My factory hunting rifle shoots between .5"-.75" all day! Really? Prove it!

Well since the weather is starting to break here in northern Ontario I thought I would finally get down to trying to develop a nice load for my Tikka T3 in 30.06. I think I now have a load that I can attempt the 0.5-0.75MOA challenge with.

The gun:
- Stock Tikka T3 Light Stainless 30.06
- Added limbsaver
- Added cheek riser
- Scope is Leupold VX6 2-12x42mm





Weather was nice, around -4*C and very mild to no breeze.

Components for reloading:
- 54.8gr of IMR 4350
- 180gr Nosler Accubonds
- Nosler Brass
- CCI primers
- COAL 3.340"
- Ran around 2625fps

 
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Well since the weather is starting to break here in northern Ontario I thought I would finally get down to trying to develop a nice load for my Tikka T3 in 30.06. I think I now have a load that I can attempt the 0.5-0.75MOA challenge with.

The gun:
- Stock Tikka T3 Light Stainless 30.06
- Added limbsaver
- Added cheek riser
- Scope is Leupold VX6 2-12x42mm





Weather was nice, around -4*C and very mild to no breeze.

Components for reloading:
- 54.8gr of IMR 4350
- 180gr Nosler Accubonds
- Nosler Brass
- CCI primers
- COAL 3.340"
- Ran around 2625fps

Where are the rest of the groups? Or was that just a tease?
 
Complete tease. I was doing a 0.1 gr interval ladder. I had few 0.6MOA groups and a 1.1 MOA on the lowest end of the scale.

I just finished minting another 20rounds. I will be testing again next weekend for a full 5 groups.
 
Complete tease. I was doing a 0.1 gr interval ladder. I had few 0.6MOA groups and a 1.1 MOA on the lowest end of the scale.

I just finished minting another 20rounds. I will be testing again next weekend for a full 5 groups.
Good luck. I tried quite a few times with my Tikka T3 Lite 30/06. I always had one group that was over. My average was always around .6".
 




My first attempt. tikka t3 in 223rem with vortex viper pst 4-12x40
77g smk
24.0 grains varget
cci br4

Group sizes:
.591"
.621"
.691"
.626"
.576"
Average for the 5 shots
.621"
 
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Hey guys. Haven't browsed this in a while and I can't remember if it was allowed to have a bedded stock. Anyone?
I'm on a good path here with my 116 .300wm
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300 weatherby with 180gr North Fork bullets, Fed215GM, Nosler 1F brass and IMR 7977 I've been playing around with for a bit now. Stock rifle in every way. All I did was adjust the trigger.

Group sizes are:
0.564
0.404
0.361
0.480
0.303

Average: 0.422

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Good shooting Kman300. I added you to the successful list in the original post. Also, a 300 Weatherby is the largest cartridge that has successfully done any of the challenges.
 
This is a most interesting thread. My 11 year old son was shooting under an inch this fall with my triple duece.

I have a few rifles I want to try this with... hoping to meet the requirements in the new year, I know my BRNO will do it, and possibly my 325....
 
This challenge is fricken HARD! Short list of success 8 guys wow! Considering we're dealing with factory sporter rifles maybe a sub MOA challenge would have been more appropriate as that is what the manufacturers claim "Sub-MOA with premium ammo" More do-able but still difficult getting under 0.75" is like finding a factory unicorn. Anyway I may still best this as is I'll show the results of my load testing where 3/11 groups were sub 0.75" and two of those sub 1/2"! Shooting a weatherby vanguard S2 DBM .270 Win with Leupold VX2 3-9x40.


First target top 3 groups each different powder charge H4831 140gr Hornady SST bottom 3 groups different powder charge H4831 130gr Nosler BT. My "A" load may be my contender and I've noticed a trend that this rifle shoots starting loads better than max loads in all combinations of powder and bullets.



Here I loaded 20 90gr HP Sierra Varminter bullets with an abstractly chosen mid charge of IMR 4064 and first group looked real promising! Unfortunately it was not to be the vertical stringing is killing me shrink that down and I've nailed it with the horizontal dispersion. It was slightly breezy with gusts of wind in my face would that do it? My .22 at 50 yards was also having a shot or two per group squirt down from the rest.



What's the ruling on official entries where some other bugger at the range put holes in your target? Both my targets had someone else's bullets find there way to them. Pic with calipers proving it is not the same size as what I'm shooting?
 
This challenge is fricken HARD! Short list of success 8 guys wow! Considering we're dealing with factory sporter rifles maybe a sub MOA challenge would have been more appropriate as that is what the manufacturers claim "Sub-MOA with premium ammo" More do-able but still difficult getting under 0.75" is like finding a factory unicorn. Anyway I may still best this as is I'll show the results of my load testing where 3/11 groups were sub 0.75" and two of those sub 1/2"! Shooting a weatherby vanguard S2 DBM .270 Win with Leupold VX2 3-9x40.


First target top 3 groups each different powder charge H4831 140gr Hornady SST bottom 3 groups different powder charge H4831 130gr Nosler BT. My "A" load may be my contender and I've noticed a trend that this rifle shoots starting loads better than max loads in all combinations of powder and bullets.



Here I loaded 20 90gr HP Sierra Varminter bullets with an abstractly chosen mid charge of IMR 4064 and first group looked real promising! Unfortunately it was not to be the vertical stringing is killing me shrink that down and I've nailed it with the horizontal dispersion. It was slightly breezy with gusts of wind in my face would that do it? My .22 at 50 yards was also having a shot or two per group squirt down from the rest.



What's the ruling on official entries where some other bugger at the range put holes in your target? Both my targets had someone else's bullets find there way to them. Pic with calipers proving it is not the same size as what I'm shooting?
If you are shooting with others who are not aware that they are not shooting at their own targets I would be finding another place to shoot.
 
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