We have a winner

Thumbcocker

Active Member
Took Mrs.Thumbcocker to the range with 3 rifles. Tikka .308, Ruger #1 .30-06, and Ruger 77 6.5x55.

Testing started with one round of factory ammo. Results 180 grain .30-06 NO! 150 grain .308 Not too bad. 6.5 x 55 fmj 160 (?) Grain. Not bad.

Next cast loads. .30-06 with Ranch Dog 165 fp and various charges of Reloader 7. Recoil was fine but accuracy was so so.

Ruger 6.5x55 with Lyman discontinued boolit that had the extra lube groove out on the nose. I think they were called silhouette. Charge was 4759. It would group 3 into an inch and then open up to 1 3/4 to 2".

Finally the Tikka .308. Ranch dog 165 fp. Powder was 31.0 of 842. This is a surplus powder that the vendor said to use H335 data for. When we chronographed this load last fall it had extreme spreads in the triple digits. Not encouraging. Velocity ranged from 1907 to 2102 on on string and 1981 to 2125 on the second string. Second string was 4 shots.

So we were not holding out a lot of hope but Mrs.Thumbcocker showed considerable snake eyed concentration.

Target is below. She then proceeded to shoot clay birds and clay bird bits for a while.

So we are looking for a Tikka T3x Lite compact. The one with the adjustable stock.
 

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fiver

Well-Known Member
velocity variations like that usually manifest themselves in vertical stringing, and the cure is to put more stuff in the case.
 
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oscarflytyer

Well-Known Member
Try that 6.5 with a 120-129 grn bullet! My Win FW is a cream puff! And deadly. Prefer the 6.5/7mm over 308 for our small Southern (and German) white-tailed deer. And does fine on hogs too. I really like the discontinued Speer 120 HotCor in the 6.5. 120-140 in 6.5 and 140-145 in 7mm (284 Win). Shoot well and you get to basically pick the deer up where you shot it. And recoil is much less than 308 in the 6.5s and 7s (like 7-08).
 

Thumbcocker

Active Member
velocity variations like that usually manifest themselves in vertical stringing, and the cure is to put more stuff in the case.
We tried more powder but accuracy fell off. The rounds are lightly crimped. Just a bit more than needed to take out the flare.
 

L Ross

Well-Known Member
We tried more powder but accuracy fell off. The rounds are lightly crimped. Just a bit more than needed to take out the flare.
We tried more powder but accuracy fell off. The rounds are lightly crimped. Just a bit more than needed to take out the flare.
You'll get it figured out. My young shootin' buddy has a stainless T-3 in .30-06. It starts to walk the group after 3 shots with jacketed but he never needs more than one.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
'stuff' isn't always more powder.

me and Littlegirl done a very lengthy write up [with pictures and chrongraph numbers] on using fast powders for cast loads.
we used three different rifles in the 7.65 argie because they all had different barrel lengths.
and H-322 to really show how the quicker powder would react to different barrel lengths and the 150+ fps velocity variations.
we then dropped back and punted, first with a primer swap, and then with a filler [2 different ones]
we showed the difference in group size, and the velocity that each barrel would produce without the variations.

it's long been removed from the site, but we put in three full weeks worth of work to get everything as close as possible throughout the whole test.
 

Rushcreek

Well-Known Member
A long time ago, I had a beautiful Ithaca LSA 55 deluxe .308 that was made by Tikka. With 130 gr hp Sierras going around 2900fps, it was a prairie dog's nightmare to well past 300 yards. Of course, young and dumb me sold it.
Those memories came back when I read of the T3 being introduced. I obtained the first one I saw, and still have it- a 22-250 T3 Hunter. Also a very accurate rifle; as is the 25-06 T3 Hunter I got for my 50th birthday.
Both rifles shoot cast well, but I have other rifles for that in more suitable chamberings.