Thread: Who can figure this one out

Hi,

Ive currently been developing a new load for my tikka t3 lite 7mm rem mag, I’m using hornady shells, win primers, ARI2217 powder and shooting a 140g nosler bt.

I’m new to reloading and I’m getting mixed results with a round that is consistent at times but not at other times, story as follows:

Okay so did a ladder test and found that i was getting good groupings (half an inch at 100yards) with 68grains of powder, tested this round out to 600yards and was getting awesome results. Stoaked.

Decided it was time to get my first kill with my very first reload, found a hind at 100 yards went for a head shot and missed this was with a perfect rest. Thought to myself it could have been me, carried on and saw another hind at the same distance and again head shot and a miss. I then knew something was up but gave it the benefit of the doubt and an hour later there was a fallow doe at 230yards so i decided to go for the chest, aimed at the heart and she dropped on the spot . That confirmed what i realised because i had hit her in the spine.

Ive soon come to realise that missing becomes a lot more personal when its your own round!

So i went to the range this morning and as i thought my first shot was 3inchs high and a inch to the left, my next 3 shots were only a inch high and inch to the left grouping well again. I zeroed in again got a good group. I then shot out to 200 and got a good group.
At this point the thoughts running through my mind are:

Does this bullet shoot different with a cold barrel? As after my first shot i got a good group with my first shot being 2 inches higher then the shots fired once the barrel was hot.

Seconded thought was somethings up with my scope? Swarovski z5 3x18 (NEVER GIVEN ME PROBLEMS BEFORE)

Third was that I’ve done something different with this new batch of reloads?

So i let my gun cool down for an hour, shot again and the same again, this time 3 shots inch high and an inch left, i then tapped the turrets fired another 3 shots and They were centre again?

Then repeated the process and hour later with the exact same outcome!

So my question is do you think it shoots differently with a cold barrel? But then wouldn’t the first shot be off and the next two re centre ?

Or is my scope playing up?

Or something else?

Can anyone help me out of this headache?

Cheers from a frustrated newbie reloader lol

Have you got some factory loads that can be used for a comparative test ?
That will narrow it down hopefully

First question, is the recoil lug sitting in the slot properly. It is possible to re-assemble a T3 and not have the lug sitting in the slot in the action properly.

When you say "tap the turrets" did you just tap them, but not adjust them?

Could be the barrel is touching the stock somewhere. As it heats up and expands the pressure on the barrel changes and causes the grouping to change.

Could be loose action/ring screws.

If you have another scope I would be mounting that on your rifle an trying that out. At least you will know if your scope is at fault or not...

First thing is don't go for head shots , aim small miss big . What distance are you sighted in for ? and shooting in the field is nothing like shooting on a range . Most of us aren't as good as we like to think and the confidence of range shooting can be rewarded by failure in the field .
The only thing to find out if your first cold shot is true is by testing it .

I agree about not taking head shots. I can hit an inch square at 100 yards ( like most ) . But a live animal that can lift turn move its head is deserving of a kill shot. Not to run off jawless.

+1 for what @stug has stated.
Cold/clean vs hot barrel can end up with 1st shot being out compared to subsequent shots.
But your description sounds more than the difference in a fouling shot.

Tapping scope - I'd be carefully checking for loose rings/bases. What torque are you using for rings screws ? Bases ? Get a torque driver and check them.

Action screws - check these are not loose. You need a torque driver. Also be careful not to overtighten the action screws in the standard Tikka stocks as you can crush the stock & you end up with problems with the free floating recoil lug. Tikka's rely on that free floating lug working correctly. I use 35lbs as max torque on action screws with Tikka plastic stocks.

Hope you're talking about inch/pounds torque.

Greetings Stefanhope,
The first thing is to ask yourself what changed? You had a clean barrel and your hold would have been different for your shots in the field. The fact that three shots went high would indicate that the hold may be the problem. The first shot high (although not as much) off the bench could have been the clean and maybe a little oily barrel. Testing to see if you can replicate the problem should be your first step. If you do decide to make changes make one change at a time and test the result. You need to ask the rifle by testing. The two causes above could be the cause but you will only find out by testing one thing at a time.
Happy Hunting (of two different sorts).
Grandpamac.

Did you clean your barrel at any point in the process?

Reason I ask is that I've found that cleaning a barrel disrupts the zero.

Greetings again,
One thing I forgot to ask. Are you using magnum primers, if not you need to. Federal 215 primers are good. Winchester are better suited to ball powders.
Grandpamac.

do you shoot freeroiling/hug yourself/off bipod with off hand under rear of stock??????
if so....do you sight in off hard surface and hunt with soft surface under legs of bipod???????or vice versa......

check the scope BASES them selves...Ive been caught 3 times with it and it did similar to what your describing....
also have really good look at ring to base fit...been caught with that one too.

agree 100% with comments on headshots.......if you want to save meat and are confident enough to back your shooting on a quiet non worked up animal.shoot it in neck.....still a small area but you have room for error Vs stuff all on headshot,sounds like you VERY lucky not to have had a wounded animal on hands....GOOD ON you for being honest about it so we can hopefully help...having 50% of the picture never makes that easy.

All good advice...when you're shooting in the field, try and replicate the stance/holding position you used when sighting in.

Hey guys all good advice, just to clarify the head shooting, i work In the hunting industry here, Scotland in Africa and head shooting is a big part of how we take our management animals so our meat can go to game dealers. I took a risk had shooting with a new round but my lesson has been learnt. Thanks

Understood, my line of work permits me to head and neck shot cheers