Gtscotty
Member
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2007
- Messages
- 3,635
So I picked up my new Tikka CTR .308 on Tuesday and finally mounted an SS 12x42mm scope on top and got it out to the range today. I've had other blued Tikka's before, and the finish used on the barrel and receiver of this CTR seems different, almost like the smooth coating that Glock used to use on their slides. Also, instead of the usual stainless Tikka bolt, the bolt on this rifle seems to have some kind of polymer coating or tough paint on the exterior. I really like everything about this rifle except the price of magazines... While the TRG22 magazine slides easily into place, locks securely and feeds well, I really can't see myself buying an extra for ~$200. Other than the magazine though, this rifle is going to be great for medium range steel smacking and suppressed deer/antelope hunting.
The targets below are from my first stab at some 168gr Nosler HPBT and IMR 4064 loads. I loaded all of these rounds with the bullets .030 off the lands, and even though this is the only bullet/powder combination I've tried, things look very promising already.
(It was starting to get dark outside by the time I shot this load, so I think I was the main reason this group is larger than the others, I'll definitely have to re-shoot this load to see how it does under better conditions)
I plan on doing some refinement on these loads, but honestly, I don't think I can reliably shoot much better than the groups shown, so it might not be worth expending the components to do too much more development for 168gr bullets. After I decide I'm done working on the 168gr loads, I plan on seeing what the rifle will do with 155gr HPBT's, 175gr HPBT's and some hunting bullets.
The targets below are from my first stab at some 168gr Nosler HPBT and IMR 4064 loads. I loaded all of these rounds with the bullets .030 off the lands, and even though this is the only bullet/powder combination I've tried, things look very promising already.
(It was starting to get dark outside by the time I shot this load, so I think I was the main reason this group is larger than the others, I'll definitely have to re-shoot this load to see how it does under better conditions)
I plan on doing some refinement on these loads, but honestly, I don't think I can reliably shoot much better than the groups shown, so it might not be worth expending the components to do too much more development for 168gr bullets. After I decide I'm done working on the 168gr loads, I plan on seeing what the rifle will do with 155gr HPBT's, 175gr HPBT's and some hunting bullets.
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