Hi all
I am trying to point a newish shooter in the right direction, he has a tika t3taca1 6.5 Creedmoor and is going to re barrell can he go to 7saum or 6.5 prc to be legal.
Thanks for any advice.
Guy
Current sporter rules
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GuyLuke
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Re: Current sporter rules
What are you specifically asking?
Why not just shoot it in factory config and stay in SP (Sporter Production) instead of SI (Sporter Improved)?
Why not just shoot it in factory config and stay in SP (Sporter Production) instead of SI (Sporter Improved)?
Re: Current sporter rules
I understand where you are coming from .... Answer(s): you can shoot what you have in SH , if you rebarrel you are in SH open. While you can (and I did) shoot a factory tikka in 6.5PRC (5.7kg !) in SH std, I am not sure it gave me any advantage over a creedmore. It probably should have 
...
If you rebarrel and shoot SH open you can have any calibre up to 8mm that meets the range energy limits so 7saum is on but nobody is doing it yet afaik. Remember you are shooting a 7.5kg rifle off a bipod... I have a 6mm lapua and a 6.5mm prc.
(oh another consideration is... he will need to find a magnum bolt to change his rifle to one of those calibers.. but i guess you already knew that )
... If you rebarrel and shoot SH open you can have any calibre up to 8mm that meets the range energy limits so 7saum is on but nobody is doing it yet afaik. Remember you are shooting a 7.5kg rifle off a bipod... I have a 6mm lapua and a 6.5mm prc.
(oh another consideration is... he will need to find a magnum bolt to change his rifle to one of those calibers.. but i guess you already knew that )
id quod est
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ZeekyBoogyDoog
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Re: Current sporter rules
Hello mate.
I have shot a tikka tacA1 in Sporter class for 5 years now and won a Grand Championship with it in stock configuration. After 6000 rounds i finally rebarreled it, and i didn't change caliber.
Converting to 6.5PRC or SAUM is fine, and there are some advantages i will list below. But i think the disadvantages far outweigh the benefits.
PROS:
The extra horsepower will buck the wind better.
Access to higher BC projectiles mean you could potentially have a flatter trajectory.
Bragging rights cos you have a dardy magnum for Sporter class.
You could try and extend the range into ELR if you wanted to.
CONS.
Much shorter barrel life.
The cost of ammunition components.
The availability of Ammunition components.
The availability of factory ammo should you not be able to buy any factory components.
The relatively light weight of the rifle will lead to issues in regards to recoil management, handling, and bipod manners.
These problems will likely result in the formation of bad habits that will be hard to control. Things like Flinch, and trigger control, maintinaing a sight picture, and follow through.
The fact that a rifle like that will likely leap off the ground and when you reposition you may take aim to the wrong target.
The cost of converting to a magnum faced bolt.
The fact that using the higher BC bullets may result in no longer being able to utilise a magazine.
The extra fatigue on the other parts of the rifle (rings, scope, bipod, grip, buttstock) that could become loose or get damaged from the extra forces.
The extra recoil on such a light rifle will likely mean that your shoulder will be taking the brunt of the force, and you may find some decent pain/bruising in that area after a long prize meet. (this will also increase the affects of flinch)
.... and the biggest CON of them all... you will still get regularly beaten by PC shooters with factory 6.5 creedmoors and the like. Mostly because they won't have to struggle through your list of CONS you have created. At this point it is an excercise in diminishing returns.
I have a friend who built a rifle with a similar mindset. A 300wsm with a full chassis and beefed up barrel, and schmidt and bender PMII with a spuhr mount, the v10 atlas... etc etc... the list goes on. Guess which rifle he brings on competition day??? His tikka taca1 in 6.5 creedmoor.
I hope this helps.
I have shot a tikka tacA1 in Sporter class for 5 years now and won a Grand Championship with it in stock configuration. After 6000 rounds i finally rebarreled it, and i didn't change caliber.
Converting to 6.5PRC or SAUM is fine, and there are some advantages i will list below. But i think the disadvantages far outweigh the benefits.
PROS:
The extra horsepower will buck the wind better.
Access to higher BC projectiles mean you could potentially have a flatter trajectory.
Bragging rights cos you have a dardy magnum for Sporter class.
You could try and extend the range into ELR if you wanted to.
CONS.
Much shorter barrel life.
The cost of ammunition components.
The availability of Ammunition components.
The availability of factory ammo should you not be able to buy any factory components.
The relatively light weight of the rifle will lead to issues in regards to recoil management, handling, and bipod manners.
These problems will likely result in the formation of bad habits that will be hard to control. Things like Flinch, and trigger control, maintinaing a sight picture, and follow through.
The fact that a rifle like that will likely leap off the ground and when you reposition you may take aim to the wrong target.
The cost of converting to a magnum faced bolt.
The fact that using the higher BC bullets may result in no longer being able to utilise a magazine.
The extra fatigue on the other parts of the rifle (rings, scope, bipod, grip, buttstock) that could become loose or get damaged from the extra forces.
The extra recoil on such a light rifle will likely mean that your shoulder will be taking the brunt of the force, and you may find some decent pain/bruising in that area after a long prize meet. (this will also increase the affects of flinch)
.... and the biggest CON of them all... you will still get regularly beaten by PC shooters with factory 6.5 creedmoors and the like. Mostly because they won't have to struggle through your list of CONS you have created. At this point it is an excercise in diminishing returns.
I have a friend who built a rifle with a similar mindset. A 300wsm with a full chassis and beefed up barrel, and schmidt and bender PMII with a spuhr mount, the v10 atlas... etc etc... the list goes on. Guess which rifle he brings on competition day??? His tikka taca1 in 6.5 creedmoor.
I hope this helps.
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tom1
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Re: Current sporter rules
Thanks for your detailed reply Zeeky. The CONS part of your post should be printed off and put on the notice board of clubs.
Cheers Brad Probert
Cheers Brad Probert
Re: Current sporter rules
my 6.5prc weighs 7.4kg. i would not like to shoot it in a lighter config. works well. its not hard to reload or get brass, but you have to reload, no factory stuff afaik. it shot a 50.10 the other day (but so did one of the creedmores, there was no wind)
more info: I am getting 2970fps with 140gr projectiles (2870 with 153gr) . Its a moderate load, not max. 27" barrel
That seems to be 300fps more than a creedmore with 140s.... once you get to 800m thats going to matter somewhat.
more info: I am getting 2970fps with 140gr projectiles (2870 with 153gr) . Its a moderate load, not max. 27" barrel
That seems to be 300fps more than a creedmore with 140s.... once you get to 800m thats going to matter somewhat.
Last edited by macguru on Tue Jul 15, 2025 9:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
id quod est
Re: Current sporter rules
Thanks all! Must appreciate for the input. It has help me heaps in deciding what I’ll be leaning towards.
I’m currently running factory 6.5CM Tac A1 on the money at 7.5kg and shoots pretty well. No issues up to 800y even in windy conditions, but can get pretty challenging at 1000y. Only got 1700 rounds through it at the moment and she’s starting to slow down, probably because I’m on the hotter side of the load at 2820fps with 130s.
Just out of curiosity, Zeeky mentioned 6000 rounds before rebarreling, how fast are you running at and what projectiles? Just trying to narrow down if the rifle is slowing down or it’s the reloading side I need to tweak, I.e how I store the powder.
Regards,
Syafiq
I’m currently running factory 6.5CM Tac A1 on the money at 7.5kg and shoots pretty well. No issues up to 800y even in windy conditions, but can get pretty challenging at 1000y. Only got 1700 rounds through it at the moment and she’s starting to slow down, probably because I’m on the hotter side of the load at 2820fps with 130s.
Just out of curiosity, Zeeky mentioned 6000 rounds before rebarreling, how fast are you running at and what projectiles? Just trying to narrow down if the rifle is slowing down or it’s the reloading side I need to tweak, I.e how I store the powder.
Regards,
Syafiq
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