Compensating for temperature dependence

Not bad. :)
Your Tikka M55, does it have a regular hunting barrel or what in M65 is called "Continental"?
It's a semi-varmint barrel, with the best trigger I have ever used. Better than my AI.
 

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Very nice indeed. It looks a bit like the Sporter version of the M65. In the M65 6,5x55SE, the Sporter and the Continental have the same barrel AFAIK. It has the same barrel profile as the Krieger varmint barrels.

I have only been shooting HPBT bullets (Norma and Lapua) with my M65, but I have got the impression that the thicker barrel gives you wider accuracy nodes compared to thin hunting barrels. I have seen others report the same thing (regarding varmint rifles).
 
Very nice indeed. It looks a bit like the Sporter version of the M65. In the M65 6,5x55SE, the Sporter and the Continental have the same barrel AFAIK. It has the same barrel profile as the Krieger varmint barrels.

I have only been shooting HPBT bullets (Norma and Lapua) with my M65, but I have got the impression that the thicker barrel gives you wider accuracy nodes compared to thin hunting barrels. I have seen others report the same thing (regarding varmint rifles).
Thanks yes this type of barrel is excellent. It is the original 1980s barrel and is missing rifling in the first third of the barrel. I am amazed it still shoots at all.
 
Thanks Smellydog. I did probably do the weighing of the second batch on the same day as I tested it. This could be part of the reason for the different behaviour. If so, it would however suggest that doing everything the same way every time is important. This appears to be a very upsetting idea to some forum members. ;)
 
This appears to be a very upsetting idea to some forum members.
To be brutally honest I stopped trying this fine tuning a while ago. I did realise it's not really necessary for me. I'm a hunter not a target shooter.
If you and others have the resources and inclination for super accurate shooting then God's speed to you. It's still good exercise for the mind and body after all.
Good luck in your quest.
 
Thank you Smellydog for the question about weighing. I am using an Ohaus precision scale with 0.02 grain resolution, tested with class E1 check weights. And as I am an over-ambitious newbie I have been weight-sorting the bullets and the once-fired Norma brass. Not the primers, though. I figured that it would be better to adjust my ambitions after I figured out which ones actually matter.

Thank you also HandB. This is the kind of input I was hoping for. Do you notice any significant change in group size between the two scenarios you are describing, or is it mainly a question of different trajectories?

Does anybody have any input on the sub-topic of whether the added weight of a suppressor results in a tighter group?
A suppressor do normaly not change the group size but a particular load can be better or worse with different barrel harmony.
As in Sweden the most common hunting practice are on a running moose or boar range(for hunting game driven by a dog), we have different standards of what an ethical shot is as opposed to hunters in other countries who mostly practice static long range targets. 100m on a moving animal are a long range and prone at a animal standing at 300 are long if you havn`t practiced for it. In Sweden we also have a law you need to have access to a tracking dog.
 
Smellydog, the point I think you are trying to make is quite possibly one of the ultimately "correct" answers to this overall question. There is simply no need for better accuracy in near-100% of the hunting situations.

For me, it's a question of learning this field, beyond what is necessary or useful for hunting. If, however, this would lead to me finding that having a set of hunting cartridges of slightly different powder weight and on the day of the hunt selecting those with a load that is closest to the expected temperature, it would be both practically useful and very simple to use.
 
I'm only a beginner and the only hunts I have participated in so far have been from a tower. One situation that might occur is game peacefully coming out to feed, standing still for at least seconds at a time. If you are sitting down, 3m above ground, and have a wooden railing to support the rifle, a 100 m shot at non-moving game is not difficult or unethical. Another situation is driven hunt, in which a dog scares or annoys the game to move out of the woods into a clearing or open field. It seems that these prey also tend to move and stop, move and stop, so this form of hunt doesn't necessarily mean that you will be shooting at a moving animal.

In Sweden, to pass the bullet part of the hunter exam (which is a prerequisite for being granted a hunting bullet weapon permit), you shoot at a standing full-size elk figure at 80 m. After the shot, the target moves right-to-left and you must successfully take another shot at it while moving. Then this is repeated left-to-right. You must manage this a certain number of times on a certain number of attempts (I don't remember how many). Every hunting association shooting range has such an installation. It is typically the case that you must yearly pass three such sessions to be allowed to participate in a hunt organised by a group of hunters. In my humble experience this is meant to be a test of perhaps the most common real-life situation.

Then of course there are stupid or overly exited people who shoot at moving game without mastering it. There's no excuse for this and it's hammered in to us only to attempt safe shots.

I'm not arguing that this would be a good set of rules for e.g. the UK. I suppose every country of region has developed hunting practices that work for those conditions and the local hunters do their best to train the next generation. I'm just saying that a 100 m shot is not by definition a risky or unethical shot.
 
On of the reasons why I am asking the forum whether it is your experience or knowledge that suppressors cause smaller group sizes is this claim by a suppressor manufacturer. I don't want to spend money and time on verifying if somebody knows and can successfully argue that it is a load of bull.


"Does the hit pattern change with silencers?"

"Yes, it’s rare that you get exactly the same shot with and without a silencer. In a “perfect” world with silencers, the impact image is moved downwards but also becomes more collected, thus better precision. The explanation lies in the fact that the silencer reduces the impact (recoil) and that the barrel’s vibrations are reduced by the extra weight (the silencer) placed at the front of the barrel. Smaller spread = lower hit point, and lower amplitude of the barrel’s vibrations = more concentrated hit pattern.

The effect with silencers and collective hit pattern is most obvious with light weapons and/or on weapons with thin barrels.

Other things that affect the precision are the centering of the barrel thread and tolerance deviations in the silencer. All small deviations of course affect the hitting pattern, therefore it is not unusual that there can also be a lateral change in the hitting pattern.

By far the most common experience in connection with inserting a silencer is a more relaxed shooting and that the hit pattern becomes more concentrated!"
 
HandB, I wonder how much of this is due to Tikka quality and how much is a consequence of the barrel profile.
It's the quality of the barrel manufacturing process that counts not the barrel profile. I also own a 1954 BSA Hunter in .222 that has a skinny light weight barrel and has lost the rifling in the middle third of the barrel due to extreme pitting. BSA Hunter barrels were made with the same cut rifled, hand-lapped process as Tikka adopted and my .222 shoots similarly to the Tikka.
 

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In my Bergara ba13 the silencer does not change accuracy but the rifle feels more steady then pointing and aiming it. I mostly hunts toppfågel/birds in top of trees with it and I accept 25-30 mm accuracy at 100m even then I can choose my Tikka t3 that does a little bit better.

For driven hunts you would benefit from a scope with 1-1,5x as low magnifiction.
 
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