Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting T3 243 with 2 jobs: How to get there?

Academy Sports and Outdoors was running a sale on the last remaining Tikka SS T3 243's. I couldn't say no. Haven't had a 243 in a couple years, and first time to own a Tikka.

Excited for both.

Would like to mold the T3 into a dual purpose shooter.

Job 1: LR Steel plinker to watch the hits at 600+.
Job 2: Whitetail poker from stands/tripods, also to watch hits.

How would you achieve Job 1 and Job 2? Ideas I've kicked around:

-Shoot as is, likely to be plenty accurate for both

-Pull the barrel and recalibrate to a ____? Lots of 6 and 6.5 options here I would guess.

First time to build off a Tikka, but there appears to be plenty of stock, barrel, and mag options to complement any build.

Fire away.

Maybe I just copy this blueprint in caliber of choice:

http://www.gaprecision.net/ga-preci...y-to-ship-super-light-weight-hunter.html

I'd get a keg of powder, some Lapua brass, and see if the 90gr. Scenar shot well.

6X scopes have served me well. I hardly ever have a spotter so I tend to use low end stuff.




Travis

That thought crossed my mind. I'm sure the 1-10 will get the 90 Scenar going just fine.

I'm not 100% but it would be worth a shot.

I just ordered a Super Sniper 6X to try out. I think they're still on sale for the remainder of the day if you want to try one for cheap.

My other ones are all Leupold 6X42's.

I just bought my first Tikka but it's a 308. Lapua brass + Scenars = Leave it alone....


Travis

I would get one of those CTR thingies in a 260 and buy a schist load of 123 Scenars.

Tanner

I like the T3 for what it is.
To me that is a lightish weight rifle that will shoot tiny clusters right out of the box without tweaking other than backing down the trigger pull weight.

I'd roll with Travis's advice.

If you are going to get into a "build" much of the appeal is lost even at a bargain purchase price.

$449 for the SS rifle.

How I see it, could get a 1:8 barrel, toss Ackely's name on it, have it screwed on, bedded into new stock (or factory), and be working around the cost of a Montana 243, but with the twisting for heavies. Yes, that gets away from the bargain price, but whats to like about a 1:10 243?

I'd try and make $100.00 on it and put that toward something else before I built on it.

I just see Tikkas as a rifle to shoot the hell out of right out of the box.

The other thing about buying something like a Montana is if you trip it, you're tripping a Montana so you can still get most of your money back. Building on a Tikka... That schit ain't gonna happen.

I know what you mean about the 1-10" twist but for the ranges you're shooting it will be fine, and you got it for a great price.




Travis

I do have 243 dies and some Lapua brass sitting around. Wouldn't hurt to order a batch of the 90s and see where it goes. Thanks for the tips.

I would leave one of them as is and shoot the 90 Scenar or 95 Nosler BT for a light deer rifle.


The other one I would probably give it the GAP treatment with a 1/8 twist barrel in .243.


Since the Tikka is a long action I would probably also move the bolt stop and switch to the .30/06 length magazine and have oodles of room for the long VLD bullets.

Is anyone but Beretta making/selling bolt stops for the Tikka? I recall reading about someone making replacements. What does it take to modify the short to a long?

Getting a long length mag would be easy enough.

I have a T3 lite (blued) in .243.... it has made hits to 1k, and does it pretty easily. 300-600 is its wheel-house though, and misses inside that range are rather infrequent. It weighs 7.4 lbs all up, with 3 in the mag..... and the only two groups I've shot at 100 yds with it are both under 1/2".

I'd love to give the 90 Scenars a whirl, and have a box here to try.... but the Vmax shoots like a champ, I have many boxes of them, they cost about half what the Scenars do, and I can find them at Walmart if necessary. Also, they should only give up about an inch at 500 in drift to the Scenar.

Like Travis.... I run the Lapua brass, but I shoot the 87 Vmax for steel and vermin at 3150 via H4350. I'd substitute the 90/95 NBTs (or 90 Scenar) for any deer/pronghorn work.

Here it is testing that load and shooting some dope the other day...

T3 Lite .243 Win
87 Horn. Vmax @ 3150 (43.5 H4350)
Leupold VX2 3-9x40, TTs, F. Duplex in DNZ 1-pc

[video:youtube]gzNkDxWAEho[/video]

PS..... if you really want to 1. Hunt with it, and 2. Shoot steel with it.... you need 2 guns... just ask 2MG..... laffin....

Great info Dog. Thanks. And cool video. Any need to change bolt stops/mag to get the 87 seated long enough?

Check with this outfit on the bolt stops:

http://www.tikkaperformance.com/index.php?route=common/home


At one time Brownells also had them.

I would just buy new magazines as trying to modify the short ones would be a mortal pain in the ass.

I run the 87 Vmax at a COAL of 2.710", that's kissing.... Mag box is 2.8ish.

Side note: it also shoots the 55 NBTs well at close to 3900fps... but they get squirrelly in the wind past 400... no free lunch.

I had plenty of room to seat the 105 HPBT in the lands and fit it in the mag. Unfortunately, it will only shoot them run hot (3050) and in warm weather. They go T/U bad in sub-freezing temps.

Awesome. No sub freezing here in South Texas...

Did you take note of the 105 HPBT length to lands?

105 Horn HPBT: COAL 2.770", BTO 2.185"

87 Horn Vmax: COAL 2.710", BTO 2.185"

I ran the 105 all the way to 3100 and never saw any difference in pockets on the brass.... but that's scootin' for a 22" barrel SAAMI .243....

Buddy of mine shoots the 95 VLDs outta his T3 Lite .243 (SS 12x, Talleys, 8lbs even), and it rings steel very well out to 600.

500yd group from the video.... sub-moa at 500 ain't bad for 700 clams. The other hit is a 55NBT...

I'd throw a 20 moa base on it, some real glass, get some 90 gr scenars and rock on. You say 600yds now, but you will be at 1000+ before you know it.