency. Tikka stocks suffer some of the same challenges of any relatively inexpensive injection molded stock.

 

[BjornF16]

Another morning at range with the Tikka and Fieldcraft (6.5CM) for comparison.

Remington Core-Lokt and Hornady PH factory ammo ugly in the Tikka. I’m done with factory ammo unless I find some Federal blue box to try.

Lapua brass and Forster dies have arrived. Need to setup the Co-Ax and try some handloads to see if accuracy improves. I’m thinking 38.5 gr Varget under 150 ABLR just to start.

Today’s targets attached. Remington first, then Hornady. I did adjust my technique on final group (less pulling in with trigger hand).

 

[BjornF16]

Here are Fieldcraft results. New ammo, so it was impacting low compared to my zero with Hornady ammo. After 4 shot group, moved up 2.5 MOA (10 clicks). This ended up being too much. Winds were from left, so my last 4 shot group had 1.5 MOA dialed in (again, too much).

I did throw one right in the 10 shot group.

 

[Formidilosus]

Today’s targets attached. Remington first, then Hornady. I did adjust my technique on final group (less pulling in with trigger hand).

There is a lot of horizontal in most groups. What was the wind doing? To that- why are you shooting groups at 200 yards?

Either something is truly wrong with the rifle assembly, or your technique.

 

[BjornF16]

100 yd range was closed

 

[DJL2]

To the point on wind - 6.5 CM running the 140 OTM @ ~2650 fps is ~ .5 mil correction for a full value wind @ 300 yards. It's about .3 mil @ 200 yards. Napkin math says...~2 inches. If the wind was gusting above that and switchy...tough conditions. Otherwise, are you slinging hard into the rifle and maybe pressing the forend of the stock against the barrel? Is there contact with the barrel normally causing it to experience inconsistent pressure as the barrel heats?

My concern looking at those targets is I don't really see a group - which is to say I cannot really ID a mean point of impact with appropriate distribution. I would take a much better shooter than me to make sense of those targets.

 

[16Bore]

Lots going on in those pics. Find somebody else that has a Tikka, let them take it apart, reassemble, and shoot it. I’d be surprised is the problem doesn’t solve itself.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Just saw the 200 yard comment. However, the groups are still way too large...

Just an observation based upon your photos for both the Fieldcraft and the Tikka. This observation could be 100% wrong which would not be a first.

You are not getting decent groups on either rifle. While you may be that unlucky as to get two lemons, it is also unlikely. Take an honest look at things other than the rifles (as they came from the factory).

Thoroughly clean your rifle including for copper. Your patches should be white as virgin snow once done. Your rifle may be super sensitive to copper fouling. I had one rifle that was a tack driver while clean but after a small handful of shots it looked similar to your groups (think buck shot). Clean it, including copper solvent, and it was back to being a tack driver.

Have someone watch and/or record you shooting from various angles. Any movement?

What contact are you making with the rifle? What happens if your only contact is your shoulder and trigger finger?

Scrap your current setup and just use a bipod and rear rest. What happens then?

Have someone else shoot the rifle. What happens then? Do not taint their shooting by telling them that the rifle will not group.

With a cold barrel, take a single shot. Let the barrel completely cool. Take a single shot. Let the barrel completely cool. Take a single shot. What happens then?

Have someone else (that knows what they are doing) mount your optics. Not implying or stating that you do not know what you are doing.

Check your body position. If not properly (horizontal and vertical) aligned it can have an impact. Attached are two photos (3-shot groups) from my T3X in 300 Win Mag with me having improper alignment. The groups are awesome but way off.

Your first group with the ELD-X was pretty good. But it went to poop on the second photo. Same box? Same lot number? Either way, it should have been relatively consistent and not strung out.

 

[KClark]

There seems to be several posts on different threads about horizontal stringing in non-wind conditions lately. The old wisdom in highpower competition held that horizontal spread at SR (200-300 yards) was from the lower parts of the trigger finger touching the stock and/or trigger guard.

Ideally only the pad beyond the last joint of your trigger finger should touch anything, the lower part of it should arc clear of the stock and trigger guard.

 

[BjornF16]

Winds from the left, variable 5-15 mph