basil brush wrote:I have just purchased a tikka 308.
I am off to the range so what ammo should I try first?
I have read the article below about sighting in a 308 which was exremely helpful
I am going to Victorisa soon for a Sambar hunt as a first hunt with this rifle
but it will a an allrounder in the furure.
Gratz on the purchase
Tikka are pretty good for out-of-the-box accuracy and most quality ammo should shoot well enough for you, definitely accurate enough for hunting.
Between a few mates and I we have a handful of different Tikka chambered for different rounds and have found they all like Nosler Ballistic tips. Not the cheapest ammo but accurate and will be good for your Sambar hunting too.
Personally I'm also a fan of Sierra Pro-Hunters and found their 150gr flat base bullets to be very accurate. The projectiles are half the price of Nosler as well.
You might be tempted to try lighter bullets for less recoil, 110gr - 125gr are the usual go-to for light .308 loads, I've never gotten much accuracy out of the lighter stuff when it comes to .308.
150gr - 165gr seems to be about the sweet spot in most rifles.
Your Tikka is 1:11 twist if I remember so should handle 180gr fine. IMO there isn't really any need to go that heavy. It's just more stress on your shoulder for nothing, especially at the range.