Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Sent Off My Tikka T3

26 is really danged good in my Tikka 6.5 CM and 147 ELDs

I agree it works very well in the CM and WSMs and supposed to be great the 30-06 and 270 as well.

What did that cost?

Being as it was 4 years ago now my memory is a bit foggy but certainly sub $300 for the cut, crown, and rebore.

I think my Newton was 300 cause he had to rent a reamer.

Normal charge is currently $250. I paid an extra $50 to jump from .223 to 9.3. Gun arrived today and looks great.

I usually stop when I start blowing primers..

I just go up till I get stuff bolt lift or ejector marks and back down from there. If you don’t know where the pressure starts you don’t know if where you decided to stop is just under where you are seeing pressure or not regardless of what the powder guides say work in their rifles. For example my 300 wsm load is 1.5 grains lower than where I saw pressure signs but still getting 3180 fps from a 178 eldx but federal factor blue box stuff in the same rifle gives super stiff bolt lift and ejector marks. Just found its best to find where pressure signs are in my rifle and back down accordingly from there

That will only give you an "Indication" while using the same batch of bullets, primers and powder. Change any and all bets are off.
The chronograph will keep you safe and in the right area, especially when changing lots of components..
John

Agreed which is why I always work up to find pressure when any of the above changes even when using the same powder but a different lot I back down and work up again. Best to be safe and not assume just cause it’s listed as safe in the reloading book that it’s good in your rifle. Lots of variables so best to find what works in your rifle. Reloading book is merely a guideline to get you in the ball park to figure what your rifle likes.

The chrono is more reliable that bolt lift or primer/brass signs, since as JB has mentioned in the past, those traditional pressure signs often don't show up until 70-75k psi. If you want to keep under the ~60-65k psi SAAMI max pressure rating, the chrono is a more reliable indicator of that, used in conjunction with pressure-tested load data and like components and rifle setup. Obviously if you see traditional pressure signs before hitting the velocity you think you should reach, based on book data, that's a good indication you should back off the pressure a bit, as well.

I guess my point is even if the chronograph says I was ok I found pressure signs prior to what was seemed ok. So I just back off what pressure signs I rather than relying on what the reloading guide say I should be seeing given kinda sort similar bullets with kinda sorta similar brass with kinda sorta same primers with kinda sorta same primers with kinda sorta same rifle chamber with kinda sorta barrel length. The chronograph is for sure but if you never found pressure signs and settle in on a nice load what’s to say the load you found is just a .5 grain below where you’d see pressure signs but you never knew because the book said that with kinda sorta the same weight bullet and kinda sorta the same brass and kinda sorta the same powder lot in kinda sorta the same chamber you should be seeing such and such a velocity according to the reloading guide. Now I guess you could just load that and be none the wiser to how close you were or weren’t to pressure signs in your setup but I would rather actually see those pressure signs myself in my particular application and back down accordingly.

Got it back today. Super happy. Put on a limbsaver, talley lightweights, and leupold vx-2 3-9x40. Stupid me snapped one of the screws off on the rings. Should I even worry about drilling it out or just leave it? Has 7 screws holding it now.

I don't think I'd be able to let that go. Not saying you couldn't, but it would bother me. I don't enjoy drilling steel out of aluminum, though.

Yup it would bug me too. Likely fine but I would always wonder if it was that dang snapped of screw messing up my groups, when really its likely just me.

Put it on my fishing scale it weighed 7.27lbs with sling. My 6.5x55 t3 weighs 7.56lbs without a sling. Must have taken a pretty good amount of metal out. Both have talley lightweights and vx-2 3-9x40s.

I'd replace that screw, but I'd try other methods of extraction before considering using a drill.

I think i am gonna pull the other 3 screws and take the cap off and see if i can unscrew it with pliers.

Want to give a shoutout to talley also. I asked what size i needed for a replacement screw and they are sending me some screws.

Finally got to shoot this today. My load was a basically middle of the road 59.0gr of H4350 with a hornady 225gr interlock. There was not the amount of recoil I was expecting though I admit I didn’t think 338 win mag was that bad either. First shot is high right. Adjusted down and 2nd shot is the next farthest right. Adjusted again and the other 3 shots are in the ripped up area. Granted only 50 yards but potential is definitely there.