Tikka Not Grouping??

[Ucsdryder]

I wouldn’t put that much thought into the first 20 rounds.

Agreed. Or the next 100. That thing has a snappy recoil, it’s not easy to shoot. That’s the only gun I’ve ever shot that would leave visible bruising the next day. My 300nmi has less felt recoil.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Get your stock set up right:

How I Modify My Tikka Factory Stocks

This is the start to finish process I use on my tikka factory stocks to help them have a consistent POI and improve shootability. None of this is completely new information, but there are a few unique things I do, and this is a consolidation post. This is stuff that I'm capable of doing to my...

rokslide.com

 

[KenLee]

You both probably have more experience than I do. I have just found federal blue box and core lokts to be no better than 1.5" ammo out of my Ruger American, Smith Wesson mp10, Browning x bolt, and Tikka t3x. Hornady precision hunter has shot an inch or better in all of these guns. But again my sample size is small. My point is maybe try some more ammo before taking a Dremel to the stock or doing something even more drastic.

I've never shot either in my x-bolts. Old a-bolts and BLRs seem to love both. On all my youth rifles, I'm moving away from both, as they tend to not exit and leave decent blood for tracking when newbie shots aren't ideal. The Hornady Whitetail is better in that respect, although I expect a 300wm will blow exit holes with any of the 3. I'm talking 6.5 creed, 243 and 7mm-08 from the youth rifles.

 

[ElPollo]

What's up everyone based on a ton of reading from this forum, I ended up buying a 300 Win Mag Tikka T3x and putting a NF SHV 4-14x on the top of it. Took it out to the range and put some plane jane Federal 180 gr thu it to get it on paper.

I then tried a total of 3 loads:
Remington Core Lokt, 180 gr
Federal Terminal Ascent, 200gr
Federal Blue Box 180gr

All three were shooting 1.5-2" groups.

I shoot enough to know it could be the ammo, or I have to break the barrel in, as it's only got basically 20 rounds thru it.

But I have to admit, I was a little less than please.

Now also, bear in mind, I'm no schmuck either, I have several rifles that shoot suv-moa and most are plane jane Rem 700s, or Savage 110s.

This was my first crack at anything other than "good enough."

I wanted this to be THE rifle for me and willing to spend more coin than I'm used to.

Is it all in my head? Im going to continue other loads/bullets.

But I'd be lying if I said I felt a bit let down and was expecting nice little clover leafs.

I'd fire two rounds close and 0.5" apart, and then the next one would be 1-1.5" away! Like holy crap! Did I pull that shot? Then I'd repeat and try again.

My buddy who also is a heck of a shot, same thing for him. Two close/touching and then a flyer.

Maybe a warm barrel? Maybe the ammo? Maybe not broken in?

Base, rings are all loctite, torqued and leveled.

Talk me off a ledge here boys!

I’d say you are on the high side of most of the people I see at public ranges with a lightweight 300 win mag. Most of them couldn’t reliably hit a pie plate at 100 yards. Those things kick.

 

[KenLee]

I’d say you are on the high side of most of the people I see at public ranges with a lightweight 300 win mag. Most of them couldn’t reliably hit a pie plate at 100 yards. Those things kick.

Like a rented mule!
There's 1/3 more felt recoil vs same weight x-bolt

 

[ReddingArcher]

A 300 wm in a tikka is not that fun to shoot. It takes a lot of concentration on form and trigger press. That’s my guess on the less than ideal groups. It could also be the ammo. Mine likes Barnes, Hornady precision hunter and cheap corelokt. A brake helps tremendously, mine is so much easier to shoot now that it’s braked. Even so it’s getting rebarreled to 6.5 prc. I don’t see the need to shoot a 300 anymore.

 

[ElPollo]

Like a rented mule!
There's 1/3 more felt recoil vs same weight x-bolt

I had a 300 WSM that I was getting 1.5-2” 10-shot groups out of. I thought the accuracy was pretty reasonable for what it was. But I sold it because I realized there was nothing I was likely to hunt in North America that required that much ass since the Pleistocene. I used to shoot kickers, but don’t care for it that much these days. I think it was the lightweight inline muzzleloader that made me say, “nah, I don’t need that”. That thing was pushing in excess of 50 ft/# of recoil energy and scoped me twice. If I can’t kill it with a 6.5 or smaller, I don’t need to hunt it.

 

[11boo]

Double ear pro, and this. 300wm, and it was painful after 6-8 shots, till I threaded and hung this on. Now it kicks less than my 308.

 

[LeftyWilbury]

adjust the trigger down. all my tikkas have aftermarket trigger springs in them except my T3 tactical. they're almost too light for hunting depending on how you like to roll. but you can get the factory pull down pretty low. i was shooting a buddy's .308 roughtech this morning. i have the same rifle in LH. we were shooting his rifle 1.5-2 moa at 100. he's not pleased with that performance. but i could FEEL that trigger as i was squeezing off the shot. my .308 roughtech is closer to 1.0-1.5 moa....with a way lighter trigger. and there's a lot more ammo out there for you to try....

i sight in a lot of friend's rifles. the .300 WM is not that much fun to go 10 rounds on in a hunting rifle.

 

[Pharmseller]

Like a rented mule!
There's 1/3 more felt recoil vs same weight x-bolt

That’s a bold statement. Share the physics with the class.





P

 

[KenLee]

P

That’s a bold statement. Share the physics with the class.





P

My old shoulder tells me so. It's measured felt recoil on quite a few rifles over the years.
Doubt you will find many folks who have shot both that will disagree. Wait, scratch that. The Tikka fanboys are delusional

 

[Kenn]

I got a Bell and Carlson stock and a Limbsaver for my Tikka 300WM and it made it bearable. The extra weight and wider recoil pad helped a lot. Still got weary of it after a few years and rebarreled it into a 6.5 PRC. A brake obviously helps more, but I'd like to keep the hearing I still have.

 

[Jack321]

What is the most shots fired per group?

I usually shoot 3 shot groups.

All my groups did the same, 2 close and then a flyer.

My last 2 groups, I was chuckling with my brother.

I shot 2 close, just left of center and the one flyer was 1.5in right.

I loaded 3 more rounds & two shots 1.5" right (right next the flyer from the previous group) and then the 3rd flyer went LEFT with the first two shots from the previous group!

If I would have taken a pic of those two 3-shot groups they would have looked excellent if they were each a 3 shot group! Two nice little triangles both in the 1 inch square boxes.....but 2 shots from one group & a flyer from each made em look better than they were.

My buddy shot his 3 shot group the first two shots were 1.5-2" apart, in a horizontal line & his 3rd shot was right in the middle of the first two....indicating that the 3 shot is probably POA.

 

[Wyo_hntr]

I would try 10rds per group.

 

[Jack321]

So I just checked the torque screws near the action to and tightened them to 42#s , the front one was almost at 42#s and the one near the trigger guard was a little more loose, not horrible, but I backed it off and retightenes it to 42#s.


Also checked the free float and was able to put a $1 bill all the way back as far as the picture shows.

Is that it? I'll be shooting it on Thursday....

 

[sbaker0029]

I usually shoot 3 shot groups.

All my groups did the same, 2 close and then a flyer.

My last 2 groups, I was chuckling with my brother.

I shot 2 close, just left of center and the one flyer was 1.5in right.

I loaded 3 more rounds & two shots 1.5" right (right next the flyer from the previous group) and then the 3rd flyer went LEFT with the first two shots from the previous group!

If I would have taken a pic of those two 3-shot groups they would have looked excellent if they were each a 3 shot group! Two nice little triangles both in the 1 inch square boxes.....but 2 shots from one group & a flyer from each made em look better than they were.

My buddy shot his 3 shot group the first two shots were 1.5-2" apart, in a horizontal line & his 3rd shot was right in the middle of the first two....indicating that the 3 shot is probably POA.

Those "flyers" aren't flyers, they're part of your guns actual group with that particular ammo.
If those shots are consistent "jumping" left for a good 3 shot group and the back to another tight group and back and forth and all in between and around those two groups, then that's the cone of all your shots. Adjust to center of the cone and you'll have your truest zero.

I know I'm not explaining it the best but watch this Hornady podcast. Actually watch and you might have to stop and rewatch a few sections, I know I did. Really shed some light on things and how a three shot group doesn't really tell you much.

 

[Ucsdryder]

That’s a bold statement. Share the physics with the class.





P

It’s not bold. It’s the truth. Those tikka stocks do not absorb recoil well. Changing to an aftermarket stock made a world of difference in my tikka, then I rebarreled it.

 

[Antares]

So I just checked the torque screws near the action to and tightened them to 42#s , the front one was almost at 42#s and the one near the trigger guard was a little more loose, not horrible, but I backed it off and retightenes it to 42#s.


Also checked the free float and was able to put a $1 bill all the way back as far as the picture shows.

Is that it? I'll be shooting it on Thursday....

Your stock is not free floated. You're hitting the "barrel bumps" in the picture. Shave them off with a chisel and sand out the barrel channel until you can easily get that dollar bill all the way back to the action.

 

[Macintosh]

OP, you didnt say if you had shot lighter-weight magnum rifles before. A 300 winmag in an 8 1/2lb unbraked rifle is punishing, and especially reading that your “fliers” are off horizontally my guess is that a good portion of what you are seeing is recoil management. You said you had other rifles you shoot better—do you have other lightweight heavy-recoiling rifles you shoot better? If no, that’d be my guess.

 

[Gila]

So I just checked the torque screws near the action to and tightened them to 42#s , the front one was almost at 42#s and the one near the trigger guard was a little more loose, not horrible, but I backed it off and retightenes it to 42#s.


Also checked the free float and was able to put a $1 bill all the way back as far as the picture shows.

Is that it? I'll be shooting it on Thursday....

Everything looks right. I would continue shooting 3 round groups so you can get a better comparison for improvement, if there is any. Check to see if the scope moved and check torque on mount - rings. Hornady superformance 180 gr SST ammo is very consistent. But a word of caution: IT BITES!