First centrefire now home at last...now what?

Sheprador1973 said:

Thanks for your continued encouragement and support Cottis. Got to be honest, it feels rather strange right now. Suddenly having a .308 in the house I mean. Guess its a hangover from a general perception of firearms that most of the general public have (I was one of them once!). Just a peculiar mix of 'Wow..this is exciting' and 'S*@t! That is a REAL gun!' First experience of Bisley was an eye-opener mind. In a good way...( except for the guy shooting a large cal unmoderated just to my left) Next buy = active ear defenders!

And yes, I'll be checking eye relief and ocular lens today thank you. I'll post findings.

Finally, yes safety first and foremost!

Many thanks, P.

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My apologies if that was me - BASC range day last week?

S

sh1kar said:

My apologies if that was me - BASC range day last week?

S

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Ha ha...no mate. BSRC at their range this week. Not the guys fault, i'd just been lent some basic defenders but kept having to lift one to hear what the seller way saying. BANG on cue every bloody time i did! NOW i get moderators!

Muir said:

Oh! You poor b&stard!! Most likely the barrel was not properly run in!! This means that you will struggle with accuracy all the live long day. (or week, or month, or year even!) I made the mistake of buying a new Tikka T-3 Lite in 7-08 and, ignoring the impulse to properly run it in, I just cleaned the bore and shot it. Shot it a lot.

As a result I am cursed with half MOA groups. I can't imagine how well it might have shot if I'd just run it in! As it is, I'm so disgusted with myself that I constantly fight back the urge to run a twist drill down that accursed barrel and then weld it shut. Damn my stupidity. ~Muir

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Being dead clever and reading between the lines, would i be right in guessing you're not a massive believer in breaking in barrels?!

Sheprador1973 said:

Ha ha...no mate. BSRC at their range this week. Not the guys fault, i'd just been lent some basic defenders but kept having to lift one to hear what the seller way saying. BANG on cue every bloody time i did! NOW i get moderators!

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Ha I was there in the morning too Had a zebra hide rifle slip for one of the rifles
S

I have a tikka and the eye relief was something I sorted first. Granted it’s nust foam wrapped with tape but it works. I also give my barrel a pull through after very outing and take the mod off as I don’t want crap sitting in the until the next time I use it. I also give the barrel and action a wipe with a cloth everyone I use it.

would only take the stock off if it gets wet.

i did run my barrel in when I first got it by shooting once then used a pull through. I repeated this five times and then every five rounds for the next 15 . I know there some controversy around breaking a barrel in but mine will shoot ragged holes at 100 yards so there’s got to be something in it.

enjoy the new rifle

Sheprador1973 said:

Being dead clever and reading between the lines, would i be right in guessing you're not a massive believer in breaking in barrels?!

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Clever you are.

The need to run in a barrel is a myth that originated with a barrel maker in the US a couple of decades or more back. Done properly, it does no harm, but it has yet to be proven that a rifle that has been 'run-in' is more accurate than if it wasn't. Some claim that the rifle becomes easier to clean but people over-clean their rifles. (Lord. When I read of someone about to perform a 'deep cleansing' on their rifle I get a little uncomfortable -like they have just posted that they are going to give their wife an enema ) Cleaning should be kept at a minimum. I use a single patch with a scant drop of oil down the bore and patch til dry. That's it. I own very accurate rifles. That 7-08 is one of them. All of my Tikkas are accurate, as a matter of fact. My own 308 Tikka was also second hand and it shoots bug-hole groups. I know it wasn't run in because it had less than a box of ammo through it from the previous owner. My 'run-in', if you can call it that, is to shoot lots and lots of ammunition through my rifles.

In short, I have never run in a barrel and I'm happy. Other people must run in barrels and they are happy. All are free to choose. Either way, the accuracy you get from your rifle is dictated at the plant where it was made.~Muir

Sheprador1973 said:

Ha ha...no mate. BSRC at their range this week. Not the guys fault, i'd just been lent some basic defenders but kept having to lift one to hear what the seller way saying. BANG on cue every bloody time i did! NOW i get moderators!

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Be thankful he wasn't using a brake

I hate muzzle breaks

When I get a T3 in for myself or for a customer I would check that the screw that holds the trigger is properly tightened with some threadlock. Also on used rifles check that the action screws have the right length. Last put a patch with some Hoppes down the barrel and a few dry patches. Then just shoot.
I don't fuss about with barrel break in either.
edi

same as, glad to read that, started to feel guilty I was not doing a cleaning regime, not had a problem with any of my guns.as muir said.

ejg said:

When I get a T3 in for myself or for a customer I would check that the screw that holds the trigger is properly tightened with some threadlock. Also on used rifles check that the action screws have the right length. Last put a patch with some Hoppes down the barrel and a few dry patches. Then just shoot.
I don't fuss about with barrel break in either.
edi

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Thanks ejg. Yes stock coming off today for a look at the bottom of barrel and action. Will check trigger screw and weight of pull while there too. Good tip on the threadlike, thanks. Can't find Hoppes around here (and really don't want to kick off the solvent wars either) is the the Bisley bore cleaner or KG1 just a capable? Just to clean out some carbon if needed.

Sheprador1973 said:

Thanks ejg. Yes stock coming off today for a look at the bottom of barrel and action. Will check trigger screw and weight of pull while there too. Good tip on the threadlike, thanks. Can't find Hoppes around here (and really don't want to kick off the solvent wars either) is the the Bisley bore cleaner or KG1 just a capable? Just to clean out some carbon if needed.

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The trigger screw is an important safety thing. Tikka also use high quality screws for this.
Cleaning the barrel is mainly to make sure the previous owner did not grease up the barrel or just to see if there is rust on the patch. Carefully running a patch up a barrel can tell you if there is a bad or rough section in the barrel although I have not heard of that in a Sako/T3 barrel yet.
We don't have a gun shop near us and I just bring some Hoppes along when I'm in the states every couple years. Don't clean much barrels, they shoot just fine as most are stainless. My steel barrelled rifle bores need oiling after any rainy outing or else they produce brown patches.

edi

You might find you just "get used" to eye relief in the prone position. It is worth it as there will be times when that's how you will take a shot in the field, even if rare.

Some scopes are better than others when it comes to "fussy" eye relief, with annoying factors such as white-out etc.

As for comments about muzzle brakes, yes, they are annoying on a range. At Bisley I have had one either side of me, just once, and that was enough.

My first centre fire was brand new, and I had ideas of breaking in etc. I also told myself I better patch it through first to make sure to remove any manufacturer residues etc.

I totally forgot, "patching out" at 2900 FPS with a bullet seems to had no ill effect, not that I recommend it.

A few pics for those that might care...






So a few thoughts so far. I'm hopefully out to shoot it with a mate on Tuesday so will have more feedback then.

What i like:

Its my first 'proper' rifle...whats not to like!
Its a L/H Tikka which I had been hoping for.
Its got a wooden stock not a black plastic jobbie.
Its generally in very good condition and shoots straight (though I only fired a few test shots in honesty. First straight in the bull...second errr, less so)
It came with a decent Wildcat mod, steel bases and mounts, scope, 2x metal magazines and a padded case!
The guy that I bought it from was lovely.

What I don't like:

Nothing.

What is 'less than perfect' that I might change when can:

The scope. Its not really a 'conventional' stalking scope and has AO which I struggle to get on with.
The optics are mounted too high for me. By quite a way. I can buy lower rings or more likely in the short term use cheek riser of some sort.
No thread protector. I'll buy or make one I guess.
Two front iron sight mount holes at the end of the barrel. I'll fill 'em somehow (Won't be buying Mr.B's plug screw kit for a ridiculous £27.50!)
The stock is not the prettiest (nor the worst, by any stretch). It's going to be banged against trees and barbed wire fences anyway.
There's a slight dark line on the stock where a slip on butt pad has been used. Have to look pretty hard to see it and not bothered tbh.
Wildcat Predator 8 mods are bl**dy massive! Like a long section of downpipe on the end of the barrel! But I hear they're good.
For the life of me I can't remove the bolt handle or firing pin for inspection. Just me being a t*@t I guess. All the YouTube vids are shown using R/H bolts is my excuse.

What I might do in the future:

As its a L/H M595 action (which seem very well respected) its a good starting point for a future build if I choose (or manage to shoot out the barrel!..Not likely).
Shilen/Bartlein varmint contour barrel in 6.5 Creedmoor (if they ever drop the brass prices) cerakoted in black along with the action.
A tasty McMillan stock.
A 'proper' Harris bipod (mines a copy).
A nice Vortex PST or Sightron S-Tac scope on top.
A more discreet slimline mod.

I'm just dreaming out loud now btw

Thanks for your continued help, interest and support guys. It's much appreciated thank you

Up close I've just noticed the state of the carpet. How embarrassing! We rent and the landlord is living abroad (he says!)

John_R said:

"patching out" at 2900 FPS with a bullet seems to had no ill effect, not that I recommend it.

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LOL

ejg said:

The trigger screw is an important safety thing. Tikka also use high quality screws for this.
Cleaning the barrel is mainly to make sure the previous owner did not grease up the barrel or just to see if there is rust on the patch. Carefully running a patch up a barrel can tell you if there is a bad or rough section in the barrel although I have not heard of that in a Sako/T3 barrel yet.
We don't have a gun shop near us and I just bring some Hoppes along when I'm in the states every couple years. Don't clean much barrels, they shoot just fine as most are stainless. My steel barrelled rifle bores need oiling after any rainy outing or else they produce brown patches.

edi

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I had a look at the trigger mate and it is securely screwed to the action thanks. One thing I did notice is that the pull weight adjustment screw does not stop at the action bolt as described in the Tikka manual. They say it literally hits the action screw at its lowest pull weight, stopping it going further...at 2lbs if my memory serves me. Mine misses the bolt over the top and if I tried would come out completely. So how do I know if I've gone lower than 2lb trigger pull? Ive backed it out slightly as it was rather heavy tbh and bump tested but would obviously like to get it totally right and be safe. Any thoughts?

Sorted now. Trigger adjuster did reach action bolt after all...I just hadn’t given it enough! The bolt handle was stuck badly. Lots of WD40 and whacks with a mallet frees it. Firing pin & spring look perfect.

Highlandsjohn said:

"The bolt handle was stuck badly. Lots of WD40 and whacks with a mallet frees it."

You may want to take a closer look at that P. It is unusual for the bolt to be "stuck badly" ATB john

Good luck with the ongoing adventure. Back to school soon.

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Thanks for the reminder about school John!!!

I know, thought it very unusual but tried everything I'd read/seen on the net and Youtube. Did come across a few who had experienced the same thing so followed their lead. Took quite some effort in the end. Upon inspection the meeting faces of the handle and firing pin assembly were a bit dirty. Wonder if they may have partially corroded together, minimally but enough to seal them together. After a good clean up the handle slid in and out of the locating slot no problem. Bolt reassembled and all seems to be working fine. Will inspect again in a few months to check.

Would like to get out and shoot it a bit now. Got some homelands to test out and want to see if this scope is going to work for my needs.

Thanks again for the advice john. ATB mate. P