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Hunting & Fishing Taylor Knockout Factor

This is true. I am not up to 500, but do have a pretty good sample size. What is weird about bullets and bullet performance is that just when you think you are developing a baseline you get an outlier or two that totally messes with your mind. Which of course leads you to trying new stuff, which probably isn't a bad thing. Having read thousands of words worth of bullet performance theory, I still feel comfortable with the theory that bullets will do some weird shit from time to time. Just like arrows, or probably any other projectile. I have learned to embrace the "what just happened" moments as part of the game.

Which is why I don't feel confident in a bullet until I've killed at least a dozen of something with it.

Tikka T1X

I love my T1x. My only "complaint" is how stiff the bolt is when cocking. Other than that, the action is VERY smooth. Has anyone found a way to make the cocking a little less effortfull? Looking at the mechanics it seems like you could possible polish/file where the cocking piece interacts with the bolt handle sleeve.
How old is the rifle? Mine is very slick, but has had a lot of rounds through it.

Grease the camming surfaces, and use is the usual fix.
A longer bolt handle (I love Sterk Swept) helps a lot as you get more leverage, or even just the Tikka rubber ball helps a bunch.

**6 Creedmoor**

Guess I'll have to stop being a cheap-ass and buy a decent chronograph. My old faithful still works, but it is an optical, and I routinely have to add about 20-25 FPS to match my drop when I go from 100 to 650 (because the chronograph is about 15' from the muzzle).

However, this time it looks like I gained about 40-50 FPS. Trued velocity at 650 on Thursday, and it that puts my load at about 3,060 FPS.

I'll probably never duplicate the initial 5-shot group, but I'm still pretty happy about the follow-up group too. The load comfortably shoots in the .4s up close when I shoot my old man Fudd 5 shot groups.

108gr ELD-M
1xF Peterson brass
CCI 450
41.0gr H4350
2.235 CBTO

26" Bartlein, 1:7.25

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Match grade barrel fouling after 40rds?

This could be very likely as well. Would shooting factory ammo be a good way to rule out an error in my reload process? Or is this more likely to be a chamber issue? Fwiw im using redding competition dies.

I have not had any trouble chambering a round, regardless of how dirty the barrel is. With that said, i am using a weatherby/howa action, and while its not bad, its not the smoothest action either. So its possible i am not noticing a difference
It would be interesting to see. Cost of 3 boxes of ammo to test. Its possible whoever chambered the gun used a reamer with a really loose neck or one that was out of spec.

Even my suppressed rounds I've popped primers in don't show that much fouling on the necks.
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M118LR Projectiles

The easiest way to tell is to seat the bullet using the same die setting as for the SMK. The Nosler needs about 30 thou deeper adjustment to seat to the same coal.
Ah nice one.
I have mk316 and that's 2.222" BTO with a COAL average of 2.801".
The M118LR I have is 2.214" BTO, with a COAL average of 2.811". The shorter BTO with the longer COAL is what made me think they were different.
Pulled 10 bullets and go 1.244" OAL with the M118LR and 1.242" with the SMKs. Pretty bloody close.... so I'm guessing the difference is in the ogive?

Rifle Scopes My first what scope thread

Not sure who told you the Zeiss S3 4-25 had a tight eye box but mine didn’t. Was very easy to get behind and for your uses would be my choice of the three you mentioned. The reticle is much better than the Burris or Steiner, same SCR-2s, as it’s darker and the center illumination would work great on the lower power for hunting. Also it has a ton more elevation for ELR.