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New Tikka Not Grouping Well
- Thread starter Shotts2000
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
……I should've caught that! memtb
Ckleeves
Well-Known Member
Ditch the lead sled first as others have said. There is no need to wait 3 minutes between shots, if it can't shoot a 5 shot group without wandering it needs a new barrel. Wouldn't hurt to put a proven scope on it to verify just to make sure it's not a scope issue.
I have not had issues getting sub MOA accuracy from other rifles using the sled, but what is the preferred alternative? I will give it a shot
I do not currently have access to another scope with a 30mm tube. May have to get some 1" mounts after I check everything else mentioned so far. Trying to start with the simplest/cheapest fixes first.
Everyone pretty much covered it. I shoot off a bipod and bag. No sled.
Make sure the break/can is torqued correctly
Make sure the action is torqued correctly
Make sure the base is torqued down correctly
Make sure the ring bases are torqued correctly
Make sure the rings are torqued down correctly personally I do 25lbs.
If it still shoots doodoo then it's ammo, scope or barrel.
Also like lance said the 140 vlds are killer.
Make sure the break/can is torqued correctly
Make sure the action is torqued correctly
Make sure the base is torqued down correctly
Make sure the ring bases are torqued correctly
Make sure the rings are torqued down correctly personally I do 25lbs.
If it still shoots doodoo then it's ammo, scope or barrel.
Also like lance said the 140 vlds are killer.
WeiserBucks
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2016
- Messages
- 2,828
Anything, literally anything else. Sleds are the bane of all things holy in this world.
Id rather rest on a ****ed off badgers lunch money than a sled. Throw it off a cliff and thank us later.
Ckleeves
Well-Known Member
They can be pretty hard on stocks and scopes/rings. Tikka synthetic stocks are pretty durable so doubt you would see any problems there but scopes are a different matter.
They also affect the way the rifle recoils, so you may not be getting truthful groups with one. I feel it's best to do load development, set zeros etc with the exact system your going to hunt with so there isn't any surprises.
I do everything prone off a bipod with a rear bag but if your off a bench then just good front and rear bags are going to be way better then a sled.
Laguna Freak
Well-Known Member
I did not read through all the replies so if someone else mentioned this, it must be somewhat sound counsel;
I mean no disrespect but you're a new member and did not mention how much experience you have with rifle shooting. So, how much? Shouldering, grip (both hands), body and optical alignment, breath control, trigger squeeze, recoil flinch tendency are all factors that can contribute to your experience.
Jon Bischof
Well-Known Member
I also had a new T3 that would not group worth a flip. Thought it was a bedding problem but I couldn't get any improvement no matter what I tried. Sold it and bought a Sauer that groups every ammo better than the Tikka.
Guess I had a lemon which surprised me since my Tikka T1X 22 LR is an excellent shooter.
Guess I had a lemon which surprised me since my Tikka T1X 22 LR is an excellent shooter.
I have shot rifles since I was a kid, but started teaching myself proper shooting fundamentals a couple of years ago. I shoulder square to the gun, control my breathing by exhaling until my movement is minimized, squeeze the trigger and follow through, and with this rifle I do not feel the recoil is an issue at all. I am able to shoot my 30-06 with .5" groups shooting exactly as I have with this new rifle. Not to say that I can't improve, but I genuinely feel like the issue lies outside of my shooting skill.
One additional idea:
Check to make sure the barreled action is seated securely in the recoil lug in the stock. If that's not solid, you'll never shoot great groups.
Check to make sure the barreled action is seated securely in the recoil lug in the stock. If that's not solid, you'll never shoot great groups.
That is my concern as well. I like this thing a lot, and am going to try troubleshooting it as well as swapping ammo. If that doesn't help, I may reach out to Tikka about their sub MOA guarantee to see if they are able to help.
I didn't think to mention that upon the first shot of this rifle, the bolt was very hard to work. Almost to the point that I thought the bolt had seized up. After 2-3 shots it appeared to be normal, but now that I'm having issues I thought this may be worth mentioning.
Laguna Freak
Well-Known Member
Excellent. I'm sure you've triple checked your scope mount and have the reticle aligned to the bore using a plumb line. If so and your shooting form is solid, it's possible your scope has a flawed erector. Maybe the best way to determine that is to mount a proven scope to confirm PoA and PoI are spot on, or send your scope to Leupold for warranty service. Scope flaws happen and Leupold has always been great with their Lifetime warranty in my experience, even on 20+ year old used scopes I've bought. I doubt the ammunition is solely responsible for your experience. Beyond these issues you may be experiencing a mass production rifle flaw related to bolt face : chamber and/or bore alignment. This too happens.
