From this picture you can imagine how I felt after dropping $1100 on this rifle and accessories:



Details:

Conditions: Around 70 deg, nice out. Light breeze (head wind)

I did a short break-in consisting of shoot 1, clean, shoot 1, clean for 10 rounds. Then, I cleaned, fired one fouler and let the barrel cool. I proceeded to shoot 3 3 shot groups while allowing the barrel to cool inbetween each shot. The picture is of the 3 groups.

I will remain optimistic and chalk this one up to cheap factory ammo. I bought the Fusions for the brass mainly. Now I have 20 new brass to get to work at the bench with as well as some 308 win brass.

Hopefully things will come together with good handloads. Right now its accuracy is on par with some of the worst shooting bolt rifles I've ever dealt with, more on par with some of the inaccurate lever guns I've used.

Like I said, I'll remain optimistic and still feel the rifle is constructed well for the money. I think some quality handloads will make things much better.

Reloader

Reloader

I would be tempted to say that your rifle does not like those fusions.

Funnily enough, my Montana 7mm08 likes them better than accubonds - that really surprised me as I thought that the Accubonds would be state of the art.

But it just goes to show - every rifle is different.

May be worth trying the 180gn Accubonds? Otherwise its over to handloading.

I would also put a few more rounds through that barrel and then return to the Fusions and give them another try- sometimes it takes a while for a barrel to settle down before they shoot their best.

At the end of the day if you cannot achieve around 1" moa don,t forget that the T3s come with a 1" accuracy garantee.

I would be surprised if you cannot get it to shoot something though.

mlg

Hmm must not like Fusions I have had good results with Fusions in a 308 and a 300 wsm but both of those guns shot anything well.

I just gave a Ruger Hawkeye 338 Federal a test run this weekend. The wind was very gusty to about 20 mph. Result for one 3 shot group each at 100 yards were:

7/8 inch for 210 NP Federal Factory
1 inch for 185 TSX Federal Factory
1 1/8 inch for 220 Fusion Federal Factory

Can you get the rifle bedded? That looks like its got some pressure somewhere. What about over tightening the action screws or some other problem. That just isn't right. There an issue somewhere!

I went to the range today with my new tikka t3 300 win mag. It was my 2nd trip out. On the first trip I loosened the action screws just a bit and took the gun and tapped it lightly on the bench with the recoil pad to try and seat the recoil lug. I felt one of the screws was definately overtightend at the factory.
Then I snugged them but not overtightening.

The gun shot some 3.5" groups at 300 yds using
various loads and the first cross hatch of the burris 3x9 ballistic plex scope. Today I went up to 75 grains of RE22 with the 180 ballistic tips. I thought I might get a better "site picture" if I used the main crosshair and it did look better. The wind was calm and I let 5 rounds go without letting the barrel cool just to see how it would react to heating. THE AMAZING RESULT is I got a .9" 5 shot group at 300 yds. A less than 1" group at 100 yds usually makes me smile with a hunting rifle and a 3x9 scope. I had a darn hard time not peeing my pants bringing that target back to the other 2 shooters that were there when it happened.

I hope your Tikka comes around....you might try some bt's and that little trick of loosening the screws and pointing the barrel straight up and tapping the recoil pad on the bench....it might help.

I've hardly ever heard of a bad tikka t3...I think you'll still wind up with a great gun after a bit of tinkering. Good Luck.

quote:

Originally posted by Reloader:
From this picture you can imagine how I felt after dropping $1100 on this rifle and accessories:



Details:

Conditions: Around 70 deg, nice out. Light breeze (head wind)

I did a short break-in consisting of shoot 1, clean, shoot 1, clean for 10 rounds. Then, I cleaned, fired one fouler and let the barrel cool. I proceeded to shoot 3 3 shot groups while allowing the barrel to cool inbetween each shot. The picture is of the 3 groups.

I will remain optimistic and chalk this one up to cheap factory ammo. I bought the Fusions for the brass mainly. Now I have 20 new brass to get to work at the bench with as well as some 308 win brass.

Hopefully things will come together with good handloads. Right now its accuracy is on par with some of the worst shooting bolt rifles I've ever dealt with, more on par with some of the inaccurate lever guns I've used.

Like I said, I'll remain optimistic and still feel the rifle is constructed well for the money. I think some quality handloads will make things much better.

Reloader

Maybe start with TSX's or Accubonds, they seme to bring out the best in a rifle.

If you are handloading the next rounds..

I read an article at Wally World in some gun rag, that was talking about reloading the 338 Federal...

Like I was busy thinking myself, they had real good luck with powder in the RL 10, RL 7, H 322, IMR 3031, W 748, H 335 range...

Reloader, I am having similar results with my Sako 85 in 338 fed. accubond factory, and reloads with accubond, and 210 part. H4895 and w748 powder. nothing better than 3" for 3 shots. Cryoed the barrel and action tonight, will try again this weekend.

Dan

I would think a 200 gr ballistic tip and Hornady SP would do very well. Anyone try them in the 338 Federal I would like to know.

Reading Ken Waters article from Handloader, the 200 Btip was his best bullet tried, did not use Hornady's, but I'd be willing to bet they do very well as Hornady's always shot well in anything I have used them in.

maybe the gun needs to be fouled for 15-20 shots before it will shoot well. Some guns do not shoot well clean, my Weatherby MarkV 30-06 shoots terrible groups until 15 or so have been down the pipe. I don't clean it much anymore and it shoots into an inch at 100 meters with 180 protected point Noslers partitions...

Great point, had old sako and Rem 600's with pitted bores same thing.....shot well when fouled.

I doubt that new Tikka or any current made rifle would have that rough a bore, BUT some owners clean so much trying to break a new barrel in when new that the barrel has no chance to settle, perhaps not showing it's potential. Great point. Many would be amazed at how seldom I clean compared to what I used to do, and others, and to see the accuracy I often get...... I think you clean when needed, but 'too frequent' cleaning can be detrimental, or at best, not helpful.

My Tikka 300win seems to like a dirty, by my standards,barrel. 5 or 6 shots and it settles down real nice. I can hold 3in groups at 300yds with a fouled barrel

/

I've purchased a box of the 200 Hdys and a box of the 200 CTNBTs. I believe I should be able to stumble onto a few good loads with H4895, H335, or Benchmark.

Now that Turkey season is wrapped up, I'll be tinkering with this one for a while before it gets too hot.

Reloader

reloader, your groups show this barrel is still green,with respect it just needs more tlc and shooting,late last spring i bought a used like new sako 75 stw ss syn. took it out and it shot very similiar groups to what you posted,bought a new 6mm-ppc sako rifle years back shot the same , traded it for another caliber, didn't finish the brake in even, my point is i see very few new rifles that drive tacks being brand new or new used with their barrels not broke in!!!, i don't care what the manufacture says, they all need their barrels shot enough to brake them in,my stw started really shooting after 60 some re-loads through her,JB's bore paste is made of vegtable matter and it will -NOT!!! hurt the bore, but can speed up the brake in process,Patience, good cleanings good re-loads she'll come around,ps i use sierras bullets to brake in my barrels, barnes tsx bullets are way 2 soft to shoot in a green barrel, regards 2 all , hope i helped some ,jjmp