My Tikka T3X TAC A1 is on the way ...

[rustyinbend]

... chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. Shows up on Christmas Eve (Merry Christmas to ME). I have a Leupold 5-25 Mark-5 on an ADM 20-MOA mount waiting for it. I'll get the barrel broken in, scope zero'd, LabRadar'd for velocity, and then take it out to our "Gong Range" that has steel every 100 yards out to 2,000 yards ... to see what I can hit. I'm looking for anyone out there that wants to share "Tips, Tricks, and Traps" specific to this rifle in it's "Out of the Box" configuration. My MPA 300WMBA is my "mile shooter", but I'm interested to see how far I can get this new Tikka to shoot accurately. Any Tikka-specific advice is appreciated. (Shooting Hornady 147 ELD-Match ammo.) (Ballistics via Kestrel Elite.)

 

[EM92wx]

I think FaceBk has a group for this rifle.

 

[Dynowhite]

I'm not sure you're gonna like the Tikka-specific advice you get.

 

[XLR308]

That is a hell of a nice rifle, I have handled and looked at them occasionally in one of the LGS near me.
I don't personally own one but my advise would be to get it set up and go shoot it rather than let anyone else's opinions make thier way into your head before getting to run it through its paces.

 

[Screehopper]

take it out to our "Gong Range" that has steel every 100 yards out to 2,000 yards ... to see what I can hit.

Ooooo, envious of your 2000 yd "Gong Range".

 

[Gunfighter716]

Tip #1 - Don't drop it on the bolt handle

 

[Jefe's Dope]

Love mine. It shoots.

 

[salks]

Its a great rifle . I have one . Even had it re barreled in 6mm creedmore. It shot great right out of the box . The only issue with them is re-barreling is kind of a pain and I wish they came with a 20 MOA rail. My lands eroded in the stock barrel ,seemed like once they started to go they went quickly. I don't even know how many rounds it had through it. Didn't really keep track somewhere around 1700 I bet. Used it for PRS so it would get pretty smoking hot.

 

[rustyinbend]

Thanks guys ... I've always appreciated the "Advice with Attitude" that I get here. I got a smokin' good deal on this rifle, so I'm going to shoot it a while, and see what I think. I'll do the same thing I do with all my rifles ... either love it and keep it, or hate it and sell it. I have a LWRCI REPR Mark-4 Elite in 6.5-CM, and it's an absolute nail-driver, but it's semi-auto and I'm trying to accumulate more bolt-action rifles ... just in case the laws in my currently gun-friendly state start to change. I hope I'm never put in that place where I have to decide between compliance with the law, and liberties guaranteed in the Constitution.

 

[rustyinbend]

Its a great rifle . I have one . Even had it re barreled in 6mm creedmore. It shot great right out of the box . The only issue with them is re-barreling is kind of a pain and I wish they came with a 20 MOA rail. My lands eroded in the stock barrel ,seemed like once they started to go they went quickly. I don't even know how many rounds it had through it. Didn't really keep track somewhere around 1700 I bet. Used it for PRS so it would get pretty smoking hot.

What were the "symptoms" of that barrel erosion? Just curious if it was a predictable degradation in some measurable element (lower velocity, looser groups, distance accuracy, etc.). What did it look like on an endoscope, if you looked at it through one. Just curious ... 1,700 rounds is kind of a low round count to tank a barrel. I'll shoot that out of this in a year or two.

 

[DMP]

I wish my TAC 1 had a 20 rail as standard. I ended up putting a Sphur mount on. Wanted to reach a mile with my turret. I have wondered if Tikka and Sphur are business cousins ?

 

[rustyinbend]

I wish my TAC 1 had a 20 rail as standard. I ended up putting a Sphur mount on. Wanted to reach a mile with my turret. I have wondered if Tikka and Sphur are business cousins ?

Learned that early as I was researching which 6.5-CM bolt action I wanted ... I have a 20-MOA scope mount showing up about the same time the rifle arrives. That, and the very capable Leupold Mark-5 I have, will give me about 100-MOA of upward range. That "should" be enough to get me as far as my meager skills will take me.

 

[DMP]

Learned that early as I was researching which 6.5-CM bolt action I wanted ... I have a 20-MOA scope mount showing up about the same time the rifle arrives. That, and the very capable Leupold Mark-5 I have, will give me about 100-MOA of upward range. That "should" be enough to get me as far as my meager skills will take me.

I had to get the Sphur to allow for my 56mm objective to clear the full length rail of that TAC A1.

 

[rustyinbend]

I had to get the Sphur to allow for my 56mm objective to clear the full length rail of that TAC A1.

So far, I've been good on flat rails and big objective lenses with the standard height Recon-AD mount from American Defense Manufacturing. Have an Athlon Cronus 4.5-29x56 on a flat-rail LWRCI REPR in 6.5 Creedmoor and it's got a nice amount of clearance. Not a lot, but enough. I'll know later this week if I've got a problem there and need a higher mount.

I really like the QD mounts from ADM ... got several, and they return to zero really well when I take them off and on.

 

[salks]

What were the "symptoms" of that barrel erosion? Just curious if it was a predictable degradation in some measurable element (lower velocity, looser groups, distance accuracy, etc.). What did it look like on an endoscope, if you looked at it through one. Just curious ... 1,700 rounds is kind of a low round count to tank a barrel. I'll shoot that out of this in a year or two.

Never really looked at it. Pretty much just started loading rounds to fit mag rather than checking land dimension after awhile chasing lands was pointless. It would still shoot good groups here and there POI would shift a lot.