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> First Tikka T3X ... chambered in 243
First Tikka T3X ... chambered in 243
@ 05:24 am (GMT) |
WSJust purchased my first Tikka (T3X Lite Roughtec Ember/ stainless 22.4")and my first 243. I'm in the eastern USA and hunt whitetail for food. I had been hunting with 30-06 and 30-30 successfully. The land I am hunting on generally give me the opportunity for a kill shot within 200 yards, there is the 1% chance of hunting out to 350 yards.I am excited about the 243 for less meat damage if my shot placement isn't perfectly where I wanted it. I plan on stabilizing the stock and adding some lead shot weight to it. I shoot a heavier rifle much better. I am used to 9+ Lbs on my other rifles, less wander in my crosshairs. Other upgrades/mods I have in motion are the Backstop recoil pad, KalixTeknik Adjustable Cheek Rest, Tikka Vertical Grip, lighter weight trigger spring, new bolt knob and shroud, UM tikka rail 30mm scope mounts, 4-16x44 FFP scope, APA Gen 4 lil bastard muzzle brake. I hope with about 2 Lbs of extra weight, the muzzle brake and the new recoil pad to have a very soft shooting 243. I really want to be able to stay in the scope better. I understand that a Tikka doesn't "need" anything to shoot well. But I hope to make the best version of my rifle for me. Until I get into handloading I plan on shooting Hornady Precision Hunter 90gr ELDX and Sig Sauer Elite Series 90gr Sierra Tipped GameKing. These 2 options appear to give me a very flat trajectory and good energy/velocity at my hunting ranges. Should I be thinking about anything else? |
Replies
@ 07:07 am (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: First Tikka T3X ... chambered in 243Hi WS, this is basically the anti of everything I teach. This is the trouble with online forums, we go onto a forum with innocent ideas and then get jumped on by folk like myself and it turns into some horrid public trial. My sincere apologies for this. I have no idea how we will get through this 'age of the internet'.The .243 fires light weight bullets which lack the kinetic energy of larger bores / bullets. To counter this, the .243 uses speed combined with (before the advent of copper entrepreneurs) projectiles featuring varmint thickness jackets. This enables the .243 to produce a large wound (i.e. meat damage) in order to effect fast kills. Less meat damage equals slower killing - this is basic physics and biolgy. In addition to this, where there is a risk of poor shot placement as you stated, a bullet should ideally produce high damage to help overcome this - not less. Your Tikka rifle is quite capable as is. It does not need a muzzle brake or vertical grip, nor a new bolt handle or new recoil pad. What you are talking about has nothing to do with rifles and is instead related to the modern addiction of online shopping in the hope of obtaining happiness. While these things might bring temporary happiness, it will not last. If you want to truly enjoy this experience, work with what you have and look to skill and self discipline. The rewards are much greater. Thats really just the tip of the iceberg. The book set goes into much more detail. I guess the first step for you is to try to work out what is motivating me while typing your answer - Is this just my opinion, am I just trying to 'play the expert', or - could it be that I do genuinely want to help you get the best out of this. You'll have to work this out for yourself. About 80 years ago, young men were given .303, 8mm and .30-06 caliber rifles with brass or steel butt plates. They learned to shoot with what they were given and those of a conscientious nature worked at holding the rifle properly, learning to overcome any subconscious reactions to recoil from the butt plate and from knuckles which occasionally caused bloody lips. The muscles were taught, but without consciously or subconsciously bracing in fear. Sighting took a great deal of practice to master. The trigger pull was slow and deliberate. Thinking about this, do you honestly and truly think that fitting a muzzle brake on a .243 will give you this same sense of personal achievement? Yes, its good to have modern equipment, but do not let consumerism completely rob you. I spoke specifically about the Tikka here if you are interested: https://backcountryhunting.libsyn.com/use-enough-gun-with-kiwi-terminal-ballistics-specialist-nathan-foster Again, my apologies. I really hope this helps lead to greater joy in your endeavors. All the best. |
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@ 08:02 am (GMT) |
Walter SmithRe: First Tikka T3X ... chambered in 243Mr. Foster,I do appreciate your response and I really feel like you are trying to help the shooting world. I've enjoyed reading on your site and in this forum. I had been hunting with 30 cal's and been successful with them, most deer expired within seconds. I do not let much at all go to waste when processing them. I take the time to trim and separate the muscle groups. Anything damaged by the shot doesn't get wasted either - it goes into the dog food. I do like to make anything I own better for my purposes, if I can. Some rifles I own have nothing done to them. Others just have a trigger job and a good scope. But I do enjoy the process as much as results (if any). My Mauser 30-06 shot great before I put it in a nice walnut stock, epoxy bedded it, replaced the trigger and put a pakmyer pad on it. Now it shoots better and more consistently for me. It has allowed me to feed my family many times. When I have helped my friends with processing their deer shot with 243, I noticed less meat damage than I see with the 30-06 or the 30-30. Obviously bullet choice played a large roll in this and I was not there to see how fast the animal died. I do not want anything to suffer - that is paramount - a quick kill is important. Maybe I'll find that I like hunting with the 30 cals more in the end.. At the end of the day, practicing proper technique with what you have is always the best solution. I actually attempted to purchase your whole book bundle and the tikka videos earlier today - but for some reason it kept declining my cc's. I agree with you though. My list of "upgrades" are not necessity and working on my foundational shooting skills is the best route, especially in the long run. I don't suppose its really necessary for me to try to explain in detail my reasoning for wanting to change so much about an already good rifle. I really thought how cool it would be if the low recoiling 243 had less recoil and was super comfortable to shoot and maybe I could manage to stay in the scope better. All of this is of course superficial and my time/money/effort would be better spent reading/learning/implementing the foundational skills you teach. Am I still going to do all that to my rifle? Yes. Am I going to buy your books and videos to learn more (when it lets me) ? Yes. |
@ 02:09 am (GMT) |
Connor HuntbachRe: First Tikka T3X ... chambered in 243Hi Walter, sorry as much of this is repeating what Nathan has already said. i think you have been misguided when it comes to meat damage and the .243. It’s hard to talk about meat damage in terms of cartridge selection as it’s so massively influenced by bullet and load selection paired with shot placement. However, being a small fast cartridge the .243 relies on high velocity to kill well, normally leading to decent amounts of bruising. I would expect as a general rule your .243 would lose more meat than your .30/30, and possibly even your 30/06 if you run a moderate velocity heavy bullet in it. As to bullets, out of the two you mentioned you will get more meat damage with the Hornady than you will with the seirra, however this should be seen as a benefit. Iv had a lot my clients come to me using gamechanger bullets and if you hit behind the shoulder in the lungs they can be extremely slow killers. The jacket on the gamechangers are stupidly thick, if I have a client using this bullet I limit shooting distances and try to get them to put the bullet through the animals shoulders in order to maximise effectiveness, however if you are worried about meat damage I’m guessing you won’t want to do this. Out of interest if you get chance chronograph the Hornady load, most Hornady ammunition seems to be very slow at the moment across all calibres and cartridges. Best regards, Connor |
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@ 03:37 am (GMT) |
WSRe: First Tikka T3X ... chambered in 243Conner, thank you for your thoughts on the matter. What you and Mr. Foster have said does make some sense to me. As mentioned, I was not there to see how effectively the 243 killed the deer. I only saw minimal damage when processing, and as mentioned means that it was probably a slow kill. I do not want a slow kill. I would gladly sacrifice a front shoulder for a faster kill.In my 30-30 I have used the Hornady 160gr FTX.. and for my 30-06 I have killed more with Barnes 150gr TTSX but some with Hornady 178gr ELDX. For my 243, within my hunting ranges of around ~200 yards, is there another bullet I should be considering? I am limited to box ammo right now. I have not started doing any handloading yet. |
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@ 05:38 am (GMT) |
WSRe: First Tikka T3X ... chambered in 243Before the year is out I do plan to invest handloading equipment and supplies.I am hoping that the heavier bullet options for the 243 will do well. Hornady 103gr ELDX, the Berger 105gr VLD-H, Sierra...etc. I am typically inside 200 yards for my deer hunts. With the 243 - are these heavier projectiles going to be ok for hunting with? Will I have enough velocity in that yardage for them to be effective? I am open to any suggestions. I am trying to make the most of the 243 for deer. If needed, I may just go back to 30-06 for deer and retire the 243 to varmint and coyote. |
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@ 05:59 am (GMT) |
Connor HuntbachRe: First Tikka T3X ... chambered in 243If your rifle is a 1-10 twist then it likely won’t stabilise the high bc 100+ grain bullets. In standard 1-10 twist barrels I love both the 95gr sst Hornady superformance and the 95gr Winchester silver tip. If you have a 1-8 twist (less likely but they are now a factory option) then the Hornady 103gr eld x and 108gr Eld m are both good homeloaded. I haven’t used the 90gr eld x but I’m sure it would be fine. The .243 is a great cartridge and is a bit of a staple over here in the uk, if you understand how to get the most out of it and its limitations then you will enjoy using it. |
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@ 05:59 am (GMT) |
Connor HuntbachRe: First Tikka T3X ... chambered in 243If your rifle is a 1-10 twist then it likely won’t stabilise the high bc 100+ grain bullets. In standard 1-10 twist barrels I love both the 95gr sst Hornady superformance and the 95gr Winchester silver tip. If you have a 1-8 twist (less likely but they are now a factory option) then the Hornady 103gr eld x and 108gr Eld m are both good homeloaded. I haven’t used the 90gr eld x but I’m sure it would be fine. The .243 is a great cartridge and is a bit of a staple over here in the uk, if you understand how to get the most out of it and its limitations then you will enjoy using it. |
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@ 07:27 am (GMT) |
WSRe: First Tikka T3X ... chambered in 243Yes mine is a 1:8 twist - that's a major reason I went with the Tikka. I knew I was going to be handloading soon enough and wanted to stabilize the longer heavier bullets.Thank you for the info! |
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