Upgrading to a chassis...

Trigger73 · April 24, 2020

What's that saying, "The Devil will find work for Idle hands to do"?

Week 5 off work and my boredom is being taken care of partly by reading books on long range shooting, articles on shooting and watching yootoob for more info.

So far a scope and mount has been purchased as an upgrade and now I've been reading about upgrading to a chassis system as there are more advantages in doing so?

One of my centrefires is a T3 Sporter in 223, as standard it has the adjustable laminate stock and it shoots well and is very accurate.

My question is, is it worth swapping over to a chassis or will I not notice much difference in terms of better accuracy as allegedly these systems provide?

I shoot on land and have been getting more and more into target shooting and plinking.

Your thoughts are appreciated 👍

palo · April 24, 2020

If the rifle is shooting well in the sporter stock I dont think a chassis will make it shoot any better.

I have a tikka ctr and I changed the stock for a krg bravo chassis. The rifle shot well in the factory stock and accuracy didn't change when I put it in the bravo.

I love the bravo chassis though and the rifle is a lot more comfortable to use.

The tikka sporter stock is a lovely stock and the shape looks very similar to my sako trg which I like as well.

Some chassis do have slots to add on rails, bipods etc so if you plan on doing this it might be worth it, otherwise I wouldn't bother.

johngarnett · April 24, 2020

Morning Trigger,

I am a FTR and target rifle shooter. 100 yds to 1k yds.

I started with a standard wood stock for my first 308/7.62 and it worked just fine. I then got a System Gemini chassis stock for my second identical 'spare' rifle. Once I got the Gemini stock adjusted to fit and suit my position it was excellent. With adjustable stocks you must learn to set it up and then leave it alone!! Not continually tweeking!

I can't say the Gemini shot better but it was more comfortable therefore I shot better, BUT look along the firing point at the Imperial and you will see the majority are still wood stocks.

Possibly save your money for more ammo and practice!!

Have fun

JohnG

Trigger73 · April 24, 2020

Thanks for the replies, since I put up this thread I did some more reading and found this reply on another forum, pretty much states what you two have said 👍

Ps.. @johngarnettyeah the sporter stock is a cracker, and yes very much Sako TRG 👍

Woodlander · April 25, 2020

I have Remmy .223 in an XLR chassis and in theory, torquing it down onto solid aluminium could improve accuracy, certainly won’t make it any less so, if it all fits perfectly. What I find is that a pistol grip feels more natural and pointable and therefore more comfortable, which has to help. As soon as everything gets back to relative normality, I’ll be getting a 6br T3 to put in another chassis. If it suits your type of shooting, I’d recommend it

VarmLR · April 25, 2020

The most accurate rifle I have currently is bedded into an alloy chassis so not sure I buy that theory about timber. The Tikka Tac A1 is superbly accurate without needing to weigh in at 60lbs. I also have a T3 with a laminate stock (GRS) and this is also accurate. I prefer the GRS stock ergonomically and it is comfortable to shoot. Design of the stock matters as much as the material. Whether wood or aluminium or firbreglass, the idea as I understand it is to transfer the harmonics as close on-axis as possible and imho to have a barrel fully floated. The bullet has already left within 1.5 to 2mSecs but harmonic damping likely goes on a little longer. Proof of the pudding is looking at competition groups and a few years ago I seem to remember that a Tikka Tac in 260Rem won a 600yds shoot at Bisley with an impressive 2.7 inch group or thereabouts from a factory rifle.

In the States, a similar Tac A1 recorded a group of 3.5 inches at 850 yds: https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/3-5-inch-group-850-yards-tikkas-amazing-t3x-tac-a1-6-5-full-review/

Point is, that whether you use a KRG, Tikka, Ruger or other alloy stock of similar design and mass, they work and work really well.

Trigger73 · April 25, 2020

58 minutes ago, VarmLR said:

The most accurate rifle I have currently is bedded into an alloy chassis so not sure I buy that theory about timber. The Tikka Tac A1 is superbly accurate without needing to weigh in at 60lbs. I also have a T3 with a laminate stock (GRS) and this is also accurate. I prefer the GRS stock ergonomically and it is comfortable to shoot. Design of the stock matters as much as the material. Whether wood or aluminium or firbreglass, the idea as I understand it is to transfer the harmonics as close on-axis as possible and imho to have a barrel fully floated. The bullet has already left within 1.5 to 2mSecs but harmonic damping likely goes on a little longer. Proof of the pudding is looking at competition groups and a few years ago I seem to remember that a Tikka Tac in 260Rem won a 600yds shoot at Bisley with an impressive 2.7 inch group or thereabouts from a factory rifle.

In the States, a similar Tac A1 recorded a group of 3.5 inches at 850 yds: https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/3-5-inch-group-850-yards-tikkas-amazing-t3x-tac-a1-6-5-full-review/

Point is, that whether you use a KRG, Tikka, Ruger or other alloy stock of similar design and mass, they work and work really well.

I bought the Tac A1 last year as I was planning to use it at Offas, but with one thing or another I've still not joined and it's sat in the cabinet waiting to be used 👎

Catch-22 · April 25, 2020

Stock is important and believe most of the good chassis systems out there work well.

Personally though, I focus more on having as thick and ridged a barrel (no pun intended) as possible. I like contours like HV and thicker, especially at the shank as they will resist the whip effect better than a barrel with a thinner profile.

VarmLR · April 25, 2020

I think that all barrels, heavy profile included, will whip harmonically, if with some contours and weights, with less amplitude. Load development pretty much works with this to achieve best results when that whip is consistent back on or near axis. Not personally a fan of fluted barrels though as although they may be stiff for their mass, I guess they have more potential to alter POI with heat build up unless machining tolerances are very precise. As with many things in the shooting world I think it's difficult, if not impossible to lay 10 different barrels out of competition match profile proportions and point nto the one that will be more accurate as there is so much more involved, including quality of steel, rifling, consistency of machining and lapping and concentrically of chamber etc etc. I haven't shot enough different barrels to have a favourite but of the custom ones I have, they didn't perform any better really than my factory Tikkas, the best being more a match profile contour than heavy barrel. That may say more about my load development and cleaning regime than the barrels though! Amongst the ultra long range boys State-side, the heavy Bartlein barrels seem to be very popular.

Catch-22 · April 25, 2020

For clarity, I didn’t assert that fat barrels don’t whip, of course they do, but I still maintain that a fatter (really fatter and shorter...but given two barrels of same length, the fatter is better) barrel will whip less and the extra rigidity is conducive to better accuracy.

https://riflebarrels.com/a-look-at-the-rigidity-of-benchrest-barrels/

My point is that a lot of chassis systems out there are good and can help with accuracy as they usually negate any poor factory bedding jobs or flimsy flexible stocks. They’re also becoming more and more modular, allowing for greater flexibility for given shooting styles or switching between shooting styles.

But given the choice between spending money on a good chassis, I would rather spend the money on a decent (and heavier profile barrel) if the current one is pencil thin.