It's a great caliber and very accurate in the Tikka. I did the same thing you are doing. I shot the stock rifle until barrel death then put a 1:8 twist barrel on it. Wow! It's a badass rig! Makes my friends with 7 mags jealous and really leaves the 6.5's behind for larger animals like elk, with all the heavier bullets. Mine is my main mountain hunting rifle now and weighs 7 lbs 15 oz fully loaded and ready to shoot to 1000 yds. Very accurate rifle for its weight. I've been impressed with the build.