Reloading for New Tikka

[Rooggvc]

I have a new Tikka 6.5 coming. I have read several articles on barrels speeding up after 100-200 rounds. When I developed a load for my 7 Saum I ran about 150 rounds down the barrel before I started my actual load development.

How many of you guys do a similar thing? Or do you just start your load development right from the get go?

 

[ID_Matt]

I start my load development from the get go, no reason to waste barrel life/components in my opinion. Generally, when I find a load early on I will note the velocity that it shot best at. When the barrel speeds up and if groups open, I will do a small powder charge ladder and lower the charge to where the velocity was when it shot good. That seems to have worked for me to maintain accuracy. Example, the last creed I loaded for started out at 42.0 grains of H4350 and 2750 or so after a couple hundred rounds had sped up 80 FPS or so, so I just lowered the powder charges and shot groups at 41.2, 41.5, and 41.8. Found the node back at 2750 and it shot great.

 

[Rooggvc]

That makes a lot of sense and will save me a lot on components. Thanks for that.

 

[Tahoe1305]

Take advantage of the extra freebore. Measure it out and load out to lands. “Should” be a bit longer than SAAMI and snag you some extra performance.

 

[Rooggvc]

That's what I planned. I am going to be running Berger's 140 Elite Hunters so I was going to do their recommended seating depth test. Hopefully it likes them long.

 

[Firestone]

I bought one this spring that went from 2715 to 2780 after a couple hundred. Has stayed there and I am at 1300 rounds through it now. 42gr h4350 and 140eldms

 

[Harvey_NW]

I start my load development from the get go, no reason to waste barrel life/components in my opinion. Generally, when I find a load early on I will note the velocity that it shot best at. When the barrel speeds up and if groups open, I will do a small powder charge ladder and lower the charge to where the velocity was when it shot good. That seems to have worked for me to maintain accuracy. Example, the last creed I loaded for started out at 42.0 grains of H4350 and 2750 or so after a couple hundred rounds had sped up 80 FPS or so, so I just lowered the powder charges and shot groups at 41.2, 41.5, and 41.8. Found the node back at 2750 and it shot great.

This ^

That's what I planned. I am going to be running Berger's 140 Elite Hunters so I was going to do their recommended seating depth test. Hopefully it likes them long.

If you have a length you want to be at do way tighter increments than the Berger recommendation, that's a rough in and you'll pass a node up with that big of jumps. I just did a seating test in .010" increments with 133 elites in my 25 creed and first group .010" off the lands stacked them tight. Doing seating test first at a starting or mild charge makes powder test results a lot more defined, IMO.

 

[Lawnboi]

For the first hundred or two I’d just cram 41.5 of h4350 in a Lapua case and set coal for 2.81 from the book.

That load will also likely shoot with anything else your going to try to ‘tune’.

The above has been a load that has worked for 4 saami 6.5 creed chambers now. Last barrel was easy cause I just did the same as the others.

140 elite hunters are not sensitive to seating depth. Any hybrid ogive Berger would be my preference.

 

[ID_Matt]

For the first hundred or two I’d just cram 41.5 of h4350 in a Lapua case and set coal for 2.81 from the book.

That load will also likely shoot with anything else your going to try to ‘tune’.

The above has been a load that has worked for 4 saami 6.5 creed chambers now. Last barrel was easy cause I just did the same as the others.

140 elite hunters are not sensitive to seating depth. Any hybrid ogive Berger would be my preference.

Agree with not being sensitive to seating depth. The last 4 or 5 guns I have loaded for I didn't test seating at all. Picked a length based on a guess - mag length, neck/shoulder junction, or 30-60 thou off and ran with it. Only had a few that were pretty sensitive and those ones ended up liking a ton of jump - like .110.

 

[Rooggvc]

I am excited to try them. I ran some 184's in my SAUM and they didn't seem to mind on the seating depth.