Long Range Endeavor: Tikka CTR or Tikka TAC both in 6.5Cr ?

[Rip Van Winkle]

Hi Bergie,

The state championship Mid Range Prone (MRP) High-power match is this weekend at North Star Rifle Club in Red Wing.

I'll be there Saturday. Bring your Service Rifle and we'll try to put together a team for team match.

http://mrra.org/downloads/northstar/2018_mrp_champ.pdf

[Erud]

I also meant to add earlier that Rip Van Winkle is exactly right about the .308 being the obvious choice for a first rifle for Long Range sling matches. It allows you to shoot all of the LR matches in the area, whereas a 6.5 or other chambering will keep you from being able to shoot Palma and Fullbore matches. A 6.5 or other hot rod cartridge is a good choice for a 2nd rifle. Even with the clear ballistic advantages the 6’s and 6.5’s have over a .308, in the right hands a .308 is plenty capable of winnings matches.

[goalie]

Caliber is icing on the cake.

You still gotta have the cake.

(Obviously within reason)

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[Holland&Holland]

Caliber is icing on the cake.

You still gotta have the cake.

(Obviously within reason)

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Actually you can lick all the frosting off the cake, it is just that the other people at the party may yell at you.

[Ghost]

Caliber is icing on the cake.

You still gotta have the cake.

(Obviously within reason)

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

Actually you can lick all the frosting off the cake, it is just that the other people at the party may yell at you.

Personal experience?

[Holland&Holland]

Caliber is icing on the cake.

You still gotta have the cake.

(Obviously within reason)

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

Actually you can lick all the frosting off the cake, it is just that the other people at the party may yell at you.

Personal experience?

Maybe

[unfitmother]

I need to step back and assess my goal (ie FClass, PRS, etc.)
...Part of what made me rethink my course is when unfitmother asked me what scale I was using for reloading.....that's my next endeavor! What the heck, it's just time and money..... (I keep telling my wife, I could be going golfing, etc and that'd cost me even more!)

Thank the Lord you're not golfing!

Currently, I am reloading on a $60 scale, with a $1.00 ferrite core around the power cable, and a $25 used noise-canceling old UPS. Powder throwing and trickling is done manually. The consistency I've been able to get at 600 yds is acceptable to me. However, I really wish I had had a laboratory scale and chronograph for when I did load tuning. I hate asking for favors, and none of my friends are into reloading. But if you can borrow a chronograph, and have a buddy who has a quality scale, then there is no reason you can't start reloading without $$$.

Other thoughts for 1000 yards:
-Go with a top tier barrel blank (aprox. $350), and make sure the chamber reamer and gunsmith are top tier too (another $300, at least). Ask what the specs of the reamer are!
-Use Lapua brass and the best bullets you can afford.
-Since you want to get into reloading, but aren't there yet, consider a cartridge that has factory ammo made with Lapua brass. I don't see any 6.5CM options http://www.lapua.com/en/ammunition/all-calibers.html
-I'm not familiar with Tikka's, but if you're only gonna shoot at 1000 yds once or twice a year, disregard just about everything I've said and follow a course of action that get's you to your local range every week.
-Also, whatever you do, buy a steel target. If you already have a steel target, buy another.

[goalie]

Reloading without a chronograph is literally a guessing game.

Just my opinion.

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[Ghost]

Reading without a chronograph is literally a guessing game.

Just my opinion.

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I think there’s a $50 discount on labradars right now

[unfitmother]

goalie, to each their own

This is the method I base my chronograph-less load tuning on: http://singleactions.proboards.com/post/185463/thread

[BigDog58]

Reading without a chronograph is literally a guessing game.

Just my opinion.

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I think there’s a $50 discount on labradars right now

Yes, they have LabRadar Chrono's on sale for $509 which is $50 off regular price. They don't put these on sale very often.

[goalie]

goalie, to each their own

This is the method I base my chronograph-less load tuning on: http://singleactions.proboards.com/post/185463/thread

If you don't know your velocity, how do you accurately calculate your exterior ballistics?

I get that you can just do trial and error to get zeros at each distance, but it really doesn't suck to plug in your bullet, velocity at muzzle, and have a pretty accurate come up in mils or MOA to your target. At longer ranges, a hundred FPS muzzle velocity difference from what you "think" you're bullet is going can be a big deal.

FWIW, I make sure a load shoots well at 100-300 before using the chrono. The target doesn't lie. It also doesn't help me accurately guess what my come-up.

[unfitmother]

I don't disagree with anything you just wrote.

I still maintain that the OP could "punch paper" at 1000 yards (on a KD range, I assume) and get by with just borrowing a chronograph after initial load development.

[goalie]

I don't disagree with anything you just wrote.

I still maintain that the OP could "punch paper" at 1000 yards (on a KD range, I assume) and get by with just borrowing a chronograph after initial load development.

Um, yeah, you're still using a chrono and getting actual velocity from your load in your rifle, which is kinda my point.

I didn't say he had to buy a chrono, just that reloading without using one is a guessing game.

[Rip Van Winkle]

I've shot NRA/CMP Highpower for 20 years and have never chronoed a load.

If you shoot a rifle and cartridge combo that's in common use, there's no need to reinvent the wheel.