Thread: Rifle Modifications-Improvement or Victim of Marketing

I’ve been reassessing my Rifle setups lately.
After going down a Howa path for awhile , I’ve decided to concentrate my attention towards my Tikka's .
During my Howa adventure I have purchased Stocks / Triggers / Muzzle Brakes / Barrel Tuner / magazines /numerous Rings and Bases / Recoil Pads etc etc etc .
To be honest all I achieved was close to “ Sweet F*#k all “ in regards to accuracy because the Barrel and Ammo play the biggest part in that story .
Reloading for those rifles was hands down the best “ Bang for Buck “ when it comes down to accuracy improvement.

So I thought I’d comment on my list of modifications above

Stock -

The biggest purchase cost and all I really achieved was a weight reduction and some “ look at me “ status because they are Carbon , no big improvement in ergonomics etc - no great accuracy improvement

Triggers -

Bought a Timney and ended up selling it because it showed no improvement over the Factory trigger with a $15.00 spring swap - no accuracy improvement.

Muzzle Brake -

This is a funny area because without doubt recoil effects accuracy, it helped with the 308 at the range but my ears said no for a hunting rifle - there was an accuracy improvement butttt…………

Barrel Tuner -

This was a fun experiment and one that I’m glad I’ve played with.
Put simply they work butttt…. They have are a pain on a hunting rifle
- They are an accuracy improvement and mine now lives on my .22lr where it really earns its keep .

Magazines -

I tried a larger capacity magazine and ditched it because of feed issues
- no improvement in accuracy, but a big increase in hair pulling.

Mounts/Rings -

After multiple combinations it came down to
- Range work/long range MDT rails and Ken Farrel rings
- Hunting just buy Talley’s

Recoil Pads -

Changed factory pads for better comfort and ergonomics ( I’m tall and most stocks are to short , so during the installation of the pads spacers were added to increase length of pull )

So where am I at now that my attention has drifted over to my Tikka’s

Apart from a Water’s magazine for my .223 to allow me to load the rounds longer and some $15.00 trigger springs there is very little rifle wise that isn’t produced in the Tikka factory . I have done some mixing and matching of factory stocks that were purchased cheap secondhand and maybe I’m lucky because apart from length of pull they fit me well .

My money is now being sent down range in the form of my reloaded ammo and not sent electronically to suppliers of unnecessary gadgets.

Buying and owning cool Shit is fun , but does it actually get us anywhere ?

The biggest thing i found moving to carbon stocks on 99% of my rifles is the point of impact stays the same regardless if i am shooting off a backpack, bipod, tree etc

the weight savings is also nice but not worth the $$$ compared to the impact constancy

Been doing pretty much the same experimenting. And practice plus reloading made the best improvements. My howa would be just as accurate as my tikka.

For accuracy there are so many variables that add up to make a difference.
For me I have owned all sorts of cool stuff but in a nut shell the basics of good accuracy come down to:

Good shooting technique
Good barrel
Good trigger
Good bedding
Good ergonomics between shooter and rifle
Good ammo
Good optics

How you get there is up to the individual there's nothing wrong with a little rifle vanity if it makes you happy, but it's not necessary for accuracy. You can buy a stock, Tikka, Sako, Remington, Howa etc etc etc and whack a reasonable scope and rings on it and shoot sub moa if you have the skill set.
It's a personal choice, do what makes you happy
Life would be pretty boring if we had the same stuff

There is a whole industry built on the premise that gizmos and gadgets can make us shoot better when the reality is a box of ammo and time on the trigger will do that far more effectively.
One underrated spend is tuition by someone that knows their stuff.that can save you from going down the path of buying gear to compensate for poor form.

Did you bed the replacement carbon stocks ?

Re: Carbon stocks on a Tikka, the weight saving seems minimal, just over 100g versus the factory stock. Doesn't seem worth it, although there is the point above about POI consistency regardless of what you rest the gun on. I don't shoot long enough distances for it to make any practical difference. As for the other stuff, the OP has answered his own question, buying shit is fun (if you can afford it!).

My old man had an interesting saying "fishing lures are designed to catch fishermen, not fish"
the same could be said here to a certain extent

Ive got 20kgs to loose off my guts before loosing 200grms off a rifle...or even 2kgs will make slightest bit of difference.
I changed stock on the Howa because I like walnut (yes dear I KNOW you told me so) the hogue shot just as well but looked like shit.

good shooting technique
good match up in size between rifle and shooter
how quick it comes up to my eye
half decent ammunition and the rifles will still shoot bettter than most nuts behind the butt.

This is a great thread that I found recently, a great read and makes you really take an inwards look:

https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/...ooting.165291/

All the gismos and gadgets and new amazing calibres are what make the industry, they are what keep the industry going. The bigger and more stable the industry is the harder it is to delete, the better for all of us. I have a rifle setup that works for me so I can only like your post to this;
Camouflage patterned hunting gear, only has a noticeable effect 10% of the time for me and so far I’ve chosen not to shoot any of those animals anyway..dollars thrown at the hunting industry for no tangible gain perhaps. However, I feel more confident and more like a “hunter/predator” in camouflage than in solid colours. At the end of the day how you feel and how you operate is what counts. If the gismos and gadgets do it for you then the money is worth it, if not then you have worked out what doesn’t work and you are closer to knowing what does work for you, and at the same time we have supported the industry that supports the hobby we love and choose to partake in. Win win in my books mate

Originally Posted by Ground Control

I’ve been reassessing my Rifle setups lately.
After going down a Howa path for awhile , I’ve decided to concentrate my attention towards my Tikka's .
During my Howa adventure I have purchased Stocks / Triggers / Muzzle Brakes / Barrel Tuner / magazines /numerous Rings and Bases / Recoil Pads etc etc etc .
To be honest all I achieved was close to “ Sweet F*#k all “ in regards to accuracy because the Barrel and Ammo play the biggest part in that story .
Reloading for those rifles was hands down the best “ Bang for Buck “ when it comes down to accuracy improvement.

So I thought I’d comment on my list of modifications above

Stock -

The biggest purchase cost and all I really achieved was a weight reduction and some “ look at me “ status because they are Carbon , no big improvement in ergonomics etc - no great accuracy improvement

Triggers -

Bought a Timney and ended up selling it because it showed no improvement over the Factory trigger with a $15.00 spring swap - no accuracy improvement.

Muzzle Brake -

This is a funny area because without doubt recoil effects accuracy, it helped with the 308 at the range but my ears said no for a hunting rifle - there was an accuracy improvement butttt…………

Barrel Tuner -

This was a fun experiment and one that I’m glad I’ve played with.
Put simply they work butttt…. They have are a pain on a hunting rifle
- They are an accuracy improvement and mine now lives on my .22lr where it really earns its keep .

Magazines -

I tried a larger capacity magazine and ditched it because of feed issues
- no improvement in accuracy, but a big increase in hair pulling.

Mounts/Rings -

After multiple combinations it came down to
- Range work/long range MDT rails and Ken Farrel rings
- Hunting just buy Talley’s

Recoil Pads -

Changed factory pads for better comfort and ergonomics ( I’m tall and most stocks are to short , so during the installation of the pads spacers were added to increase length of pull )

So where am I at now that my attention has drifted over to my Tikka’s

Apart from a Water’s magazine for my .223 to allow me to load the rounds longer and some $15.00 trigger springs there is very little rifle wise that isn’t produced in the Tikka factory . I have done some mixing and matching of factory stocks that were purchased cheap secondhand and maybe I’m lucky because apart from length of pull they fit me well .

My money is now being sent down range in the form of my reloaded ammo and not sent electronically to suppliers of unnecessary gadgets.

Buying and owning cool Shit is fun , but does it actually get us anywhere ?

Tikkas are badly over rated. All you get is absolute reliability and accuracy.

Originally Posted by TeRei

Tikkas are badly over rated. All you get is absolute reliability and accuracy.

I have recently noticed the legendary Tikka accuracy appears to be slipping and/or isn't as easy to access as it used to be pre T3X

Originally Posted by Kiwi Greg

I have recently noticed the legendary Tikka accuracy appears to be slipping and/or isn't as easy to access as it used to be pre T3X

A while back Dan Hardy had both 223 and 243 Tikka barrels for sale. So we grabbed a few awaiting the time we need to rebarrel.

Originally Posted by Kiwi Greg

I have recently noticed the legendary Tikka accuracy appears to be slipping and/or isn't as easy to access as it used to be pre T3X

Can't really confirm that (maybe luck?) EVERY Tikka I own, or that any mates own can shoot MOA with factory ammo, without any modifications. Everybody that i know loves their tikka.

Same is true for their rimfires, btw. awesome guns.

Are there better rifles/brands out there? certainly! and also many that are just as good.

They certainly are good enough for 99% of the hunting done out there.