Tikka T3x CTR 308 Build

Dorian Gray

Dorian Gray

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I'm not exactly sure if this is the right place for this post but here it goes anyway.

Let me preface this post by saying that I have always been a hunter and my guns have been tailored to those needs first. I live in north eastern Ontario and shots on game are usually 100 yards and under. Sometimes a guy might have to reach out to 200 or so but shots are predominantly much closer than that.

That being said, I just purchased a Tikka T3x CTR in 308 with a 20" barrel and I would like to learn how to shoot at longer distances than I have in the past. 400 - 600 yards would be ideal so I can learn the basics of longer range shooting. This gun may be used for hunting at some point so it has to be decently portable. But it will mostly be shot at a sand pit or on a power line where I can stretch its legs out.

My questions to you fellas are: What aftermarket stock would you go with on a set up like this? I'm liking the look of the KRG Bravo. Does anyone have one and what are it's pro's and con's?

Scope recommendations. I don't have anything really picked out for a scope yet. I have no idea what magnification range i should be looking at or what reticle to go for. I don't know a damn thing about dope or MRAD or Mils or a lot of the stuff that goes into this. So I've got a bit of an up hill battle ahead of me here. So what would you recommend to a guy just starting out to be consistent out to the aforementioned 400 - 600 yard range? My budget would be about 1000$ or so.

Any insight you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated. I'm eager to learn.
 
KRG bravo is a great choice to balance modularity and weight. I have 2 bravos and love them all. The accessories are endless so you can really tailor it to fit you best. You can also opt for the version that accepts your CTR mag if that's important to you.

As far as a scope, MRAD seems to be the most popular at the moment. It really depends on what your buddies shoot if you have a group you go out with. If you're the only MOA guy then talking about holds and adjustments may get confusing.

Lots will probably recommend a vortex of some kind. Personally I'd look at something from the Athlon line. The midas TAC is a great option under $1000 with a great zero stop. Some people like the Arken offering as well. FFP will be a solid choice for target but I'm not a hunter so I cant comment on its usability for hunting.
 
MDT XRS stock

Athlon Helos BTR Gen2 6-24 (scope in the pic is the Ares ETR but both are similar in size/layout)... I only run Athlon 34mm scopes now and no problem to use them for F class should the need arise.

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simple, effective, will not break the bank and the stuff just works

Jerry
 

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My CTR, carbon fibre stock weighs ~33oz bedded, I prefer them over chassis for hunting. Shoots well under 1/2MOA with 168 A-Max. I have shot deer with her up to 510m and think that is about the limit of the 168 A-Max from the 20" barrel. The 3-20x50 PMII Schmidt & Bender scope might be a bit OTT but I love it, just right for me. I chose to go Metric on turrets and P4L fine. Metric might be easier in the long run.

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edi
 
EJG said:
My CTR, carbon fibre stock weighs ~33oz bedded, I prefer them over chassis for hunting. Shoots well under 1/2MOA with 168 A-Max. I have shot deer with her up to 510m and think that is about the limit of the 168 A-Max from the 20" barrel. The 3-20x50 PMII Schmidt & Bender scope might be a bit OTT but I love it, just right for me. I chose to go Metric on turrets and P4L fine. Metric might be easier in the long run.

nDb8gG2.jpg


edi
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Mrad is the way to go

However, mrad AND moa are no more or less "metric" that the other. Common misunderstanding.

What I DON'T like with moa is it's ridiculous, 1.047" = 1 moa @ 100 instead of exactly 1.000"

Vice 1 mil @ 1000m is EXACTY 1m

You can write pages and pages of crap about scopes. Just make sure the reticle and the turrets are BOTH THE SAME FRIGGIN SYSTEM. AKA

DOn't buy a scope with MOA ret and MIL turrets or vice versa. That's also MONUMENTALLY stupid
 
600m is well within the capability of your rifle. I regularly plink at that distance with my CTR in .308.

You didn’t mention budget for your stock. If you have 500$ish then the Bravo is a sold choice but I would also give the XRS serious consideration. Not only are they Canadian but they make very well thought out products. If you have more cash then there are plenty of excellent options out there.

As for a scope, you are lucky to be in the market now vs 10 years ago. There is a pile of really good options for very reasonable prices. 1500$ will get you into something excellent if you are patient or shop the EE. Whatever you do make sure you go FFP. I also strongly recommend MRAD.
 
I just put a ctr in the mdt hnt26 and topped it with a Leopold mk5 3.6 x 18. Chambered in 6.5 prc going to be my hunting/intermediate target rifle which sounds similar to what you want to do.
 
If you're on a budget go with a MDT XRS. I have a couple and had a Bravo previously and was able to compare them side by side and prefer the XRS. The Bravo is a great chassis and a bit lighter than the XRS but, imo, the short length of the forend necessitates the addition of the spigot which increases the cost and brings it within a few ounces of the XRS. The XRS comes with a longer forend and just "feels" a lot nicer in my hands, I'm not really a fan of the Bravo's hollow feel.

If you're looking to spend more on the chassis, go with a MDT HNT26. It's a really nice little chassis especially if you intend to hunt with it as it weighs about 2-2.5lbs less than the Bravo or XRS (mine with a folder and integral arca rail weighs 1.83lbs)

My hunting barrelled action is a 20" .308/26" 7 SAUM switch barrel so I have lots of experience running a 20" .308 in both the XRS and now the HNT26 and it makes for a super capable precision/hunter. 4-600 yards is well within it's capabilities, I routinely take mine out to 900+ yards (not on game, obviously).

Get a scope in MRAD, it really is the standard "language" that most practical long range shooters use these days.
 
Lots of good info here and I appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out. Getting started in the world of long range can be a little daunting as I have no one local to learn from. I hadn't thought of the XRS stock but the more I look at it, the more I like it. I understand why you all are pretty universally suggesting MRAD. I'll definitely go that route. What would you guys go with as far as magnification range? 5-25 seems pretty popular from what I've read.
 
5-25 is good. 6-24. 4.5-30. It really depends on what features you're looking for. When shooting at distance I think most will say they don't run at max magnification. I usually like to keep my scopes around 18-20 power for 1000 yard plus shooting. I prefer a wider field of view for spotting splash.

The XRS is also a great option. It feels super solid and has alot of great features. The bravo is lighter but requires a spigot to get the bipod further out which then makes it more expensive than the XRS.
 
5-25 is good for target/PRS kinda stuff. I mostly run my scopes around 11-13x for positional and 16x for prone. 25x is nice for zeroing, load dev, etc. That being said, if you do plan to hunt with it a bit and as you stated that's often inside 100, I'd look for something with lower magnification, preferably sub 4x. Something like a 2.5-20, 3.6-18, 3-15, etc. Glass quality/clarity trumps more magnification every day. My first long range scope was a 3.5-10x Leupy Mk4.
 
+1 for a MDT XRS. It's excellent and made in Canada. I currently own 2 of them (one on my Rem 700 223 and one on my Tikka CTR 308).

For scopes I think 3-18 or something similar is best if you plan to hunt.

FFP scopes with huge mag range (like 4-30) are difficult to use at min mag in a hunting situation as the reticule is hardly visible and it's worse in low light.
 
Corfius said:
+1 for a MDT XRS. It's excellent and made in Canada. I currently own 2 of them (one on my Rem 700 223 and one on my Tikka CTR 308).

For scopes I think 3-18 or something similar is best if you plan to hunt.

FFP scopes with huge mag range (like 4-30) are difficult to use at min mag in a hunting situation as the reticule is hardly visible and it's worse in low light.
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I find that illumination is pretty much required to make a FFP scope usable on low/min magnification.
 
If you get a FFP scope and want to hunt with it, illumination really helps to see the reticle at low power.
I have a couple Bravos and a 24" 6.5 Tikka CTR in an XRS. Both are good. Like others have said, the Bravo may need a spigot even with a 20" barrel. I just put a 20" cz 457 in a Bravo but haven't had time to shoot it, my 24" Tikka varmint absolutely needed the spigot for better stability off a bipod/bag.

XRS pros:
Cheaper
Much longer forend, and the forend is wide and flat. More stable off a bipod and rides a bag/rest better
MDT makes a forend for the XRS that has an integrated arca rail that you can swap in. Looks a million times better than a bolt on rail and adds essentially no extra weight.

XRS cons:
My XRS wasn't finished well, tons of molding lines. The molding lines on the bottom of the buttstock were sharp enough to cut my support hand the first time out. Not aure what the new ines are like but if you get a XRS be prepared to use an exacto and sandpaper to smooth things out.
Essentially no accessories available for it compared to the Bravo. What you get is what you get.
Pound heavier than a bare Bravo. Most of that extra weight is forward.

Bravo pros:
I find the Bravo more comfortable to shoot than the XRS. The recoil pad is softer, it has a more pronounced palm swell and the distance between grip and trigger better fits my average sized hands.
Tons of accessories for the Bravo. The adjustable buttpad accessory is cheap, and gives you adjustable height and cant. You can run with the buttstock hook, or a flat bottom for riding a bag, cheap and easy to swap. Basically everything can be swapped out for something else.
It's a full pound lighter than the XRS, if you don't have a spigot.

Bravo cons:
Short forend. With a 24" heavy barrel I found the rifle twitchy off a bipod. KRG makes multiple spigots, but they're $200ish and add weight.
The lines of the forend don't match the lines of the buttstock.
Vertical grip only, not modular like the XRS
The front action screw is captured, and is quite recessed into the action. You need a long bit to reach it, which KRG sells (can be bought from Tom at GBT).
Narrower and rounder forend. Better for offhand shooting, not as stable as the XRS off a bag or rest.

My $0.05.
 
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Dorian Gray said:
Lots of good info here and I appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out. Getting started in the world of long range can be a little daunting as I have no one local to learn from. I hadn't thought of the XRS stock but the more I look at it, the more I like it. I understand why you all are pretty universally suggesting MRAD. I'll definitely go that route. What would you guys go with as far as magnification range? 5-25 seems pretty popular from what I've read.
Click to expand...


I have to agree that the MRAD (being metric) has made my calculations a lot easier as I correlate to 100m-400m-550m. the math is just easier.

I was able to get to 900m with a 3-15 magnification with reasonable accuracy (6" groups). so I was happy with that. (Vortex PST 2).

Things that mattered to me were the focal plane of the reticle (so it didnt distort as I zoomed in) - I believe thats 2nd focal plane.

I also realized that larger magnification doesnt always help - because you end up zooming in on "low quality glass" so the image isn't super clear anyways.

I chose a middle optic for my CTR .308 The Vortex Viper PST 2. its not "cheap" at $1,500 ish, but its also not "expensive" at $4,000. The viper doesn't have HD glass but it has a lot of the necessary features to be useful up to 1000m

I spent the $400 ish dollars and got the Vortex Precision QR mount on my scope, and have been very happy with that choice. I can pop the scope off, and on, and have had no real issues with re-zero. I typically sight-in by taping a dime to a piece of paper at 100m - and im consistently on target every time I verify zero.

I also like the idea that I can swap optics on my gun (I have a red-dot) and move my scope to other guns if I ever wanted to.
 
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