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Tikka Reloading question
About to start reloading for my new 260 remington laminated tikka, going to test load the 142 grain Nosler accubond long range and the hornady amax 140 grn, how do Tikkas usualy do with sami spec OAL ?? do they usually like a longer seated bullet? or Sami Spec ?? thanks for any help, I think 2.8 inches is the standard OAL for the 260 Rem.
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8 Replies
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Hi with my .223 I've just finished tests to see which is the best O.a.l for my rifle , the nearer I got to the lands the grouping opened up more and more, so for my rifle I'll be sticking to 0.040 off . But all rifles are different, it also depends on what grouping your after , I was trying to reduce mine to under .3 moa .
Also you might be restricted by the magazine on the O.a.l -
I have no Tikka experience, but my new Tikka Varmint in .223 will be here soon; however, I do have a lot of experience in loading for precision rifles. There's nothing magic or different about a Tikka. You have to experiment with different distances off the lands with different loads and bullet designs, for optimal accuracy, as with any other rifle.
I usually start at about .010″ off the lands and work out to see what happens to the groups.
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Great points by both guys above…reloading is reloading, the rifle will tell you what it likes.
I reload and shoot 4 different Tikka rifles on a regular basis (300wsm, 30-06, 308, 223)…all 4 rifles are T3's…all 4 rifles have a sweet spot at approximate .040 – .050 off the lands…I've experienced the same thing Larkin mentioned above, close / touching the lands did not work in any of my 4 test guns. I hunt with all calibers so I never jam bullets and always look for the magic number at least .030+ off the lands for a hunting round used everyday in the field.
You will need to load beyond Sami spec length for the Nosler 142 Accubond LR…it has a long ogive so its likes to be seated out there, I load this same bullet in 190gr for my 300wsm. I normally load to max mag length and start from there with various powder charges if the gun will cycle the round with no markings from touching the lands.
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Thanks for the helpful advice everyone! I loaded some test rounds up in 3 round batches, and got to this beauty, 43 grains of H4350 , nosler custom brass and nosler 142 grn ABLR seated to spec at 2.8 overall length. Chronographed at 2660 fps out of my 22 7/16 barrel. Group is is slightly sub Moa at .230 . It's a keeper I think![img][/img]
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While it's true that I've done a lot of loading (I'm a class 06 manufacturer.), I also don't care to reinvent the wheel. ;D Accordingly, I'm not going to start as close to the lands as I typically have done in the past. Based on the experiences posted in this thread, I'll start at maybe .030″-or-so and see how it goes.
I'm kind of committed to WC844 powder, which loads like H335, since I have about 100# on hand. However, I'll try several different bullet weights and designs to see what my rifle likes.
I'm kind of skeptical about my 1-10″ barrel's ability to stabilize 69gr SMKs, but I'm going to give them a try, anyhow. Just received a box of 250, 50gr Vmaxes, which I know will do well. Also have some 55gr Hornady hollow point match, a bunch of Hornady 55gr bulk fmj, etc.
My Tikka will be here tomorrow (Wed.). I'm pretty stoked about getting out to the range.
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My experience in shooting groundhog targets @ 100/200/300 yds is that the 223 69 SMKs will stabilize in my T3 Lite 1:10. Results have been variable, though. Have more confidence in 64 Berger FB Varmint Match bullets, which are consistently under .75 @ 100, and sometimes 'way under.
Just got the same rifle in 1:8 twist, so I can use the 77SMK and 80.5 Berger Full Bore. Results so far are very promising. Other competitors have had consistently good results with these bullets in their 1:8 T3s.
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Slightly sub moa? More like sub .5 moa lol unless I read that wrong. Nice job!
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My new Tikka .223 Varmint arrived a couple of days ago. Took it out to the local WMA range and sighted it in, using some bulk .223 ammo that I'd loaded rapidly on my 650.
I'm pleasantly stunned at the accuracy. Having done no load development, etc., I shot a .356″, five-shot group right after I got it sighted in. I moved the p.o.i. up to about 1″ above center after this pic was made.
Although Bud's advertised the rifle as a 10″ twist, it's the more desirable 8″! Got a bunch of 69gr. SMKs that I'll be loading soon.
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