Thread: Tikka T3x Tac A1

@Eamonn

I am not having a go either, I will humbly admit there was a time once when I saw a Winchester 94 and thought it was an over/under. We all start somewhere. But I am curious to find out the reasons for your interest in long distance target shooting.

The main reasons I am curious is firstly it is generally something that people learn after they learn the basics, not something that people learn as a starting point. To say learning the trade with long range target shooting is sort of like saying you plan to learn to fly in an F16 jet and then use a Cessna once you have the flying mastered.

The second reason is that you present as quite committed to the concept despite (and I say this with respect, see start of post) having less than arm chair knowledge on many of the basic principles of ballistics or even shooting. Essentially (and again with respect) without the background, your reasoning comes across as misinformed.

The reason I point this out is that the long distance rabbit hole is much deeper than it looks to a lay person or even an arm chair expert. You would do well to understand the depth of the rabbit hole before you start throwing money into it.

Whilst I get and agree with the concept of buying good gear at the outset, there is a difference between good quality and fit for purpose. The Mk5 7-35 scope you are looking at, is good quality, but it has a limited application. It would cost >4.5k landed in NZ assuming you could source it. It only has one reticle available which is the Leupold CCH reticle ( https://www.leupold.com/reticle/cch/ ) this reticle is probably way more than what someone wants to deal with when they are learning. It is quite a specialised piece of equipment, it is the sort of gear that despite being good quality, will hold you back more than it will advance you. If I had a rifle with this scope on it,
I don't think there would ever be a time where I would use it in preference to a 3-9 or 4-12. You will likely end up buying twice if you buy a 7-35.

Long distance shooting isn't something where buying the most expensive gear with the biggest numbers automatically means you have the right kit and your good to go. There are plenty of cross compatibilities with rifles, mounts, scopes etc that aren't always compatible where you could snooker yourself before you even leave the house. Then there is the fundamental skills too.
These skills aren't achieved by default of having expensive gear, more often than not, what I see at the range, is skilled shooters with entry level rifles hitting targets much more consistently than those that have tried to buy their way to good ability buy spending big on gear.

Ultimately if you are keen on the idea, you don't have to have a good or valid reason, anyone who has done it will agree that there is a certain satisfaction in being able to reach right out and make first shot hits on far away targets.
I mentioned on one of your other threads, if you are really keen on long range shooting, buy and read one or all of Nathan Fosters books. Nathan can be described both figuratively and literally as 'The guy who wrote the book' on long range hunting and shooting.

You would also do well to find a club or mentor or both, I can't imagine anyone starting from scratch and becoming good at long distance shooting without any outside help that was not the internet. There are just too many subtleties to be aware of that only experience can bring awareness of.

Hopefully I have not taken any wind out of your sails with this post, that has not been the intent, it is more to help with some of the relevant realities you will eventually have to reckon with.