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TSR 1 or TAC A1
Trying to decide between the Tac A1 in 308 versus one of the TSR -1 . Have a torn rotator cuff and a my non threaded barrel regular 308 hunting rifle is to much recoil for my shoulder. The TSR-1 at 7.5 pounds is the same weight as my 308 hunting rifle, and I cannot see a muzzle break making a night and day difference in the 308 recoil. I would buy the TSR-1 in the softer shooting 260 Remington in a heartbeat, but 20 inches is the only barrel length the TSR-1 comes in. I have been told repeatedly the 260 Remington and 6.5 Creedmoor were intended to be used in a 24 inch barrel to get the most performance out of those rounds, and my concern is the 20 inch barrel on the TSR-1 would reduce the 260 ballistic performance we’ll below the 308 in the same 20 inch barrel. Would love to get some feedback from some experienced long range shooters.
Thank you
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5 Replies
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Hi as you say 20 v 24 is a compromise but on the 6.5 not has much as you think , to my understanding the 6.5 only looses about 17f/s Per inch, which in my opinion is not a great deal , you can ‘loose ‘ more loading for accuracy over speed , my 6.5 is on the lower end of the powder fill and have had no problem out to 900 meters , was going to take it out further this year but c-19 has got in the way ,
You will find the 6.5 / 260 a lot nicer to shoot on the recoil front , the tac A1 is a great rifle
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I have the Tac A1 in 24″ bbl and .308 and like it very much. The brake does indeed reduce the felt recoil. Since I haven’t hunted in a LONG time, the barrel length isn’t an issue but I do agree that you might lose more in a lower velocity but more accurate load than 4″ of barrel. I like the A1 as it has the folding stock and thus fits in a smaller bag. Now if I could force myself to quit carrying so much other stuff (ammo) it would be a lot lighter.
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Thank you Sgt45 and Larkin. I really appreciate your input.
I believe I would not have any recoil issue I couldn’t tolerate if I went with the 308 in the Tac A1with the 24 inch barrel. That rifle has a lot more weight to soak it up compared to the TSR-1. I would have already bought the TSR 1 in 260 if it came with 24 inch barrel. I was under the impression the 260/6.5 velocity loss with the four less inches would be quite a bit more than you described, so we are talking about just under 100 feet per second total loss. Its a long wait for a suppressor, and I’m guessing the 260 in the TSR 1 Mcree chassis would be just as tame without a muzzle brake as the 24 inch 308 Tac A1 with one, and anyone sitting next to me shooting would appreciate me not having the brake. I had one other shooter recommend me going with the 308 24 inch Tac A1, suggesting the newer generation T3X action is better than the older T3. And he also told me to go online and see how much easier it is to buy 308 than 260 Remington. I did some shopping and he was right about the 308 being a lot more plentiful. Our two largest gun dealers in Nashville did not have a single box of 260 Remington today. The ammo availability may end up ruling the day.
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Totally understand about ammo availability over here in England .260 is home load lonely , and 6.5 is hard to find and when you do it expensive .
You could try lighter bullets to reduce recoil , also over here when people are shooting Prl matches they add weights to the fore end make the rifle heavier / more stable , you could have a look at this , it would not be any good for hunting but will be fine on a range
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In a recent (fall/winter 2019) issue of Guns & Ammo Precision Rifle Shooter, editor Patrick Sweeney did a real-world velocity vs barrel length test with the 6.5 CM, by cutting off the barrel on a Model 700 Remington, 1″ each series of shots, and recording muzzle velocities. He used 6 different premium factory loads, starting with 24″ of barrel and ending with 7″, one inch at a time (and many sawzall blades later). Fun article, if you can find it online!
His results using lighter hunting loads (125-gr to 135-gr) showed an average decrease of just over ~100 fps between the 24″ and 20″ barrels, while heavier target ELD loads (140-gr to 147-gr) averaged ~80 fps difference.
When shooting targets or steel beyond ~300 yards, I want every fps my bullet can muster, meaning a longer barrel (SD & ED being equal). I am not a PRS competitor, but most of those guys shoot 26″ barrels (not for accuracy, but for velocity).
Enjoy!
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