Hello Rokslide,
I have spent a year and one hunting season with a Tikka CTR 24” 6.5 Creedmoor that started bone stock. I am an avid tinkerer, reloader, and perfectionist and wanted to share a few observations for those of you looking at rifles for this hunting season.
I found a good deal on a brand new rifle and had never messed with the 6.5 CM before, so just bought the gun on a whim and started load development with RL16 after a bunch of internet searching and sourcing what I could. All brass is Hornady and I found 3 bullets to try (Berger 140 Hunters, 140 Hornady ELD-M, and (eventually) 143 Hornady ELD-X). I initially viewed the gun as a range toy and practice for long range shooting, but quickly developed a real affinity to the 6.5CM and the design elements of the gun.
Stock CTR Pro’s (for me):
Load development:
I know that H4350 is the “go to” powder for the 6.5CM and I have plenty on hand, but I was looking for something a bit newer, temp sensitive, and faster FPS. I have a lot of RL16 and started development. Everything shoots well in this gun and it's kind of boring to develop loads. I really wanted to stay at or above 2800fps and found it was easy to do within factory recipes on the Alliant Powders website. I only had the Bergers and the ELD-M’s last fall and found loads that consistently went 2840 FPS and grouped at .75” @ 100 every shot.
Initial thoughts:
The gun grew on me and was so easy to develop loads for I decided to take it hunting for my Antelope trip. It was accurate, easy to shoot well, and a bit unbalanced. I ended up shooting a nice antelope at 292 yards with the Bergers and was unimpressed with the performance (a story for another time). They were pretty explosive on a perfect broadside shot and it took 2 shots. They are very accurate and did the job, just not exactly how I would prefer. I hiked around 8-miles on this hunt and decided I really liked the gun, but wanted some alterations.
Changes:
I felt like the CTR had more untapped potential and made some additional changes now that it was more of a hunting gun than a range toy.
I spent a lot of time with load development and found a bunch of 143 ELD-X’s. The accuracy actually improved and I was surprised that the velocity did not change that much considering -3” of barrel length. The gun balances really well now especially with the large magazine and it is pretty handy.
If I had to do it all over again, I would do everything the same and cut the barrel to 22” the day after I picked it up. I still think that the 20” barrel option is too short for noise and a guarantee that the FPS will remain in the 2800FPS range. I also understand I am splitting hairs because one can order a CTR in a 20” barrel and plenty of people use 18” barrels. I like my hunting guns in the 8.5-10 pound realm (scoped) and am much more particular about balance. The CTR is kind of a funky looking gun with a heavy barrel and 10-round mag, but it excels at this (compact hunting) role very well. I also use it around the ranch a ton for coyotes/pest control and it is super handy for that too.
A lot of this write-up has to do with personal preferences and constant tinkering. I thought I would use the gun for a while and sell it, but the accuracy and new handling attributes have changed the way I view and use the CTR. It is something a bit different than a typical hunting gun/Tikka T-series rifles that works really well after some adjustments and a bit of extra cash.
I have spent a year and one hunting season with a Tikka CTR 24” 6.5 Creedmoor that started bone stock. I am an avid tinkerer, reloader, and perfectionist and wanted to share a few observations for those of you looking at rifles for this hunting season.
I found a good deal on a brand new rifle and had never messed with the 6.5 CM before, so just bought the gun on a whim and started load development with RL16 after a bunch of internet searching and sourcing what I could. All brass is Hornady and I found 3 bullets to try (Berger 140 Hunters, 140 Hornady ELD-M, and (eventually) 143 Hornady ELD-X). I initially viewed the gun as a range toy and practice for long range shooting, but quickly developed a real affinity to the 6.5CM and the design elements of the gun.
Stock CTR Pro’s (for me):
- Accuracy
- Stainless
- Modular Stock (Cheek riser, grip area, and scope mount)
- Action
- Threaded barrel
- Bolt (oversized bolt knob)
- Magazine (10-rounds)
- Weight (feels solid) I hate whippy/superlite guns
- Rough finish (barrel channel, trigger, bolt knob)
- Trigger
- Font heavy balance
Load development:
I know that H4350 is the “go to” powder for the 6.5CM and I have plenty on hand, but I was looking for something a bit newer, temp sensitive, and faster FPS. I have a lot of RL16 and started development. Everything shoots well in this gun and it's kind of boring to develop loads. I really wanted to stay at or above 2800fps and found it was easy to do within factory recipes on the Alliant Powders website. I only had the Bergers and the ELD-M’s last fall and found loads that consistently went 2840 FPS and grouped at .75” @ 100 every shot.
Initial thoughts:
The gun grew on me and was so easy to develop loads for I decided to take it hunting for my Antelope trip. It was accurate, easy to shoot well, and a bit unbalanced. I ended up shooting a nice antelope at 292 yards with the Bergers and was unimpressed with the performance (a story for another time). They were pretty explosive on a perfect broadside shot and it took 2 shots. They are very accurate and did the job, just not exactly how I would prefer. I hiked around 8-miles on this hunt and decided I really liked the gun, but wanted some alterations.
Changes:
I felt like the CTR had more untapped potential and made some additional changes now that it was more of a hunting gun than a range toy.
- “Free float” barrel channel with Dremel and sandpaper
- Smooth bolt knob and other plastic areas that had poor molding/rough spots
- Cut barrel to 21” for balance/easier handling
- Accuracy improved (.37” 3-shot groups @ 100)
- I frequently shoot targets out to 600 yards (my home range) with ease
- Velocity went from 2840-2790
I spent a lot of time with load development and found a bunch of 143 ELD-X’s. The accuracy actually improved and I was surprised that the velocity did not change that much considering -3” of barrel length. The gun balances really well now especially with the large magazine and it is pretty handy.
If I had to do it all over again, I would do everything the same and cut the barrel to 22” the day after I picked it up. I still think that the 20” barrel option is too short for noise and a guarantee that the FPS will remain in the 2800FPS range. I also understand I am splitting hairs because one can order a CTR in a 20” barrel and plenty of people use 18” barrels. I like my hunting guns in the 8.5-10 pound realm (scoped) and am much more particular about balance. The CTR is kind of a funky looking gun with a heavy barrel and 10-round mag, but it excels at this (compact hunting) role very well. I also use it around the ranch a ton for coyotes/pest control and it is super handy for that too.
A lot of this write-up has to do with personal preferences and constant tinkering. I thought I would use the gun for a while and sell it, but the accuracy and new handling attributes have changed the way I view and use the CTR. It is something a bit different than a typical hunting gun/Tikka T-series rifles that works really well after some adjustments and a bit of extra cash.
