I finally got it!!!

[jh2586]

Been waiting an ETERNITY!!! (10 days)

- Tikka T3 chambered in .308 Win
- Nikon Buckmaster w/ BDC 3-9x40mm
- Harris S-BRM bipod w/ swivel
- Match-Grade ammo (for zeroing scope)
- Cleaning kit, ear plugs, glasses, gloves and other misc crap

And.... I think I'm ready!

Gonna go to Sac Valley tomorrow (had second thoughts about Spenceville), if anyone is down to go, I'll be there at 9am shooting with a couple friends. Wish me luck... this is my first gun EVER.

Oh and does anyone have any "breaking in" tips? And should I wipe a light coat of CLP in the bore before firing?

[jh2586]

If anyone will be out there I'd appreciate some pointers.. this is my first gun you know

[VendetAR]

Ill be out there in Bay 2 all day, but tomorrow is not gonna be a good day for zeroing much of anything. Might wanna wait till Sunday as the wind and rain will be lighter.

[oni]

Run a few dry patches thru the barrel to clean out anything from the factory and then enjoy shooting the rifle.

Any other break-in is a waste of time and ammo.

[NorCalFocus]

You going with experinced shooters?

[jh2586]

You going with experinced shooters?

One of them is experienced, the other one is new like me.

[NorCalFocus]

Ok good. Safety first.

[jh2586]

Ok good. Safety first.

Agreed. I'll also throw in that I've been in the Army for 10 years. This Tikka is the first gun I've owned, not shot. I've shot many military-grade weapons. I know a thing or two about safety lol. If anything, I'll be the one keeping everyone in check.

[Exodus343]

BEAUTIFUL!!!

just relax and squeeze and you'll be ok
and kudos to zeroing with match ammo, check out 8541 tactical on YouTube

oh yeah, rear bags!

[XVIga_Rob]

That's a nice rig! Congrats!
I'd wipe down the bolt and barrel to clean off any factory goop. Other than that, just take your time and don't overheat the barrel. +1 on waiting until Sunday!

[killshot44]

Give the barrel a cleaning before you shoot it, there's usually crud from machining in it.

After shooting I'd use a copper-specific solvent like Sweets 7.62 or Barnes CR-10 to remove the copper fouling typical of new factory barrels. After a good powder fouling cleaning with Carb-Out or Bore-Tech C4.

Zero that scope yet? If not, do so at 25yds by removing the bolt, and with the gun sitting solidly, sight down the bore onto a 6" bull then adjust the scope to center the reticle on the target. First shots should be on paper, center the scope then move out to your desired Zero distance.

Don't forget an empty chamber indicator. Have fun and give us a report on it.

[jh2586]

Give the barrel a cleaning before you shoot it, there's usually crud from machining in it.

After shooting I'd use a copper-specific solvent like Sweets 7.62 or Barnes CR-10 to remove the copper fouling typical of new factory barrels. After a good powder fouling cleaning with Carb-Out or Bore-Tech C4.

Zero that scope yet? If not, do so at 25yds by removing the bolt, and with the gun sitting solidly, sight down the bore onto a 6" bull then adjust the scope to center the reticle on the target. First shots should be on paper, center the scope then move out to your desired Zero distance.

Don't forget an empty chamber indicator. Have fun and give us a report on it.

Is it required to get on the range?

[BadMatt]

Don't do what I did: I got so into zeroing the scope on my new 30-06, getting so close to the reticle so it would perfect, that it left a perfect scope imprint on my nose, complete with a nice cut and a big bruise. It felt like a hard punch in the face. My gun looks like yours too so watch out.

[RobG]

Give the barrel a cleaning before you shoot it, there's usually crud from machining in it.

After shooting I'd use a copper-specific solvent like Sweets 7.62 or Barnes CR-10 to remove the copper fouling typical of new factory barrels. After a good powder fouling cleaning with Carb-Out or Bore-Tech C4.

Zero that scope yet? If not, do so at 25yds by removing the bolt, and with the gun sitting solidly, sight down the bore onto a 6" bull then adjust the scope to center the reticle on the target. First shots should be on paper, center the scope then move out to your desired Zero distance.

Don't forget an empty chamber indicator. Have fun and give us a report on it.

Pretty much sums it up. And yes, empty chamber indicators are mandatory. The range sells them for a dollar.

[jh2586]

Ok cool. I can do a dollar