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Expected Accuracy at 100 yds for T3 Sporter
Posted by mjolnir2thor on November 6, 2011 at 1:13 amFolks,
This is my very first Sako/Tikka rifle so I was wondering if the rifle is capable of shooting a 3 shot 100 yd group at <= 1 MOA with 223? -Thanks!
Jason_McHann replied 12 years, 5 months ago 4 Members · 4 Replies -
4 Replies
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1 Bullseye
I would be very surprised if it didn't shoot under 1″, I think you will be very happy with the results. I have a T3 270win & 243win and my uncle has 22-250 & 270wsm they all shoot under 1″ with handloads.
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15 Bullseyes
I agree. My .223 never shot over an inch with factory ammo and shoots .25moa consistently with handloads.
The challenge with a Tikka is shooting as good as the gun 😉
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1 Bullseye
Gents,
New here to the forum, but I am a true Tikka Junkie.
Bought my first one when I was in a local gun shop, asked the guy if he had any bull barrelled tack driving 223's. He said here try this… pulled a used Tikka T3 Stainless Lite in 223 and handed it to me. I went to hand it right back and said I was looking for a tack driver, not a sporter. He said hold on, and went in the back room, came back with a handful of targets all of them with ragged one hole groups. He said it was his rifle and that the only reason he was selling it was because he wanted to move up to a 22-250. He said that if I bought the rifle, used his documented load, and it didn't shoot like that, he would buy the rifle back for what I bought it for. It was too good to be true…
I didn't even shoot it yet, but I almost traded it for a ruger 77V in 223… Man that would have been a mistake.
I loaded to the former owners spec's and if that dog-gone rifle didn't shoot 1/2 moa. It was a sub 7 lb rifle with scope and shot on par with some of my heavy barreled “Precision Rifles”.
A month or so went by and I have had an itch for something in the 6.5 cal. I called the same gun shop and asked Mark to order me a Tikka T3 Stainless Lite in 260 Remington. He asked if I had considered a 6.5×55 as all of the Tikka's are long actions anyhow, and the 6.5×55 could hold more powder than the 260. I hopped on the Internet and did some research on the 6.5×55. Within 3 hours, I called him back and told him to order the rifle in 6.5×55. Ordered on Tues, was in his shop on Thursday.
I worked two loads for the rifle. 142 SMK's and 120 Nosler Ballistic Tips. I have to say, that the 6.5×55 is the MOST ACCURATE rifle that I own. If the 223 shot well, the 6.5 shot FABULOUS! I selected the 120 Ballistic Tip for my whitetail load. Just before last deer season, I was shooting at my buddy's property and put 3 rounds into 3/4″ at 200 yards.
Then a couple of months went by and I had a hankering for a magnum rifle. I called the same shop and told Mark to order me the same rifle in 300WSM. I screwed around with some 168 Amax bullets and RL-17. I will say that this rifle is not a pleasure to shoot off the bench with snotty loads… maybe that is why I was only able to achieve 1moa results with that load. I was a little disappointed and the rifle sat for the better part of a year. A couple of months ago, I figured that I needed to give it another go. This time I loaded up some 150 Ballistic Tips over the RL-17. Found a load a grain or two under max charge that will clover leaf the rounds at 100 yds.
Finally, I had a 243 Remington Mod 7 Preditor that my buddy fell in love with. It shot well, but I figured if he wanted it, I could easily replace it with yet another Tikka. He took it and within weeks I had a 4th T3 Stainless Lite in the safe. This one was almost too easy. First outing, found two loads with 85 Sierra HPBTs that would shoot into one small ragged hole. I was happier than a kid on Christmas morning.
So there you go, 6.5 lb rifles that will shoot with $3k custom built rifles… What is not to love.
I have recommended these rifles to anyone who will listen to me. My buddies often look at me with Sceptisism… then they hold them… then they shoot them………….. sooner or later, they will buy one.
I install EGW rails on all of the rifles (I'm a bit of a nut and change scopes on a regular basis) and they have worked real well for me. I just started replacing the standard rails with the HD rails as they are a bit lower.
I did install a brake and De-Accellerator pad on the 300WSM… that thing is a cannon! Can't even imagine one of those rifles in 338 Win Mag. But just like my 300WSM, they are great to carry and anyone can tolerate the recoil for one shot… as we all know, the Tikka will throw that bullet exactly where you are aiming.
The triggers are (I'm going to go out on a limb here and may get flamed if there are any “Savage” fans out there) the best triggers on a factory rifle.
I always tell people, sure you can buy a Rem, Win, Sav…. but if you want a rifle that will shoot (and I mean SHOOT) right out of the box… Get a TIKKA! I have many rifles in my collection, all of them will shoot, just a matter of how much time and money you want to put into them to get them to shoot as well as my Tikkas.
The Finn's know a thing or two about building rifles. I also own two Sako rifles. A 75 in 25-06 (bought used) and is the best shooting 25-06 I have. Got 3 of them. Got a TRG 42 in 338 Lapua that is an absolute tack-driver. I have read on other forums guys yucking up the Savage 338LM…. Was thinking to myself, if my TRG shot group like that… I would be looking to see which screw came loose.
Well, Time to get off my soap-box, looking forward to chatting with some other folks who know a good thing when they see it. To the OP who asked what kind of accuracy to expect from a Tikka… My reply would be “About the same as if you went out and spent $3k on a custom rifle”. One thing that I should mention, I am a firm believer in putting as much into my optics as I put into the rifle. Don't put $59 dollar scope on a rifle and get upset when the accuracy isn't what you expected.
S/F
Mike
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15 Bullseyes
Welcome to the club Mike!
You're in the right place for Tikka lovers. I look forward to hearing more of your Tikka tails!
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