I have a Tikka T3 in .308. It's the varmint model with the synthetic stock and heavy 24" stainless barrel. I like the way it fits and feels and would prefer not to trade it off, but the accuracy is not acceptable.

I can get MOA groups with some handloads, but all factory ammo I've tried (about eight boxes so far) shoots more like 4 MOA. I did not buy a heavy barrel gun for lousy accuracy. My accurate handloads have the bullets about .020 off the rifling, but they're at least .100 too long for the magazine.

I have glass bedded the action and even the scope mounts. I've tried two different scopes (currently using a Nikon Monarch 6.5 - 20). Can't think of any other "quick fixes".

What to do?

A .308 doesn't really need a 24" barrel, so shortening the barrel in hopes of changing the harmonics or whatever is just fine, but is there a chance it would help?

I would actually prefer to shorten it from the chamber end in order to get a new chamber with a shorter thoat so my handloads can reach the rifling and also fit the magazine. Feasible? Expensive?

Would it be cheaper/better to have a new, high quality barrel fitted?

If you're in the USA, call Score High Gunsmithing at 1-800-326-5632 and see about getting their $40 diagnostic. That way you have something to go on and aren't taking shots in the dark.

I know there's trouble out their for ALL rifle brands, but if you've got a Tikka that won't shoot it's the first I've seen and one of the few I've ever heard of. WHICH leads me to believe you might have some other perpheral problem. Have you checked all the obvious things?
I've shot over a dozen of the different variations, ie 595, 695, T3 etc. and own a T3 .270 that flat shoots like a laser. It is probably the single most accurate .270 I've ever shot and I've owned several, as it's one of my top favorites.

hey mark,4 sure keep that tika,a good friend of mine has a tika in 270 wsm and is a fantastic reloader he says the tika''s have a longer throth than his abolts ,i''d sugest geting your chamber re-cut with a match reamer, don''t cut that barrel,regards jjmp ps keep us posted!!!!!!

I saw a tikka that wouldn't shoot good groups. It was a .308 win. The front of the action wasn't square with the threads and the recoil lug wasn't part of the action in anyway, just kind of a block sitting under the action. I squared the front of the action and put a Remington style recoil lug on it. Also lapped the locking lugs and tightened up the headspace on it because it was on the long side. I also rebedded it in marine tex. It would shoot about anything under an inch after that and handloads ran from .3 to .7 for three shots at a 100.
timan

Yeah, that "recoil lug" is something else, isn't it? I also bedded my Tikka in Marine Tex. I bonded the recoil lug permanently to the stock. Seems to work ok that way.

At the moment, I'm leaning towards not changing anything. I shot some 1 inch 10-shot groups with my handloads today, and one semi-adequate group with Fusion ammo (best 5-shot factory group yet at about 1.3 inches).

I just think it's odd that all the factory ammo I've tried shoots so much worse than the handloads.

quote:

Originally posted by MarkL:
I just think it's odd that all the factory ammo I've tried shoots so much worse than the handloads.

You just now discovering that?