I’ve got an OG Tikka T3 SS in 243. I’ve never had it group well. My other rifles have been fine, but this one, the oldest one… just drives me crazy. I’ve tried a number of factory ammo options and never had success. I gave up on it for several years, but lately I’ve been troubleshooting and trying to figure out what is going on. First, I learned it’s a slow twist 1:10 and most of the bullets I’ve been shooting have been in the 90-100gr range. It’s probably going to get thrown in a Rokstok and see if it helps at all. I’m looking for options and ideas. I’ve got a 223, 6.5, and 7mm in the stable already. I’m not sure of my appetite for spending a bunch of money on the rifle unless it’s going to magically become a tack driver.
1. Try new ammo now that I know my twist is not 1:8. Only the super light varmit bullets (65gr) will stabilize, according to the Berger calculator. Perhaps this is why my groups have been so bad?
2. Sell it. I think it has maybe 200 rounds down the pipe and it’s in great condition, except for a scratch on the barrel. I’ve rarely used it. Mainly it’s been shot on the range trying to figure it out. Getting a few hundred dollars for it would probably be worth it.
3. Turn it into a project rifle. Rechamber it to some flavor of 6mm, maybe? With the slow twist rate, I may be forced to rebarrel it. I really don’t want to spend $1000 to upgrade a $400 rifle.
Open to any ideas here. Thanks
1. Try new ammo now that I know my twist is not 1:8. Only the super light varmit bullets (65gr) will stabilize, according to the Berger calculator. Perhaps this is why my groups have been so bad?
2. Sell it. I think it has maybe 200 rounds down the pipe and it’s in great condition, except for a scratch on the barrel. I’ve rarely used it. Mainly it’s been shot on the range trying to figure it out. Getting a few hundred dollars for it would probably be worth it.
3. Turn it into a project rifle. Rechamber it to some flavor of 6mm, maybe? With the slow twist rate, I may be forced to rebarrel it. I really don’t want to spend $1000 to upgrade a $400 rifle.
Open to any ideas here. Thanks