COAL in a tikka T3x .270
- Thread starter nathwald
- Start date
- Location
- Saskatoon Saskatchewan
Do they shoot Ok at mag length? All of mine seem to. You could swap bottom metal for one that takes aics la mags. I believe you can get up to 3.400 Coakley which is pretty minimal gain over factory mags.
You could try heavier bullets with an ogive that's a little further forward. Norma 156s for instance. Other than that, you're really limited by the length of that mag. If it's for target shooting, you could just drop them in single-shot style. There are cheap single-shot followers available for the Tikka. Google "tikka single-shot follower" and you'll see loads of options.
Seating close to the lands IMO has alot of mythology swirling around it. Since seating close to the lands is really just for extreme accuracy requirements (thousands of an inch) that competition shooters require, I don't think it matters a hoot in any way for the .270 Win or any other hunting cartridge. The .270 Win cartridge is not a must-have extra long seating depth cartridge. Mag length is just fine for achieving sub-MOA performance, especially with the inherent quality of Tikka rifles.
If hunting, or practicing at the range or on field targets for hunting scenarios, then I don't see any need to seat bullets farther out beyond mag length. There should be a load development solution (bullet selection, powder brand, charge weight) to obtain decent groups for a hunting load. The .270 case allows for a wide range of powder (brands, burn rates) for experimenting with.
I have a Sako 85 Finlight in .270 Win, and for years I used it for fun target shooting (not competition), seating for mag length, and achieved sub-MOA groups for many powder and bullet combo's. The Finlight's barrel is very thin (by design as a light hunting rifle, not designed for target shooting), and would heat up fast after several shots, eventually stringing the groups, but only after it was over-heated. Sub-MOA consistency required careful attention to barrel cooling. Thin hunting barrels just are not suited to target shooting for long periods.
If target shooting from the bench, or in the field where you are not practicing a hunting situation with bolt cycling skills, then you can single load longer than mag length (same for any bolt action rifle). You can insert a whittled tongue depressor stick ("craft" sticks at arts and crafts stores), under the feed lips to elevate the cartridge for a smooth single feed, like these images show in my Tikka short action mag in .260 Rem:
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=707062&d=1694636398
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=707063&d=1694636430
Or you can buy a Bobsled Tikka mag insert for smooth single feeding.
With the Tikka quality, and plethora of reloading options in .270 Win, you should be able to achieve consistent sub-MOA performance within mag length with few problems.
And it is a reloading adventure which will be alot of fun to sleuth out what your Tikka likes!
If hunting, or practicing at the range or on field targets for hunting scenarios, then I don't see any need to seat bullets farther out beyond mag length. There should be a load development solution (bullet selection, powder brand, charge weight) to obtain decent groups for a hunting load. The .270 case allows for a wide range of powder (brands, burn rates) for experimenting with.
I have a Sako 85 Finlight in .270 Win, and for years I used it for fun target shooting (not competition), seating for mag length, and achieved sub-MOA groups for many powder and bullet combo's. The Finlight's barrel is very thin (by design as a light hunting rifle, not designed for target shooting), and would heat up fast after several shots, eventually stringing the groups, but only after it was over-heated. Sub-MOA consistency required careful attention to barrel cooling. Thin hunting barrels just are not suited to target shooting for long periods.
If target shooting from the bench, or in the field where you are not practicing a hunting situation with bolt cycling skills, then you can single load longer than mag length (same for any bolt action rifle). You can insert a whittled tongue depressor stick ("craft" sticks at arts and crafts stores), under the feed lips to elevate the cartridge for a smooth single feed, like these images show in my Tikka short action mag in .260 Rem:
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=707062&d=1694636398
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=707063&d=1694636430
Or you can buy a Bobsled Tikka mag insert for smooth single feeding.
With the Tikka quality, and plethora of reloading options in .270 Win, you should be able to achieve consistent sub-MOA performance within mag length with few problems.
And it is a reloading adventure which will be alot of fun to sleuth out what your Tikka likes!
Pretty much stuck with about 3.330 coal . That’s why a 280 AI doesn't FIT well in a a Tikka either with SOME bullets . RJ
- Location
- Western Manitoba
Over the years, there has been some fairly drastic things done to increase COAL, but almost always do something to threaten integrity of original receiver. There is a STIGA brand 30-06 here - is built on a Swede m96 - or maybe Swede m94 - magazine was sawed, opened at front and made longer to accept the longer 30-06 rounds versus the original 6.5x55 rounds - but then, that also required milling off some of the support behind the lower bolt lug and re-shaping the feed ramp, so that those longer cartridges could actually feed from that longer magazine into the chamber - as I understand it, STIGA had those modified receivers "re-proofed" in Denmark, to decide they were still strong enough after those mods. Alternatively, I had also read of a US company that re-barrelled similar Swede receivers to 308 Win - no "proof" laws in USA - many worked fine, but the odd one "blew up". So, if you want to modify your rifle for longer rounds, it can be done - but as per that "Dirty Harry" movie - "do you feel lucky?".
Thanks everyone.. Im still fairly new to reloading and havent done extensive load development yet.. I was surprised to find that I couldnt seat my bullets out longer, But as has been pointed out that there should be no need to. So I will try some TTSX as suggested and see where that takes me..
Nathan
Nathan
