Versatile long range/ Rockies hunting tikka build question’s

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Hello all, sorry for the wall of text

TL;DR

how many rounds can I get from the 6.5 creedmoor 20” lite in one string before groups open? Is the ace game actually more accurate or is that the chassis? Is the cerakote/ fluted bolt not as smooth as the base model? And finally @backfire when can I give you money for a green backlite chassis lol

considering a tikka t3x in 6.5 creedmoor to use the new plus peak cases when hunting. Will be suppressed 100% of the time so I’m thinking the 20” barrel would be ideal. Use case is all the Rocky Mountain game I can get into, along with some nrl hunter/ long range shooting

Couple questions how rust prone is the standard blued t3x? Ideally wanting a tool rifle that gets used and abused. But I’ve read the cerakoted models tend to have stickier actions and the fluted bolts can catch on the flutes and that the standard bolts are actually the smoothest. Problem is tikka doesn’t make a 20” base model stainless besides the CTR

My options are the 20” blued lite compact model (cheapest and easiest) (16mm barrel diameter for a just over 6lb finished backlite weight)

The 20” CTR stainless with a pretty solid weight and cost penalty (20mm barrel diameter just under 8lb backlite weight)

and the ace game with an even higher cost penalty. (18.6mm barrel diameter just under 7lb backlite weight)

Plan would be to grab a green backfire chassis if one comes out for any of these. Weights are best guess

So my other question is how is the accuracy differs for these barrels and how quickly or if they change from longer shot strings. I’m seeing mixed experience from the ctr and ace game are materially more precise to they are all the same, and from the ace game and thicker don’t open up groups or have a POI shift even after firing 20-30 rounds and the lite does the same all the way to after 3-4 rounds the poi shifts and groups open

In summary as said in the TL;DR how many rounds can I get from the lite before groups open? Is the ace game actually more accurate or is that the chassis? Is the cerakote/ fluted bolt not as smooth as the base model? And finally @backfire when can I give you money for a green backlite chassis lol

Thank you one and all for the help!

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Don’t think I saw what cartridge you’re planning? That will determine how many rounds you get before burning out the barrel.

Right now we’re only doing tan for the chassis and actually we’re planning a move to all black in the near future. So it’d have to be a custom Cerakote job. We’re having so much trouble getting them out that we just can’t do color options right now. Sorry!

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It’s 6.5 creedmoor brass reloads for practice and plus peak for hunting is the plan

Not that worried about burning the barrel out and needing to replace it but I do want a barrel I can at least shoot a 10 round NRL stage and still hold accuracy/ POI. I meant how quickly does heat effect the 6.5 creedmoor 20” tikka barrels and how does that number change for the lite, Roughtech/ace game and ctr profiles.

Also are the cerakoted tikkas and the fluted tikka bolts as smooth as the base models, some say they are some say they are not

And finally how prone to rust is the tikka bluing really?

As for the backlite I would actually rather it be black so that would work too!

Thanks again!