Traded off my 1911, TIKKA T3X CTR!!!

[sboone]

Traded off my Sig 1911 today, I know how I did and pretty happy about it but figured maybe I could share the joy.

Put my Sig 1911 tacpac on armslist a mont ago and forgot about it, out of the blue I get an email for a TIKKA T3X CTR in 6.5 creedmore, I?m a guy who would always say inside 700 yards the 308 will always be king but after that you can?t really be blind to what the 6.5 creedmore is capable of.  So I email him back saying if he?s close we can meet up, that?s the only way I?ll do an armslist deal and he?s only 20 minutes away.  He likes my Sig, I?m drooling on the Tikka by this point.

All in all he got the Sig 1911 tacpac, 2 extra 8 round mags and a 10 chip McCormick, LG-401 crimson trace grips, and 308 rounds of 45 auto ammo, 150 range fodder rest is Federal HST 230 grain and some loose rounds of ppu 5.56

I got the Tika T3X CTR in a Bell and Carlson M40 stock, Mountain Tactical 20 moa rail and bolt handle, all the original furniture, and 200 rounds of ammo about 150 are reloads which I?m considering breaking back down, may shoot 10 of em as a litmus test to see what they do.  The kicker, the guy brought some RCBS 30-30 reloading dies and said I could have em if I could use em since he sold his 30-30

Haven?t got a scope yet but I think I?m going to take my PA ACSS 4-14 FFP off of my CZ 550 FS since it has iron sights anyway and grab a set of Warne rings until I can afford a real scope for this rifle, I?m thinking a nightforce or a higher end Vortex but haven?t started looking yet.

Pic of my new T3X

[Tyerone]

Oh boy oh boy!  Looks like a bull barrel... I came across this back when I was in the market.  Advertised as a lightweight, but 7.4 lbs.  I went with a 5.5 lb savage, but I likely won't be sniping at 700 yds plus!  Love to hear about your long range venture whenever that happens!

Congrats to the both of you for a great trade.

[sboone]

Thanks 
I think they call it varmint contour, tapers down to .8? at the muzzle.  It definitely is no light weight especially with the M40 stock.  The OEM stock is extremely light but there is no bedding only a steel recoil lug.  Plenty of YouTube videos taking these CTR?s out stock and nailing 1000 yards and a couple go to 1650 as well pretty impressive.  I will hopefully have a chance to take it out to 4-500 next weekend and give it a test run.  Out here there?s plenty of open space to stretch out you just gotta find a spot with a good back stop or hillside with no neighbors

[czsuby]

Congrats on a great TIKKA!

[Earl Keese]

That's nice, congrats! Don't forget to post a range report!

[sboone]

Thanks guys, be lookin for a range report Sunday night, was gonna shoot Friday but looks like it could rain and get a little cool, Sunday is supposed to be sunny mid 60?s so that?s gonna be my best bet for good shooting weather

[sboone]

Went to cabelas today and picked up a few things for this rifle.  I?ve got me some Warne Maxima low rings, a rear bag, and a box of HST 140 grain Berger VLD.

Threw the scope (primary arms 4-14 ACSS illuminated) in the rings and slapped em on the rifle with care, got everything leveled ever so perfectly, first the rail leveled linear then laterally, gingerly placed the scope on then leveled and repeatedly checked level as I was torqueing the screws, rings properly torqued to 25 in-lbs per manufacturer in specified order (low screws first back to front ensuring that the recoil bar in the rings is pressed forward to mate with the forward picatinny bar, then the top screws back to front, re torque x3 to ensure accurate even torque across all screws)

This scope isn?t the perfect long range scope by a mile (get it? ) but I had it on hand and will use it to the best of my ability until I am more experienced and practiced with the rifle and until I can afford a much much nicer scope.  The same for the rings although the Maximas are growing on me, this is my 2nd set.  Can?t wait for next weekend!!!

[sboone]

Here is a little teaser before the weekend.

Made it out to the farm today, dad is recovery from shoulder surgery and needed help replacing door hinges on an old ford 7.3L so I stopped buy, I may have also brought my new toy.  I got the hinges put on and then it was time to play.  We got the gun on paper, zeroed it a little high at 25, using Federal ballistic calculator I think I?ll be pretty close at 300 yds hopefully. 

We backed up to 100 yds...ish, I stepped it out so +\- 10ft and this was my first 3 shot group with the gun, it is also the only group I shot since we were pinched for time.  It?s bright and sunny maybe 65 with wind at my back 10 mph, couldn?t ask for a nicer day.  123 grain ELD over 47 grains Superformance, it was one of the guys reloads so this was a litmus test to see if maybe i should break em down.  Will still be checking every round before firing and chambering by hand.

I pulled the low shot for sure, don?t know what happened but I squeezed the rear bag just as I shot and thought I?d wrecked the group but all those holes should be touching if weren?t for me

For those interested, if you have the skill set and a mill to work the stock for fitting I would recommend this stock as of right now but will give more detailed right up after more than a magazine of rounds through the gun.  It does fit me very well though at 6? 230lbs and pretty high cheek bones.  It has good heft from a utilitarian standpoint

[sboone]

Range report from today

wccarnes was fortunately able to make it out with his 7.62 NATO Galil Ace.  We helped dad for a couple hours then proceeded to set up our range.  Wccarnes has a vortex range finder with him so we got some fairly accurate distance measurements.  We set up a 18?x24? sillouhette and an 8? round plate about 4 feet from each other.  I red circled about where they were at.



Here was our range for today, pastureland out at the farm, the structure at about half way is just a worn down corral.  We started up there, measured off distance was about 270 yards.  We beat down that sillouhette and plate with that Galil and tikka like it was our job, incredible how easy it was, 2 fine rifles for defending he home land without a doubt.  We moved back to where I?m standing in this picture, our farthest measured distance at 550 yds at the opposite corner of the pasture.  We got some real solid center mass hits on the sillouhette then punished the little plate again, not much of a problem with the tikka.  I have a feeling that this gun is destined for much farther ranges than 550 yds, not close at all to tapping the full potential of the gun and the round without a doubt.  It was interesting to note that while everyone can google ballistics charts and muzzle energy, the sound difference between the L2A2 7.62 NATO and the 123 grain ELD was very noticeable.  That 30 cal give a solid respectable and satisfying smack when it hit the plates, but you could tell the 6.5 was laying down some serious hurt when you saw those poor plates swing violently heard that commanding THWACK echo through the ravine.  6.5 is no joke for sure and it delivers the goods.

Overall I am very impressed with this rifle, it feels good, it shoots good, it runs smooth,  my only gripe is price of mags but they are cheaper and more readily available than they used to be so that?s a huge plus.  There?s a 30 cal suppressor waiting to get out of jail that I intend to throw on the end and expect good results from the system