Leo

Excellent! An inconsistent lock time will indeed mess with accuracy. Faster firing pin spring is a very good move.

You did good

I suspect "lapping" the lugs was all it needed. But I suppose we can't know for sure now. Honestly, with that much work done on the gun I hope it shoots as least as good as it did before. Rebedding and recrowning IMHO adds more variables If you want to get sub MOA you should change only ONE thing at a time. You might get lucky or you might be screaming next time you shoot this rifle. What you are describing would have lead me to look at the following. Strip down the bolt, degrease and totally clean the firing pin mechanism. Lapp the lugs Square the bolt face Square the receiver Hope what he did works out for you.

Honestly it's not just a Tikka thing. My experience with synthetic stocked rifles with free floated barrels has taught me I'm a threat to eliminate the free float when I put my "Leopaws" on it. I'm not alone. I have heard of people epoxying in pieces of carbon arrow inside the forearms of their synthetic stocked rifles to stiffen them up. Have someone do the dollar bill test on the barrel while you're trying to hold the rifle in the bags. That will let you know if this is an issue for you . BTW, bet the 140gr Nosler ABs will shoot very good.

Yep, I think the throat patch is probably the best indicator this is not the same deer. It's not unusual for deer from the same genetic stock to have very similar racks.

The first thing I'd do is make absolutely certain the free float in the barrel channel is clear. The Tikka synthetic stocks are glass/thermoplastic and these will stress relieve a little. Once the stock has some age on it the shape drifting will stop. You can open up the barrel channel with a piece of Scotchbrite and careful sanding. While you got the action out. Go ahead and adjust the trigger. There's only one screw to adjust and another screw prevents you from turning it out too far. Look in the Tikka manual. Screw it out as far as it will go. Put a drop of REMOVABLE Loctite on the threads. Screw it in about 4 full turns then back it out 3 1/2 turns. That will get the loctite in the internal threads so it will do you some good. ALWAYS check any trigger work by purposely slamming the action closed real hard and bumping the action and bolt with the heel of your palm a several times. If the slam or bump tests cause a dry fire then tighten up the trigger screw a half turn and try again. Warne rings are real good, but honestly I don't know how tight Tikka holds the tolerances for the mount hole locations for those bases. Just a little bit off and you might be stressing the receiver with the scope when you tighten the rings down. Usually I believe lapping rings is a waste of time. But it is something to look at. This is exactly why I went with Optilock rings as that design eliminates that issue. Especially with a 30mm tube you really can put significant stress on a receiver with rings that are a little off. Since you've now had the rifle apart and it's a new gun. Go shoot the gun with some cheaper ammo to get it hot. Don't try for groups just get the gun hot. While the action is hot tighten the action screws a little more. You might be surprised at how loose they get when the action is hot. Before you try for groups again, give the bore a real good cleaning. I suggest using Shooters Choice. Follow the instructions on the jar exactly. The bore conditioners in Shooters Choice really help new rifles. When shooting off a bench, absolutely make sure the front rest is as close to the front of the receiver as possible. It takes very little pressure to affect the barrel channel if you try and support the gun under the free float. And finally, I will tell you that I don't know anyone who has a Tikka that will shoot light bullets. Mine in 30-06 is no exception. It won't group 150s worth a darn. Go up to 180s and it's a different gun. Try 140gr Federal High Energy Trophy Bonded Bear Claws or some 150gr Sierra Gamekings. Hopes this helps.

That's a campfire argument waiting to happen. The WSM is a beltless magnum that headspaces off the shoulder. That little factoid by itself gives the WSM an accuracy advantage. However, the gun is what launches the bullet accurately not the cartridge. And I hate to say it because I'm sure it will cause flames but in my experience Winchesters just don't have it. If you're in love with the 300WSM then go with a Browning with absolute confidence. Bottomline, all three cartridges can be as accurate as each other out of the right rifle in hunting conditions. But for long range performance the Weatherby is the hands down winner. Just compare ballistics between the three. I agree with Ronin, of the WSM family the 270WSM is probably tops. I do however think the bullet selection and flexibility for the 7mm WSM is superior. If you want super accuracy, then you want a Cooper, Steyr or Sako. I don't think those are in the budget you described but you may get lucky and find a good deal. Cooper's do not come in magnum calibers and 300 Win Mag Steyr's are RARE!

Go to Walmart. Buy a Weatherby Vanguard in 300WBY for about $400 guaranteed to shoot 1.5 MOA at 100yds with WBY ammo. Then, Go to these guys and buy a really nice laminated stock for it. $84 http://www.boydsgunstocks.com/

It honestly depends on the speed of your bow when shooting at steep angles. The faster your bow the higher it will hit at a steep angle versus flat. At 30yds that's probably only a couple inches. But to put your mind at ease you should at least take a couple practice shots at that distance from that height. Then you'll know for sure where your setup hits at that distance. In an elevated stand that you legitimately know the distance to the target you should use that distance pin. Aim to hit in the bottom three inches of the deer. If you hit there fine. If you hit higher, still fine. I'm betting the fact at that angle the bow was hitting a little high plus the deer dropping caused the miss. Playing the different pin at this height game can really confuse you at the moment of truth. Keep it simple. Aim low

If I throw out that one impact out the group, your looking at a 1/2" diameter 3 shot group at 100yds. With factory ammo that's incredible accuracy. Folks will pay big bucks and reload a lot of shells to get a rifle to shoot 1 MOA. 1/2 MOA with factory rounds is a huge bonus. The Tikka trigger is one of the best kept secrets about the gun. It can be adjusted way down (though you may not need to) and still remain very crisp and consistent. The Sako Optilock rings that fit the Tikka are expensive but very very good. They are sturdy light and require no lapping to true them. The rings that come with the Tikka are OK but the Optilocks are definitely better. The stock recoil pad on the Tikka is a joke. For a 308 it might be fine. On the 30-06 especially with the light mag stuff the Limbsaver replacement pad really makes this rifle much more enjoyable at the bench. Your 308 will like 165s or 180s the best. Finn's like heavy bullets and the twist in their rifles is cut for that. So save your money and skip testing the lighter rounds

Threaded pillars are a good idea. Threads will still "walk" though unless you secure them in place with a good adhesive. I'd try the slowest curing (slowest is strongest) DEVCON epoxy I could get my hands on. Then let it cure for about 3 days before messing with them. The slow cure epoxy is runny and a little challenging to deal with. I use regular old Kid's Play Doh to build little dams that keep it out of areas I don't want the epoxy to go. If there is some metal you don't want the epoxy to stick to. Wipe it with Zymoil car wax and let the car wax dry before applying the epoxy. Hope that helps. The 460 is an interesting round. It appears to be a very flexible chambering. I haven't shot it yet but I have shot the 500S&W. I would definately wear tight fitting leather gloves shooting the 500 at full power. The full power rounds can cause serious hand ringing. That's a sign that some permanent nerve damage is possible, so be careful.

If that was a 416Rigby I'd be drooling! Still finding a good deal on a bonafide big bore is extremely tough to do. So you did real good! Have fun with your new sledge hammer

Cheap guns eventually shoot like cheap guns. In other words. You can fly home in an airplane fixed with duct tape, ONCE

Especially on smaller bore stuff a heavier bullet gets a lot longer. This eats up case capacity. Reloaders simply change powders. Factory stuff often is not optimized in that matter. IE. Same powder for both bullet weights. Look at some reload data for the 270Win

I'm not an expert bench rest shooter, but I have shot with some folks who absolutely are. So I'll pass on some of the advice they gave me. This isn't as complete a list as the real experts go through but it will definitely get you started shooting much better groups at 100yds. These 10 points will help. If the rifle has a sling. TAKE IT OFF. Slings and shooting rests do not mix. Resting your rifle on its' sling in a rest is definitely going to effect your consistency. Don't do it. If your Scope has an adjustable objective. Set it for the distance you are shooting at. Seems like a no brainer but it's easy to forget. The front rest should be as close to the action front as possible. (ie. under the chambered round) This will keep you from bending the forearm up and therefore putting inconsistent pressure on the barrel. This is true even on firearms with "Free Floated" barrels. The rear rest should preferably be in front of the stock sling stud. If recoil can slam the stud into the rear rest, you will have issues. On big bags sometimes you can't avoid the stud and get the rifle on target. Better to have the stud resting in the bag than in front. Though this truly is NOT ideal. Your off hand can rest on top of the scope between the rings for lower recoiling rounds (like 223). That's a good way to do it for the low kick stuff. Just rest your hand there with no added pressure. For the more lively kickers, grip the forearm under the barrel just in front of the front rest, and squeeze the heck out of it. The rest should naturally point the rifle exactly where you want to hit. If you find yourself pushing the rifle around and trying to hold it on a point adjust the rest some more. Your cheek weld is an important anchor point. You need to be consistent with this. The best way I've found to do this with a scoped rifle is to get my eye close enough to the rear end of the scope to see that "ghosting" black circle around the outside of your field of view. Back away from the scope until that circle just disappears and is perfectly centered. That will get your cheek weld in almost exactly the same place every time. If you still feel this is uncomfortably close to the scope adjust your eye relief. Don't mess with variable magnifications while you are sighting in. Turn it all the way up and leave it there until you are confident the scope is on and you are shooting good groups. Only then can you experiment with other magnifications to see if that effects you point of impact. (On some scopes magnification setting does move your POI) The elbow on your trigger hand should be on the table. This will help immensely to stabilize the rear end of the rifle. What this does is help lock your shoulder in position and keep it from "floating" around. Put a bag or board under that elbow if you need to. Squeeze the trigger as slowly as you can make yourself do it. This helps keep you from squeezing with the whole trigger hand. Try squeezing with your non-trigger fingers and watch what that does to your point of aim. Follow all 10 of these tips and you'll shoot better off a rest than most. Even then. It still takes practice to get good. It also takes practice to stay good. Knowing and doing are two different things. Good luck.

Gotta like this kind of performance with factory ammo.

Yep! That's a water moccasin.

HA! I think you are referring to the .577 Tyrannosaur. If you join Accuratereloading you will get to view plenty of "Champions" attempting to shoot Saeed's "T-Rex". In interest of not hijacking this thread. I still say, of the two, go with the Savage.

The way Hornady gets more velocity out of the same cartridge without exceeding SAAMI pressure is by maintaining the high end of the pressure for as long as possible. Not a big deal in fixed breech guns, but in gas operated autoloaders it can be a disasterously dangerous situation. The gas parts aren't designed for those pressures. Similarly bad if it's a recoil operated auto the action may try to cycle before the "burn" is complete. It's says don't do it on every box of Light Magnum stuff and they aren't kidding.

This is a good answer.

You absolutely CANNOT shoot the light magnum stuff in autoloaders! Seriously don't even try it!

Nope, count me among the proud few. I got two good friends in Wemberly. They are serious bowhunters and seriously pumped right now!!

180gr Hornady Interlocks have been a staple factory load in the 300WBY for YEARS. The WBY drives them at 3300fps. It may seem like an illogical bullet to use at such high speeds but the reason Weatherby still sells them is they flat work! Trust me for deer size game these things are fabulous.

They have them here. http://archery-experts.stores.yahoo.net/afbo.html I'll probably get some myself. I switched to 125s this year and have quite a few 100gr heads.

Thanks for the affirmation replies folks. I hope this thread drives some more folks to give the stuff a try. Like Lowcountry Boy pointed out, the stuff doesn't seem to get any "expert" endorsement. So that often makes folks wonder, is it any good? I believe the folks at Breakfree believe the US Military is as expert an endorsement as they need. The only argument I have for that logic is the Military isn't an advertiser. Still "word of mouth" referrals seem to be enough to get this stuff to leave the shelves of the local Wally World pretty fast. This stuff has been around quite awhile as evidenced by some of the replies. It's not a new kid on the block product. After all these years, it is still THE standard all other CLP(style) dry lubricant products are measured against. For some folks this is old news. Bottomline, if you degrease your shotgun and treat it with CLP, it will function better and be much better protected.