Tikkas are amazing and you add the fact they are NOT ridiculously priced, they are amazing. I was able to buy any rifle I want and I have a room ful, Tikkas are my favorite
I have a tikka t3 in 300wm and a t3x in 6.5cm, both are tack drivers with almost any ammo. Makes it hard to select a load...because it doesn't really matter. I dont own a bench gun because my 2 tikkas shoot 1000yds plus just fine.
I have been trying to decide on a rifle to get for long range and hunting in general. The Tikka T3x (Ember) caught my eye, but I heard that the stocks were not that great. To over come that, I was looking at the upcoming Magpul Hunter stock or the MDT XRS chassis system. But the MDT HNT26 looks like an ideal overall choice. Just have to save up longer! Apparently some competitive shooters are going this route. Not sure if 300 PRC or 300 Win Mag would be best. I am learning toward the 300 PRC. Additionally, the price, features, and aesthetics of the "Meateater" Weatherby Vanguard is almost a must have. Especially with the sales dipping them below $800. Again the decision of cartridge comes up. 6.5 PRC is intriguing, but my eye is looking over at the 6.5-300 Wby Mag. I think that I am going to get both and possibly hold off on the chassis upgrade on the Tikka for the moment. I plan to suppress both with a shared can. Also, the .308 Win and 6.5 Creedmore basically covered as DMRs - But cannot use them in all places. Thank goodness for semi-ok laws in Florida! (Barely) What do you all suggest?
While working at a custom bolt gun shop, we had lots of Christiansen rifles come through with the objective of "just get it to work please." I understand that some shoot and some don't, but there were definitely a lot of funky ones out there. Lots of stocks touching barrels from the factory, feeding issues, all of it.
@@avall81 For sure. Are you handloading for it or just factory ammo? I know there's not tons of ammo options, so I wasn't sure if you had tried everything. Also, I'm not sure who wraps their barrels but I've seen some weird wrapping problems causing accuracy issues.
@@avall81 Yeah that’ll do it. Honestly, that’ll be one that you’d have to reload for to really find out what will make it work. Either that or get yourself a tuner. Only problem is that carbon barrels already have some crazy harmonics. Adding a tuner could either make the problem worse or better.
I got the Ruger American Range in 6.5 Creedmoor and had loading problems too. I sent it back to Ruger and they ended up replacing the barrel. Got it back today and cycled three five round magazines without any problems. You might try returning your Ruger's with feeding problems. I got my rifle back 12 days after it shipped to Ruger. Very happy with Ruger Customer Service.
Late question, I just bought one and didn’t have load but extraction issues. Took it back to retailer, they experienced nothing like I described so I will try a different load but did you have an issue like that at all?
I saw a video and a man was getting 1300 fps with a 600 grain bullet out of a 45/70. I'd like to see a steel core .45 acp loaded into the 70. It's possible you can get 4000 fps!
I have 3 Savage axis and with a little cleaning and trigger work they are awesome shooting rifles. My 7mm08 was having issue and I took the barrel off and they didn't clean the metal chips out of the threads and some were between the action and barrel nut. Filled the plastic stock in the grip area to stop the flexing with Fiberglass resin with chopped up fiberglass and no more problems. With hand loads 1/2 moa with 5 shots the .223 and .243 are 3/8 inch groups or better at 100.
I have become a fan of the Backfire channel. Your content is really interesting and helpful. I am writing to you today because I have a nice ½ MOA Mossberg Patriot 308 that came with a Picatinny rail mounting problem that I found when I was mounting the scope. I fixed the problem and the gun shoots as well as any gun I have ever owned. I am guessing, however, that had I not fixed it the gun it would have shot about 12 MOA like yours did. If you still have the replacement rifle that was not very good, I would suggest that you look at the forward screw mounting the Picatinny rail and using a digital caliper compare the height of the front screw mounting the rail, with the height of the rear screw, measuring each from the top of the rail.
If the front screw is higher then you have the same problem that I had. There is a set screw or plug under the front screw that was too high and prevented the rail screw from properly securing the rail to the action because it would bottom out on the plug before it would fully bottom on the rail countersink. This caused two problems. First the front of the rail was never really secured to the action. Second, the screw was high enough that the scope mount cross screw would hit the top of the rail screw before the mount was down flush to the top of the rail. That left me with a scope mount that was never fully secure to the rail and the rail which was never fully secure to the action.
Jim, I know you have contacts at Mossberg that will listen to you but would probably ignore me. I am hoping that you were frustrated enough and curious enough to check this out on your rifle and let Mossberg know of this problem if you find the same thing that I had.
Ya the only time I have feeding issues if I use cheap cheap ammo only on the last round it doesn’t eject it all the way, other than that it’s deadly accurate
I own a Ruger American in .308 and use it as a base to a more precision leaning build. The feeding error you’re experiencing is also on the shooter. If you jam the bolt shut, the case may not catch or it will jam the bullet into the feed ramp damaging the round. If you shut slower, you’ll feel if the case doesn’t catch in the first 1/2 inch. And it will give time to gently slide into chamber. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
I'd be inclined to agree with you there. Although they're not the smoothest of bolts I've ever cycled, I've never had one that even had trouble cycling unless I was trying to slam the bolt home. Every time he refers to the ruger american, he points out that deer that got away because of cycling but, even when I watched the video, I wasn't convinced that was the rifles "fault" the seer got away. Also, fwiw his other complaint about ruger (7prc) isn't really valid as the eldm is a perfectly capable hunting round.
When I first got into hunting back in the 90s, I bought a Browning Abolt medallion in 270. Beautiful rifle, put a really nice Leupold VX3 on it, and then I started trying to site it in. That rifle was the pickiest gun I’ve EVER owned when it came to ammo… I bet I tried 20 different types of ammo in various grain weights, before I FINALLY found one that it liked. Even at its best however, it was still a 1.5-2 inch gun at 100 yards. Every other load I tried was over 3 inch groups! Ended up selling it a few years later. Bought a much cheaper savage 110, and it’s a tack driver! 1 inch gun all day, with just about any ammo!
any rifle can be picky, Me and my buddy got a ruger american predator in 6.5cm and i had the same issue you were having but his would shoot 1in groups all day with about any ammo.
not sure what to do with it tho, i don’t really wanna sell it because it’s the first gun i’ve ever owned/bought. I also bought it a couple days after my 18th birthday.
My dad has that exact gun. He was shooting 1/4 inch groups at a with Winchester super x for over twenty years. Then he tried some Hornady superformance in it and it never shot the same.
Just purchased a CVA Cascade SB. Hoo-weee these folks have a fine product. I might go as far as saying it will compete with the more expensive rifles. I will defiantly consider another rifle in the XT line.
@@howardholcomb6507 That is really good to know, thank you. IIRC, CVA is a Begara sister company. No surprise that they are really good... Especially when using the Begara CHF barrels! After seeing the video on the CVA muzzleloader on the BackFire channel, I was all excited to buy that same rifle. Come to find out that they are discontinued and not sure if the new models are just as good, or if I needed to pony up a bit more for the next level up.
@@howardholcomb6507 I just purchased mine online and it's on it's way to my FFL. Can't wait to pick it up. That black camo cerakote looks amazing. Love that is has the attachment points for the scope and the threaded barrel.
sooo ... use common sense? Man, I really needed 13 minutes of my life to comprehend that concept lmfao A side note: Is the Mossberg Patriot (wood) a good/accurate action bolt rifle? I am thinking of getting one since I am on a budget
Had a similar issue with my first Bergara until I checked the website and it offers their preferred projectile weight. 168 for example. It was a huge difference. Especially in a 1:10 twist.
The 300 Win Mag SAAMI chamber does really have a freebore* in the modern sense. It uses a simple single taper design that starts as .315" dia. This means that the bullet can be slightly off center in the chamber and hit the rifling at an angle. For some reason Winchester had stuck with this type of chamber up until the 6.8 Western in 2021. It is sometimes possible to get a WinMag with a "match chamber" with freebore, but most often it is in a more expensive rifle with a custom barrel. The US Army uses such a chamber on its sniper rifles. FWIW, Remington, on the other hand, started using a tight section of freebore in the early 1960's with the 7mm Rem Mag, and Weatherby had been using it since the 1940's. *These days, "freebore" means a section of bore like a snug tube prior to the taper to the rifling that ensures that the bullet is aligned with the bore as it takes the rifling (previously, the term just meant the section oversize chamber before hitting the rifling). It is current practice for the freebore to be less than one thousanths of an inch larger than the the bullet diameter, and often, like the 6.5 Creedmoor, half that. The 308 has a section of freebore, but it is sloppy by today's standards at 2 thousandths of an inch. 308 match chambers have a quarter of that, same as the Creedmoors.
For the Ruger American GoWild, Federal is putting out a terminal ascent in 7mm PRC, and it's 155 grain :) I'm very excited and definitely going to pick some up to see how it shoots.
I gifted my son a T3X in .270 with 50rds of handloads tailored for his rifle--MOA with Sierra Gamekings. Tricked out with a Leupold Vari-x II it's a hunt everything in Texas rig to last a lifetime. Fabulous value for the money spent!!
Just bought a Browning Xbolt Stainless Staulker in .270 in Queensland Australia. Takes care of anything that hops, walks or belches in this country as well!
Regarding Christensen Arms, from first hand experience, customer service is essentially non-existent, unless the store you bought it from USED to sell Christensen Arms, then stopped because of poor QC and Christensen basically begged those stores to buy again, telling those stores they've cleaned up their QC issues. I spoke with a man who was in charge of internet sales from his store and expressed concerns about the Christensen carbon barrels delaminating, feeding issues, etc. He stated to me that's why they stopped carrying this brand for just over 2 years. Quality sucked and they got tired of hearing customers complain. He stated that CA basically begged them to carry their products again. I was discussing one of the CA rifles he had in stock and he assured me if I bought it and had any issues, he'd step in on my behalf to get any issue corrected. Very kind of him but frankly shouldn't be necessary. There's only one model I'd ever consider and that's the Mesa. The 2 reasons I haven't bought one is the barrels are too pencil thin and from speaking with a couple guys at CA myself for an issue I had with some parts I bought that they manufactured, there was no resolution. The merchant told me there's nothing they can do, I need to contact CA. When I did, they blew me off and told me I had to take it up with the merchant - a HUGE online seller. Candidly, the CA action has a value of about $550 (it's nothing more than a trued 700, if actually fully blueprinted), the FFT stock about $150, the barrel about $100 if that. Not much left but the trigger and bottom metal. And there's no shortage of youtube videos of Tikkas outshooting the CA rifles which cost at least double
So I have a ruger american in 270. On the range it's and absolute beast never misses a beat. Never jammed never had issues feeding. Now if I messing around and just try and cycle ammo through the action without firing I have problems. Idk why but out in the field it has never let me down.
I will say my Bergara Wilderness Ridge has also been very picky with ammo. So I know where you are coming from. Ironically the best grouping I got was with the cheapest ammo I tried. Remington CoreLokt 180graim BTHP. Not what I wanted to use, felt weird going so cheap with all of the “high quality” ammo out there, but dropped an elk where it stood last year using them. Great groupings. About .75 at 100 yards.
CoreLokt bullets always gave me excellent expansion on deer out of my .308. Don’t worry about what others think, shoot what works and be glad it’s not expensive.
I have a Tika T3 lite 270 that I bought in 2005 and still choose it over all my other rifles. My wife has a 35 whelen CVA Scout and no complaints on it either.
Thank you Sir! Because of your videos, I learned about the Ruger American Ranch 300 BLK. I am a huge 300 BLK fan and always wanted a 300 BLK bolt action. I absolutely love my Ruger American Ranch 300 BLK. Now, you tell me about the CVA Scout single shot in 300 BLK. That is a gun I have got to have. I have a perfect suppressor for it. Again, thank you. I sincerely appreciate your work.
For the Tikkas and barrel threading, the only ones that are threaded are heavier contours like the varmint, UPR, CTR, and newer Veil and Roughtech series. I’m starting to really like my roughtech green in 30-06 with a can
i’m looking at a green roughtech in 300wm or 7 rem mag, I really like the threaded barrel, fluted bolt and barrel grooves. (not that the grooves might not make a difference i just like the look of it)
Love my Ruger American 243 . Never had a problem chambering ever. Have fired over 1000 rounds at range out to 900yrds. Only problem is flimsy stock which was easy fix by filling stock with fibre glass, making sure it is free floated. Great content as always 👏 😊
Tikka T3x Hunters (wood stock) and T3x synthetic/stainless and the regular T3 with the blued barrel and synthetic stock have shocked me. I've done ONLY 2 modifications to each - aftermarket trigger spring and limbsaver recoil pads. My first Tikka T3x was a 308 and accuracy wise a bit disappointing. Ended up with a Brux barrel and AG Composite stock and cerakoted. Tac driver now. This year I have purchased both new and used Tikkas mentioned above. 5 are chambered in 270 and the lowest price on new was $649 online, shipped for $20 each and no tax. Also have a 300WSM and 300WM. The highest price I've paid is $820. Every single one of these shoots half inch or better with factory and handloaded ammunition. Two of the 270s are shooting one hole 3 shot groups with 150 BVLDs over H4831SC. These rifles are so accurate and consistent, I'm selling off the bulk of my custom builds since they aren't shooting any better but aesthetics are much nicer.
@@thews9237 I did ask 2 rifle builders I know if they felt the wood factory stock needed to be pillar bedded at least. The collective answers were the same, "why bother when it is shooting 0.3 inch groups?"
I like the point that you make on reliable feeding and some issues with the Ruger American on just that point. Taking reliable feeding further, whenever I’ve had any clients on hunts and have issues with feeding it was from detachable magazines on hunting rifles. Never saw a CZ, BRNO, Sako, Sauer, Mauser, Zastava, Merkel, Remington, Ruger M77, Rigby, Weatherby (to name a few) with an internal magazine fail on feeding. Magazines are fine for the range, and they are practical on the range also. I’ve seen amazing trophies get away when the hunter could not load their brand new rifle to feed. Worst yet, arriving with the rifle and they had not even tested their ammo. At least we only ever had one client where the new rifle still needed the new scope fitted and he left his magazine in Wyoming, more than 15,000km’s from where we were hunting.
I have a Bergara B14 HMR chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor and it is by far the pickiest bolt action rifle I own when it comes to accuracy with different ammo. Nosler is +2MOA but certain lots of Hornady is sub 1/2MOA.
he probably has a video about this, but what’s a brand, model, and or caliber that shoots all loads from all the manufacturers relatively accurately? Does such a brand of rifle exist? Or, what would be the conditions for a rifle’s engineering to shoot all loads of all manufacturers, of all grainages, accurately? Excluding handloading? Just wondering! Am shopping.
I would highly recommend trying out the Hornady outfitter ammo for your 7prc. I had shot multiple different bullets through my gun and when I switched to the outfitter I was consistently getting .75 MOA groups and multiple .5 MOA groups as well
I just bought a Ruger American Ranch in 300 blackout and it is so fun. Quietest suppressed rifle I have ever seen. I’ve become a precision rifle snob over the past decade and yet this thing is so fun. You are right! Buy fun guns !
...I had a Mossberg Patriot. Watching your channel, I thought "Whew! Thank God I got a good one!..." Until last year. Out of the blue... it wouldn't hold zero. I'd get it dialed in at 100 yards, shooting sub 1" groups... take it back out, same box of ammo, a week later and it would be 3" off and the group would be 5". This was with two different scopes, a Zeiss Conquest and a Trijicon Accupoint. Traded it and a bunch of other 'problem' firearms for a Sig P365 and a Bergara Wilderness Terrain. No more problem.
I had to comment here in regard to the Mossberg Patriot. I recently purchased the LR Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor. Been a fan of Mossberg for a long time. Well until I made this purchase. Accuracy wasn't the problem because it wouldn't chamber Nosler ETips. Well not without forcing it to. So contacted Mossberg and the told me "there's nothing wrong with the rifle it's the ammo". Well tell that to Nosler. They refused to even have a look at it. So much for Mossberg customer service and warranty. Took it to my gunsmith of over 30 years and he confirmed a chamber issue, but he went a step further and had a look down the barrel. He told me "this is the worst new barrel I've ever seen". Mossberg has lost a customer not necessarily because of the piss poor quality control, although that is a big deal, but because they refused to do anything to even verify the issue. Buyer be ware.
That’s a really interesting topic to me the 300 win mag beating a possibly more ammo picky cartridge Could you make a video on cartridges that are least picky and most picky with ammo ?
I just recently put together a new mossberg patriot .22-250 in a boyds stock. I did pillar bed kit and bed around the recoil lug. I thoroughly copper cleaned the bore before my 1st shot. Talley rings & styrka scope. It shoots under 3/4" moa.
Funny you mentioned the CA Ranger, I also purchased one in .22lr some 8 years ago, super picky and talk about feeding problems, best it would shoot regardless of type or brand of ammo was around 1" at 50, the Trigger Tech trigger could not be adjusted below 3.6lb, after about a year I traded that pig promising myself never to look at another CA (in Aussie they are quite expansive $900 USD) Well the came out with the .22 WMR and 17 HMR, read a lot about improvements etc, so jumped in againand got a .22WMR, accuracy this time with Hornady V Max 30 grainers is excellent, consistently around .75 at 100, I did change the trigger group out for a TT Diamond and it breaks nicely at 1.8lb, but the feeding issues are still around although not quite as bad, I must say the two CZ 457's I have leave it for dead in every way.
I had the same issue with my Christiansen Ranger with horrific feeding issues. I sent it back and they replaced the bolt and did some other gunsmith stuff. I haven’t had a misfeed in over 1000 rounds since. My issue is that Christensen is well aware of this issue and has done nothing about it.
Loved this! I'm here to tell you, two things you said, nailed it, 1. it's ok to buy something Fun! woo hoo! 2. That 10 % better MARKETING gets a bunch of us! 😂😂😂😂 Great job, fun video!
I went to leave my opinion on your page but too much of my info needed so thought I'd leave it here... My first couple elk were with 30-06. Then upgraded to 300 win mag. I've had my share of elk but I'm not the trophy hunter so I used to go after the late season cow elk as I prefer the cold season for the the meat better... I hunted with people that use 7mm-08 an old timer that preferred 30-30 but everyone has there choice for some reason... Wish I had a RUclips channel and I'd see about doing a collab as I know we have shot on some of the same ranges... Keep up the good work
Love the channel, but have to wonder. When discussing the Ruger American, there is a concern about clambering a round when you are stalking the animal and getting ready to shoot????? Who the heck stalks an animal without a round chambered??? What am I missing???
Jim, I agree with you on having threaded barrels since I have received my Banish 46 from Silencer Central I want threaded barrels. Some times you have too fork out extra bucks to achieve your satisfaction. The thing that I do before a hunting trip is to Rifle P.T. carry that rifle , curl that rifle over and over again until you find it effortless to carry it. I got lucky with my Mossberg Patriot in 308 it can hold its own up against my Christensen Arms Mesa in 308. Good luck on your hunts.
I have the same Bergara Ridge in 300WM. It shoots Norma 150s 1.5moa and 180 Hornady interlock loaded to 3050fps 3/4 moa. You are correct about the bluing. It sucks. One day on a damp Moose hunt and it had rust. I have since cerakoted it.
Frustrated with my mossberg patriot. Like you said, pie plate accuracy. Now I’ve been stuck with it for a few years cause it was all i could afford. Just sits in the back of the safe 🤦🏻♂️
Tikka, Sako, Steyr, Mauser, Sauer, and Blaser are my choice of quality Rifles if one is to not regret and get some accurate marksmanship up whether I’m hunting or getting some range time ..
Definitely agree on threaded barrels. There are a few exceptions, but generally I'm not going to buy a rifle if it's not threaded. I won't buy ANY 22lr if it's not threaded. Once you get a suppressor, you'll want to mount it on every gun that you can.
Cz 457 for rimfire. Beautiful classic styling. One rifle can swap to 22 LR, 22WMR, and 17 HMR. My rifle with 17 barrel shoots dime sized hole at 50 yards. Still trying to get a 22 WMR barrel. Only gripe are factory barrels are unnecessarily long at 25 inches, 22 or 23 more than long enough.
I don't regret buys. I regret sales. Ruger 10-22, Thompson contender with 3 barrels, 30-30 marlin and my very first rifle 270 Winchester. What was I thinking???
Im so glad that at the end of the video you state that most of those mistakes were yours! Not thinking about end of build, not thinking about availability of ammo, not thinking about how the gun functions.
I agree ! Marketing can mislead you. Alright, you can make evolve your setup, you can think about it, but the main thing is : what is good for me, for my use, for my capacities, my budget, what is reliable, safe, and efficiency ? That's why many people settle for their rifle, their caliber, their ammo, their setup, simply because IT WORKS. And that's why quite old ammos are still in use and are NOT obsolete (308, 30-06, etc...). And choice will be different, depending of use : hunting, targets. In this last case, weight and size of the setup are much less important points than for hunting.
5/8"-24 thread spec has a min. major diameter of 0.616" so if your barrel diameter is atleast 0.616" it can be threaded to 5/8-24. Also, using gagemaker thread reports we can generally make any diameter thread and easily make a thread adapter to transition to a specific thread pitch if needed. So you can take a 0.61" diameter barrel and thread it on that diameter and make a custom thread adapter or muzzle brake.
I have a Christiansen ranger 22 and I am proud to say I have no feeding problems with it. I do have the concern about the bolt being skinny and one day could possibly break. It’s what I was looking for though, it’s lightweight, several different rounds shoot less than .75 of an inch with a 5 shot group at 50 yards, and it’s a great suppressor host. I don’t have any of the paint chipping, I do have why looks like bedding on the bottom of my gun near the mag well though. Overall I love my ranger
I love my Ranger too and bought mine even knowing that they did have a lot of potential flaws. Thankfully, mine has been great, and I have shot thousands of rounds through it without a failure.
Send that ranger 22 back, they had known feeding issues and they have the fix. Mine wouldn't feed straight from the box, sent it back and haven't had a feeding issue since after 1000s of rounds
I got my Ranger 22 at the beginning of the year and have put several hundred rounds through it without any problems. It shoots fantastic and I love it. Zero regrets here so far.
I was surprised about his Ranger 22, also. I bought one when they came out and it it is maybe the best shooting rifle I have ever shot. Shoots 1/2" or better groups at 50 with every brand of cheap ammo I've put through it.
@@jtylermcclendon I was thinking about it later and realized the only issues I have had so far was fedding issues with the Ruger 25 round mags. I took them apart and lubed inside and never tried them again. I got one out a couple days ago and shot 7 rounds no problem. Even shooting suppressed with 1200fps ammo is great. I was hesitant because I couldn't believe I was spending $850 on a .22 rifle but I am so glad I did.
I own a Christianson Arms Ranger and fortunately it shoots and feeds great. Thank goodness too because I blew the budget on it. When I was in the market to buy a hunting rifle 5 years ago, late start elk hunter @ 48) I did my due diligence in researching rifles under $800 and cartridges that I could hunt anything that I’d put in my freezer. I looked at Ruger, Mossberg and Howa. I ended up with the Howa 1500 in 7mm Rem Mag. I wish I knew about Tikka I would have given them a good look. Overall I’m real happy with the Howa but it will not group anything over 150gr. The 140gr Barnes has flattened 2 elk and a mule deer. I’m also really glad the Howa hasn’t been in one of your “don’t buy” videos 😂
Christian Arms gets their stocks from HS Precision, HS has tanked its quality over the years since the original owner passed. Now it’s ran by the daughter who is anti gun and hired a person to cut cost around the shop. The old employees were the first to go. They claim their stocks are “Kevlar reinforced”, but all they do is lay a tiny piece about 3x1 in the stock just to keep saying it has Kevlar in it. That choice was made so they didn’t have to change the catalog. Their employee turnover is crazy. So they keep bringing in temps to fill the horribly molded stocks with bondo. I can tell you horror stories about HS and I refuse to purchase anything from them or anything that has to do with them.
Elk , Kudu African plains game , Russian Brown bear, and caribou. Most long range shots in Africa max was 450 yards. All with WSM 180 grain bullet hand loaded. Used a Browning T bolt. Spent one afternoon , finding the right recipe that the rifle liked At 200 yards. Biggest difference was how deep bullet was seated.
@@kansasjoe3450 that is interesting, you’ve got the one and only T-Bolt chambered in a centerfire cartridge, all of the other ones are chambered in rimfire cartridges….
I'm a fan of the b14 and bmr I own one of both but the cz457 is a step ahead of the crowd, there's a reason you see it competing next to vudoo but you don't see bmrs
I grew up in a family full of Marine Scouts. Dad, step dad, 7 uncles, cousins. They all had the same teachings. When it came to the rifles, they were all M40A1's and topped with the best scopes. As for ammo, nothing cheap. And stick with one brand and buy cases of the same lot #'s . Bore brush, clean between each shot, and a light oil swab. Cold bore shots hitting a 1" dot sticker at 400 plus yards, and use the mil-dot bullet drop marks. Know the rifle, know the shot.
I have a Bergara Ridge 270win that I cerakoted and took the barrel down from a 5 to a 3.5ish. It's an absolute tackdriver and shoots most ammo nearly identical! Best rifles own after a few modifications.
I bought a Bergara Mountain 2.0 in a 308. Shot terrible. I sent it to Bergara and they re-crowned the barrel and torqued the action screws but I sold it before shooting it again. Replaced with a Seekings Havak Element 308 and never looked back. I guide sheep and grizz hunts in Alaska so I need a light weight, accurate gun that holds plenty for back up shots. Very disappointment in Bergara for its cost.
Depending on range ELD-M work fine, often better than ELD-X at longer ranges (400+yds) Up close at high velocities the bullet can "fail" and not penetrate deeply enough, but at lower velocities I've gotten better expansion than ELD-X AND excellent penetration. ELD-M can indeed "fail" at high velocity but that's dependent mostly on range (and muzzle velocity) I like the 162gr ELD-M in my 7mm-08 because it's starting out at a modest velocity but holds onto it fir a long time because of the hugh BC, and I have reliably taken game with it from 50-450yds and would have zero reservations stretching it even a little further if i needed (id say the max would probably be 600 for what's likely to give me truly "good" expansion. And i can reliably and repeatably make first round hits at those distances with that rifle and bullet combination.
You can't go wrong with the Weatherby mk V chambered in .340 WBY Mag. It is a time proven gun, design and the .340 WBY is not a shoulder breaker and not a "flinch maker and meat waster" like the .300 Wby mag. I own and love my .300 Wby May and I wish I had tried the .340 before I bought.
My Bergara B14 Ridge in 308 is very picky with ammo also. Went through 10 different loads from 5 different manufacturers and only found one load that groups less than an inch at 100 yards. Was pretty disappointed with those results.
I've had nothing but problems with the action since I hit the 200 round count on both of my Ruger Americans. Too bad to, it a great rifle besides the fact that the bore was cut to small and you can't eject a live round. Had to use a rubber mallet to beat the bolt open last time. The bullet stayed in the barrel and the brass came out throwing gun powder everywhere.
I had the same problem with a Bergara B-14 HMR in 300 PRC, very inconsistent groups with match, hunting, and my own handloads. Sold it and now looking for another 300 PRC. But all of my other Bergara rifles shoot excellent, just bought a B-14 Ridge in 30-06 and first 4 shots at 100 yardd of cheap soft point ammo I could cover with my thumb.
I was thinking about that same rifle. Do you mind telling me which brand ammunition cartridge as well as bullet grain you had those results with in 30-06 out of your Ridge?
I have a Mossberg Patriot 7mm-08 with ATN 4k Pro and Boyds AT-ONE Thumbhole. I have not had any issues with accuracy or dependability. I learned the hard way of making sure the ammunition I use is compatible with the twist. I do agree the barrell needs threaded for a compensator, but when I switched the stock it slowed the hop.
Ok I have a begara b14hmr .308 athlon ares etr, suppressor bipod all 16lb+ of it I got a neggela triton ii ruck sling the best job for a heavy rifle, but also I have a sig sauer 30-06 1-5 lpvo, 8lb but still never shoot a animal over 200m it’s stalking not sniping, a man with too many guns generally doesn’t shoot as well as a man with 1 he knows how to use. 30-06 or 308 will drop every animal on the planet it’s shot placement.
Had the same issue with Bergara in 270 Win that I sent back, they did some tweeking to the barrel and action...still "walked" rounds across the target just like it did before I sent it back. It's now being true'd, rebarreled to 280 AI, and a new stock. I know, knee jerk reaction, but wanted a 280 AI on a Rem 700 style action and this one got sent off.
I love how picky you are about feeding, I'm the same way! I have two Ruger Americans 1 feeds about 95% perfect, and the other is picky, probably 80% of the time.
Could I make a suggestion: Find a used Remington VS in one of your favorite calibers. Rebarrel it and have a beautiful rifle that is flawless for less then your tikka's,and Bergara's. Used a Bartlein barrel.
I just watched this video for the 2nd time and I want to thank you again. Since I watched it the first time, I have seen two other videos, where they pointed out the Altor. It didn't really register the first time, but after watching the other videos and now seeing it again in this video, I felt it necessary to commit again. If I ever see anyone with an Altor at the range, I will leave. The majority of people at a public range do not have enough experience or training to handle a "standard" gun correctly let alone something as "nonstandard" as the Altor. Based on everything that I have seen, it is nothing but a negligent discharge device waiting for someone to victimize. Again, thank you again for making this video.
Crazy how much different people have soooo much different luck with the same guns. I have a ranger and its amazing. Thats why i dont put too much stock in 1 persons misfortune and watch many videos on the gun i want.
Love all your videos by the way. But I believe Christensen Arms has fixed the feeding problems on the Ranger .22. I just bought one and it has worked flawlessly. Just thought I would share :)
If i were to add something it would be barrel thickness, i got a weatherby vanguard based of your reccomendations. I love it and get sub moa groups with it. But after only 4-5 shots it seemed like my groups were nearly doubling in size, dont regret buying the gun, just wish it had a bit more bulk on the barrel to deal with the heat a bit more, and ill definitely think more about that on my next bolt action.
I don't have the accuracy issues with my Weatherby Vanguard (7mm Mag) but about a year after I bought it, I wanted to get the barrel threaded for a brake or suppressor and it is just not thick enough for my comfort level. The smith said they could do it, but it wasn't recommended.
@@backfire i got mine in 30-06, also got the arken sh4 gen 2, whole rifle is a bit heavy already, but i built it more just for bench shooting, but needed something i could hunt with if i needed to instead of my ar15. Like i said im happy, just a matter of a rifle thats built more for hunting compared to what i was eanting to do with it as far as the barrel thickness goes probably.
I'm happy to see you report the truth and not like some writers or magazines put out a bunch of bs about every rifle that comes out. Thank for your great video.
I have several rifles. My favorite to shoot is a CVA hunter in .44 magnum. It was on sale and I paid barely over $200 for it. It is wonderful to shoot, although, of course, range is limited.
Too many guns to be competent in any one rifle ammo combination. With all the hardware and $200 to $400 with a hand press, dies, and maybe even a Chrony you could have an accurate load in any one of those rifles in a day and not overly blow your shooting budget. Takes some discipline but with few exceptions you can make your rifle shoot the kind of ammunition for the type of shooting you need to shoot. If I get a new caliber I get a set of dies for that gun. Otherwise, I do like your content. Very informative. I myself like my Savage 110 series. ACCURATE!
Tikkas are amazing and you add the fact they are NOT ridiculously priced, they are amazing. I was able to buy any rifle I want and I have a room ful, Tikkas are my favorite
Right there with you! Own three and counting
Agreed. I own the T3x Tac A1 (6.5 Creed) and the T1x (.22lr in a KRG Bravo stock). Both are amazing rifles.
I just wish for the price, they had a better stock and buttpad
I have a tikka t3 in 300wm and a t3x in 6.5cm, both are tack drivers with almost any ammo. Makes it hard to select a load...because it doesn't really matter. I dont own a bench gun because my 2 tikkas shoot 1000yds plus just fine.
I have been trying to decide on a rifle to get for long range and hunting in general. The Tikka T3x (Ember) caught my eye, but I heard that the stocks were not that great. To over come that, I was looking at the upcoming Magpul Hunter stock or the MDT XRS chassis system. But the MDT HNT26 looks like an ideal overall choice. Just have to save up longer! Apparently some competitive shooters are going this route. Not sure if 300 PRC or 300 Win Mag would be best. I am learning toward the 300 PRC.
Additionally, the price, features, and aesthetics of the "Meateater" Weatherby Vanguard is almost a must have. Especially with the sales dipping them below $800. Again the decision of cartridge comes up. 6.5 PRC is intriguing, but my eye is looking over at the 6.5-300 Wby Mag. I think that I am going to get both and possibly hold off on the chassis upgrade on the Tikka for the moment. I plan to suppress both with a shared can. Also, the .308 Win and 6.5 Creedmore basically covered as DMRs - But cannot use them in all places. Thank goodness for semi-ok laws in Florida! (Barely)
What do you all suggest?
While working at a custom bolt gun shop, we had lots of Christiansen rifles come through with the objective of "just get it to work please." I understand that some shoot and some don't, but there were definitely a lot of funky ones out there. Lots of stocks touching barrels from the factory, feeding issues, all of it.
My July 2023 Ranger has been flawless, and a very accurate rifle with the right SK ammo.
@@asterixky I'm sure! Not every rifle they put out has problems. I just know from firsthand experience that there's a lot of them out there that do.
@@avall81 For sure. Are you handloading for it or just factory ammo? I know there's not tons of ammo options, so I wasn't sure if you had tried everything. Also, I'm not sure who wraps their barrels but I've seen some weird wrapping problems causing accuracy issues.
@@avall81 Yeah that’ll do it. Honestly, that’ll be one that you’d have to reload for to really find out what will make it work. Either that or get yourself a tuner. Only problem is that carbon barrels already have some crazy harmonics. Adding a tuner could either make the problem worse or better.
@@avall81 are you planning on sticking with 26 Nosler?
I got the Ruger American Range in 6.5 Creedmoor and had loading problems too. I sent it back to Ruger and they ended up replacing the barrel. Got it back today and cycled three five round magazines without any problems. You might try returning your Ruger's with feeding problems. I got my rifle back 12 days after it shipped to Ruger. Very happy with Ruger Customer Service.
Still feeding like butter?
@@priestesslucy3299 Gen 2s have the barrel "modification" as part of the manufacturing process.
Late question, I just bought one and didn’t have load but extraction issues. Took it back to retailer, they experienced nothing like I described so I will try a different load but did you have an issue like that at all?
@@chrismickunas8130 I don’t recall but good luck. After I got mine back it works as intended.
I love my CVA Scout in 45-70. The trigger is first class. No take-up, no creep, breaks like glass, and no overtravel. Waiting on the suppressor.
I saw a video and a man was getting 1300 fps with a 600 grain bullet out of a 45/70. I'd like to see a steel core .45 acp loaded into the 70. It's possible you can get 4000 fps!
@masterblaster1329 I had to order mine and wait a couple weeks. I just got it about 6 months ago.
@ghostwriter1415 I'd rather load that 600 grain bullet subsonic and shoot it suppressed.
Suppressor jail 🤌🏻 mine is there too
What did you order? I got liberty Goliath
@@Yettiattack I went through my local shop.
I bought a Savage Axis II on Black Friday years ago and put a Boyd’s stock on it. It never misses or fails.
Picked one of those up for my son a couple of years ago for a Christmas present, and it's a awesome shooter.
I have 3 Savage axis and with a little cleaning and trigger work they are awesome shooting rifles. My 7mm08 was having issue and I took the barrel off and they didn't clean the metal chips out of the threads and some were between the action and barrel nut. Filled the plastic stock in the grip area to stop the flexing with Fiberglass resin with chopped up fiberglass and no more problems. With hand loads 1/2 moa with 5 shots the .223 and .243 are 3/8 inch groups or better at 100.
I've never had a problem with mine. The cheap scope lasted 4 years too
Hi Jim,
I have become a fan of the Backfire channel. Your content is really interesting and helpful. I am writing to you today because I have a nice ½ MOA Mossberg Patriot 308 that came with a Picatinny rail mounting problem that I found when I was mounting the scope. I fixed the problem and the gun shoots as well as any gun I have ever owned. I am guessing, however, that had I not fixed it the gun it would have shot about 12 MOA like yours did. If you still have the replacement rifle that was not very good, I would suggest that you look at the forward screw mounting the Picatinny rail and using a digital caliper compare the height of the front screw mounting the rail, with the height of the rear screw, measuring each from the top of the rail.
If the front screw is higher then you have the same problem that I had. There is a set screw or plug under the front screw that was too high and prevented the rail screw from properly securing the rail to the action because it would bottom out on the plug before it would fully bottom on the rail countersink.
This caused two problems. First the front of the rail was never really secured to the action. Second, the screw was high enough that the scope mount cross screw would hit the top of the rail screw before the mount was down flush to the top of the rail. That left me with a scope mount that was never fully secure to the rail and the rail which was never fully secure to the action.
Jim, I know you have contacts at Mossberg that will listen to you but would probably ignore me. I am hoping that you were frustrated enough and curious enough to check this out on your rifle and let Mossberg know of this problem if you find the same thing that I had.
I bought my Christenson Ranger in July 2023 and after 1300 rounds, it has been an amazing shooter. Flawless and very accurate.
Completely agree! Absofuckinglutely no issues with it! It loves match ammo, only issue was bad ammo
Ya the only time I have feeding issues if I use cheap cheap ammo only on the last round it doesn’t eject it all the way, other than that it’s deadly accurate
Agree
I have had the same experience I love mine
My ranger is great with match ammo. It's pretty good with cci sv and norma tac22 as well
I own a Ruger American in .308 and use it as a base to a more precision leaning build. The feeding error you’re experiencing is also on the shooter. If you jam the bolt shut, the case may not catch or it will jam the bullet into the feed ramp damaging the round. If you shut slower, you’ll feel if the case doesn’t catch in the first 1/2 inch. And it will give time to gently slide into chamber. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
I'd be inclined to agree with you there. Although they're not the smoothest of bolts I've ever cycled, I've never had one that even had trouble cycling unless I was trying to slam the bolt home. Every time he refers to the ruger american, he points out that deer that got away because of cycling but, even when I watched the video, I wasn't convinced that was the rifles "fault" the seer got away. Also, fwiw his other complaint about ruger (7prc) isn't really valid as the eldm is a perfectly capable hunting round.
Everyone loves rotary mags tbh i haye them
Tikka make amazing rifles. They make rifles for the scandinavian weather. Freezing raining windy and hot. Does not matter they can do it all.
When I first got into hunting back in the 90s, I bought a Browning Abolt medallion in 270. Beautiful rifle, put a really nice Leupold VX3 on it, and then I started trying to site it in. That rifle was the pickiest gun I’ve EVER owned when it came to ammo… I bet I tried 20 different types of ammo in various grain weights, before I FINALLY found one that it liked. Even at its best however, it was still a 1.5-2 inch gun at 100 yards. Every other load I tried was over 3 inch groups! Ended up selling it a few years later. Bought a much cheaper savage 110, and it’s a tack driver! 1 inch gun all day, with just about any ammo!
any rifle can be picky, Me and my buddy got a ruger american predator in 6.5cm and i had the same issue you were having but his would shoot 1in groups all day with about any ammo.
not sure what to do with it tho, i don’t really wanna sell it because it’s the first gun i’ve ever owned/bought. I also bought it a couple days after my 18th birthday.
My dad has that exact gun. He was shooting 1/4 inch groups at a with Winchester super x for over twenty years. Then he tried some Hornady superformance in it and it never shot the same.
CVA is doing a great job and their triggers don`t suck like most stock triggers. imo
Just purchased a CVA Cascade SB. Hoo-weee these folks have a fine product. I might go as far as saying it will compete with the more expensive rifles. I will defiantly consider another rifle in the XT line.
@@howardholcomb6507 That is really good to know, thank you.
IIRC, CVA is a Begara sister company. No surprise that they are really good... Especially when using the Begara CHF barrels!
After seeing the video on the CVA muzzleloader on the BackFire channel, I was all excited to buy that same rifle. Come to find out that they are discontinued and not sure if the new models are just as good, or if I needed to pony up a bit more for the next level up.
@@howardholcomb6507 I just purchased mine online and it's on it's way to my FFL. Can't wait to pick it up. That black camo cerakote looks amazing. Love that is has the attachment points for the scope and the threaded barrel.
This is some of the most solid advice ever. Don’t fall for the marketing, know what works and know what’s feasible.
sooo ... use common sense? Man, I really needed 13 minutes of my life to comprehend that concept lmfao
A side note:
Is the Mossberg Patriot (wood) a good/accurate action bolt rifle? I am thinking of getting one since I am on a budget
Had a similar issue with my first Bergara until I checked the website and it offers their preferred projectile weight. 168 for example. It was a huge difference. Especially in a 1:10 twist.
Great tip. It's located in the "Accuracy Testing" section.
First thing I thought was “geez, did you take a minute to actually ask the manufacturer what they recommend?”
I slobbering over your gun room , I'm playing PowerBall tonight
The 300 Win Mag SAAMI chamber does really have a freebore* in the modern sense. It uses a simple single taper design that starts as .315" dia. This means that the bullet can be slightly off center in the chamber and hit the rifling at an angle. For some reason Winchester had stuck with this type of chamber up until the 6.8 Western in 2021. It is sometimes possible to get a WinMag with a "match chamber" with freebore, but most often it is in a more expensive rifle with a custom barrel. The US Army uses such a chamber on its sniper rifles. FWIW, Remington, on the other hand, started using a tight section of freebore in the early 1960's with the 7mm Rem Mag, and Weatherby had been using it since the 1940's.
*These days, "freebore" means a section of bore like a snug tube prior to the taper to the rifling that ensures that the bullet is aligned with the bore as it takes the rifling (previously, the term just meant the section oversize chamber before hitting the rifling). It is current practice for the freebore to be less than one thousanths of an inch larger than the the bullet diameter, and often, like the 6.5 Creedmoor, half that. The 308 has a section of freebore, but it is sloppy by today's standards at 2 thousandths of an inch. 308 match chambers have a quarter of that, same as the Creedmoors.
YES to the Christensen Ranger. I love the other 3 rifles I have from them, but I traded that for a Bergara 17 HMR. So worth it.
For the Ruger American GoWild, Federal is putting out a terminal ascent in 7mm PRC, and it's 155 grain :) I'm very excited and definitely going to pick some up to see how it shoots.
I gifted my son a T3X in .270 with 50rds of handloads tailored for his rifle--MOA with Sierra Gamekings. Tricked out with a Leupold Vari-x II it's a hunt everything in Texas rig to last a lifetime. Fabulous value for the money spent!!
Just bought a Browning Xbolt Stainless Staulker in .270 in Queensland Australia. Takes care of anything that hops, walks or belches in this country as well!
I got a tikka t3 in .270wsm from my dad
I’m lucky!
You can get a conversion kit from Ruger for the American for the AICS magazines
Regarding Christensen Arms, from first hand experience, customer service is essentially non-existent, unless the store you bought it from USED to sell Christensen Arms, then stopped because of poor QC and Christensen basically begged those stores to buy again, telling those stores they've cleaned up their QC issues. I spoke with a man who was in charge of internet sales from his store and expressed concerns about the Christensen carbon barrels delaminating, feeding issues, etc. He stated to me that's why they stopped carrying this brand for just over 2 years. Quality sucked and they got tired of hearing customers complain. He stated that CA basically begged them to carry their products again. I was discussing one of the CA rifles he had in stock and he assured me if I bought it and had any issues, he'd step in on my behalf to get any issue corrected. Very kind of him but frankly shouldn't be necessary.
There's only one model I'd ever consider and that's the Mesa. The 2 reasons I haven't bought one is the barrels are too pencil thin and from speaking with a couple guys at CA myself for an issue I had with some parts I bought that they manufactured, there was no resolution. The merchant told me there's nothing they can do, I need to contact CA. When I did, they blew me off and told me I had to take it up with the merchant - a HUGE online seller. Candidly, the CA action has a value of about $550 (it's nothing more than a trued 700, if actually fully blueprinted), the FFT stock about $150, the barrel about $100 if that. Not much left but the trigger and bottom metal. And there's no shortage of youtube videos of Tikkas outshooting the CA rifles which cost at least double
So I have a ruger american in 270. On the range it's and absolute beast never misses a beat. Never jammed never had issues feeding. Now if I messing around and just try and cycle ammo through the action without firing I have problems. Idk why but out in the field it has never let me down.
I will say my Bergara Wilderness Ridge has also been very picky with ammo. So I know where you are coming from. Ironically the best grouping I got was with the cheapest ammo I tried. Remington CoreLokt 180graim BTHP. Not what I wanted to use, felt weird going so cheap with all of the “high quality” ammo out there, but dropped an elk where it stood last year using them. Great groupings. About .75 at 100 yards.
CoreLokt bullets always gave me excellent expansion on deer out of my .308. Don’t worry about what others think, shoot what works and be glad it’s not expensive.
My Question is, if you don't like those guns, why do you still have them?
Would you buy them?
Because he'd have too much empty space in his gun vault without them 😂
Because he's not the common person. When you have the money to buy what ever gun you want, why get rid of anything?
@@IAV41 I agree, I think he keeps them because he likes to own them, like a collector.
Model 70 is the Answer 👌I also have a T3X Arctic amazing rifle
I have a Tika T3 lite 270 that I bought in 2005 and still choose it over all my other rifles. My wife has a 35 whelen CVA Scout and no complaints on it either.
Thank you Sir! Because of your videos, I learned about the Ruger American Ranch 300 BLK. I am a huge 300 BLK fan and always wanted a 300 BLK bolt action. I absolutely love my Ruger American Ranch 300 BLK. Now, you tell me about the CVA Scout single shot in 300 BLK. That is a gun I have got to have. I have a perfect suppressor for it. Again, thank you. I sincerely appreciate your work.
Sako’s are great too..
For the Tikkas and barrel threading, the only ones that are threaded are heavier contours like the varmint, UPR, CTR, and newer Veil and Roughtech series. I’m starting to really like my roughtech green in 30-06 with a can
Lites are factory threaded in europe
i’m looking at a green roughtech in 300wm or 7 rem mag, I really like the threaded barrel, fluted bolt and barrel grooves. (not that the grooves might not make a difference i just like the look of it)
Love my Ruger American 243 . Never had a problem chambering ever. Have fired over 1000 rounds at range out to 900yrds. Only problem is flimsy stock which was easy fix by filling stock with fibre glass, making sure it is free floated. Great content as always 👏 😊
I have that same rife but I replaced the stock with a mag pull stock. What a difference
@@stuartmarkman769yessir did the same w/6.5 creed 🇺🇸
@@stuartmarkman769were the groups better or just the overall feel of the rifle was better? or both.
Tikka T3x Hunters (wood stock) and T3x synthetic/stainless and the regular T3 with the blued barrel and synthetic stock have shocked me. I've done ONLY 2 modifications to each - aftermarket trigger spring and limbsaver recoil pads. My first Tikka T3x was a 308 and accuracy wise a bit disappointing. Ended up with a Brux barrel and AG Composite stock and cerakoted. Tac driver now. This year I have purchased both new and used Tikkas mentioned above. 5 are chambered in 270 and the lowest price on new was $649 online, shipped for $20 each and no tax. Also have a 300WSM and 300WM. The highest price I've paid is $820. Every single one of these shoots half inch or better with factory and handloaded ammunition. Two of the 270s are shooting one hole 3 shot groups with 150 BVLDs over H4831SC. These rifles are so accurate and consistent, I'm selling off the bulk of my custom builds since they aren't shooting any better but aesthetics are much nicer.
Are most still in the stock stock… what stocks would you recommend upgrading too. Thx.
@@thews9237 I did ask 2 rifle builders I know if they felt the wood factory stock needed to be pillar bedded at least. The collective answers were the same, "why bother when it is shooting 0.3 inch groups?"
I like the point that you make on reliable feeding and some issues with the Ruger American on just that point.
Taking reliable feeding further, whenever I’ve had any clients on hunts and have issues with feeding it was from detachable magazines on hunting rifles.
Never saw a CZ, BRNO, Sako, Sauer, Mauser, Zastava, Merkel, Remington, Ruger M77, Rigby, Weatherby (to name a few) with an internal magazine fail on feeding. Magazines are fine for the range, and they are practical on the range also.
I’ve seen amazing trophies get away when the hunter could not load their brand new rifle to feed. Worst yet, arriving with the rifle and they had not even tested their ammo. At least we only ever had one client where the new rifle still needed the new scope fitted and he left his magazine in Wyoming, more than 15,000km’s from where we were hunting.
I have a biner for sakos magazine how u can top load or detatch it
Dude where were you hunting!? Australia?? Not many places in the world are 15000km away from Wyoming
I have a Bergara B14 HMR chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor and it is by far the pickiest bolt action rifle I own when it comes to accuracy with different ammo. Nosler is +2MOA but certain lots of Hornady is sub 1/2MOA.
he probably has a video about this, but what’s a brand, model,
and or caliber that shoots all loads from all the manufacturers relatively accurately? Does such a brand of rifle exist? Or, what would be the conditions for a rifle’s engineering to shoot all loads of all manufacturers, of all grainages, accurately? Excluding handloading? Just wondering! Am shopping.
I would highly recommend trying out the Hornady outfitter ammo for your 7prc. I had shot multiple different bullets through my gun and when I switched to the outfitter I was consistently getting .75 MOA groups and multiple .5 MOA groups as well
I’ll give it a shot if I can find some.
What gun do you shoot?
honestly, you just have to find the ammo your rifle likes. Not all rifles like the same ammo.
Tikka is one of the few that has excellent left hand support.
Took my Elk with a Tikka T3x chambered in 300 Winchester Magnum
I just bought a Ruger American Ranch in 300 blackout and it is so fun. Quietest suppressed rifle I have ever seen. I’ve become a precision rifle snob over the past decade and yet this thing is so fun. You are right! Buy fun guns !
...I had a Mossberg Patriot. Watching your channel, I thought "Whew! Thank God I got a good one!..." Until last year. Out of the blue... it wouldn't hold zero. I'd get it dialed in at 100 yards, shooting sub 1" groups... take it back out, same box of ammo, a week later and it would be 3" off and the group would be 5". This was with two different scopes, a Zeiss Conquest and a Trijicon Accupoint. Traded it and a bunch of other 'problem' firearms for a Sig P365 and a Bergara Wilderness Terrain. No more problem.
That first unthreaded gun looks perfect for DIY threading . Most gun barrels are tappered and like you said : have too small an diameter .
I had to comment here in regard to the Mossberg Patriot. I recently purchased the LR Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor. Been a fan of Mossberg for a long time. Well until I made this purchase. Accuracy wasn't the problem because it wouldn't chamber Nosler ETips. Well not without forcing it to. So contacted Mossberg and the told me "there's nothing wrong with the rifle it's the ammo". Well tell that to Nosler. They refused to even have a look at it. So much for Mossberg customer service and warranty. Took it to my gunsmith of over 30 years and he confirmed a chamber issue, but he went a step further and had a look down the barrel. He told me "this is the worst new barrel I've ever seen". Mossberg has lost a customer not necessarily because of the piss poor quality control, although that is a big deal, but because they refused to do anything to even verify the issue. Buyer be ware.
That’s a really interesting topic to me the 300 win mag beating a possibly more ammo picky cartridge
Could you make a video on cartridges that are least picky and most picky with ammo ?
I just recently put together a new mossberg patriot .22-250 in a boyds stock. I did pillar bed kit and bed around the recoil lug. I thoroughly copper cleaned the bore before my 1st shot. Talley rings & styrka scope. It shoots under 3/4" moa.
My patriot 308 shot cloverleafs at 100yrds with Precision Hunter ammo.
Funny you mentioned the CA Ranger, I also purchased one in .22lr some 8 years ago, super picky and talk about feeding problems, best it would shoot regardless of type or brand of ammo was around 1" at 50, the Trigger Tech trigger could not be adjusted below 3.6lb, after about a year I traded that pig promising myself never to look at another CA (in Aussie they are quite expansive $900 USD) Well the came out with the .22 WMR and 17 HMR, read a lot about improvements etc, so jumped in againand got a .22WMR, accuracy this time with Hornady V Max 30 grainers is excellent, consistently around .75 at 100, I did change the trigger group out for a TT Diamond and it breaks nicely at 1.8lb, but the feeding issues are still around although not quite as bad, I must say the two CZ 457's I have leave it for dead in every way.
I had the same issue with my Christiansen Ranger with horrific feeding issues. I sent it back and they replaced the bolt and did some other gunsmith stuff. I haven’t had a misfeed in over 1000 rounds since. My issue is that Christensen is well aware of this issue and has done nothing about it.
Loved this! I'm here to tell you, two things you said, nailed it, 1. it's ok to buy something Fun! woo hoo!
2. That 10 % better MARKETING gets a bunch of us! 😂😂😂😂
Great job, fun video!
I went to leave my opinion on your page but too much of my info needed so thought I'd leave it here...
My first couple elk were with 30-06. Then upgraded to 300 win mag.
I've had my share of elk but I'm not the trophy hunter so I used to go after the late season cow elk as I prefer the cold season for the the meat better...
I hunted with people that use 7mm-08 an old timer that preferred 30-30 but everyone has there choice for some reason...
Wish I had a RUclips channel and I'd see about doing a collab as I know we have shot on some of the same ranges...
Keep up the good work
Love the channel, but have to wonder. When discussing the Ruger American, there is a concern about clambering a round when you are stalking the animal and getting ready to shoot????? Who the heck stalks an animal without a round chambered??? What am I missing???
Randy Newberg.
Jim, I agree with you on having threaded barrels since I have received my Banish 46 from Silencer Central I want threaded barrels. Some times you have too fork out extra bucks to achieve your satisfaction. The thing that I do before a hunting trip is to Rifle P.T. carry that rifle , curl that rifle over and over again until you find it effortless to carry it. I got lucky with my Mossberg Patriot in 308 it can hold its own up against my Christensen Arms Mesa in 308. Good luck on your hunts.
I have the same Bergara Ridge in 300WM. It shoots Norma 150s 1.5moa and 180 Hornady interlock loaded to 3050fps 3/4 moa. You are correct about the bluing. It sucks. One day on a damp Moose hunt and it had rust. I have since cerakoted it.
Frustrated with my mossberg patriot. Like you said, pie plate accuracy. Now I’ve been stuck with it for a few years cause it was all i could afford. Just sits in the back of the safe 🤦🏻♂️
Tikka, Sako, Steyr, Mauser, Sauer, and Blaser are my choice of quality Rifles if one is to not regret and get some accurate marksmanship up whether I’m hunting or getting some range time ..
Definitely agree on threaded barrels. There are a few exceptions, but generally I'm not going to buy a rifle if it's not threaded. I won't buy ANY 22lr if it's not threaded. Once you get a suppressor, you'll want to mount it on every gun that you can.
Cz 457 for rimfire. Beautiful classic styling. One rifle can swap to 22 LR, 22WMR, and 17 HMR. My rifle with 17 barrel shoots dime sized hole at 50 yards. Still trying to get a 22 WMR barrel. Only gripe are factory barrels are unnecessarily long at 25 inches, 22 or 23 more than long enough.
Love my CZ452
I don't regret buys. I regret sales. Ruger 10-22, Thompson contender with 3 barrels, 30-30 marlin and my very first rifle 270 Winchester. What was I thinking???
10-22?
ouch on the contender
Still waiting for Jim to review a Seekins.
Im so glad that at the end of the video you state that most of those mistakes were yours! Not thinking about end of build, not thinking about availability of ammo, not thinking about how the gun functions.
0:27 That rifle-squat bit was hilarious!
If it was me that 22-250 would get a new stock and different bipod (Harris ) AG composites gun stock (40 oz)
9:24 congrats your rifle weighs more than most 505 gibbs and 500 nitro guns
I agree ! Marketing can mislead you. Alright, you can make evolve your setup, you can think about it, but the main thing is : what is good for me, for my use, for my capacities, my budget, what is reliable, safe, and efficiency ? That's why many people settle for their rifle, their caliber, their ammo, their setup, simply because IT WORKS. And that's why quite old ammos are still in use and are NOT obsolete (308, 30-06, etc...). And choice will be different, depending of use : hunting, targets. In this last case, weight and size of the setup are much less important points than for hunting.
5/8"-24 thread spec has a min. major diameter of 0.616" so if your barrel diameter is atleast 0.616" it can be threaded to 5/8-24. Also, using gagemaker thread reports we can generally make any diameter thread and easily make a thread adapter to transition to a specific thread pitch if needed. So you can take a 0.61" diameter barrel and thread it on that diameter and make a custom thread adapter or muzzle brake.
I have a Christiansen ranger 22 and I am proud to say I have no feeding problems with it. I do have the concern about the bolt being skinny and one day could possibly break. It’s what I was looking for though, it’s lightweight, several different rounds shoot less than .75 of an inch with a 5 shot group at 50 yards, and it’s a great suppressor host. I don’t have any of the paint chipping, I do have why looks like bedding on the bottom of my gun near the mag well though. Overall I love my ranger
I love my Ranger too and bought mine even knowing that they did have a lot of potential flaws. Thankfully, mine has been great, and I have shot thousands of rounds through it without a failure.
Weatherby has added 7 PRC and 300 PRC to their ammo line , Weatherby Brand
I’ve got a Mossberg patriot chambered in 6.5 PRC and that thing is a nail driver
I have one in 350 Legend and it shoots single hole 5 shot groups any day of the week after I dropped it into a Boyd’s stock.
Send that ranger 22 back, they had known feeding issues and they have the fix. Mine wouldn't feed straight from the box, sent it back and haven't had a feeding issue since after 1000s of rounds
I got my Ranger 22 at the beginning of the year and have put several hundred rounds through it without any problems. It shoots fantastic and I love it. Zero regrets here so far.
I was surprised about his Ranger 22, also. I bought one when they came out and it it is maybe the best shooting rifle I have ever shot. Shoots 1/2" or better groups at 50 with every brand of cheap ammo I've put through it.
@@jtylermcclendon I was thinking about it later and realized the only issues I have had so far was fedding issues with the Ruger 25 round mags. I took them apart and lubed inside and never tried them again. I got one out a couple days ago and shot 7 rounds no problem.
Even shooting suppressed with 1200fps ammo is great. I was hesitant because I couldn't believe I was spending $850 on a .22 rifle but I am so glad I did.
I own a Christianson Arms Ranger and fortunately it shoots and feeds great. Thank goodness too because I blew the budget on it.
When I was in the market to buy a hunting rifle 5 years ago, late start elk hunter @ 48) I did my due diligence in researching rifles under $800 and cartridges that I could hunt anything that I’d put in my freezer. I looked at Ruger, Mossberg and Howa. I ended up with the Howa 1500 in 7mm Rem Mag. I wish I knew about Tikka I would have given them a good look.
Overall I’m real happy with the Howa but it will not group anything over 150gr. The 140gr Barnes has flattened 2 elk and a mule deer.
I’m also really glad the Howa hasn’t been in one of your “don’t buy” videos 😂
My Ranger has also been perfect and very accurate.
Christian Arms gets their stocks from HS Precision, HS has tanked its quality over the years since the original owner passed. Now it’s ran by the daughter who is anti gun and hired a person to cut cost around the shop. The old employees were the first to go. They claim their stocks are “Kevlar reinforced”, but all they do is lay a tiny piece about 3x1 in the stock just to keep saying it has Kevlar in it. That choice was made so they didn’t have to change the catalog. Their employee turnover is crazy. So they keep bringing in temps to fill the horribly molded stocks with bondo. I can tell you horror stories about HS and I refuse to purchase anything from them or anything that has to do with them.
Elk , Kudu African plains game , Russian Brown bear, and caribou.
Most long range shots in Africa max was 450 yards. All with WSM 180 grain bullet hand loaded. Used a Browning T bolt. Spent one afternoon , finding the right recipe that the rifle liked At 200 yards.
Biggest difference was how deep bullet was seated.
T-Bolt or A-Bolt?
I think it’s a T Bolt , with Carlton stock , carbon bolt super light.
@@kansasjoe3450 that is interesting, you’ve got the one and only T-Bolt chambered in a centerfire cartridge, all of the other ones are chambered in rimfire cartridges….
The altor pistol is your own fault,😂 That does look like a glue gun! I hope you only bought it for content creation.
Sell that Christensen Ranger and get the Bergara BMR. Sooooo much better.
I have the b14r got the ejector staked dumby reliable still mad i had to get that done to a 1200$ rifle but still
I'm a fan of the b14 and bmr I own one of both but the cz457 is a step ahead of the crowd, there's a reason you see it competing next to vudoo but you don't see bmrs
I grew up in a family full of Marine Scouts. Dad, step dad, 7 uncles, cousins. They all had the same teachings. When it came to the rifles, they were all M40A1's and topped with the best scopes.
As for ammo, nothing cheap. And stick with one brand and buy cases of the same lot #'s .
Bore brush, clean between each shot, and a light oil swab. Cold bore shots hitting a 1" dot sticker at 400 plus yards, and use the mil-dot bullet drop marks.
Know the rifle, know the shot.
I have a Bergara Ridge 270win that I cerakoted and took the barrel down from a 5 to a 3.5ish. It's an absolute tackdriver and shoots most ammo nearly identical! Best rifles own after a few modifications.
I bought a Bergara Mountain 2.0 in a 308. Shot terrible. I sent it to Bergara and they re-crowned the barrel and torqued the action screws but I sold it before shooting it again. Replaced with a Seekings Havak Element 308 and never looked back. I guide sheep and grizz hunts in Alaska so I need a light weight, accurate gun that holds plenty for back up shots. Very disappointment in Bergara for its cost.
Depending on range ELD-M work fine, often better than ELD-X at longer ranges (400+yds)
Up close at high velocities the bullet can "fail" and not penetrate deeply enough, but at lower velocities I've gotten better expansion than ELD-X AND excellent penetration.
ELD-M can indeed "fail" at high velocity but that's dependent mostly on range (and muzzle velocity)
I like the 162gr ELD-M in my 7mm-08 because it's starting out at a modest velocity but holds onto it fir a long time because of the hugh BC, and I have reliably taken game with it from 50-450yds and would have zero reservations stretching it even a little further if i needed (id say the max would probably be 600 for what's likely to give me truly "good" expansion.
And i can reliably and repeatably make first round hits at those distances with that rifle and bullet combination.
Which rifle are you talking about?
I have a Ruger American in 270 Win. Love it and the most accurate rifle I have. It has taken many a hog.
You can't go wrong with the Weatherby mk V chambered in .340 WBY Mag. It is a time proven gun, design and the .340 WBY is not a shoulder breaker and not a "flinch maker and meat waster" like the .300 Wby mag. I own and love my .300 Wby May and I wish I had tried the .340 before I bought.
I just got a mk V 270 WBY hunter 26 inch barrel
I am not a Weatherby rifle fan however they are nice food quility rifles i love the meat eater
My Bergara B14 Ridge in 308 is very picky with ammo also. Went through 10 different loads from 5 different manufacturers and only found one load that groups less than an inch at 100 yards. Was pretty disappointed with those results.
What was the load that worked best? Literally about to get in the truck to go pick up this exact rifle. 😂
I've had nothing but problems with the action since I hit the 200 round count on both of my Ruger Americans. Too bad to, it a great rifle besides the fact that the bore was cut to small and you can't eject a live round. Had to use a rubber mallet to beat the bolt open last time. The bullet stayed in the barrel and the brass came out throwing gun powder everywhere.
I had the same problem with a Bergara B-14 HMR in 300 PRC, very inconsistent groups with match, hunting, and my own handloads. Sold it and now looking for another 300 PRC. But all of my other Bergara rifles shoot excellent, just bought a B-14 Ridge in 30-06 and first 4 shots at 100 yardd of cheap soft point ammo I could cover with my thumb.
Sounds like Bergara isn’t great at some of the larger loads.
I was thinking about that same rifle. Do you mind telling me which brand ammunition cartridge as well as bullet grain you had those results with in 30-06 out of your Ridge?
Would you recommend a ridge over a T3x lite?
I have a Mossberg Patriot 7mm-08 with ATN 4k Pro and Boyds AT-ONE Thumbhole. I have not had any issues with accuracy or dependability. I learned the hard way of making sure the ammunition I use is compatible with the twist. I do agree the barrell needs threaded for a compensator, but when I switched the stock it slowed the hop.
Ok I have a begara b14hmr .308 athlon ares etr, suppressor bipod all 16lb+ of it I got a neggela triton ii ruck sling the best job for a heavy rifle, but also I have a sig sauer 30-06 1-5 lpvo, 8lb but still never shoot a animal over 200m it’s stalking not sniping, a man with too many guns generally doesn’t shoot as well as a man with 1 he knows how to use. 30-06 or 308 will drop every animal on the planet it’s shot placement.
Had the same issue with Bergara in 270 Win that I sent back, they did some tweeking to the barrel and action...still "walked" rounds across the target just like it did before I sent it back. It's now being true'd, rebarreled to 280 AI, and a new stock. I know, knee jerk reaction, but wanted a 280 AI on a Rem 700 style action and this one got sent off.
I love how picky you are about feeding, I'm the same way! I have two Ruger Americans 1 feeds about 95% perfect, and the other is picky, probably 80% of the time.
Editing note around 1:37 it'd be nice if the pop up stuck around longer. That's a lot to read in that short time.
Could I make a suggestion: Find a used Remington VS in one of your favorite calibers. Rebarrel it and have a beautiful rifle that is flawless for less then your tikka's,and Bergara's. Used a Bartlein barrel.
I just watched this video for the 2nd time and I want to thank you again. Since I watched it the first time, I have seen two other videos, where they pointed out the Altor. It didn't really register the first time, but after watching the other videos and now seeing it again in this video, I felt it necessary to commit again. If I ever see anyone with an Altor at the range, I will leave. The majority of people at a public range do not have enough experience or training to handle a "standard" gun correctly let alone something as "nonstandard" as the Altor. Based on everything that I have seen, it is nothing but a negligent discharge device waiting for someone to victimize. Again, thank you again for making this video.
Very informative as usual-great content and thanks for all the hard work you do and share with Us 👍🏾
Thank you for the kind comment. I appreciate it.
Crazy how much different people have soooo much different luck with the same guns. I have a ranger and its amazing. Thats why i dont put too much stock in 1 persons misfortune and watch many videos on the gun i want.
Sako
Tikka
Sauer
You just can't go wrong
The one comment that resonates for me the most, when you said "don't go for the 10 percent more, is just not worth it a lot of the times"
Love all your videos by the way. But I believe Christensen Arms has fixed the feeding problems on the Ranger .22. I just bought one and it has worked flawlessly. Just thought I would share :)
If i were to add something it would be barrel thickness, i got a weatherby vanguard based of your reccomendations. I love it and get sub moa groups with it. But after only 4-5 shots it seemed like my groups were nearly doubling in size, dont regret buying the gun, just wish it had a bit more bulk on the barrel to deal with the heat a bit more, and ill definitely think more about that on my next bolt action.
I don't have the accuracy issues with my Weatherby Vanguard (7mm Mag) but about a year after I bought it, I wanted to get the barrel threaded for a brake or suppressor and it is just not thick enough for my comfort level. The smith said they could do it, but it wasn't recommended.
Yeah, that can be a fine line to walk between a more shootable barrel that is thicker, and a thinner one that is lighter. What cartridge is yours in?
You have to let them barrels cool off for fifteen minutes between shots for accuracy testing.
@@backfire i got mine in 30-06, also got the arken sh4 gen 2, whole rifle is a bit heavy already, but i built it more just for bench shooting, but needed something i could hunt with if i needed to instead of my ar15. Like i said im happy, just a matter of a rifle thats built more for hunting compared to what i was eanting to do with it as far as the barrel thickness goes probably.
@@jimpalmer4916if you're groups are opening up after 5 shots then you are shooting a poor barrel get a tikka or Sauer instead
I'm happy to see you report the truth and not like some writers or magazines put out a bunch of bs about every rifle that comes out. Thank for your great video.
I got a savage 110 precision in .308 a few months back. The paint on the receiver mars easily. Other than that it is wonderful.
I have several rifles. My favorite to shoot is a CVA hunter in .44 magnum. It was on sale and I paid barely over $200 for it. It is wonderful to shoot, although, of course, range is limited.
I adore my overpriced tc encore pro hunter live the stock and use it during firearm season as well
Too many guns to be competent in any one rifle ammo combination. With all the hardware and $200 to $400 with a hand press, dies, and maybe even a Chrony you could have an accurate load in any one of those rifles in a day and not overly blow your shooting budget. Takes some discipline but with few exceptions you can make your rifle shoot the kind of ammunition for the type of shooting you need to shoot. If I get a new caliber I get a set of dies for that gun. Otherwise, I do like your content. Very informative. I myself like my Savage 110 series. ACCURATE!
My most initially regrettable gun I own turned into one of the funniest guns in my collection. Ladies and gentlemen... The Taurus Judge.
" I fell for the lipstick on the pig"..... hilarious.