Nun_hunter

Thanks both for very informative and detailed responses. 

I will get some more loaded once the bullets arrive and see what happens and if the results are as expected. 

It's interesting as a few places online suggest that the older SMK HPBT is more accurate (or at least easier to get better accuracy) than the newer TMK. Hopefully this is the case and I can reap the benefits of an accurate bullet that's cheaper than what I was paying. My rifle is a Howa Varmint barrel so fingers crossed I can get similar results to SMLE.

Due to the shortage of Sierra TMK 69 grain in 223 I'm down to my last 100 rounds so have bought 500 69 grain HPBT SMK bullets instead.

For anyone who has done the same did you end up with the same powder charge for velocity and accuracy for the HPBT as you did for the TMK? 

From a bit of reading online it seems that going from a HPBT to an TMK may cause issues as the bullet is longer so seated further back in the case so may increase pressure but going the other way "should" be safer. 

I know I should start again and do it all properly but I'm interested to see what other have experienced and the sort of results I could expect.

10 hours ago, Charlts said:

Be aware that mags without a binder plate can be a pita for feeding when the bullet gets stuck under the feed ramp. Even loading 150's I've never needed to load a Creedmoor so long it wouldn't work in a mag with the binder plate. The 10rd MDT ones are a bit shorter than the Accurate Mags as they're double stack so allow more ground clearance, the 12rd MDT mags are the same length but have more space for ammo!

There's a useful diagram here - https://mdttac.ca/308-6-5-creedmoor-mdt-metal-aics-magazine-12-rnd/

Thank you for that. I've checked my Tikka and the feed ramp is far enough away that even without the binder plate it wouldn't cause an issue at all. I think from reading plenty of reviews the MDT 12 round mag is the way to go and a little saving too compared with the Accurate Mag.

24 minutes ago, jcampbellsmith said:

Have a browse at these - https://riflemags.co.uk/aics-short-action-magazines/?filters[custom_fields.calibre][0]=.308&filters[custom_fields.model fit][0]=aics short action

I use AICS magazines on both 308 and 6.5 Creedmoor. The only thing I homed in on was getting magazines without the binder plate to allow for the potentially longer 6.5 Creedmoor round.

Regards

JCS

Yes the 5 round Accurate Mag I have now doesn't have the binder plate so allows for longer rounds. It's a nice mag and works well but if the MDT mag works as well and is £30 cheaper then I'll go for those.

Thanks for that. The Accurate Mag standard 308 is the same price as the specific Creedmoor version it was more is the extra £30 for that brand worth it in terms of quality and reliability compared to the MDT variant when in theory they should be the same specs as they are both AICS pattern mags and made from steel.

I'm looking to get another 10 round AICS magazine for my Tikka CTR in 6.5 Creedmoor with an Atlasworxs bottom metal conversion.

At the moment I'm trying to decide between the MDT 308 steel magazine for £62 or the Accurate Mag 6.5 Creedmoor specific steel magazine at £89.

Has anyone got either or both or used them and is there enough of a quality difference to justify the almost £30 price difference? 

I've got a 5 round Accurate Mag that does what it should and is perfectly fine but seems expensive compared with others. 

Yep they certainly are hard to find at the moment everywhere that lists them is out of stock although I'm sure there are a few boxes sitting on dusty shelves somewhere!

5 minutes ago, Scrumbag said:

That's good to know, you find they stabilise OK? I'm thinking of using the 60gr TMK over X-Terminator.

Scrummy

I've only had the chance to shoot them at 150m so far and all seems good. I tried some factory ppu match 69 grainHP ammo and that was throwing bullets all over the place with not very good groups at all which surprised me. The same was in a friend's CZ527 too so I put it down to the ammo and not my rifle. 

8 hours ago, Dr. Strangelove said:

It’s been a while - any update on performance? 

I settled on the Sierra 69 grain TMK over RS40 with an OAL of 59mm (which is 1mm off the lands in my rifle) and last testing was giving 22mm group at 150m. 

It's frustrating now that nowhere has any of those bullets in stock though🤦🏻‍♂️

If it's just the bottom of the mag that needs a little fettling then it's worth it to have the ability to swap between rifles in the same chassis should I need to in the future

That's interesting to know. I assume your MDT chassis uses AI pattern mags too? 

I would have thought it would have been cheaper for Oryx to offer a redesigned base for the T1X mag rather than a different chassis inlet just for the T1X?

Ah that's a shame as it would have saved a bit of money and made sense to choose the Oryx.

Is anyone able to confirm if a Tikka T1X rifle will fit into an Oryx Chasis for a T3/T3X?

The people at Oryx say no, however, from looking online it seems this is because the magazine release catch fouls the T1X magazine well but if it is removed then it may fit or is there more to it and the actual chassis is in the way? I can see why the people at Oryx would say no even if it was as simple as removing the catch because it encourages people to buy another chassis.

As I have a T3X too it would be handy to have the option in the future to swap them over if needed rather than buy another chasis.

Now sold.

Priced too high or just no one is looking right now?

I have my KRG Bravo chassis in FDE for a Tikka T3 for sale. I bought this a couple of years ago but after a recent shuffle around I'm using my How's for target shooting and the Tikka for stalking  so this is surplus to requirements. 

It comes with the origional M-Lok QD sling attachment, a KRG mag release extender and two cheek risers, one with the bolt cut out and one without it. I have also added a small tube of stainless steel on the riser bars so you can take the cheek risers off and fit it back instantly to the correct height for perfect eye relief. Obviously this may need filing down depending on what scope you have but it's a handy little bit to have. 

I'm after £400 posted and that'll be insured 24-48hr delivery.

Any questions please ask.

After switching away from my KRG chassis and using the 8 round MDT Poly mags I now have the 5 round Accurate Mag (stamped with the KRG logo) for sale. It is the extended COL version and was used with quite lengthy Creedmoor rounds. It also comes with a home 3D printed extender plate giving an extra 2 round capacity of you so wish. This does make the magazine easier to grab hold of and feeding is a little smoother as the spring isn't under as much tension.

I'm after £60 posted which is a good saving on a new Accurate magazine and I've not found many KRG ones in the UK. 

I ways fought of birds as being quite fragile but some of those strikes and ensuing fights looked really tough!

Late to the party on this one but you can quite easily adapt the sporter to work with a moderator by modifying the bayonet and strap.

23 minutes ago, Scrumbag said:

Cheers.

I like the 160gr TMK in my 7x64 a lot (shot some of my best ever 600yd shooting with that).

Just didn't want to take the chance on the 69gr TMKs given how low the stability looked using the Berger stability calc.

Scrummy

From reading the Sierra blurb it states a 1:9 twist is needed so it should be fine in the Howa and plenty of people have found it good. Saying that the PPU 69g HPBT would only group about 2moa in my rifle and a friend's CZ527.

On 1/16/2021 at 10:09 AM, Scrumbag said:

Hi Num_hunter,

What bullet length are you using? I couldn't the 69gr TMK to stabilise using the Berger Bullets calculator

Best wishes,

Scrummy

I've not measured them yet. Once I get to test them and load more I shall let you know. 

Thanks for all the posts. I've loaded some 69grain TMKs for a ladder test, I'm just waiting for the weather to improve enough to do any testing.

21 minutes ago, Pat Allen said:

Mine shoots well with Sierra match kings in 69g out to 500 yd. I’m not pushing that fast either. Personally think that with weight of projectiles in 223 high BC is not worth chasing but consistent performance  is better. But it’s personal choice .👍

You are right, I'm currently getting through a load of 50grain Z-Max which are great and cheap but thinking ahead to when I get near the end of them.

As the title suggests can anyone recommend a good target bullet with decent BC (suitable for 500m) to reload for my heavy barrel Howa 1500 223 with a 1:9 twist.