About to enter the target world

[rowey64]

Morning folks,

I'm not new to rifle shooting but a complete novice to range shooting. I'm looking to join a club and my rifle of choice would be the upcoming Tikka T3 A tac in 308. Would welcome your thoughts. I also intend to use the 308 for the occasional larger deer species and wild boar. I currently use a heavy barrel Tikka in 243 and a Tikka sporter in 22/250. Would welcome any hints, tips and possible full bore clubs in the midlands taking members.

Thanks in advance

[WelshShooter]

As you may know from experience, the Tikka T3 is a very nice platform; I bought a T3 Varmint in .308 when I started venturing into target shooting. In my experience I found that you will struggle to accurately hit at 1,000 yards because you simply cannot achieve the same velocity as guys with 28" barrels. If you aren't going to bother with longer range shooting, then this isn't an issue. There will be a lot of recoil because of the very light polymer stock and short barrel (light weight = more felt recoil) which can get annoying when shooting many rounds on a range day. For informal target shooting and a stalking rifle the 20" is more than adequate. I fitted a KRG X-Ray chassis to the Tikka which did make an improvement to accuracy and a reduction in felt recoil.

I cannot comment on the Tac version as I've not used one personally.

[rowey64]

Forgive my ignorance but are moderators used at the range or are unmoderated barrels preferred?

[Ovenpaa]

Sound Moderators should never be a problem at the range, they reduce sound and perceived recoil and generally make things more pleasant. You also have a small advantage with the 'Freeboost' effect in that the MV is slightly increased with the Moderator fitted.

[WelshShooter]

Nothing wrong with using a moderator at the range; at the end of the day they are designed to reduce the volume of shots which should always be welcomed at a range especially one which shoots undercover or with individual lanes.

On a side note, some ranges may not allow the use of muzzle brakes.

[rowey64]

Nothing wrong with using a moderator at the range; at the end of the day they are designed to reduce the volume of shots which should always be welcomed at a range especially one which shoots undercover or with individual lanes.

On a side note, some ranges may not allow the use of muzzle brakes.

I can see the logic to that as I guess the muzzle blast goes sideways and slightly back depending on the type