I'm a lefty looking for a reasonably priced platform. I love my t3 lite for hunting. Looking at the t3x CTR in .308. Is there limitations of having a 20" barrel vs a 23 or 24" for longer range accuracy? I like the box mag, bolt handle and threaded barrel options of the CTR vs the varmint model with the longer barrel which is also avail in left hand.
Tikka T3x CTR 20" barrel too short?
- Thread starter RielM
- Start date
I would like to get a decent higher powered scope and eventually shoot 400-500 yrds or so. Given the CTR and Varmint Stainless are both available in left model and same rate of twist, it seems the main difference would be the barrel lengths?
No problem inside of that distance.
165/168 grain match bullets are really accurate inside of 600m with the 1 in 11 twist. A 175/178 will probably shoot decent out to 1000m too but you will be lobbing them!
You're going to lose about 100fps with the 20" barrel. I'd hazard a guess and say the 168 should get around 2650fps and the 178 should be 2550fps
165/168 grain match bullets are really accurate inside of 600m with the 1 in 11 twist. A 175/178 will probably shoot decent out to 1000m too but you will be lobbing them!
You're going to lose about 100fps with the 20" barrel. I'd hazard a guess and say the 168 should get around 2650fps and the 178 should be 2550fps
Rickster66
Regular
- Location
- Montreal, Quebec
It will depend on what loads you will use and how fast you push it. The longer barrels allow for more muzzle velocity. Depending on how much longer, you can get an extra 100-200 fps. Using a Sierra 175 gr Matchking you should be around 2500-2600 fps, with a longer barrel maybe around 2700 ish. Both rounds will still be supersonic at 1000 yards but the 20" round will have dropped between 40-80 inches more than the faster round from the longer barrel. There is a change in muzzle energy also but for paper, not important. I had a 20" CTR in 308 and had no concerns taking up to and past 600 yards. Shooting past 800 yards the longer barrels will give you the velocity to better resist the effects of wind. I've upgraded to a 28" 308 to get more speed to more consistently shoot past 1000 yards.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
I have the T3x CTR in 6.5 Creedmoor. I have consistent groups out to 500-600 yards. I have a couple other Creedmoor's with longer barrels and they don't shoot much more accurate. Reaching out to 800-1000 yards could be different story but I haven't tried that out yet.
This echoes my experience. I'm pushing 178 gr Amax at 2540 fps out of my 10 twist 20" .308. No problems making hits out to and past 1000 yards
I shoot my .308 10TR with a 20" barrel to the 500 with no issues at all. I chose the 20" over the 24" just because I wanted to see how far I could stretch it out and stay accurate (my range only goes to 600 so I will need to find another place to reach 1000). I have been using Nosler Custom Competition 168gr and am in the process now of making and trying some custom loads with the same Nosler 168gr. A decent optic is a must, and getting down your adjustment for each distance. I am shooting at pretty much sea level, so depending on how high up you live, the air density will affect how much bullet drop you get at distance, compared to what I get. I use a Vortex Viper 6-24 with a MOA reticle. Keep in mind that if you find you do want the extra FPS from a longer barrel for longer distances, sometime in the future, you can always get a new barrel installed.
I have a Savage 10 PSR with an 18.5" barrel, this is my hunting gun as a shorter barrel keeps the weight better balanced and isn't as easily caught on trees and bushes.
I use Berger VLD's, Hornady AMAX and HPBT 168 grain bullets and achieve 2650-2700 fps which gets me to about 950 yards supersonic using Strelok. I have not had it out past 600 yards but routinely produce 1/2 MOA groups at 300 yards with my handloads.
Generally a shorter barrel is more rigid and can be more accurate but loses the ability to make the most out of all the powder.
There are some barrel length comparisons online that you can google to see the effects of different barrel lengths vs velocity. But a 20" vs a 24" you might lose about 100 fps as stated above, which really is of no concern.
If you are going to shoot factory ammo try a few brands and weights to find the most accurate for that rifle.
If accuracy is your main concern then hand load so you can select a projectile that suits your intended purpose and barrel twist and then find an accurate node. Obviously hand loading will be one of the best things you can do for accuracy as you can tailor the load for your gun as every gun is different. Finding an accurate node close to your maximum velocity for that gun will produce the best results, possibly not the fastest possible but accuracy is more important that just straight speed.
Accuracy can be finicky and can be affected by Many variables like barrel length, barrel profile, rifling, twist rate for a given projectile, stock being used, trigger, ammunition, bullet weight, cases, primers, powder etc.
I have not run the numbers on my 308 but sometimes bullet selection is more important at longer ranges than a few inches on a barrel and 100 fps. For instance my 6mm with Berger 105 hybrids at 3100 fps can get to 1450 yards vs New Sierra 110 grain at 3100 fps can get to 1800 yards (using a ballistics calculator). Wind drift at 1000 yards is 7.7" difference and at 1400 yards its 22". Choosing a bullet with a much higher BC goes a long way in regards to getting out further and being much less affected by the wind. And if you want to be accurate wind drift should be more your concern. Bullet drop can be calculated very accurately but wind drift is much more unknown, especially at distance, making a bullet that wicks the wind more useful than one that just goes fast.
I would say buy what you like and find ammo or load ammo to suit. But that's just my .02
I use Berger VLD's, Hornady AMAX and HPBT 168 grain bullets and achieve 2650-2700 fps which gets me to about 950 yards supersonic using Strelok. I have not had it out past 600 yards but routinely produce 1/2 MOA groups at 300 yards with my handloads.
Generally a shorter barrel is more rigid and can be more accurate but loses the ability to make the most out of all the powder.
There are some barrel length comparisons online that you can google to see the effects of different barrel lengths vs velocity. But a 20" vs a 24" you might lose about 100 fps as stated above, which really is of no concern.
If you are going to shoot factory ammo try a few brands and weights to find the most accurate for that rifle.
If accuracy is your main concern then hand load so you can select a projectile that suits your intended purpose and barrel twist and then find an accurate node. Obviously hand loading will be one of the best things you can do for accuracy as you can tailor the load for your gun as every gun is different. Finding an accurate node close to your maximum velocity for that gun will produce the best results, possibly not the fastest possible but accuracy is more important that just straight speed.
Accuracy can be finicky and can be affected by Many variables like barrel length, barrel profile, rifling, twist rate for a given projectile, stock being used, trigger, ammunition, bullet weight, cases, primers, powder etc.
I have not run the numbers on my 308 but sometimes bullet selection is more important at longer ranges than a few inches on a barrel and 100 fps. For instance my 6mm with Berger 105 hybrids at 3100 fps can get to 1450 yards vs New Sierra 110 grain at 3100 fps can get to 1800 yards (using a ballistics calculator). Wind drift at 1000 yards is 7.7" difference and at 1400 yards its 22". Choosing a bullet with a much higher BC goes a long way in regards to getting out further and being much less affected by the wind. And if you want to be accurate wind drift should be more your concern. Bullet drop can be calculated very accurately but wind drift is much more unknown, especially at distance, making a bullet that wicks the wind more useful than one that just goes fast.
I would say buy what you like and find ammo or load ammo to suit. But that's just my .02
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Very informative reply, thanks for the detailed information/explanantion(s). It's appreciated very much by those still new/learning about shooting at longer distances.
Cheers D
The Golden Girls
New member
- Location
- East of the west coast
Send me an e-mail and I will send you an article about that very question. You will find a new respect for the .308 Win and all its glory. I presently own a Tikka T3x CTR in .308 Win, I have had two of the first generation CTR's and I can honestly say, you will have to spend a lot of money to find an appreciable improvement in accuracy and function, these rifles are flawless. Send me your e-mail to lapua.222@live.com and you will enjoy the reading. Dave & The Girls
