deerstalker.308
Well-Known Member
See post 8 where I sent you the link in amazon to just such a thing..
Recoil
- Thread starter Sheorsa
- Start date
You might be right there. ~Muir
springbok787
Well-Known Member
Mate of mine was telling me he didn’t like the recoil from his .308 recently. Turned out he has been using a job log of Sako 180gr that some RFD had decided to sell him 160 rounds of the stuff when he first went to buy ammo. I told him to get 150gr but he somehow got talked into the 180 stuff. He has since switched to to Sako 123gr and it has made a dramatic difference to his shooting. I would do this as a second step though as it will be of limited benefit if your rifle doesn’t fit or (sorry) your technique isn’t spot on.
I am 6ft 3” and I have yet to buy a factory stocked rifle that suits my baboon length limbs. If I picked up your standard Tikka I reckon I would struggle to get comfy and I would shoot some uncomfortable and therefore 1-2” groups at 100 yards. I do know that if I added a check riser and 2 Tikka stock spacers this grouping would drop to sub 1” easy. Pull the stock off and fit a GRS stock and I know that from a .308 Tikka I would be sub 0.5”. Now I am not suggesting that you go and buy a £400 GRS stock, but stock fit is worth looking at. Really you need to go and find someone who knows what they are doing and ask them to watch you shoot. Spending an hour with someone making sure your technique is good and maybe adding things like risers and butt pads to find the best fit would be well worth it. Beware of the slip on stock extenders though. The cheap rubber ones on Amazon are good for rimfire but I have one that is so soft it actually effects point of impact on a .308 rifle because it squashes funny. The Beartooth ones are better but again they need to be watched because when wet they are slippy in the shoulder and this needs consideration. I my opinion it’s worth keeping the butt pad your Tikka was born with and buying some spacers if you want to play about with fit. I would hope your local RFD can get you these, but as a temp solution you could use washers or something. Just make sure it’s stable before shooting. I have Beartooth comb risers on all my rifles.
So technique, then fit and then drop down to 123gr. Afternoon on the range plus a handful of bits to help fit and a box of ammo will get you sorted.
I am 6ft 3” and I have yet to buy a factory stocked rifle that suits my baboon length limbs. If I picked up your standard Tikka I reckon I would struggle to get comfy and I would shoot some uncomfortable and therefore 1-2” groups at 100 yards. I do know that if I added a check riser and 2 Tikka stock spacers this grouping would drop to sub 1” easy. Pull the stock off and fit a GRS stock and I know that from a .308 Tikka I would be sub 0.5”. Now I am not suggesting that you go and buy a £400 GRS stock, but stock fit is worth looking at. Really you need to go and find someone who knows what they are doing and ask them to watch you shoot. Spending an hour with someone making sure your technique is good and maybe adding things like risers and butt pads to find the best fit would be well worth it. Beware of the slip on stock extenders though. The cheap rubber ones on Amazon are good for rimfire but I have one that is so soft it actually effects point of impact on a .308 rifle because it squashes funny. The Beartooth ones are better but again they need to be watched because when wet they are slippy in the shoulder and this needs consideration. I my opinion it’s worth keeping the butt pad your Tikka was born with and buying some spacers if you want to play about with fit. I would hope your local RFD can get you these, but as a temp solution you could use washers or something. Just make sure it’s stable before shooting. I have Beartooth comb risers on all my rifles.
So technique, then fit and then drop down to 123gr. Afternoon on the range plus a handful of bits to help fit and a box of ammo will get you sorted.
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
Not really - leather ones are nicer though. But if you can stock spacers that would be a much better job. Looking at your original picture, I would move your scope forward a bit as well.
As regards technique have a read of Hold that Forend!
My T3 lite is a 6.5 with no noticeable recoil at all with 120gn? But my 30.06 using 150gn, still gives me a start! after the first shot. So I would say to drop, your bullet weight and get used to your gun that way.
BC.
Get 120g and stick to it???
Would there be a significant difference in 120g and 150g
Yes, in felt recoil,but not in killing a deer?(dead is dead) If you are slightly' in fear of recoil, accuracy issues will surely follow?
BC.
springbok787
Well-Known Member
This might not be the quick fix you hope for. Assuming you have some 150gr left still use those to do all the comments people have said above about fit and technique first. If that does work then switch ammo.
I would hold off on spending money on add-ons until you have properly diagnosed the problem.
The T3 stock is well known for causing recoil sensitivity in some shooters. Quite normal and not unusual.
Somewhere on our NZ forum there is a detailed explanation from a well known and respected stockmaker as to why this is. Unfortunately the forum is down at the moment so I can’t find it, no guarantee I’ll be able to find it anyway. But we did speak briefly about this exact same problem just a week or so ago.
It’s to do with the design of the grip and angle of the buttstock, and precisely what part of the shoulder that shooter is using. The recoil impulse angle is changed by the stock design and for some people that concentrates the recoil “whack” in a way that they find difficult to tolerate.
As mentioned above if the stock length is too short and the fit into the shoulder is wrong, you’ll struggle. Google how to measure the required butt stock length relative to the length of your upper arm from the shoulder to the elbow. Do it properly as you will be surprised what a difference an inch can make. Adding lots of soft padding does not fix this problem if the rigid part of the stock is not long enough. To fix this you need spacers which can be bought in a kit, to be fitted between the end of the composite and the rubber recoil pad.
An example of why this stock fit and design is so important is my T3 .308. In its factory laminate stock I find the recoil in different positions difficult to manage for accurate field shooting. I have to spend too much time working out if I’ve got the rifle under control. However if I place the same barrelled action in the DPT chassis with the dead straight tubular buttstock and alloy butt - no padding at all - I don’t even feel it.
The factory laminated stock with a recoil pad would bruise my shoulder, the DPT chassis with bare metal doesn’t.
So, measure, check, fit spacers as required, check again.
The T3 stock is well known for causing recoil sensitivity in some shooters. Quite normal and not unusual.
Somewhere on our NZ forum there is a detailed explanation from a well known and respected stockmaker as to why this is. Unfortunately the forum is down at the moment so I can’t find it, no guarantee I’ll be able to find it anyway. But we did speak briefly about this exact same problem just a week or so ago.
It’s to do with the design of the grip and angle of the buttstock, and precisely what part of the shoulder that shooter is using. The recoil impulse angle is changed by the stock design and for some people that concentrates the recoil “whack” in a way that they find difficult to tolerate.
As mentioned above if the stock length is too short and the fit into the shoulder is wrong, you’ll struggle. Google how to measure the required butt stock length relative to the length of your upper arm from the shoulder to the elbow. Do it properly as you will be surprised what a difference an inch can make. Adding lots of soft padding does not fix this problem if the rigid part of the stock is not long enough. To fix this you need spacers which can be bought in a kit, to be fitted between the end of the composite and the rubber recoil pad.
An example of why this stock fit and design is so important is my T3 .308. In its factory laminate stock I find the recoil in different positions difficult to manage for accurate field shooting. I have to spend too much time working out if I’ve got the rifle under control. However if I place the same barrelled action in the DPT chassis with the dead straight tubular buttstock and alloy butt - no padding at all - I don’t even feel it.
The factory laminated stock with a recoil pad would bruise my shoulder, the DPT chassis with bare metal doesn’t.
So, measure, check, fit spacers as required, check again.
Ok as right now with scope where it is and I have stock against my shoulder I still have to slight ease my eye closer to scope to see the full bore of it
The slip on leather recoil pads from Tourbon are nice, well made and inexpensive. I have them on a couple of my rifles, but primarily for the purpose of correcting fit rather than eliminating recoil.
I have never felt recoil when shooting a deer (or any other live quarry with a rifle), only on the range. When you're really "in the zone" with a deer in the sights you barely notice the bang, let alone the recoil
(I shoot an unmoderated 270).
I have never felt recoil when shooting a deer (or any other live quarry with a rifle), only on the range. When you're really "in the zone" with a deer in the sights you barely notice the bang, let alone the recoil
(I shoot an unmoderated 270).
To extend a Tikka unscrew pad
Add layer of foam/ rubber etc between pad and rifle
Refit
Shoot
Add layer of foam/ rubber etc between pad and rifle
Refit
Shoot
I have a 308 T3 lite. First of all good shoulder placement. Second firm grip-none of this nancyboy stuff lightly holding rear of rifle off a bipod. Hold the rifle firm with 4 points of contact - left hand on forend, right hand on grip, cheek welded to the butt and it firmly in the pocket of your shoulder.
You can fill the stock and Nathan Foster sells a kit to do so - probably improves accuracy a little. Fit a limbsaver recoil pad and of course add spacers to get correct length of pull. This is essential.
A quality mod will reduce muzzle flip substantially. The recoil itself isnt severe. A 303 with brass buttplate it isnt...
Once you do set it up for YOU, it will be an excellent gun and you will take many deer. ENJOY IT !
You can fill the stock and Nathan Foster sells a kit to do so - probably improves accuracy a little. Fit a limbsaver recoil pad and of course add spacers to get correct length of pull. This is essential.
A quality mod will reduce muzzle flip substantially. The recoil itself isnt severe. A 303 with brass buttplate it isnt...
Once you do set it up for YOU, it will be an excellent gun and you will take many deer. ENJOY IT !
I disagree. I shot a .303 SMLE for the first time the other day, and was amazed at how little recoil there was. Very pleasant to shoot.
A T3 Lite .308 with a 20” barrel is far, FAR worse.
That is the most sensible suggestion yet!Has everyone on this forum got sensible over night? I was expecting at least one comment suggesting he sell and buy a 270
"A light recoiling caliber, suitable for ladies and young shooters" is how many American websites describe the 270. Certainly the reputation for kick that it has in the UK is completely unfounded. Largely perpetuated by people who've never fired one, I suspect.
Ok. We can disagree. Was it factory ammo?
My experience of shooting 174gn bullets with a lot more powder vs 44gns behind a 150gn SGK is clearly different to yours. I shoot well in excess of 2000 rds most years, mainly 308 and multiples of that in some.
Id suggest my other points are highly applicable to an owner of a T3 lite in 308.
My experience of shooting 174gn bullets with a lot more powder vs 44gns behind a 150gn SGK is clearly different to yours. I shoot well in excess of 2000 rds most years, mainly 308 and multiples of that in some.
Id suggest my other points are highly applicable to an owner of a T3 lite in 308.
Similar threads
