[Robert_P]

Light gun + big cartridge = bunged up tips. My 300 wsm does the same.

I've been single feeding with a single shot follower- works quite well for me for now. 

We should be able to start machining our long action bottom metal & metal T3 magazines pretty soon (this is definitely a big reason why we want to make them). We hope to have it worked out by summer. It might be as simple as running a heavier spring in our metal T3 mags, or maybe machining stops into the sides of the mag well to catch the brass shoulder before the tip can contact the front of the mag.

[Robert_P]

Simply put- I've broken almost every one of the others I've tried, & haven't broken any of the four or five sets of Harris pods that I own. Jason is the only dude I've known to break a set of Harris bipods- and I'm not sure how he managed that…
On a side note- the last set of caldwells I bought did hold up pretty well- they liked to loosen themselves up fairly often, but didn't break. I ended up giving them away after about two years.
For a while I wanted to try atlas, but after watching a guy curse his on a muddy field course, I gave up on them. I'd love to get my mitts on the new Elite Iron setup, but they're pricey & I keep spending money on T3's!

[Robert_P]

I just put together a 223 ai T3 super light & picked the SWFA fixed 6x for it. With a total of 44.2 mils of erector travel, I should be able to dial out past 1k easily. I've taken it out to 430 fire forming cases & been happy with the setup. I will shoot some long shots with it, but it's primarily going to be a hunting rifle, and most shots will likely be way inside 200- so 6x works for me.

I'm saying all this to give you some context. I wouldn't skimp on bipods- it's Harris or bust for me (9-13 swivel with notches). I've never regretted going with simple, reliable glass & putting money into high quality components for the rest of the build. And for $300, you'll have a hard time finding a more reliable scope than the SWFA fixed powers. You can always bounce the scope onto another project later & upgrade the scope for this rifle, but you're likely to regret not going with Harris now.

Just my 2 cents…

[Robert_P]

Well done! And welcome to tikkashooters!

[Robert_P]

I have a 308 load for long stuff…

Be careful- it's not in any manuals. It's probably smart to start lower than I did with your charge weights.
The cartridge length is important with this one, too- gotta be 3″ plus to fit all the powder in there. 3.004″ is just where my seater wants to put em, and I'm not going to complain given its performance.
208 amax in CBC brass (don't laugh- they work!) over 48.3 grains of Reloader 17 & cci br2's- loaded at 3.004″ coal. I started @ 48 grains & worked up to 49 (popped a primer there & backed off). I ran 48.5 grains for awhile at 2640 fps, but it would pop primers if I fired more than 10-15 rounds in a string. It was holding .5-ish moa with that load. I backed it down to 48.3 & now it's .18 moa- I haven't chrono'd it since, but the dope hasn't changed out to 430 yards.
It's really hard on critters- they've all fallen over on the spot- no tracking 

There's a bit of recoil with this one- just sayin…

[Robert_P]

Hmmm, I've made a couple pokes with the Shamwow (not a Tikka), but with a Tikka? Probably this cow at 415 with the T3 lite 300 wsm. 208 amax over reloader 17 in win brass & cci br2's. MT parts list: Thumbhole Tactical stock, recoil lug, shroud, gen II steel rail, and muzzle break. And of course, limbsaver recoil pad. 

I'll work on some more respectable shots on canines this winter & see if I can get video of some longer shots on gophers next spring with the 223ai…

[Robert_P]

The first one on the list is the factory dimension drop in dbm. The long AICS compatible dbm comes later 🙂

[Robert_P]

I've seen me do it… But maybe I'm not?

[Robert_P]

Congratulations! I like that drop brow tine!

[Robert_P]

Heard rumor of 6.5×55 maybe coming to The States….

[Robert_P]

I got your email earlier, and I'm looking…

[Robert_P]

We feel your pain….
Our production schedule is brutal right now, but we have our own design in the works with anti-tilt follower & up to 10 rounds. We just need to get the stainless lugs, factory compatible dbm, and AICS compatible dbm done before we start machining them

[Robert_P]

We LOVE our 8 twist 223's!

[Robert_P]

One of the American Hunter prototypes in forest camo

[Robert_P]

Give us about a month….

We have bottom metal developed that will get you 3.625″ with the long AICS mags, but we find ourselves needing to replace a motor control board on the CNC before we can go into production.