Tikka T3 zero issues

[gmm243]

Morning all.

I have a .243 Tikka T3x.Bought 2nd hand but basically in mint condition. 

I have been trying to zero with 100gn bullets (legal deer requirement here) but can not get better than 2" group at 100m.Have been trying Hornady,Federal and Winchester.Tried some 90gn ballistic tips which did perform slightly better but I would have liked the group to be 1" at most at that range.

Have moved the scope and mod over from my last rifle which grouped very well so don't think they are the issue.Everything seems tight but maybe there is something I am missing? I didn't think the Tikka were very bullet sensitive but has anyone any advice on different bullets they find work well or is there something glaring at me on the rifle that I haven't thought of?

Thanks.

[wymberley]

I suppose the first question has to be why did the previous owner sell it. On a more serious note, I don't know, but this may help:

Twist Rate = 3.5 x sq root of vel' x dia squared all divided by length. Purely as a guide.

Edited September 8, 2021 by wymberley

[scarecrow243]

have you tried it without the moderator just to rule out bad threading on the rifle also check the crown as a lot of people don't clean them

ps also check to see if the barrel is free floating if not loosen all stock screws and re tighten from butt end first

[Houseplant]

2 inch group at 100 metres isn't that bad, but I understand that you want better. Is it the gun or the shooter? Are you letting the barrel cool between shots? Sako ammunition goes well in Tikka rifles for obvious reasons. 

[gmm243]

Thanks all.

Original owner got rid of it to move to .223.Rifle had approx 120 rounds through it when I bought it.I have shot it and so has a friend and both getting the same results.Barrel is allowed to cool between shots.

On Sat I will try to get some time to take Mod off and see what it shoots like then.Not sure where I go after that but would like to try some more ammo before I do anything.Hard to source other ammo presently but I will do what I can.

[Medic1281]

An old mate of mine ruined his T3 by having an over the barrel type moderator put on it. It was not a bad tool until he had it threaded and the mod fitted. I’ve not seen him for years to find out how he resolved it. 

[Zetter]

Just out of interest have you tried it with anything lighter bullet wise such as 75 grain?

My .243 Sako did not like 100grain at all but would shoot 87 grain and 65 grain like a laser if I did my bit. 100 grain stuff was 1 and 1/2 inch at best. For me this was not an issue as I was only shooting in England so was not really restricted on bullet weight.

Edited September 8, 2021 by Zetter

[Windswept]

As suggested, what is the twist rate of the barrel? A quick google suggests a 1 in 8 would be better than a 1 in 10 for 100gr bullets. Worth looking into?

[gmm243]

1 in 10 twist on the rifle.

Spoke to a local gunsmith who has advised that 80gn would be the better choice for a twist rate of 1 in 10.

 

 

[eclcho]

Try 90gr. Sako factory ammo. my T3 243 shoots far better with these than 100gr.

[gmm243]

14 minutes ago, eclcho said:

Try 90gr. Sako factory ammo. my T3 243 shoots far better with these than 100gr.

Will do,thank you.

Not that easy finding different types of ammo here locally but I will make a few phone calls.

[scarecrow243]

i have always used 100 grn sp different makes in all the .243 rifles i have had ie parker hale. remington 700 pss police. and now my winchester model 70 xtr feather weight i have never had too use any thing less than 100 grns  the make of ammo has been better in some rifles i now use ppu .243 sp 100 grn in the winchester

[wymberley]

Posted the formula as a guide with no longer any knowledge about 243. can't find length of PPU bullet but many SP bullets are sub 1" - Hornady 0.950" and some rounds can be a tad quick - call the PPU 3000ft/sec, but let's cut some slack and call the velocity 2750 and the bullet length 1". We get 10.8 s well worth a try.

[gmm243]

Funnily enough I had a few ppu bullets to try when I first got the rifle and they grouped the best out of all the 100gn bullets.

I then moved on to the Hornady and Federal expecting them to be better but the grouping opened up with them.

Might have to go back to them if I can not find any other alternative.