That new rifle smell

I recently joined this cult too and it's been frustrating so far.
I love the fit and feel of the gun as well as the trigger but am having heck getting it to shoot as well as most others claim they do.
I have tried multiple loads with 5 different powders, two different bullets, and at best it's been a 1" gun so far.
Now I'm finding it seems to be finicky about action screw torque which is something I haven't really had problems with or had to deal with in the past.

I recently joined this cult too and it's been frustrating so far.
I love the fit and feel of the gun as well as the trigger but am having heck getting it to shoot as well as most others claim they do.
I have tried multiple loads with 5 different powders, two different bullets, and at best it's been a 1" gun so far.
Now I'm finding it seems to be finicky about action screw torque which is something I haven't really had problems with or had to deal with in the past.

I don't want to hi-jack Buzz's thread but mine is a t3x, 8 twist 22-250, no suppressor/not threaded, Burris fullfield 4-12, burris signature zee rings on EGW rail.
After some unsatisfactory initial results, I did some research (and called and talked to Chad) and then removed the stock and floated the barrel (removed the factory pressure points) and also replaced the plastic trigger guard "bottom metal" with High Desert Rifle works bottom metal, reassembled and torqued the action screws to 45 in./lbs.
This resulted in the gun shooting a horizontal ~1 1/2" string. After more reading on other forums, etc. I have loosened and re-torqued the action screws to 40 on front and 30 on rear but have not got to shoot it again yet to see what this will do.
I'm interested to hear how Buzz's works out and maybe I am the lucky owner of the only less than stellar Tikka which would not be surprising. I'm used to luck like this and have learned not to buy lotto tickets.

I don't want to hi-jack Buzz's thread but mine is a t3x, 8 twist 22-250, no suppressor/not threaded, Burris fullfield 4-12, burris signature zee rings on EGW rail.
After some unsatisfactory initial results, I did some research (and called and talked to Chad) and then removed the stock and floated the barrel (removed the factory pressure points) and also replaced the plastic trigger guard "bottom metal" with High Desert Rifle works bottom metal, reassembled and torqued the action screws to 45 in./lbs.
This resulted in the gun shooting a horizontal ~1 1/2" string. After more reading on other forums, etc. I have loosened and re-torqued the action screws to 40 on front and 30 on rear but have not got to shoot it again yet to see what this will do.
I'm interested to hear how Buzz's works out and maybe I am the lucky owner of the only less than stellar Tikka which would not be surprising. I'm used to luck like this and have learned not to buy lotto tickets.

What kind of groups were you getting before you altered the stock, and did you try factory ammo during your initial trials? I have three Tikka's. A CTR, all factory, a RoughTech, all factory and a T3 that I modified. They all shoot great with factory ammo, mostly 1/2" groups.

I modified the T3 with High Desert Rifle Works bottom metal, a Bell and Carlson Medalist stock with an aluminum bedding block and sanded the barrel channel fully floating all the way to the recoil lug. I posted the great results a few years ago, and this year it's still shooting and killing very effectively. IMO, altering your stock was a mistake. Tikka guarantees their rifles with the stock as is, shooting factory ammo. Also, I don't see the gain in going to bottom metal and keeping the plastic stock. I made modifications to my T3 because I wanted to make a good rifle into a great rifle. I went in knowing I wanted an upgraded stock with an aluminum bedding block and bottom metal over plastic so that I could torque the action tighter after floating. With bottom metal and an altered plastic stock, I don't see how anyone could give you a working torque setting. I got my torque setting from Bell and Carlson. If you're wanting to keep this rifle, I'd change the stock to compliment the bottom metal.

I don't have any factory ammo so haven't tried that. Prior to altering, it would shoot some loads with 3 to 4 shots into 3/4 - 1" but then always 1 or 2 flier(s) (usually a little high left) to open the group to 1 1/2 or so. Also to note, I was allowing the barrel too fully cool (5 to 15 min.) between shots so barrel heat was not a factor. I do want to keep the rifle and am determined to figure this out (help welcomed)...and it's now become a "me" vs. the gremlin thing.