Rifle sighting issue

[TXbowman]

Just leaving the range and I'm a bit frustrated. I fed my Tikka T3 270 Winchester Power Point & Federal blue box, both 130 grain. It wouldn't group real well with either but especially the Winchester, about a 3.5" group. Another strange thing was it kept shooting to the right. Even after adjusting the dial more than once, it still would hit about the same place. Scope is a Leupold Vari X 2. It was stringing shots a little too. I know that happens with some rifles as the barrel heats but I didn't think it would happen with a free floated barrel. Stock is synthetic. It's good enough to hunt with, about a 2" group but with a decent rifle and scope I would expect much tighter grouping. Is it likely just the ammo or do I need to have a gunsmith look at it? Thanks.

[jdg13]

First off, check all of your mounts. Make sure they are tight and the scope is level. Use a set of bags or make a good rest. Take 3 shot groups and let it cool. Assuming your scope isn't bad and you aren't pulling, it could very well be the ammo. Some rifles are picky. My Savage .30-06 really liked Hornady "Custom" 165 gr. Once they quit making those, I tried about 6 different loads. All of them shot good enough to hunt but not as good as the old ones. I finally found another one it likes so I've stuck with it.

[Wence]

Could be the ammo. My son has a Remington 700 in 270 that a tried to sight in with 130 grain ammo. I tried three different brands with the same results, 3.5 inch groups. A buddy gave me 4 150 grain Federal Fusions and it stacked them in a 1.5 inch group. Fun just didn't like the 130's.

[Boomerang]

Already mentioned, but check the mounts. Torque wrenches are cheap and fins out the specs for each screw. Sounds as if something is lose?

If that doesn't work, search for some quality ammo as it should group same hole or close do not at 100 yards.

[diamond10x]

More than likely your bullet weight doesn’t match up with your barrel twist. Figure out your twist rate then you will be able to make several educated guesses and choices to choose from as far as ammo that will shoot better.

My savage 111 I’ve shot 130’s for a long time out of it with consistent 3/4” groups which is more than good enough for what I use it for. Last year I switched to 145’s and it about matches holes now.

[Zen Archery]

check everything as suggested above.

when i am having issues with a shooting system.
i find someone who shoots better than me to give it a run.
if they equally have issues then i know its they system.

[Gunnyart]

Fixed two rifles for friends recently acting similar. One had Leupold twist in bases that were putting torque on the tube the second was a scope installed by the dealer for “free” and the rear screws were finger tight.

[Winman]

I put a Douglas premium air gauged 270 barrel on a Mauser 98 action,with a Timmney trigger on a Bell and Carson stock. It WOULD NOT group 130 gr bullets. I tried many many powder and primer and bullet combinations...nothing worked....BUT it loved 150 gr. 3shot clover leaf every time...I cut out the group from the target,taped it to the stock and w ent to a gun show and sold it......the 270 w a s designed for 130 gr and n o t 150....

[JGadbury]

I shoot the same Tikka T3 Light .270 gun and found I have the best results with the cheapest Hornady load 130 grain American Whitetail. I have tried the Federal and more expensive hornady with far worse results. I have to agree with you, you should have much better grouping than 2" with that rifle and scope.

[WItoTX]

Ill go out on a limb and say you are simply shooting bad today. I have had those days where no matter what I do, I am all over the board (generally revolves around the amount of sleep and coffee I have had the previous day). I came back the following weekend, and shot good, group after group.

Sometimes a person is just off.

[canny]

Lots of variables to consider. As mentioned above check your equipment first, make sure all your scope rings are torqued correctly and nothing is loose. Secondly I would check my shooting set up. The barrel may be free floated but if you put your front sand bag too far forward the stock could possibly be flexing and making barrel contact (I had that with one of my guns). I always position the front bags to be directly underneath the recoil lug area to ensure I'm not influencing the barrel. Finally you said you tested 2 different ammo types, how long did you wait between shots. Don't let your barrel get too hot or your accuracy could suffer.

[bboswell]

I was thinking ammo until you said that the scope wasn’t reacting to windage adjustments.

I would pull the scope, check mounts and try another scope

[Raider4044]

I was thinking ammo until you said that the scope wasn’t reacting to windage adjustments.

I would pull the scope, check mounts and try another scope

X2

[TxBowHntr]

As said above, I vote for checking the mounting of the scope. If you haven't had it done, I highly recommend a proper scope installation from a professional. They have the right tools. The main thing is to torque the screws to the proper tightness, as well as properly leveling the scope to the rifle. While not expensive, most people don't have these tools. Come to think of it, neither do most Big Box stores that offer free scope mounting. If you have done this, then I would look into some different ammo, but it sounds to me that the mounts are not properly installed.

[DuramaxDude]

-Check and tighten all screws. scope mounts & rifle actions screws (just don't torque the crap out of the scope tube screws)
-Check to see if the barrel is free floating or making contact with the stock (dollar bill test)
-Shoot on the most stable rest you can get (sandbags, lead sled etc..) let the barrel cool 3-5 shot groups and cool off
-For inexpensive factory ammo look at federal and hornady the are the most consistent by far. Try different grain weights 130, 140, 150. different grain weights and variations of the same grain weight will shoot different. Each independent barreled action is different.
-If none of the above makes a difference it is probably the scope. Being a leupold send it in and the will fix or replace it.

Tikka T3s are good accurate guns. The one thing I can think of that I have ever heard about them is the older models had an aluminum recoil lugs. Calibers with heavier recoil would create indentions in the recoil lug which cause some slight movement in the action. The fix was order a steel lug take the stock off yank out the old lug and stick the new one in. Glass bedding is always a good idea as well. Bell and Carlson makes some pretty good after market stock for Tikka about $275.