Scout rifle, circa 2016

[Trigger]

Attachment 15011

I just wanted to thank the original author and all the contributors here. This thread has been more than instructive and helpful.

I build my first pseudo scout in the late 80’s using a Winchester 70 featherweight as the starting point, my second was built mid 90’s from a Ruger 77 ”International” with the Manlicher style stock. I was not satisfied with either and sold them off to friends. This third iteration, inspired totally by ideas in this thread feels “just right” as Goldilocks would have said.

Tikka T3 Lite in .30-06 with a Sig Sauer 1-6x24 TANGO6 30mm scope (Japanese made) on a set of Warne rings with a Rhodesian sling. The scope is essentially a 3-gun scope with a daylight visible dot on top of a nice MOA reticle and ½ MOA spinable turrets, uses CR2032 battery. I have about $1,250.00 in the entire package.

After assembly I have worked with it for about 3 months now getting zeroed, adjusting things, and ballistic tables translated to actuals as verified, etc. Today I went to the “random target” rifle range at this club where there are steel USPSA “B/C” targets at various ranges from 180 to 750 yards. My abilities with the platform let me get the array at 535 yards and everything closer simply on demand. I was not able to get consistent hits beyond that with the 6X setting and my current vision skill levels, probably not the limitations of the rifle or the ammo. The scope adjustments have always seemed very repeatable.

While probably not suitable for invading a foreign country, this “scout” is everything I could have ever hoped for with this concept and exceeds my expectations for what I wanted my scout interpretation to be. Thanks again for all here who helped me find my way on this one.

Very jealous that your club has a range like that. I'd spend all day and never go home.

Good choice on the rifle, good shooting and keep us updated.

[fatdog]

Very jealous that your club has a range like that. I'd spend all day and never go home.

Same range has a different firing line that puts you 1000 yards from the same backstop berm and targets as the 750 yard line on the "random" range. First 1000 yard shot I ever took. This is a new place in Alabama, and yes I took a vacation day and carried the picnic lunch with me but only there from 10:00 until 16:00. My wife has accused me of having a second family down in Rockford, AL that I will not tell her about.

http://www.rockfordgunclub.com/

[fatdog]

Attachment 15024

[Lost River]

While I was out running .44 loads through the chrono (there is a thread in the reloading section), I ran a dozen rounds of my standard .308 load through.

The gun is my T3 Varmint, cut to 20"s. It is now wearing a 3.5-15 SWFA MIL/MIL scope.


Pics are from last weekend at the cabin:






Long story short,

The 155 grain Scenar/Varget load runs right at 2750 FPS.

Even in the windy high desert, those Scenars continue to impress.

Here is the first (and only) group from last weekend. I had just stuck the scope on, got it on paper at 50, then 100, then made an adjustment and fired a group.

[Lost River]

A buddy and I took a drive into the high desert to escape the estrogen fest that was occurring at my house. Long story short, besides getting stuck (rather well), we saw a few coyotes. One made the mistake of slowing down, at a distance he thought he was safe.

I made a guestimate in regards to range, as well as wind (it was a typically windy and cold day). There was no time to dial the shot. If I would have spun the turrets, he would have been over the ridge, across the little ravine.

It ends up it was the right guess. A 155 Scenar hammered him, and he made a 25 yard dash, before piling up.

[okie john]

Until a few weeks ago, I was doing OK with a Ruger M-77 Mk II 30-06 in a B&C stock that I scored in a pawnshop. It shot 1-1.5 MOA at 200 yards with cheap factory ammo and I planned to bank on it while I saved up for a “real” custom rifle. But then the POI started shifting. I changed scopes and loads, and fiddled with screw tension, but no joy. Not caring to dissect it further, I traded it for a used Tikka Stainless T3 Lite in 308.

TL;DR: I should have done this years ago. Here are the details for those who care about that sort of thing.

This rifle came with a Zeiss Terra 3x 3-4x42 in Leupold PRW rings on a rail. After a couple of range sessions, I swapped it for a Leupold VX2 4-12x40 with a fine duplex reticle. I think this scope and reticle help me shoot small groups, but it strikes me as delicate and fussy so I probably won’t hunt with it.

My bench technique is the limiting factor in accuracy. I’m shooting over bags with my elbows on the bench, and I think that groups would shrink with a rear bag or a Lead Sled. This rifle definitely lives up to Tikka’s reputation for accuracy, but I love that it shoots a LOT of loads well. I’ve done most of my accuracy testing at 200 yards, with some at 100 and some at 300.

This rifle has shot some tiny groups with Hornady 155-grain American Gunner. It averages 0.84 MOA out to 300 yards with that load, which is only doing 2,560 at the muzzle. Most 150-grain factory hunting loads shoot into 1.5 MOA. A couple shoot into 1 MOA. 150- and 168-grain Barnes VOR-TX factory loads average ~1.5 MOA, which isn’t nearly as good as I expected. LC Match shoots 1 MOA, and most milspec or milsurp loads shoot into ~2 MOA, although some does ~1.5 MOA. Handloads show the potential to average well below 1 MOA.

I haven’t shot it much with a tight sling, but what little shooting I have done indicates that POI moves somewhat. I need to test this more.

The scope mount screws need to be re-torqued every ~35-50 rounds.

This rifle is Lite in name only. It weighs 7 lb. 9 oz. unloaded and without a sling. The barrel is heavier (and probably stiffer) than I expected, which may help it shoot so well. On the other hand, it balances very well, which matters far more than how much it weighs. I'm looking forward to wringing it out in offhand in the coming weeks.

During this time, I also picked up a Howa Alpine rifle. The short version of that story is that the Howa is almost as accurate as the Tikka—and certainly accuragte enough for anything I’d do with it—but it doesn’t balance as well. I’ll probably sell other rifles soon and put that money into ammo, and the Howa may go with them.

The Tikka and the Howa are more than accurate enough for hunting with pretty much any ammo you can get over the counter. Handloading isn’t required for hunting accuracy unless you want to stretch the range beyond about 300 yards. The more important question is which optic to use. An illuminated LPV makes the most sense, though a 4x coarse-plex Leupold could do much of the same work for a fraction of the cost. I have a 2.5x coarse-plex Leupold on hand, and I plan to wring out the idea shortly.

The Tikka has changed my ideas about hunting rifle much as the G19 changed my ideas about handguns. It’s essentially the G19 of long guns except that it shoots like a Clark 1911. I’m now willing to let go of a lot of things that I once considered mandatory on a hunting rifle.

I bought a Tikka 30-06 about a week later, and have identified a handload that looks like it’s consistently sub-MOA. I haven’t gotten to shoot it as much as I’d like, but I see a lot of overlap. I think I’ll keep both in case ammo gets scarce but set them up differently.

Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.


Okie John

[DamonL]

1. For a field expedient rear bag, try a sock filled with sand.

2. For the scope mounts try releasable loctite on the threads.

3. For an illuminated scope check out the Leupold VX-R line.

[OlongJohnson]

Lots of guys get good results just by replacing the screws in the factory Tikka mounts with higher-quality ones from a hardware store. Fuller thread forms may be the reason. (Many times, the threads of cheap screws are undersized, and don't hold in the female threads as well.)

[okie john]

Lots of guys get good results just by replacing the screws in the factory Tikka mounts with higher-quality ones from a hardware store. Fuller thread forms may be the reason. (Many times, the threads of cheap screws are undersized, and don't hold in the female threads as well.)

I'm using Leupold PRW rings on a 1913-type rail, not the factory rings.

I'm delighted with how well this rifle shoots. Any deficiencies in its performance are software issues.


Okie John

[OlongJohnson]

Reading fail.