Tikka bolt action rifles

[Lost River]

My most used elk and deer rifle is a T3 in .308 that was cut to 20"s and wears a 2.5-10 NF compact scope. It has accounted for a good number of elk and mule deer. The light weight of the rifle makes it difficult to shoot well, and you really have to focus and getting the fundamentals down right every time. With that said, it shoots exceedingly well. Off of bags, when I ahve been practicing, it is a true .5-.6 moa rifle. I have no doubt it will do better, but that is all I can do with such a light rifle. When I get sloppy, groups will open up to 1-1.25".





The fact is though, that the little rifle is a true joy to carry, when negotiating challenging terrain.


The stainless construction and plastic stock make it a natural in inclement weather.

[Lost River]

I have had a T3 Varmint in .308 (no longer imported) since the early-mid 2000s. After getting a TRG, I cut the 24+" tube down to an even 20"s and had it threaded for a can/brake.



As this target indicates, it shoot exceedingly well. I have had numerous custom rifles that would not shoot this well.

On this target I was readjusting the scope for the different elevation of my cabin.



It should be noted that the groups are with a HUNTING bullet. A 165 grain Sierra HP game king. I used this same load at some matches years ago with success.


This dog was dropped right at a lasered 500 yards in a pretty decent (typical) high desert wind.

[SLG]

LR,

Good stuff, as usual. How big an animal are you comfortable using that game king on?

[Lost River]

One note on the recoil lug. I own/have owned Tikkas in everything from .223 to .300 WM and .338WM.

It has been my observation/experience that the recoil lug is quite sufficient on rifles in .308/30-06 class and below. I have shot a BUNCH of T3s, helping friends with their new rifles and have never had an issue with the recoil lug.

With that said, on the big belted mag cartridges in the plastic stocks, I have noted that an oversized aftermarket recoil lug is beneficial. I have had a couple that I was having accuracy issues with, then with a new lug, the groups all settled right in. The interesting thing is that even the big cartridges tend to shoot MOA or better. Truly exceptional rifles.

If I was forced to hunt elk and deer with just one rifle that I currently own, it would be a T3 in .308.n I have yet to see a .308 T3 that was not a sub .75" rifle.

Not as good pic, but here is a group with the T3 lite .308 and 165 grain HP BT game kings, when shot over bags. Not bad for a factory barrel.

[Lost River]

LR,

Good stuff, as usual. How big an animal are you comfortable using that game king on?

Thanks SLG.

In regards to the HP BT game king, that particular projectile has a very thick jacket, as confirmed by Sierra techs (along with the 6mm 85 grain version i use in a 6mm Rem T3). I can think of 8 elk off the top of my head that were one shot kills with that bullet, at 308 velocities. One large cow was maybe 75 yards max (closest), one cow was right at 400 (farthest) and the rest were all in the low to mid 300s. Popped a 6x6 bull at just shy of 300, right behind the shoulder. He spun in a circle about 1.5 times and tipped over.

Of those elk, only one actually caught a bullet. That was the closest shot. She was poking just her shoulder and head around a small finger ridge, looking right at us. I snap shot and got her high on the shoulder, coming to rest, lodged in the spine. Not a great shot on my part, but she dropped on the spot.

The downside is that the bullet is as aerodynamic as a pumpkin.

It really blows around in the wind past 600. I have shot it out to 1K and cannot recommend it for shots on game at long distances. Obviously depending on the wind, but I prefer to limit the shots with that projectile to the low 400s and in if there is any real wind.

[SLG]

Good to know, thanks very much. I've never tried the GK bullets, but do use the 175 matchkings a lot (not for hunting) and have always wondered how close the dope would be within 300 yards. It's hard to find a good hunting bullet that is also accurate, let alone accurate and a high BC.

Have you tried the 180's?

[Lost River]

I have tried the 180 spitzers in .308, 30-06 and .300wm. The do OK on average, but not spectacular. As is typical in .308s I recall they ran .8 to roughly 1.25 in average, with most groups right at 1 MOA. The -06 was averaged about 1" to 1.25, and slightly bigger. The .300 loads were never better than 1.25"s.

In regards to the 175 SMKs, I know this goes against conventional wisdom, but I have shot literally better than a dozen and a half mule deer with them and never had one walk away. In fact, I think it was 3 seasons ago, my dad and I used my TRG shooting 175 SMKs and dropped our cow elk, DRT. They were bunched up in a herd, and the first one actually got popped in the head, as she did not present a body shot, without the possibility of a shoot through, hitting another cow. When they started running, the second cow caught one in the shoulder and she piled up. Though she probably did not need it, I gave her a mercy shot in the head, as she was lifting her head, and an animal's suffering is far more important to me, than bragging rights about one shot kills.

[SLG]

My wife and I have shot a couple of smaller Whitetail and Pronghorn with 168 FGMM, and they all dropped dead within a few feet. The little fragments of bullet that we recovered just never gave me a warm fuzzy, but you certainly couldn't argue about the effect.

In general, too much is made of bullet construction, and not enough of shot placement. A deep penetrator is nice to have though if anything goes wrong and/or you need to take an off angle shot.

Do you think the 175's are better than the 168's for hunting? You've shot much bigger animals with them than I have.

[Lost River]

Here are two Muleys that were lasered at 598 yards. The second one could not figure out where the shot originated from. These were taken with the 165 grain HPBT game kings.



Sorry about the small pic. I guess I need to find the originals and re-load them into my laptop.


I have the TRG/cow elk/175 SMK pics on my old Iphone, and need to download the things before I lose them.

A spring bear hunt (never saw a single bear) that turned into a long range squirrel shoot:



This was in the Pioneer range.

[Lost River]

My wife and I have shot a couple of smaller Whitetail and Pronghorn with 168 FGMM, and they all dropped dead within a few feet. The little fragments of bullet that we recovered just never gave me a warm fuzzy, but you certainly couldn't argue about the effect.

In general, too much is made of bullet construction, and not enough of shot placement. A deep penetrator is nice to have though if anything goes wrong and/or you need to take an off angle shot.

Do you think the 175's are better than the 168's for hunting? You've shot much bigger animals with them than I have.

I cannot comment on 168s, as I have rarely shot them. My previous work experience shooting 175s, and knowing their dope, caused me to stick with them. M118LR and FGMM 175s are so close in most cases that it seemed like a natural choice.

That said, I have been shooting 155 grain Scenars lately and am impressed so far. A gent who is a government hunter has been using them for a while on everything from deer and elk to very large bears and his track record cannot be denied. After conversing with him, I made some loads up, and they shoot very well. Hopefully in the next few weeks I will test them on some bigger coyotes.

You are 100% on the money about bullets and placement. The 175 sometimes will pencil through, but when you double lung them, or pop them in the ear, the results are as to be expected.

BTW, I did not have time to load for a newer .300 WM T3 this season, and used a 190 grain SMK factory match load on my cow. A Partition would not have done a better job.