Best factory ammo for a Tikka Weathermaster
Question:
The best thing that I could tell you is that you’ll have to try all the factory loads out there and find which one your rifle likes the best. Probably the best thing that you could do, especially if you are going to be shooting competitively is to get into handloading. That way, you can custom tune a load to your rifle and control all the variables. I did that with my .300 Win Mag and the groups dropped from 1" at 100 to 1" at 200 yards with 100 yard 5 shot groups covered with a quarter. In my estimation, that’s pretty good accuracy. — Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
….What’s wrong with MOA?! Sorry if I’m ignorant, but that sounds extremely good for factory rifles and ammo…Is this a custom rifle?
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I recently bought myself one of these rifles in .308Win, and am very pleased > with the way it handles and points. > However, Tikka are supposed to be one of the most accurate rifles around, > but I can’t seem to find a factory load (I don’t reload myself) that will > group better than m.o.a. > Has anyone else a found a pet factory load for this gun? > . > e a found a pet factory load for this gun? > . > Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: > http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
. > http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
While I cant give you advice on your particular rifle, I have just bought a Remington 700 in .308 and have done a little experimenting with factory loads to see what shoots best. So far, the best grouping ammo I have shot is Remington 150 Gr Corelokt ammo, at 5/8" groups. I haven’t shot any of the higher priced ammo like federal gold medal and hornady TAP ammo, but I have a few boxes and I am dying to get to the hills and shoot some ammo! I think that more than anything, CONSISTENCY is what makes or breaks an ammo/rifle combination. You should give the Remington corelokt a try and see what it does for you. American Eagle cheapo stuff was horrible in my rifle, like 6" group horrible, I don’t understand how it could be THAT much worse, but it is. –Dan
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I recently bought myself one of these rifles in .308Win, and am very pleased > with the way it handles and points. > However, Tikka are supposed to be one of the most accurate rifles around, > but I can’t seem to find a factory load (I don’t reload myself) that will > group better than m.o.a. > Has anyone else a found a pet factory load for this gun? > . > e a found a pet factory load for this gun? > . > Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: > http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
. ge at: > http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
> Confidence is crucial in making the shot on game. Sorry for the semi-rant. I > like > accurate rifles and I like reliable rifles. Sometimes you get both in the > same rifle. It is just a shame when folks are disappointed because their > Remington Model 7 won’t group better than 1 1/2 inch at 100
Excellent points. I AM an accuracy fanatic — a heritage of too many years of competitive target shooting. But, a good hunting rifle is not necessarily sub-moa. A deer’s heart is 4" or a bit more in diameter. If your rifle shoots a 3" group (1 1/2" radius around the point of aim)at 100 yards, that’s a spot-on shooter at a 100 yard deer. How far do you believe most animals are from the shooter? After nigh on 40 years of hunting on 3 different continents, I can still count on one hand all the animals that I’ve fired the first shot at that were 200 yards or more away. If you add in all the animals that friends (while I was with them) fired at that were more than 200 yards away, the number goes up to 8 or 9. Of the rest, certainly 80% were under 100 yards — and that counts antelope, sheep, and goats which are often considered long range critters. If your rifle will deliver a 3 shot group under 3" in any weather condition, then you’ve got a fine hunting rifle. All you have to do is practice so that you can live up to the rifle. — I do not exist to serve the state. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
>….What’s wrong with MOA?! >Sorry if I’m ignorant, but that sounds extremely good for factory >rifles and ammo…Is this a custom rifle?
No, it isn’t a custom rifle. Tikka (and their sister rifles Sako) have an extremely high reputation for out-of-the-box accuracy, which is one of the reasons I bought the gun. As a previous poster noted, m.o.a. isn’t required for shooting in the field – but I also want to use the gun for competition range shooting if possible. Magazine reviews I read for this gun claimed 3/4" or better at 100 yards, but I haven’t been able to group closer than 1 1/4" – which is still very OK, I know. Thanks for your reply, same to everyone else. Shoot straight, and keep your ammo dry… Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Confidence is crucial in making the shot on game. Sorry for the semi-rant. I > like > accurate rifles and I like reliable rifles. Sometimes you get both in the > same rifle. It is just a shame when folks are disappointed because their > Remington Model 7 won’t group better than 1 1/2 inch at 100 > If your rifle will deliver a 3 shot group under 3" in any weather condition, > then you’ve got a fine hunting rifle. All you have to do is practice so that > you can live up to the rifle.
There are two issues here and they are easily confused; the rifle/ammo and the shooter. First, any rifle IMO that won’t shoot 1 1/2 or smaller groups at 100 yds from the bench has something wrong with it; ammo, bedding, scope, something! Second any shooter who can keep 3 shots in a 5" or smaller group at 100 yds in the field (using an improvised rest, sitting, kneeling or standing) particularly after some exertion, is a pretty darn good shot (again, IMO)! Roy D. Sacramento Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
I recently bought myself one of these rifles in .308Win, and am very pleased with the way it handles and points. However, Tikka are supposed to be one of the most accurate rifles around, but I can’t seem to find a factory load (I don’t reload myself) that will group better than m.o.a. Has anyone else a found a pet factory load for this gun? . e a found a pet factory load for this gun? . Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
> I recently bought myself one of these rifles in .308Win, and am very pleased > with the way it handles and points. > However, Tikka are supposed to be one of the most accurate rifles around, > but I can’t seem to find a factory load (I don’t reload myself) that will > group better than m.o.a. > Has anyone else a found a pet factory load for this gun?
It is not my intention to criticize Julian nor to act like I know more than many of the knowledgeable shooters in this group. I have noticed that many of the posters here recently are asking for factory loads in factory rifles that are capable of sub 1" groups at 100 yards. It is a testimony to the work the rifle and ammo manufacturers have done that these expectations exist. These expectations are likely to not be met. In response to Julian: I believe, the Tikka is the economy line of the Sako factory. So it no doubt is a fine rifle. Each rifle has its own "pet" load. That is why handloaders are able to get more accuracy from their rifle. They get a consistently grouping load and then adjust the components. A factory load is not adjustable. So you have to buy one of each factory load you are interested in and try it out in your particular rifle. Costly and time-consuming, yes, but not compared to setting up a reloading bench. The BOSS system is based on tweaking the barrel for the ammo. It works, but again, costs a bit as you adjust the system for the best accuracy. All kind of a pain, which is why most folks just shoot their rifles. If it gets the job done, you have a good setup; rifle, ammo and scope. Confidence is crucial in making the shot on game. Sorry for the semi-rant. I like accurate rifles and I like reliable rifles. Sometimes you get both in the same rifle. It is just a shame when folks are disappointed because their Remington Model 7 won’t group better than 1 1/2 inch at 100. It’s like wondering why your Lab is such a bad guard dog. Sure, it happens, but you better not count on it. Good hunting to all, Hal Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
