MtnMike

That never would have crossed my mind - but it makes sense. Like I said, I know nothing about distance shooting One of the joys of growing up in the hollars of the Blue Ridge - very rarely shoot over even 100 yards. My tools exceed my horizon - except in bow season!

I'm a CCI user as well. Standard in suppressed and generally the copper plated mini-mag hollow points for varmints. Mini-mags is what my dad and my uncles always used when I was growing up. And, when I've tried other brands the drop-off in quality and the increase in FTFs was noticeable. I know bubkus about shooting longer distances, but I'd think the CCI Stingers might do well. Considerably higher muzzle velocity. 1640 fps advertised-compared to 1070 standard and 1235 mini-mags. But that might not translate into accuracy. I look forward to hearing how this shakes out. Sounds like fun.

I've owned this rifle for awhile now and can't really remember how it shot without the brake. I did find some notes I made at the time, that indicated it made little difference as far as recoil - so I'd have to answer that question - No. That being said, it's a very easy shooter (recoil-wise) with it. I went with a Precision Armament M4-72 at the time because it didn't weigh but an an ounce and a half more than the stock A2 flash suppressor that came with the gun. I'd probably go titanium today if I were going for a light build. I also like hunting with a suppressor. I have a thread-on titanium Resilient Jolene S that only weighs about 6 oz. that I swap between this gun and a favorite bolt action. I love the Leupold Mark AR mounts. Rock solid and light - 6 oz. Two things you'll find on all my ARs: (1) Leupold AR mounts; and (2) LaRue MST-2 stage triggers. Good solid gear for the money IMHO.

BTW - That's 8.6 lbs when the photo is properly flipped over. SMH

I set up a 16" 308 Windham just for that purpose. Kept it relatively light by using a Daniel Defense butt stock, a Leupold 2x12 scope and a light muzzle brake. Works great for whitetails using Federal 150g Power-shok SPs. Hope to some day take it out West for an elk. I'd probably up my bullet weight in that case. Metal hand guard gets cold; wear gloves.

Looks like a high tech potato gun. Haven't played with one of those in decades - but they sure were fun!

Finally got to spend some quality time with the Tikka w/ the Jolene S. Took a bit of trial and effort to find a factory hunting load that performed to my liking. But eventually found that Nosler 165gr BT resulted in < .65" 5-shot groups @ 100 yards. Good enough for whitetails. Afterwards, reviewed the cleaning procedure for the Jolene S (which performed as expected). Basically, you're supposed to weigh the can every few 1000 rounds and if it gains more than 2 oz in weight, you soak it overnight in Breakthrough suppressor cleaner. So, no maintenance after a 100 rounds other than to weigh the can and note it for future reference. Currently 8.6 oz on the digital kitchen scale.

Looks fun and expensive! New competition - quickest to go thru $100 of ammo wins 🤪

I like to take multiple ammos when I do an initial sight-in. I've found some rifles seem to prefer a certain ammo or weight class of bullet. So, I find what groups best and then go from there. Sometimes you get a gun that's a real omnivore that likes to eat a variety of loads. Hoping you've got one of those!

In my area, we have a local gun shop that is in the Silencer Shop network. Hopefully, I can give them some "instant" business in a few weeks. It at least gives me an excuse to make the trip and visit the store.

now THAT was funny

🙃That's how it begins ..

If you are worried about the additional weight of the suppressor, they vary considerably. I recently put a RESILIENT SUPPRESSORS JOLENE S on a basic Tikka T3X Lite .308 bolt action with a regular (threaded) 20" barrel. That particular suppressor only added 8oz to the total weight of the gun, and in my opinion, slightly improved the balance. My buddy who was with me during my initial re-sighting in of the rifle said he couldn't really tell the difference in weight or balance with the suppressor. Both of noticed a reduction in recoil (which wasn't bad to start with). And, I now consider the rifle safe to shoot without hearing protection for hunting purposes. I'd still recommend hearing protection for target practice. Like you mentioned, save what hearing we have left. I don't regret the purchase.

strangely enjoyable watch

We have a little Westinghouse inverted iGen 2800 generator that was an absolute godsend after Hurricane Helene hit here in 2024. Lost grid power for 11 days. The little Westinghouse runs like a champ and kept the freezer and the refrigerator going with a bit to spare. I think I picked that generator up for under $400 on sale at Sam's on an impulse buy. I typically have $1000s of game meat and fish in the freezer. I give Westinghouse 2 thumbs up on their generators.