Talking about Tikkas, Howas and 6.5 Manbuns lately made me think of my Sako A7 Roughtech Pro. So I decided to try some new loads out the other day. I didn't get very far.
Some might wonder why you would buy an A7 when you could buy a cheaper Tikka or a "better" Sako 85. One thing the A7 Roughtech rifles have that the Tikkas and Sako 75s/85s don't is an aluminium chassis – a better bedding system than either the Tikka T3x or Sakos, IMO, and reason enough to consider them.
At the time of purchase, there was no 6.5CM in Tikka or Sako 85 – they came out later – so the A7 Roughtech Pro and Range were my only choices in those rifles.
Out on the range, first shot was a fouler. The next five shots went into .350" at 100M and all six (including fouler) went into .625", including three through one hole. That was the start and end of my load development.
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143gr ELD-X, 41.8gr of 2209, Lapua small-primer brass, BR4 primers, 2.850" OAL (0.084" off the lands), chronoed at 2700fps
Apart from the 143gr ELD-X, I have a softer target load: 123gr Lapua Scenar; 43.2gr 2209, Lapua small-primer brass, BR4 primers, 2.850" OAL (0.015" off the lands), chronoed at 2835fps.
4x shots at 100m
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123gr Lapua Scenar vs 143gr Hornady ELD-X, both in Lappy SRP brass
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Rig
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Incidentally, that 41.8gr load is very similar to some of these loads:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8627&start=18I think JimTom's ELD-X load is similar (41.5gr 2209 from memory) in the same rifle.
These rifles can be bought for under $2k and sometimes as low as $1500 in excellent second-hand condition. They shoot straight out of the box. I reckon the 6.5 Creedmoor round also helps.
The laws of physics do not apply to politics.