I am new to Snipershide, but have been reading it for several months. Just began shooting a rifle about 6 months ago and have really enjoyed shooting. First bolt gun a Tikka .223 that shoots really well. I joined a gun club about a month ago, and decided, after doing alot of research here, to upgrade to a Sako TRG 22 .260 as my second rifle. The ergonomics and feel of the gun seem perfect for me. Since my gun club has a max 200 yard range I am limited to that distance, so at the present time my options to move up to longer range shooting is limited. I live in the Kansas City area, and hope to find a club or range within reasonable distance to move out the targets as I improve my skills. At my range session today with the TRG and Corbon 123 gr. Scenar ammunition I shot 4 five shot groups with an average group center to center as measured with Ontarget software of .454 moa, with a best group of .315 moa. I am thinking about investing in the equipment to start reloading, because I have found that once you start down this road you can never be precise enough. Does anyone have experience comparing a quality handload to Corbon 123 gr. in a .260 TRG? Can one expect much improvement from a handload? Thanks for your input, and I look forward to participating in this forum going forward.
New member, new gun
- Thread starter dgatch
- Start date
Re: New member, new gun
1st off welcome aboard and you'll find that there is alot of knowledge around here.
2nd save yourself some trouble, by that I mean getting bashed by the elders, and locate the search function on the right side about half way down."snipers hide search engine"
Now onto the OP. Nice first rifle and probably an excellent choice for a second. I would imagine that once you find the proper load that your rifle likes, yes it will be more accurate. The chore to that is alot of experimenting with different loads. I have no experience with the TRG or the 260, so I'm not gonna comment on either, but in general you can expect nominal to very marked improvement, depending on what your particular gun likes.
Goodluck, Jason
1st off welcome aboard and you'll find that there is alot of knowledge around here.
2nd save yourself some trouble, by that I mean getting bashed by the elders, and locate the search function on the right side about half way down."snipers hide search engine"
Now onto the OP. Nice first rifle and probably an excellent choice for a second. I would imagine that once you find the proper load that your rifle likes, yes it will be more accurate. The chore to that is alot of experimenting with different loads. I have no experience with the TRG or the 260, so I'm not gonna comment on either, but in general you can expect nominal to very marked improvement, depending on what your particular gun likes.
Goodluck, Jason
Re: New member, new gun
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dgatch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I am thinking about investing in the equipment to start reloading, because I have found that once you start down this road you can never be precise enough.</div></div>
Wise decision. Not only can you tailor made your loads but you will also save money in the long run. In the short you'll spend quite a lot more though.
You do have good taste in guns, I have to tell you that! I just got back from a range where I was sighting in a few hunting rifles and tested a new load for my T3 Varmint. 6mm 3 shot group + 5 shot 8mm group shooting a 75gr A-Max. For a first try with this bullet on consecutive series is pretty good for a factory rifle I think. The trigger on that TRG should help you tremendously on getting nice groups, even if would be slightly better than the T3 Varmint trigger.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dgatch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I am thinking about investing in the equipment to start reloading, because I have found that once you start down this road you can never be precise enough.</div></div>
Wise decision. Not only can you tailor made your loads but you will also save money in the long run. In the short you'll spend quite a lot more though.
You do have good taste in guns, I have to tell you that! I just got back from a range where I was sighting in a few hunting rifles and tested a new load for my T3 Varmint. 6mm 3 shot group + 5 shot 8mm group shooting a 75gr A-Max. For a first try with this bullet on consecutive series is pretty good for a factory rifle I think. The trigger on that TRG should help you tremendously on getting nice groups, even if would be slightly better than the T3 Varmint trigger.
Re: New member, new gun
Those are great groups, with practice I hope to get better, but I doubt I will ever get that good! My best 5 shot group with the Tikka .223 is .335 with Fiocchi 77gr. Exacta ammo, which in my gun shoots better than FGGM 77gr. I have never, however, shot 4 sub .5 moa 5 shot groups consecutively like I have done with the TRG. I do think the 2 stage trigger is fantastic, and easily adjustable. I have dialed it down to 2 pounds and I think this helps with consistency. Since I am about to begin reloading, let me ask, were you testing the AMAX bullet for hunting purposes only? What powder and bullet combination do you prefer for purely target shooting, if you have a preference.
I appreciate any input.
Those are great groups, with practice I hope to get better, but I doubt I will ever get that good! My best 5 shot group with the Tikka .223 is .335 with Fiocchi 77gr. Exacta ammo, which in my gun shoots better than FGGM 77gr. I have never, however, shot 4 sub .5 moa 5 shot groups consecutively like I have done with the TRG. I do think the 2 stage trigger is fantastic, and easily adjustable. I have dialed it down to 2 pounds and I think this helps with consistency. Since I am about to begin reloading, let me ask, were you testing the AMAX bullet for hunting purposes only? What powder and bullet combination do you prefer for purely target shooting, if you have a preference.
I appreciate any input.
Re: New member, new gun
Ideally I would like to keep it all Finnish; gun (Tikka & SAKO), powder (Vihtavuori), brass (Lapua), bullets (Lapua), shooter (me). In reality I mix things up just because it's more practical (and cheaper). For target shooting I mostly use Hornady A-Max or Lapua Scenar bullets. If I can get good performance out of that 75gr A-Max on pigs I might start using it on deer as well, otherwise I will be using .260 on them.
For the TRG, you can't go wrong with 6.5mm Scenars.
Ideally I would like to keep it all Finnish; gun (Tikka & SAKO), powder (Vihtavuori), brass (Lapua), bullets (Lapua), shooter (me). In reality I mix things up just because it's more practical (and cheaper). For target shooting I mostly use Hornady A-Max or Lapua Scenar bullets. If I can get good performance out of that 75gr A-Max on pigs I might start using it on deer as well, otherwise I will be using .260 on them.
For the TRG, you can't go wrong with 6.5mm Scenars.
Re: New member, new gun
I have a bunch of once fired Lapua brass in both .223 and .260 for use when I start to reload (Corbon uses Lapua brass). I am also partial to Scenars, I have had good results with both the 69gr. in .223 and the 123gr. in .260. Which VV powder do you like with your .223 loads?
I have a bunch of once fired Lapua brass in both .223 and .260 for use when I start to reload (Corbon uses Lapua brass). I am also partial to Scenars, I have had good results with both the 69gr. in .223 and the 123gr. in .260. Which VV powder do you like with your .223 loads?
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