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Tikka T3 Thread

Ok. Here we go. Another Tact A1 praise-a-thon.
The first group is of shots 47-49. Second group is of shots 61-63.
All shot with 6.5 CM 140gr. FGMM @ 100y.
Speeds have been pretty consistent and SDs are typical for FGMM.
Once load development gets started, I’d be shocked if my groups can get any smaller.
I have done nothing to this rifle but lighten the trigger. Bone stock.

I may replace the barrel at some point, but for right now I’m very pleased with the platform.
Not my first Tikka, nor my last.
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If you have not begun load development yet, are you just shooting random loads?
Color me confused because load development is how I start, except for 3-5 factory rounds to zero the rifle.
 
If you have not begun load development yet, are you just shooting random loads?
Color me confused because load development is how I start, except for 3-5 factory rounds to zero the rifle.
Began with factory to break the barrel in. I had honestly planned on pulling the barrel and having one spun. The groups with box ammo went from .5” down to .3 within ten rounds. Hence my comment re: load development. Still have not run any of the loads I have waiting.
This has had nothing but factory ammo thus far.
 
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I have 2 rifles I claim not developed and it’s because 42.5 of 4350 under a 130 shoots so damned good that I never bother dicking with it
 
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Well, never been one to not admit when I was wrong.
Ma Smith was right. I got home, looked at the underside of 3 boxes of 75 ELD-M's, and low and behold it says 1:7" twist (in disagreement with Hornady's website which claims 1:8").

I've found eating crow ain't TOO bad with a little honey mustard.......
 
I was taught by Robert Gradous. This is no custom rifle, hell it’s not even a match grade barrel. Experience has shown me that speeds increase over time with a new barrel. Machine marks and imperfections wear away. Copper deposits and fouling build up and begin to add their own variable. That leads to tuned loads being less than true from new to break in and beyond.
Not sure of your experience, don’t really care. Coming from a bench rest background, I prefer methodology and consistency. This is a toy rifle to me. Honest to god, it performs far beyond what I ever dreamed and with off the shelf ammo at that.
I know no one who does load dev without a barrel break in period. If it works for you, drive on. However, from my mentor to everyone I have sat with, you break in a barrel before you develop a load. Some barrels require far less than others, this being factory, I give it a really strong handicap. Even after all of that, you expect to continue to tune as the barrel ages.
So: experience tells you that from beginning to end the barrel evolves constantly, yet you still deem there to be an end to the beginning. Alrighty then. Seems like an arbitrary ending to an arbitrary beginning that does not, indeed, end. Kinda like breaking in a vehicle’s engine, a process that just disappeared. The need to do so a Myth, a legend. Where are the disaster stories of those who failed to “break in” and regret the lack?
 
So: experience tells you that from beginning to end the barrel evolves constantly, yet you still deem there to be an end to the beginning. Alrighty then. Seems like an arbitrary ending to an arbitrary beginning that does not, indeed, end. Kinda like breaking in a vehicle’s engine, a process that just disappeared. The need to do so a Myth, a legend. Where are the disaster stories of those who failed to “break in” and regret the lack?
Thunderbolts and Lightning!
Very, very frightening me!
 

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Nice non sequitur.
I hate to be disrespectful to my elder, but it seems it will come across that way no matter how I phrase it.
Your philosophy is yours. Believe it or not, no one cares what you think or how you do it in the real world. However, i will entertain your last question with a simple answer. As requested, the disaster comes in the form of poor accuracy or repeatability.
Barrel break in refers to whatever steps the shooter chooses to undertake prior to settling on the best performing load for that rifle at that time.
There is no do all method, nor is there an industry standard. If you think zeroing your rifle with factory ammo and proceeding to try several recipes afterward is great, great. You do you amigo.

10-12k rounds annually have told me what I know to be correct for me. Since you are not shooting my rifles, you should probably be less concerned.

I shot this is a group shot from a Gradous rifle after break in and load development. 3 boxes of factory ELDM, cleaned/de-coppered. The group was from the second load I put together for the rifle. I used the method I was taught by the man who built the rifle.
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I generally don’t interact with trolls, but it’s Sunday and I have the time.
You seem to be the troll. Nevertheless, spending 100 rounds or 250 rounds and asking if I have lots of reloading mats seems odd, don’t you think? I have been shooting since the mid 70’s give or take and reloading the same period. Either a barrel is shooting fine after break in or it isn’t and I am not waiting and burning 250 rounds through a barrel before I start load development. You do you, but Until you actually try it differently, you are hardly the expert.
I would further submit this: when there is no question which is better, there will be no doubts. The results speak for themselves. If there is such a division in opinion on the subject, well then…. My barrel break in is like 3-5 rounds. Clean after each shot then to the normal cleaning schedule. That’s me. Works fine
 
No offense but that’s ridiculous.

Holy shit your boomer is showing.

If you want to waste your time working up a load before your barrel gets up to speed and like to change stuff around once it does, that’s on you.

For me, I’ll burn 200 in the dirt before I waste my time working up a load on a new barrel.
 
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Holy shit your boomer is showing.

If you want to waste your time working up a load before your barrel gets up to speed and like to change stuff around once it does, that’s on you.

For me, I’ll burn 200 in the dirt before I waste my time working up a load on a new barrel.
If you feel the need to “burn 200” then do it. Doesn’t change how I feel about it. I have never had to go back and redo load dev because suddenly 195 rounds later my groups began growing, or 100 rounds later, or 50 rounds later.
 
Dude. Your time in this discussion is over. You engaged me, so I get to pull the plug.
I don’t care if you were shooting with Samuel colt.
Btw, go back and reread my posts in response to you, never was the word expert mentioned. Come to think of it, a lot of the word salad you posted was never mentioned. So stop projecting and most of all, learn to play inter-webs better.
Peace out Mr. Quigley.
I never attributed any remarks to you beyond barrel break in. Period. You are making stuff up? Or just suffer reading comprehension issues? At any rate, have a great evening.
 
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Gentlemen this is the Tikka thread. If you wanna argue about when, how, or if you want to barrel break in or load development please take it elsewhere to a different thread. This isn't the place for it.
Yeah, sorry about my falling for a troll’s bait. I was rereading my own comments before I deleted them. I literally fell for it hook, line and sinker. All of it because of one sentence in my post. 😂
 
Kinda like breaking in a vehicle’s engine, a process that just disappeared. The need to do so a Myth, a legend.
Bad and wrong analogy, quite fitting for the point being made.
Break in of an engine is proven beyond any doubt with good methodology on dynos, many times.
It matters on an engine, and according to all data I've seen, it matters on a barrel.

Now please stop posting so many Tikkas that perform so damn well, I can't really afford one right now.
 
I've had plenty of barrels that the node shifted once the barrel sped up. You can think what you want, but he isn't wrong.
I remarked about a 250 shot break in. The barrel evolves over it’s lifetime. I too have had plenty of barrels and rifles over my life. First one was a 30-06. In ‘75 there was no internet to blindly follow. I do what works for me. A barrel doesn’t magically become great at 250 rounds.
 
I remarked about a 250 shot break in. The barrel evolves over it’s lifetime. I too have had plenty of barrels and rifles over my life. First one was a 30-06. In ‘75 there was no internet to blindly follow. I do what works for me. A barrel doesn’t magically become great at 250 rounds.

It's pretty common knowledge that a barrel speeds up around 200-250 rounds... Again, you can believe whatever fudd wisdom you want, but you're wrong.
 
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What is the percentage, how long the rifle is still a Tikka, if there is nothing else left, that action? :D
Took my 3 rifles to the range, only one is with the factory barrel, but trigger is from TRG.
2 with Krieger barrel, all are SS by the way now.
 
The cerakote jobs on those are absolutely killer. Hit him up on insta hoping he was stateside wanting to get a W3 painted up.
 
Back from the smith with a fresh Bartlein! Build is finally together, pushing right at 16lb with the bipod and balances 3 inches in front of the magwell with the m24 and no rear weights. Pretty close to exactly what I was aiming for.

Hopefully I can find some time to get it warmed up here soon.
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Back from the smith with a fresh Bartlein! Build is finally together, pushing right at 16lb with the bipod and balances 3 inches in front of the magwell with the m24 and no rear weights. Pretty close to exactly what I was aiming for.

Hopefully I can find some time to get it warmed up here soon.
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Sweet. I'm gonna do a W3 too. How long is that barrel?
 
Does anyone just use their Tikka as it came out of the box ?
My T3x 6.5 CM Lite has gone through a few iterations , but nothing like some of the beauties I see here .
I've recently just put it back to Factory with the exception of a Muzzle brake and a Comb Riser on the factory Stock ( had it in an Oryx for a while ) .
For my application ( Hunting to 350m / Farm Rifle ) its just seems appropriate / easier .
I love looking at all these wonderful builds , but has anyone else just gone back to basics ?
 
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Only change in my 2 is trigger springs,threaded for suppressor and magazines.That being said I am not a long range contest shooter,just a coyote hunter.
You’ve just reminded me about the Trigger spring .
Mine does have a lighter spring in it also , it was the first alteration I did after getting the Rifle and probably the best improvement for dollars spent .
 
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